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    Beatles Movies Cast Revealed, Including Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan

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    The director Sam Mendes announced the stars of his four-film series, each told from the perspective of a different Beatle, set to be released in 2028. There has been no shortage of movies about the Beatles. But the director Sam Mendes is embarking on a project that stands apart for its ambition — four films, each from a different band member’s perspective — and now we know who will be playing the Fab Four.The films will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, according to Mr. Mendes’s production company.The four films, which will tell the story of one of the world’s most influential and adored bands, will be released together in April 2028, “creating the first bingeable theatrical experience,” the company wrote. In announcing the films last year, Mr. Mendes, the British director best known for films like “American Beauty” (1999) and “Revolutionary Road” (2008), said he was “honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”He announced the cast at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While the Beatles have been big-screen subjects before — including in Danny Boyle’s “Yesterday” (2019) and Sam Taylor-Johnson’s “Nowhere Boy” (2009) — this is the first time that the members of the band and their estates have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film, according to Sony Pictures.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Best Movies and Shows Streaming in April: ‘Étoile,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘The Last of Us’ and More

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      “Étoile,” “Government Cheese” and an Oklahoma City bombing documentary arrive, and “Hacks” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” return.Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of April’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)New to Amazon Prime Video‘The Bondsman’ Season 1Starts streaming: April 3Kevin Bacon plays the hard-boiled Georgia bounty hunter Hub Halloran in this action-comedy, which has a supernatural twist. Hub dies in the opening scene of the first episode, then gets reincarnated thanks to some satanic intervention. He is then given a new job, hunting demons who have escaped from Hell. Created by Grainger David and produced and written by Erik Oleson for the horror-friendly Blumhouse Television, “The Bondsman” features all the gory splatter one might expect from a show about a heavily armed monster-killer. But the series also explores its undead antihero’s complicated personal life, which involves a an ex-wife, Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles), whose budding country music career is being handled by a highly suspicious creep named Lucky (Damon Herriman).‘Étoile’ Season 1Starts streaming: April 24The writer-producer husband-wife team of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino — best-known for “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — are back with a new series, set in the world of dance, just like their short-lived gem “Bunheads.” Luke Kirby plays the leader of a venerable New York ballet company. Charlotte Gainsbourg plays the leader of a venerable Paris ballet company. When their organizations struggle, they decide to generate some public interest by swapping their top stars. “Étoile” generates comedy and drama from the very different theatrical cultures in Europe and America. The supporting cast is filled with professional dancers, so the ballet sequences should be realistic and dynamic — and not just something to fill the space between the creators’ usual fast-paced, witty banter.Also arriving:April 1“America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation” Season 2April 8“Spy High”April 10“G20”April 17“#1 Happy Family USA” Season 1“Leverage Redemption” Season 3Jon Hamm in “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Season 1.Jessica Kourkounis/Apple TV+New to Apple TV+‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Season 1Starts streaming: April 11In this offbeat crime drama, Jon Hamm plays Andrew Cooper, a.k.a. Coop, a swaggering New York money manager who loses everything — including his wife and job — and compensates by becoming a gentleman thief, stealing from his wealthy pals. The show emphasizes the ironic fragility of Coop’s situation, as someone who has lived and socialized with some of the richest people in the United States, yet is suddenly on the verge of going broke. Created by Jonathan Tropper (“Banshee,” “Warrior”), “Your Friends and Neighbors” is about the high-end homes that only some people can access, and about how someone who is trusted enough to be let inside can treat these personal spaces like an A.T.M.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Linda Williams, Who Introduced Pornography to Academia, Dies at 78

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      One of the first to write seriously about a fraught subject, she also played a major role in developing the field of film studies and feminist film theory.Linda Williams, a trailblazing scholar whose research was foundational to the field of film studies and to feminist film theory, and who wrote extensively about pornography, died on March 12 at her home in Lafayette, in Northern California. She was 78.Her husband, Paul Fitzgerald, said the cause was complications of a hemorrhagic stroke she had five years ago.“Linda was there before there was any such thing as feminist film studies,” B. Ruby Rich, the former editor in chief of the journal Film Quarterly, said in an interview. “She played a pivotal role in its development, but she was not orthodox.”Ms. Rich continued: “She did not stay in her lane at a time when people were really guarding boundaries and really policing what others were doing. She was fearless about following her inquiries wherever they would lead. In any branch of academics or scholarship, that is really, really unusual.”A longtime professor of film and media at the University of California, Berkeley, Ms. Williams wrote and edited articles and books on subjects as diverse as surrealism, spectatorship and the television series “The Wire.”She was keenly interested in how various film genres affected the body — for example, the way horror movies could induce shivers — and in her 2002 book, “Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White From Uncle Tom to O.J. Simpson,” she explored how the tropes of melodrama figured in widening and narrowing America’s racial divide.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Stream These 17 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in April

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      A few popular franchises are leaving this month for U.S. subscribers, including the first three “Karate Kid” movies. Catch these before they leave.Several noteworthy franchises — including family classics, sports favorites and buddy comedies — are leaving Netflix in the United States this month, alongside some thoughtful sci-fi, rowdy female-fronted comedies, a hit horror reboot and more. (Dates reflect the first day titles are unavailable and are subject to change.)‘Elysium’ (April 1)Stream it here.After the surprise success (and Academy Award nominations) of his brainy 2009 science fiction-action hybrid “District 9,” the writer and director Neill Blomkamp leveled up — bigger budget, bigger studio, bigger stars (including Matt Damon and Jodie Foster) — for this dystopian future tale. Damon stars as Max, an Everyman doing his best in a bombed-out Los Angeles circa 2154, trying to save his own life when he is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. Blomkamp can’t quite recapture the explosive propulsion of his debut feature, but Damon is a sturdy hero, and the director creates a convincingly junky future.‘Happy Feet’ / ‘Happy Feet Two’ (April 1)Stream “Happy Feet” here and “Happy Feet Two” here.George Miller boasts one of the most strikingly split personalities of his filmmaking generation, veering between blistering action epics like the “Mad Max” series and warm family efforts like the “Babe” films and these charming animated tales of a tap-dancing penguin named Mumble. He is voiced with charisma and sensitivity by Elijah Wood, who makes the character a stand-in for every outcast kid who harbored a special talent. Robin Williams provides his signature wild wit in support, while Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman delight as Mumble’s not-always-supportive parents.‘Interstellar’ (April 1)Stream it here.When Christopher Nolan directs a space epic, you can be certain it won’t be just a space epic. His 2014 blockbuster isn’t merely science fiction; it is a thought-provoking and often heartbreaking rumination on mortality, family and the sacrifices we don’t regret until it’s too late. Matthew McConaughey turns in one of his most sensitive performances to date as an astronaut sent on a complex mission of alien communication, while Anne Hathaway turns what could have been a drab sidekick role into a wrenching portrait of regret.‘The Karate Kid I, II and III’ (April 1)Stream “The Karate Kid” here, “The Karate Kid Part II” here and “The Karate Kid Part III” here.The popularity of the spinoff series “Cobra Kai” has made the “Karate Kid” movies a fairly dependable presence on Netflix; one hopes their disappearance will be short-lived. The 1984 original remains one of cinema’s great underdog movies, as Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves to sunny Southern California from New Jersey, falls hard for a rich girl (Elisabeth Shue) and gets on the wrong side of a school bully (William Zabka), ultimately seeking out the unconventional martial arts training of the mysterious Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). The 1987 sequel and 1989 three-quel offer diminishing returns, but even at its weakest, the series is carried by the charisma and camaraderie of Macchio and Morita.‘Miss Congeniality’ (April 1)Stream it here.Sandra Bullock crafts one of her most physically inventive performances — all thrown elbows and twisted ankles — as Gracie Hart, a messy and clumsy yet brilliant F.B.I. Special Agent who must go undercover as a beauty pageant contestant to foil a terrorist plot. Bullock gives the goofy premise her all, almost convincing us that she is an ugly duckling before the inevitable glam reveal; Michael Caine and William Shatner gleefully steal scenes as her makeover master and the pageant’s memorable emcee.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      With ‘The Life List,’ Sofia Carson Is a Go-To Netflix Star

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      Sofia Carson had just come back to earth.On a recent March morning, the actress-singer awoke at 3 to take a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the rolling hills of Temecula, Calif. The adventure had been arranged by Netflix as a promotional stunt for the streamer’s new film, “The Life List,” in which Carson stars as a languishing teacher who must complete her childhood bucket list before she can receive the inheritance left to her by her mother (played by Connie Britton).Now back at her hotel, Carson delicately adjusted her black turtleneck as she settled in front of her laptop for our video interview.“It was really special,” she said of the skyward voyage. “I wasn’t scared at all.”In fact, Carson seems to belong in another realm entirely.“I’m 10 years into my career,” Carson said, “yet, it still feels, and I say this with my heart, that it’s just the beginning.”Kobe Wagstaff for The New York TimesUnlike many millennial stars, the 31-year-old doesn’t share much about her private life in interviews or get too candid with her nearly 20 million Instagram followers. Her red carpet looks are a parade of opulent gowns and elbow-length gloves. She cites Audrey Hepburn as her “end-all be-all inspiration.” Even her given name, Sofia Lauren — like the actress Sophia Loren — is partly a tribute to Old Hollywood royalty.It’s an elegant persona for an actress who not long ago was known primarily for her role as Evie, the blue-haired teenage daughter of the Evil Queen in Disney Channel’s “Descendants” TV movies. That wildly popular musical franchise spawned lunchboxes, dolls, throw pillows and endless merchandise featuring Carson’s likeness.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’ Had a Long Journey Back to the Big Screen

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      Almost two decades ago a pair of fresh-faced British sketch comedians armed with a good idea and an able director with a cache of film stock made a charming short film called “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.” The 25-minute outing won a prize at the 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival, was nominated for a BAFTA and announced the arrival of Tim Key and Tom Basden. The two spent the intervening years turning their penchant for absurdist humor into sketch comedy shows, radio episodes, stand up poetry tours and sidekick roles in film and television.But they never returned to Wallis island.Until now. Older, grayer and maybe a little wiser, the friends, onetime roommates and longtime collaborators have expanded their initial concept into a feature film, “The Ballad of Wallis Island.” The film, which ruminates on love and loss, revolves around a musician who is hired by a two-time lottery winner to perform a private gig on an isolated island. It feels like it could have been created only by filmmakers with a little road beneath their feet.“I don’t really regret us not making it 17 years ago, because we just might not have been able to do it right,” said Key, who wrote the script with Basden and plays the rich eccentric, Charles Heath, who prattles through conversations with a stream of nonsensical puns. “I think when we came back to it, we were more ready to make a decent fist of it.”Basden, Mulligan and Key in “The Ballad of Wallis Island.”Focus Features The original director, James Griffiths, returns, and the main conceit of the short remains: The musician, Herb McGwyer (Basden), arrives at the harborless, fictional Wallis Island (portrayed in and around Carmarthenshire, Wales) to perform a concert for his eager audience of one (Key’s Heath). To build out the story, Basden and Key introduce Nell Mortimer, played by Carey Mulligan, McGwyer’s former singing partner and lover from their short-lived duo McGwyer Mortimer. When she shows up on the island unbeknown to McGwyer — whose solo career hasn’t gone as planned — the film gains its emotional heft.“You get a window into what they were like when they were young and into the way that life has or hasn’t messed with their expectations as young people in the music industry, and as a young couple in love,” said Basden, who also wrote the songs for the film. “When you engage with that meaningfully, I think you’re always going to end up having to write about the loss, the heartbreak and the regret that goes with relationships in your 20s.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Clive Revill, Original Voice of Emperor Palpatine in ‘Star Wars,’ Dies at 94

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      His voice can be heard for only a minute in “The Empire Strikes Back,” but it provided the first draft of a character that would be a mainstay of the franchise for decades.It was a minute that changed the course of the “Star Wars” franchise. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” the now-celebrated 1980 sequel, audiences were treated to the first on-camera sighting of Emperor Palpatine.After receiving only a glancing mention in the first movie, he could have looked and sounded like anything. A human. A Wookiee. A droid. A turtle. There was, instead, a disfigured, robed face — portrayed by the actress Marjorie Eaton — that terrified fans and etched the character into “Star Wars” lore.But Palpatine’s voice — cool, crisp and commanding — belonged to Clive Revill, who in about 60 seconds set the stage for one of the most feared and infamous characters in science fiction. Mr. Revill died on March 11 in Sherman Oaks, Calif., his daughter, Kate Revill, said on Thursday. The cause, she said, was complications of dementia. He was 94.Palpatine’s appearance, however brief, is pivotal. In the conversation with Darth Vader it is established that Vader, already an iconic villain, has a boss — one whom Vader himself fears. Additionally, Palpatine recognizes Luke Skywalker as a true threat.In just a few lines, Mr. Revill established Palpatine as a cold, dominant figure.When the original trilogy was rereleased in 2004, his voice was replaced by that of Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine in subsequent “Star Wars” films, starting with “Return of the Jedi” (1983). But in various iterations of Palpatine since the original — including the franchise films, the video game “Fortnite” and even Lego re-enactments — the character’s voice is built on Mr. Revill’s work.“Those voices are all influenced by this first example,” said Greg Iwinski, a writer on the animated “Star Wars” series “Young Jedi Adventures.” “That was 45 years ago. That’s the importance of that legacy. He was the first guy to do it.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Sundance Picks Boulder, Colo., as Its New Home

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      The Sundance Film Festival is venturing to a new ski town.After a year of deliberations, copious site visits and scores of plane rides, the board of the Sundance Institute has chosen Boulder, Colo., to host its film festival beginning January 2027.“Boulder is a tech town, a college town, it’s a really creative town,” Eugene Hernandez, the festival’s director, said. “It’s just a really creative place. And that integration of the artsy community with the university side of it all is really dynamic.”It’s also 10 times the size of Park City, Utah, where the festival has been held since the actor and director Robert Redford started it in 1981. As the festival kept growing, Park City began bursting at the seams.Ebs Burnough, chair of the Sundance Institute, said the move to another mountain town would help Sundance maintain its connection to the natural world. “It’s easy to get drawn into that amazing thing that Robert Redford really believed in, which was that commune between the artist and nature, and to actually be able to get away from the verticalness of cities.”The Macky Auditorium Concert Hall in Boulder will host Sundance Film Festival screenings.via Sundance Film FestivalTo frequent Sundance goers, the move to Boulder is likely to be less jarring than shifting the location to Cincinnati, one of two other finalist cities. Salt Lake City was also in the running, and the loss of the festival will be significant to the state of Utah. The festival generated $132 million in revenue for the state in 2024, according to a report released by the festival.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Hollywood Has Not Recovered Jobs Lost During Strikes, Report Says

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      Many entertainment industry workers have been jobless for months, leading state officials to consider increasing subsidies to keep film and television production in California.Hollywood has yet to recover the jobs in film and television production that were lost when strikes by writers and actors brought production to a halt in 2023 as the industry was shifting, according to a report released Thursday.The report by the Otis College of Art and Design found that jobs in the entertainment sector in 2024 remained 25 percent below their 2022 peak, when the industry was working to make up for time lost during the pandemic shutdown.One measure of production, the number of shooting days in Los Angeles County, decreased by 42 percent last year compared to 2022, according to the report.“The film, TV, and sound sector appears to be settling into a new normal characterized by lower employment and production levels when compared to its pre-strike peak,” the report said.Michael F. Miller Jr., a vice president at the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who oversees film and television production for the union, said that over the two-year period from 2022 to 2024, roughly 18,000 full-time jobs had evaporated. One recent survey of more than over 700 crew members found that almost two in three reported that their income fell short of expectations last year.The new report found that the entertainment sector added almost 15,000 jobs last year, but that the gains were not enough to make up for all the jobs lost during the strikes.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More