Movies
Carrie Underwood & Dan + Shay, Finneas and More Featured on ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Soundtrack: Exclusive
Fans of Dear Evan Hansen were delighted when it was announced the beloved Broadway hit would be getting the movie treatment, with Ben Platt starring as the titular character for the big screen rendition come Sept. 24. Now, Dear Evan Hansen fans have even more to be excited about: The movie’s star-studded soundtrack. The soundtrack, which will be available the same day as the movie’s theatrical release via Interscope Records, will feature Carrie Underwood with Dan + Shay, Finneas, Sam Smith with Summer Walker, SZA and Tori Kelly, Billboard can exclusively announce. They’ll be performing reimagined versions of the musical’s Tony-award winning songs and as well as original recordings from the film’s score. Smith and Walker team up fo...
H.E.R. to Make Acting Debut in ‘The Color Purple’ Movie Musical
Blitz Bazawule, the filmmaker behind the Beyoncé-fronted Black Is King, is set to direct the fresh take on the musical. Marcus Gardley penned the screenplay, adapted from Marsha Norman’s book and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray’s score. The movie is in pre-production with casting beginning to come together and chemistry reads happening now. Sources close to the production note that casting and creative decisions are being made to bring the story and its themes to a new generation of viewers. Along with H.E.R. — who sources say is working with filmmakers to possibly perform a new original song for the movie musical adaptation — In The Heights star Corey Hawkins joined the film this week. Oprah Winfrey, who had her feature acting debut in Spielberg’s The Co...
Liam Payne Chills With a Rooster & Gets Peppy in ‘Sunshine’ Video: Watch
Liam Payne is making his official foray into animated movies. The former One Direction member released his newest single, “Sunshine,” on Friday (Aug. 27) as part of the official motion picture soundtrack for Ron’s Gone Wrong. The video for the track features Payne singing along to the poppy track, first sitting at a breakfast table with a rooster as his companion, before later cutting to scenes of him lounging in a sun-drenched plot of grass, and dancing in front of a corkboard full of Post-its with suggestions on how to be a friend. The video also interpolates animated scenes from Ron’s Gone Wrong that features main character Barney interacting with his malfunctioning companion device, Ron. Payne is set to voice a character in Ron’s Gone Wrong, but his exact role has yet to be disclosed. ...
Johnny Depp’s Libel Suit Against Amber Heard Will Proceed Despite U.K. Ruling
In the U.K., the actor sued over an article that had called him a “wife beater.” After a trial that lasted weeks, Judge Andrew Nicol found substantial truth to the article in The Sun, specifically with regards to 14 incidents that happened during the troubled marriage. The ruling, which Depp was unsuccessful in overturning on appeal, left him in the atypical position of arguing he didn’t get everything he wanted in the country, which has long been known for libel tourism since the burden of proof is on defendant and public figures needn’t show actual malice. In turn, Heard argued that the Virginia court should recognize the U.K. judgment, and since both actions centered on whether Depp was a domestic abuser, declare the matter already adjudicated. In an opinion on Tuesday, Fairfax County C...
Disney’s ‘Hercules’ is Having a Moment Thanks to Lizzo’s New Video
It’s a comparison Lizzo essentially signed off on, as the singer posted a fan-created version of “Rumors” on Twitter, set to that exact scene in the animated film. “Y’all really get me,” Lizzo wrote in a tweet, alongside a blushing emoji. Originally released in 1997, Hercules is getting a lot of renewed attention this week. In addition to (possibly) inspiring Lizzo’s new music video, the film got a shout-out from Aretha star, Jennifer Hudson, who revealed that she played Calliope, the head muse, on a Disney cruise ship back in the day. Asked if she would be interested in starring in a Hercules remake, Hudson replied with a simple, “I’m ready, just roll the camera” (A live-action remake of Hercules is reportedly in the wo...
Johnny Depp Says He’s Being Boycotted by Hollywood
In the wake of the actor losing a libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which referred to the actor as a “wife-beater” in an article about Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, MGM reportedly shelved the release of the Andrew Levitas-directed project. Depp was also forced to exit Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts franchise last year after he lost the case. Depp said he “looked those people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.” The 58-year-old actor also addressed his standing in the film industry, saying, “Some films touch people and this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything … for H...
Hans Zimmer Composed a Second Original Score for ‘Dune’
The album pairs with the companion books’ extensive chapter-by-chapter look at the filmmaking process, including Dune’s environmental and creature designs, costume concepts and digital effects. The companion books will also feature exclusive interviews with cast and crew, including Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac, among others, offering readers an unparalleled and candid dive into the ambitious cinematic effort. The special limited edition of The Art and Soul of Dune will include all of this in addition to a selection of other exclusive material. Beyond design upgrades like a cloth cover with ornate, foil-stamped House of Atreides and Harkonnen symbols, the companion book will be accompanied by a cloth-bound reproduction of the Fremkit instructio...
Respect Remembers Aretha Franklin’s Life, But Music Makes It Sing
The aching notes rumbling with hurt, the nasal cries demanding attention and autonomy — Aretha Franklin’s music is ubiquitous, with instantly recognizable hits like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Chain of Fools,” as is her lasting legacy of racial advocacy. But perhaps lesser known today is how the singer with one of the greatest voices in the world struggled for years to truly hone it. That’s the story told in the biopic Respect, out Friday (August 20), which centers the formative first three decades of Franklin’s life and career. “Her childhood through her twenties, to basically when she turned 30, felt like a powerful period,” director Liesl Tommy tells MTV News over Zoom. “I thought a lot about what the phrase ‘Queen of Soul’ means. What does ‘soul’ mean in this context...
Will Jennifer Hudson Extend Oscar Nomination Streak for Biopic Performances?
Three times before this streak, actors received lead acting nods two years in a row for playing real-life music personalities. Jamie Foxx won best actor for playing Ray Charles in Ray (2004). The following year, Joaquin Phoenix was nominated in that category for playing Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, and his co-star, Reese Witherspoon, won best actress for playing June Carter Cash. Twenty years earlier, Tom Hulce was nominated for best actor for playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus (1984), while his co-star, F. Murray Abraham, won in that category for playing his rival, Antonio Salieri. The following year, Jessica Lange was nominated for best actress for playing country legend Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams. The first time that actors received back-to-back Oscar nominations for playing r...
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie And His Glamorous Dreams In New Trailer
Make your drag queen dreams come true! A new trailer for the film adaptation of the glamorous musical comedy Everybody’s Talking About Jamie dropped today (August 10). Adapted from the critically acclaimed West End musical of the same name, the film follows 16-year-old Jamie New, played by Max Harwood, on his journey to figure out what he wants to be and do while trying to overcome obstacles of prejudice, discrimination, and bullies. The trailer begins with Jamie daydreaming of himself performing and dancing in clubs, as he stomps across cafeteria tables as if they were his runway to cope with the monotony of his British secondary school. After school in an empty classroom, he pulls out sparkly, red high heels and spills a secret to his best friend, Pritti Pasha (Lauren Patel), that he wan...
Jennifer Hudson Recalls How Aretha Franklin Tapped Her For ‘Respect,’ Performs ‘Think’ in New Clip
The Idol alum also explained that she performed the music in the film live because she wanted to channel Franklin’s exact approach and emotions to those songs, even if that meant unlearning and relearning her classics like “Ain’t No Way.” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios released a minute-long snippet of Hudson performing the icon’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 “Think” in a new clip Tuesday. “This song goes out to anyone who’s ever felt mistreated,” J. Hud introduced the invigorating performance from the movie with a soft-spoken tone. “When my existence in this experience right now, whatever I’m feeling in this moment, put it in the character and let it come through the character because in some form ...
Jennifer Hudson Recalls Final Conversation With Aretha Franklin
That includes Hudson, who was personally selected by Franklin to play her. The two began conversations years ago, shortly after Hudson won an Oscar for her star-making turn in Dreamgirls in 2007. They stayed in touch and became longtime friends that would speak on a near-weekly basis. During a brief conversation with THR on the carpet, Hudson recalled her last conversation with Franklin, a chat that happened days before her passing at age 76 on Aug. 16, 2018. “The last time I heard her voice was August 8,” she explained. “It’s odd that here we are again, on August 8, three years later. Right after we spoke, they told me she was no longer competent enough to speak but she sang to me on our call and we talked about my son and his cooking. She loves to cook and so does he. I sent her a video ...
