Matt Donnelly
Variety
Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Past articles by Matt:
Inside Victoria Alonso’s Shocking Exit From Marvel Studios
Behind the shock termination of veteran Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso. → Read More
Sundance: ‘The Starling Girl’ Sells to Bleecker Street (EXCLUSIVE)
Sundance player 'The Starling Girl' has been acquired by Bleecker Street. → Read More
James Gunn, Peter Safran Vow to Put Screenwriting First to Fix the Once ‘F—ed Up’ DC Studios
Along with a slew of superhero films, DC Studios leaders James Gunn and Peter Safran announced a new creative vision on Monday. → Read More
Sundance Winners: ‘A Thousand and One’ Takes U.S. Dramatic Jury Prize (Complete List)
Back in Park City, Utah, for the first time since 2020, the Sundance Film Festival concluded with an in-person awards show. → Read More
After ‘Veep’ and ‘Seinfeld,’ Julia Louis-Dreyfus Is Finally Ready to Be a Movie Star
A phone call from 40 years ago still breaks Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ heart. It came in the early ’80s, when her father, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, rang to deliver a harsh review of his daughter’s inaugural … → Read More
Daisy Edgar-Jones to Play Carole King in ‘Beautiful’ Musical Biopic, Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (EXCLUSIVE)
Popular on Variety Daisy Edgar-Jones has landed the plum role of Carole King in Sony’s upcoming film adaptation of the stage musical “Beautiful,” a package as high-profile as it is pedigreed. “Daisy has a spirit and energy that I recognized as myself when I was younger. She’s a tremendous talent and I know she’s going […] → Read More
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Netflix Docuseries Gets First Trailer
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are about to pull back the curtain on their love story and subsequent retreat from life as working royals. After months of mystery, distributor Netflix released a first-look trailer for the highly anticipated doc series on Thursday. The project, which is directed by “What […] → Read More
Stockpiling Scripts and Scrapped Hiatuses: Hollywood Braces for Labor Strife Next Year
A bad sense of déjà vu is settling over the industry as the year winds down. Hollywood is in the throes of transition, and an economic downturn is on the horizon. The business is full of Under New Management signs after an M&A spree. Big Media earnings and stock prices are in the tank because […] → Read More
James Gunn and Peter Safran Give DC Studios and David Zaslav Bold, Brash and Slightly Risky New Guardians
James Gunn spent his summer thinking about the future. Three months before Tuesday’s shock announcement that he and longtime manager-turned-producer Peter Safran would take the reins at DC Films, the director showed up to July’s San Diego Comic-Con as a Disney employee, in town to give a first look at the sequel “Guardians of the […] → Read More
Meghan Markle Lets Her Guard Down: On Grieving Queen Elizabeth, Producing With Harry and Returning to Hollywood
Popular on Variety The Duchess of Sussex is in mourning. But we’ll get back to that. First, let’s go to the day we met, this past summer, at the venerated San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif. The ranch is a low-key old luxury resort with simple bungalows tucked into a mountainside overlooking the Pacific coast. […] → Read More
Toronto Film Festival Takeaways: Steven Spielberg’s Big Moment, Netflix’s Comeback and a Moribund Market
As TIFF comes to a close, Variety is assessing the trends and takeaways at the annual Toronto film festival. → Read More
From Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ to Viola Davis in ‘The Woman King’: 10 Toronto Movies We’re Dying to See
After two years of virtual events or limited-capacity premieres, the festival returns in spectacular fashion, with more than 250 films expected to screen during the 10-day event. To break down the musts from the meh, here are nine films we’re dying to see. “Causeway” (A24/Apple Original Films) Though Jennifer Lawrence had a juicy supporting role […] → Read More
Julia Garner Offered Madonna Role in Universal Biopic (EXCLUSIVE)
Popular on Variety “Inventing Anna” actress Julia Garner has been offered the role of Madonna in a forthcoming biopic about the pop icon, sources familiar with the project told Variety. Garner has emerged the favorite from over a dozen candidates, one insider added, and has for months been speculated as a frontrunner for the part […] → Read More
Toby Emmerich Steps Down as Warner Bros. Picture Group Chairman, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy Taking Over Studio
Veteran film executive Toby Emmerich is exiting his post as Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman, three sources told Variety. A company man who survived numerous WB ownership changes for over two decades, Emmerich’s transition out of the role follows weeks of chatter that he was leaving the studio. He is expected to be replaced by […] → Read More
‘Elvis’ Star Austin Butler Thrusts Hips at Cannes, Gaining 12-Minute Standing Ovation
Popular on Variety The audience at the Cannes Film Festival was trembling for Austin Butler as the King in Baz Luhrmann’s world premiere of “Elvis.” The film received an uproarious 12-minute standing ovation, the longest of this year’s festival so far. As the the cheers went on and on, a teary-eyed Butler hugged an equally-emotional […] → Read More
Neon Buys Ruben Östlund’s Satire ‘Triangle of Sadness’ Following Cannes Film Festival Debut
Neon has bought Ruben Östlund’s satire “Triangle of Sadness” in one of the biggest deals to close on a Cannes Film Festival official selection title. 30West and WME handled domestic rights to the comedy, which stars Woody Harrelson as a rabid Marxist who is the captain of a cruise for the super rich. According to […] → Read More
What Are Woody Allen, Johnny Depp and Gerard Depardieu Doing in Cannes? Inside a Problematic Pizzeria Mural
Woody Allen, Gerard Depardieu and Johnny Depp all walk into a restaurant. That’s not the beginning of a bad joke — the three controversial men are looming over a favorite eatery in the South of France, and have been for years. La Pizza Cresci, a famous spot frequented for decades by Hollywood players who have […] → Read More
Is Cannes Destined to Become Next COVID Super-Spreader?
While we don’t yet know what the hottest red carpet accessory will be on the famed steps of the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Théâtre Lumière, we can tell you what it’s not: a surgical mask. Like most of the world, France has relaxed its safety protocols around COVID-19 despite the ongoing transmission of the highly-infectious […] → Read More
Is Cannes Destined to Become Next COVID Super-Spreader?
While we don’t yet know what the hottest red carpet accessory will be on the famed steps of the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Théâtre Lumière, we can tell you what it’s not: a surgical mask. Like most of the world, France has relaxed its safety protocols around COVID-19 despite the ongoing transmission of the highly-infectious […] → Read More
Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy in Talks to Join Warner Bros. Discovery (EXCLUSIVE)
Veteran producer Michael De Luca and his partner Pamela Abdy are in talks to join Warner Bros. Discovery as film executives, multiple insiders familiar with the situation told Variety. Scenarios being discussed include having De Luca and Abdy launch a movie label within the Warner Bros. Pictures group, or enlisting them to take roles within […] → Read More