By Richard Natale, Tim Gray Legendary B-movie king Roger Corman, who directed and produced hundreds of low-budget films and discovered such future industry stars as Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, has died. He was 98. Corman died May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., surrounded by family members, the family confirmed to Variety. “His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that,'” the family said in a statement. Corman’s empire, which existed in several incarnations, including New World Pictures, and Concorde/New Horizons, was as active as any major studio and, he boasted, always profitable. He specialized in fast-paced, ...

 Edward Dav An iconic sci-fi star is joining a legendary science-fiction fantasy series. Sigourney Weaver, known for her turn as Ellen Ripley in the “Alien” series, has been cast in the upcoming “Star Wars” film, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” according to THR. There’s no word on who Weaver might play, and there are almost no plot details about the ‘Mando & Grogu’ film available. READ MORE: Disney Dates ‘Mandalorian & Grogu,’ ‘Toy Story 5’ & Live-Action ‘Moana’ For Summer 2026 A feature-length spin-off based on “The Mandalorian” Disney+ series first launched in late 2019, “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will be Lucasfilm’s first “Star Wars” film to go into production since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.” The series will presuma...

By Alison Herman Maya Rudolph opened the Mother’s Day episode of “Saturday Night Live” with a tribute to mothers — in every sense of the term. Hosting the sketch show’s penultimate episode of the season, Rudolph began her monologue by noting she’s a four-time mom herself. “But Maya, look — you’re not just a mom,” cast member Bowen Yang reminded her. “You’re mother,” invoking the term’s use in queer slang to describe powerful, aspirational women. “You were the first to slay the house down boots, queen!” “Who me, mother?” Rudolph asked, feigning shock. “You’re right!” The host then launched into a propulsive dance number, strutting through Studio 8H — also known as “House of Rockefeller” — in a reflective bodysuit while delivering lyrics like “Oops, I made you da...

By Pat Saperstein The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge awarded prizes in several categories at a Thursday event on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City. The Disability Film Challenge is celebrating 11 years of advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. Presenters and attendees included “Ricky Stanicky” writer, producer and director Peter Farrelly, comedian Nate Bargatze, “Coda” director Siân Heder, Caterina Scorsone of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Sheaun McKinney of “The Neighborhood,” Rick Glassman of “Not Dead Yet,” Jillian Mercado of “The L Word: Generation Q” and Heather Morris of “Glee.” The winners were selected from 135 submitted from around the world. They include: Best Film – “Audio Description” – Lee Pugsley; Best D...

By Adam B. Vary History? They just made some. A long anticipated sequel to the hit 2023 romantic comedy “Red, White & Royal Blue” is officially in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez set to return. Matthew López, who co-wrote and directed the first film, is returning to write the screenplay with Casey McQuiston, who wrote the best selling novel of the same name. The cast and filmmakers made the announcement on Thursday following a special screening of the movie in Culver City, Calif. The original film chronicles the how the First Son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Perez), and Prince Henry (Galitzine), third in line to the British throne, navigate the classic trajectory of transformin...

By Jordan Moreau It’s all monkey business at the box office. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the latest film in 20th Century Studios’ primate franchise, will rule over the box office this weekend. It’s already made $6.6 million in previews so far. The new “Apes” movie is the fourth in the modern reboot franchise and the first since 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.” “Kingdom” is projected to make between $50 million and $55 million in its opening weekend, which is roughly in line with the three previous entries. The series’ second movie, 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” holds the opening-weekend record with $72 million ($4.1 million in previews); followed by “War for the Planet of the Apes” with its $56.2 million opening ($5 million in previews); and finally ...

By Angelique Jackson After producing the upcoming documentary “The Blue Angels,” J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell are in early talks to team up for a new movie, with Abrams eyeing Powell to star in his next directorial effort. Deals have yet to close, but in the aftermath of “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Anyone but You,” no one’s career has been hotter than Powell’s, who continues to garner interest from big-name filmmakers and studios. There’s no telling when this project would fit into Powell’s jam-packed production schedule. He’ll next be seen starring in Netflix’s “Hit Man,” which he also co-wrote with director Richard Linklater, but he’s also set to star in Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” reboot for Paramount. That news was revealed at Cine...