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Clooney and Netflix Team Up for Venice Festival Spotlight

George Clooney travelling in style on Wednesday in Venice. Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP
George Clooney travelling in style on Wednesday in Venice. Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP
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Clooney and Netflix Team Up for Venice Festival Spotlight

George Clooney travelling in style on Wednesday in Venice. Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP
George Clooney travelling in style on Wednesday in Venice. Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP

Hollywood stars and Netflix are set to take the spotlight Thursday on the second day of the prestigious Venice film festival, with George Clooney, Adam Sandler and Emma Stone preparing for high-profile premieres.

The rainy skies that dampened the red carpet at Wednesday's opening night of the 11-day festival are forecast to continue, but they aren't likely to put off eager fans willing to brave the weather for a glimpse of charismatic leading man Clooney, AFP said.

The actor -- who entertained crowds in Venice alongside co-star Brad Pitt at the premiere of "Wolfs" last year -- returns to the watery city for the unveiling of the comedy "Jay Kelly" from director Noah Baumbach.

Clooney had little research to do for the role which sees him play a famous Hollywood actor, albeit one going through an identity crisis, with Sandler playing his manager.

The film is the first of three Netflix-produced features at the festival, with the heavy-hitting US streaming giant seen as desperate to find a strong contender for a first Best Picture award at the next Oscars.

Its big hope at this year's ceremony -- "Emilia Perez" -- saw its campaign for Academy Award glory derailed by a racism scandal involving leading actor Karla Sofia Gascon.

Having sat out Venice in 2024, the platform has two other productions in the 21-film top competition, "A House of Dynamite" by Oscar-winning thriller specialist Kathryn Bigelow and a star-studded remake of "Frankenstein" by Guillermo del Toro.

Adding to the Tinseltown firepower on Thursday will be "Bugonia" by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos who has teamed up again with Stone, hoping to repeat the successful formula from 2023 when they landed Venice's top prize for "Poor Things".

In their latest collaboration, Stone plays a high-powered pharmaceutical executive kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy theorists convinced she is an alien in the zany remake of the South Korean film "Save the Green Planet!" from 2003.

Anti-war

Alongside the glitz came protest on the festival's opening day, with demonstrators near the red carpet unfurling a "Free Palestine" and "Stop the Genocide" banner to denounce Israel's war in Gaza.

A group of Italian film professionals have also called on festival organizers to openly condemn Israel's bombardment and siege of Gaza, while a larger protest is scheduled for Saturday.

The festival's artistic director, Alberto Barbera, has called the movie showcase a place of "dialogue", but has ruled out rescinding invitations to pro-Israel actors.

The festival has selected a film about the war for its main competition -- "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which has the backing of Hollywood A-listers from Pitt to Joaquin Phoenix.

It will premiere next Wednesday.

Jury president Alexander Payne ("Sideways") dodged questions on Wednesday about his personal views on the war in Gaza and he questioned aloud whether films could really "change society or culture".

"I don't know. Doubtful. At least though, when we make films which are relevant to the times, we leave a document that someone was thinking about it," he said.

Elephants

German arthouse giant Werner Herzog spoke passionately about his search for "truth in unusual ways" as the acclaimed documentary maker received a lifetime achievement award during Wednesday night's opening ceremony.

"I have always tried to strive for something that goes deeper beyond what you normally see in movie theatres, a deep form of poetry that is possible in cinema," the 82-year-old told the star-studded audience in an acceptance speech.

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Entertainment

Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Tanks, Leaving Studio with $250 Mn Hole

Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Tanks, Leaving Studio with $250 Mn Hole

Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)

The Tom Cruise eco-satire "Digger," a movie that was supposed to herald the action hero's return to serious acting, has bombed at the box office, with industry insiders predicting it could lose a quarter of a billion dollars.

The Alejandro Inarritu comedy, featuring Cruise as an eccentric oil baron who must fix the problem he has helped create, was panned by critics and has left audiences cold, leaving studio Warner Bros. with a big balance sheet hole just as a merger with Paramount Skydance closes.

After two weeks in theaters, the film has grossed just $14.4 million in North America and $35.3 million globally -- tiny numbers for a big-budget movie that points to cumulative losses in the region of $245 million.

"Financially it has to be considered a disaster," Christopher Rosen of Hollywood trade publication The Ankler told AFP.

"It cost anywhere from $160 million to $180 million -- that's even before marketing -- and it's made relatively nothing at the box office."

Marketing for a movie like "Digger" can cost up to $100 million.

Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro noted that the film was greenlit under the tenure of outgoing Warner Bros. executives Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, who made a name for themselves by giving filmmakers the resources and studio budgets to create original, innovative movies.

"Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't," he said.

As an art-house film that satirizes American culture through the lens of a non-American like Inarritu, "Digger" was perhaps destined to be a heavy lift.

"This movie was never going to get a general audience to get behind it, right? I don't think it was ever designed like that," said Loria.

"The film takes every opportunity to push the audience in uncomfortable directions.

"American audiences don't have the easiest time accepting films that criticize American culture, especially when they're made by foreigners."

- A potential mismatch -

The presence of Cruise -- a man sometimes credited with rescuing the box office after its pandemic slump with "Top Gun: Maverick" -- was always going to make the film stand out.

"You've got arguably the biggest movie star in the world (who) was literally everywhere for this movie," said Paul Dergarabedian, a market analyst at Rentrak.

"He was so excited about this movie and working with Alejandro Inarritu.

"By virtue of Tom Cruise's star power, there was a spotlight on this movie. Anything he does is going to be under a microscope."

The size of Cruise's star in the movie firmament makes the comparison even less flattering: "Digger" was never going to be in the same ballpark as the multi-billion dollar "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

But the film's box office does align with the kind of film that Inarritu makes, said Loria.

His movies "aren't really too worried about their box office total; they're worried about having an artistic endeavor behind" them.

That makes "Digger" something of a mismatch, said Loria.

"Unfortunately, I think this was marketed as a general audience movie, when at heart, this is an art-house film."

Entertainment

Selma Blair Arrested in New York After an Alleged Assault on a Delta Flight

Selma Blair. (Reuters)
Selma Blair. (Reuters)
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Selma Blair Arrested in New York After an Alleged Assault on a Delta Flight

Selma Blair. (Reuters)
Selma Blair. (Reuters)

Actor Selma Blair was arrested and taken to a hospital late Sunday night after she was accused of injuring two flight attendants on a plane from Los Angeles to New York.

Blair, 54, was detained by police at around 11 p.m. after the Delta Air Lines jet parked at the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.

Blair and one of the flight attendants were taken to a hospital for evaluation, the Port Authority said.

Details of what happened aboard the aircraft weren’t immediately disclosed by the airline, police or the FBI, which was investigating, but Delta said in a statement it “has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”

A Blair representative told The Associated Press that the actor had a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct.

The FBI later issued Blair a notice charging her with assault, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The matter will be handled through the petty violations court in federal court in Brooklyn. No date has been set for Blair’s appearance.

It's not the first time Blair has had issues aboard a plane. In 2016, Blair apologized for making statements she later regretted during a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles. She said she had mixed alcohol with medication, causing her to black out.

Blair had major roles in films including 1999's “Cruel Intentions,” 2001's “Legally Blonde” and 2004's “Hellboy.”

In recent years, she has advocated for disability rights. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018. In 2023, she joined President Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Entertainment

RJ Mitte, 'Breaking Bad' Actor and Disability Rights Champion, Dies at 34

US actor RJ Mitte arrives at the launch of the Fashion For Relief Pop-Up at Westfield in London on November 27, 2014. (AFP)
US actor RJ Mitte arrives at the launch of the Fashion For Relief Pop-Up at Westfield in London on November 27, 2014. (AFP)
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RJ Mitte, 'Breaking Bad' Actor and Disability Rights Champion, Dies at 34

US actor RJ Mitte arrives at the launch of the Fashion For Relief Pop-Up at Westfield in London on November 27, 2014. (AFP)
US actor RJ Mitte arrives at the launch of the Fashion For Relief Pop-Up at Westfield in London on November 27, 2014. (AFP)

“Breaking Bad” actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte died Monday at age 34, authorities and his representatives said.

Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told The Associated Press she declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. at what she believed was his home in Brownsville, Texas. She said she was unable to provide a cause, but an autopsy will be performed.

Mitte played Walter White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston's chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White on nearly every episode of the five seasons of the AMC show, which recently ranked as the best of the 21st century in a New York Times poll.

“Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” Mitte's representatives said in a statement announcing his death.

The statement said he used “his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.”