Variety 10/26/2022

There are 137 days until March 12, 2023, the night of the 95th Academy Awards. And as many questions loom, among them: Can the Academy rebound after Will Smith turned the most prestigious celebration of cinema into a bad reality show last year? How will Bill Kramer, the new CEO of the Academy, put his stamp on the ceremony? Will Tom Cruise introduce Lady Gaga before she brings the house down with a performance of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”? And crucially: Will viewers tune in? With a spirit of hustle and optimism on the campaign trail, it’s starting to feel like the old days again. For the first time since the pandemic, movie premieres and screenings are back in full force, as directors and actors crisscross between Los…

Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis spoke with “Till” star Danielle Deadwyler. When he asked what she’d want for her final meal on Earth, he was shocked when she chose scallops and asparagus. “I watch hella Food Network,” she said. Variety senior TV features editor (and self-proclaimed Christmas movie aficionado) Emily Longeretta dissected the 140-plus holiday films arriving on TV this year to give readers a hint of what to expect. Angus Finney, who wrote the American Film Market package in the Focus section, is a U.K.-based executive producer (“The Mother,” “Nothing”) and fellow at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School. His latest book is “The International Film Business: A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood.” Danish-born portrait photographer Marc Hom captured Hugh Jackman in New York on Sept. 19. His work has appeared…

To borrow a phrase from poet Carl Sandburg, a sustained economic slowdown appears to be creeping into the U.S. on little cat feet. Everyone from Jeff Bezos to Gwyneth Paltrow is talking about the likelihood of a deepening recession, with the Amazon founder advising Twitter followers on Oct. 19 to batten down the hatches and the Goop CEO confessing latenight worries about the economic outlook a few days earlier. Technically, the U.S. economy entered recession territory midyear, following the second straight quarter of decline in gross domestic product. But the economy has rallied in the past following such declines, leading some to argue we aren’t yet in a recession; the glass-half-full crowd points to low unemployment even amid rising inflation as an indicator we aren’t in such bad financial straits.…

Last week’s L.A. premiere of “Call Jane” doubled as a benefit for the local chapter of Planned Parenthood, and with the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade on many attendees’ minds, speakers such as Gloria Allred, Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks urged those in the audience to vote for pro-choice candidates in the upcoming election. But for producer Robbie Brenner, Roadside Attractions’ Oct. 28 release of “Call Jane” also marks the end of a seven-year journey to get the indie film into theaters. Now executive VP of Mattel’s film division, Brenner boarded the project — which traces a Chicago housewife’s political awakening following a back-alley abortion in 1968 — when Kevin McKeon, her assistant on “Dallas Buyers Club,” handed her the 2017 Black List script by Hayley Schore…

Hollywood defense attorney Shawn Holley has learned that not all things are as they seem. “Reasonable Doubt,” showrunner Raamla Mohamed leaned into that trait when creating the character of Jax Stewart, loosely based on Holley, for Hulu’s sexy murder mystery. Jax, portrayed by Emayatzy Corinealdi, is depicted in a nuanced and sometimes compromising light: She’s a high-profile criminal defense attorney with a roster of distinguished clients, but her ethics are in question at various points due to her messy marriage and certain extracurricular activities. Holley, who serves as co-executive producer on the series, says her personal life is far less salacious and “seedy” than Mohamed’s fictional creation. And Mohamed, a former “Scandal” writer-producer, has freely admitted to taking creative liberties with Jax. Mohamed spent time with the attorney who rose…

Halloween hasn’t even arrived yet, but the holiday movie season is already underway on the small screen. There are more than 140 new offerings this extended season, and familiar faces abound, along with surprise newcomers. Here’s a closer look at the festive options airing before Christmas. Have I Seen This Before? Oft-told storylines are very much in vogue — seven movies include royals, three feature inns and eight highlight a hometown return — while some serve up new twists on the genre. Notably, “Three Wise Men and a Baby” doesn’t focus on romance. Instead, it centers on rebuilding the relationship between three brothers forced to care for a baby over the holidays. Double Duty Tyler Hynes and Andrew Walker — who happen to be cousins — star in two movies…