Updated every Friday 12:00 PM
April 26 - May 2

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Apple TV+ debuts trailer for “The Big Cigar,” new limited series starring André Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, premiering globally on Friday, May 17. The upcoming six-episode drama tells the incredible true story of Newton’s escape to Cuba and is executive produced by NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois, Jim Hecht and Joshuah Bearman, with the first two episodes directed and executive produced by multi-award winner Don Cheadle...

Two years ago, it was neon yellow roller blades and coordinating skating costumes for Barbie and Ken that showed up on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, drumming up excitement for what became a blockbuster hit. This year, it’s apes on horseback.20th Century Film sent horse handlers dressed as monkeys to the iconic California coast in an out-of-the-box marketing effort for their upcoming movie. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a sequel to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, and is the fourth installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise which began in 2011. It is directed by Wes Ball from a script by Josh Friedman and stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and William H. Macy...

“Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line,” a documentary feature about the veteran Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has been set as the opening gala title at the Sydney Film Festival. It will have its world premiere at the State Theatre on June 5, kicking off the festival that runs until June 16. The film is written and directed by Paul Clarke and produced by Carolina Sorensen. It was executive produced by Mikael Borglund, Paul Clarke and Martin Fabinyi...

The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved the new awards rules and campaign regulations for the 97th Oscars ceremony to be held on March 2. Significant changes have been made in the original score category. Now, up to three composers can receive individual Oscar statuettes if they all significantly contribute to a film’s music. This marks a departure from previous rules that required composers to submit as a group, such as the band Son Lux for the nomination for the best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, winners for the animated film “Soul” (2020), also received a single statuette. The definition of a group has been specified to include a recognized band. Additionally, the shortlist in this category has been expanded from 15 to 20 titles, which will be announced in late December before the official nomination voting period begins in January..

UFEG’s Make It Universal and Rotten Tomatoes have partnered to create the new “Seen on Screen” podcast hosted by Rotten Tomatoes awards editor Jacqueline Coley. The bi-weekly podcast offers a behind the scenes look into Universal productions and conversations with Universal employees about the impact of film on their lives. “Seen on Screen” also aims to demystify the interworkings of the film industry to listeners. Episodes will showcase the many employment opportunities available across a major studio and highlight the diversity within the Universal staff. “Seen on Screen” premieres April 24 with bi-weekly episodes airing on the Universal Pictures YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and Spotify...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a new rule about the theatrical run a film must have to be considered. These rules, called the “expanded theatrical eligibility requirements,” affect the Best Picture category. According to these conditions, films will now have to have an expanded run of one week in 10 out of the top 50 U.S. markets. For movies with expanded releases that come after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit a release plan subject to Academy approval. This new Oscars ruling represents a major shift from the previous rule, which only required movies to release for one week in one of six qualifying cities: Los Angeles County, the City of New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Bay Area. This policy allowed films to have extremely limited releases, shown only to a select group and never released widely. The old ruling benefitted streamers, who would not have to assume the associated costs that go along with wider theatrical distribution, instead releasing films primarily on streaming...