Variety 7/15/2021

1 Faye Dunaway Joins Kevin Spacey Film ‘The Man Who Drew God’ Faye Dunaway will appear alongside Kevin Spacey in his controversial new project, “The Man Who Drew God.” Directed by Italian actor Franco Nero, who also stars, the feature will be Spacey’s first role since 2017, when dozens of accusations of sexual harassment and assault saw the “House of Cards” actor effectively ostracized from Hollywood. Spacey has never publicly acknowledged the multiple allegations against him. “The Man Who Drew God” producer Louis Nero has confirmed to Variety that Dunaway will be taking the role Vanessa Redgrave had been rumored to play. — K.J. Yossman, Nick Vivarelli 2 Voltage Captures Rights to Action Thriller Gerard Butler, Jaimie Alexander, Russell Hornsby and Ethan Embry have wrapped principal photography on director Brian…

“I loved that Variety wanted to celebrate the talented female leads of ‘Ted Lasso.’ Also, if the team [fictional Richmond AFC] existed, then they would be my local team!” says Zoe McConnell, who photographed Emmy nominees Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple in London on June 17 for this week’s cover. “Hannah and Juno have a great supportive friendship, which it was a pleasure to see and capture. We also got to shoot in a pub and play darts. … I’ve had worse days out!” McConnell’s work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Elle and Entertainment Weekly.…

Jennifer Coolidge The White Lotus Vscore = 67 Tropical hijinks might build buzz. Finn Cole Animal Kingdom Vscore = 54 It’s a crime his number isn’t higher. Keiynan Lonsdale Eden Vscore =51 He can track down disappearing points. Poorna Jagannathan Never Have I Ever Vscore = 44 She’s aiming to control her score.…

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF At the same time Quentin Tarantino announced last week that he had bought and would restore the historic single-screen Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, the mouthy Hollywood director inexplicably threw major shade on some of the big theater chains that were forced to close during the pandemic. “I never like any theater closing, but some of these exhibitors that are going, they fucking deserve to go. They’ve taken all the specialness out of movies anyway, some of these chains,” Tarantino said in a recent episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, insisting that a movie theater should “re-create my living room.” Really? I say how dare he go on such a rant just as people are finally feeling safe enough to return to movie theaters and exhibitors across America…

NBCU execs are wrestling with what could be their biggest sports challenge yet: the Quiet Olympics. Broadcasting and streaming the Tokyo Summer Games already had a high degree of difficulty due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Then Japan declared a state of emergency late last week, and banned live crowds, adding all kinds of new hurdles to the massive production slated to kick off July 23. Will the events seem as powerful and captivating without the roar of the crowd? Can sportscasters communicate the spirit and substance of the games without the hoopla fans have come to expect? NBC’s top sports exec insists they can. “We’re confident that the viewer at home won’t notice a difference,” says Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports, in emailed responses to queries.…

One of Jeffrey Lurie’s first jobs was cooking hot dogs and selling soda at General Cinema, his family’s chain of drive-in movie theaters. When not working the grill or pouring fountain drinks, he was tasked with checking the trunks of customers to see if anyone was sneaking in friends without buying tickets. Decades later, Lurie has a very different day job, as the billionaire head of the Philadelphia Eagles, guiding the franchise to a Super Bowl championship in 2018 and earning a reputation as one of the most progressive owners in the NFL. He’s used his platform to promote charitable work for causes ranging from improving educational opportunities to police reform. Now, he’s turning his attention to another love — the movies, where he hopes to use cinema to shine…