Binance CEO Resigns After Pleading Guilty to Money-Laundering Charges, Crypto Exchange to Pay $4.3 Billion in Penalties

EXCLUSIVE: While the industry is starting to wind down ahead of the holiday break, a juicy package could liven things up before the new year. Deadline is hearing that Olivia Wilde is attached to direct Naughty, a Christmas comedy that has LuckyChap on as producers.

EXCLUSIVE: Following a competitive auction, Legendary Television has snapped up rights to the hugely popular ‘romantasy’ novel Assistant to the Villain for development as a series.

UPDATED, 8:15 AM: Amid all the turmoil in the MCU of late, Disney now has one less battle to fight.

Following their work together on David O. Russell’s 2013 Best Picture-nominated crime comedy American Hustle, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale are in talks to reteam on Best of Enemies, a new film based on the book Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Eric Dezenhall and Gus Russo.

Ok, you’ve hopefully read our 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2024 list, and perhaps you may have been disappointed at the lack of potentially so many blockbusters, horrors, and mainstream spectacles. Don’t worry; we like some of that stuff, can enjoy it, and can be thrilled by it, too.

EXCLUSIVE: A true-crime series exploring a possible serial killer in the Portland area is in the works.

New Regency‘s Jeff Nichols movie The Bikeriders, which we were told Focus Features took over from Disney, has set a release date of June 21, 2024.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Mosaic manager Cullen Conly has joined Anonymous Content’s literary department as a manager and producer, based out of the company’s New York office. 

The independent police watchdog is investigating the circumstances leading up to the death of a 'beautiful' and 'caring' young woman in Trafford, they confirmed. Xena Georgiou, 20, was driving a BMW which collided with a row of parked cars in Sale, Trafford, following a 'short' police pursuit last Sunday night.

An Italian grandmother, who has lived in the UK for more than 40 years, says she has been ordered to leave the UK after an email from the Home Office went straight to her junk inbox.

Dimitar Berbatov says Rasmus Hojlund will break his Premier League duck by playing smarter rather than harder, although acknowledged that this ploy may rub off the wrong way on some Manchester United fans.

A teenage girl accused of Brianna Ghey's murder admitted having 'dark fantasies', but denied she wanted to turn 'fantasy into reality'. Girl X gave evidence in her defence for the first time, at the end of the second week of the trial at Manchester Crown Court.

A teen who was 'really into PE, sports, and athletics' has spoken of her 'agony' after a debilitating condition saw her spine grow 48 DEGREES off-centre.

Gemma Atkinson is known for keeping it real on social media and her latest update was no different as she appeared to be counting down the days until her fiancee Gorka Marquez returned home.

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and lead star Cole Hauser reportedly got into a fight the second time they met.Sheridan recently filed a lawsuit against the actors’ coffee company over “trademark infringement”, but according to reports, this isn’t the first time the pair have had their differences.In a recently resurfaced Men’s Journal interview from April 2022, Hauser opened up about the alledged fight with Sheridan.Before sharing the revelation with the outlet, Hauser said that he’d been involved in his fair share of bar fights.“Does a bear shit in the woods?” he said, laughing. “I’ve probably been in one on every continent.”The actor then explained: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting.

Lana Del Rey has been announced as the headliner for a special one-off show at next year’s Rock En Seine.The one-off show will take place on Wednesday, August 21, the day before the Rock En Seine 2024 festival is set to take place. The special concert will mark Del Rey’s only performance in France for the entirety of summer 2024.

Johnny Depp and Nick Cave are among those who have paid tribute to the late Shane MacGowan during his funeral in Ireland.The Irish singer-songwriter and former Pogues frontman died from pneumonia in hospital, aged 65, on November 30. It came after he had been diagnosed with encephalitis and had been in ill health.Now, to celebrate the life and memory of the musician, fans lined the streets of Dublin for his funeral today (December 8), and famous faces from the entertainment world have arrived at the service.Nick Cave performs 'A Rainy Night in Soho' at the funeral of Shane MacGowan in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, this afternoon.

Pine Hearts nears launch, NME sat down with Scottish developer Hyper Luminal Games to discuss the game’s accessibility support, themes of loss, and “Souls-like level design”.An isometric adventure game set in Pine Hearts Caravan Park, Pine Hearts follows protagonist Tyke as they fill out their hillwalking journal, solve puzzles, and reminisce on their childhood memories of the area.Speaking to NME, creative director Rob Madden shared that Pine Hearts was made following the loss of his father, who passed away from cancer in 2019.“I wanted to make a game about that experience, but it was important that the game told this story in a positive and hopeful way, and didn’t dwell too long on the actual component of loss,” shared Madden. “I think we’ve managed to strike a nice balance between those things in the game.”Besides Madden’s own experiences, Pine Hearts also draws on the likes of The Legend Of Zelda and FromSoftware‘s Dark Souls series for inspiration – the former for its puzzles, the latter for their interconnected areas and levels.

Skull & Bones has received yet another release date at The Game Awards 2023. It’s the game’s sixth planned launch following a series of delays.Skull & Bones is set to release on February 16 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Apple TV+ has shared a clip from the new documentary John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial – you can watch it above.Released on the streaming on Wednesday (December 6), Murder Without A Trial offers a deeply researched examination of John Lennon’s 1980 murder.The three-part three-part documentary series is narrated by Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland and features exclusive eyewitness interviews and previously unseen crime scene photos. It also examines the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s confessed killer.Other exclusive interviews in the series include Richard Peterson, a taxi driver who was witness to the shooting; Jay Hastings, a doorman at The Dakota who heard Lennon’s last words; David Suggs, Mark David Chapman’s defense lawyer; Elliot Mintz, a confidant to Lennon and Yoko Ono; and Dr Naomi Goldstein, the psychiatrist who first assessed Chapman.In the newly released clip, shared exclusively with NME, family friend Mintz reveals that Lennon’s wife Ono asked him to look into the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding her husband’s death.Elsewhere in the series, Richard Peterson, who witnessed the shooting, revealed Chapman’s unusual apology after killing The Beatles guitarist“‘He actually apologised to us,” said Peterson.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Poor Things” is seducing you with a variety of charming, stylish and tasty partnerships this week alongside its theatrical release on Dec.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There’s a new class of scientific anthropology brewing in Los Angeles, one that isn’t merely centered around the human species but around another foreign primate that is often seen but rarely understood: the hot girl. To be a hot girl is about more than having an enviably symmetrical face and seemingly pore-less skin.

Ethan Shanfeld “The Bikeriders” is vroom vrooming into theaters June 21, 2024, via Focus Features, after Disney removed the Austin Butler vehicle from its slate. Disney and 20th Century were originally set to open the film on Dec. 1, but its backer, New Regency, opted in October to take the film off of its release calendar.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer President Biden is set to make a whirlwind fundraising tour of Los Angeles this weekend, hitting six or seven events in the course of a day and a half. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend a sold-out fundraiser on Friday night, with co-hosts including Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Shonda Rhimes, Rob Reiner, Peter Chernin and Jim Gianopulos. Lenny Kravitz is slated to perform.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer In “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper disappears into the role of legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, one of the most consequential American figures in classical music.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Linda Yaccarino, who’s already facing an uphill battle in winning over advertisers to X, has her work cut out for her to restore trust with big marketers after her boss profanely dissed those who had suspended advertising from the platform. Almost six months into her gig as CEO of X, Yaccarino continues to try to clean up PR messes created by Elon Musk, the shoot-from-the-lip megabillionaire and self-appointed defender of free speech who owns the company formerly known as Twitter.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Moonbug Entertainment, the kids’ entertainment powerhouse behind the hit “CoComelon” franchise, is bringing on board its first chief marketing officer: Peter Stone, a nine-year veteran of Netflix. In the new role, Stone will be responsible for Moonbug’s global marketing strategy, as well as the evolution and growth of its brands. He will be based in Moonbug’s London office and starts Dec.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tubi, Fox Corp.’s ad-supported video-on-demand service, is eyeing a bigger international footprint: The streamer has tapped David Salmon, former CTO of Endeavor Streaming, as executive VP and managing director of international. Salmon, based in the U.K., will report to Tubi CEO Anjali Sud, the ex-chief exec of Vimeo who started at the streamer in September. Tubi’s biggest market is the U.S., where it first launched.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A visibly irate Elon Musk said advertisers who pulled spending from X/Twitter, following his post that endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory, were trying to “blackmail” the company and threatened to drive it into bankruptcy. Musk, currently the world’s wealthiest individual, had a message to big advertisers including Disney that halted spending on his social network: “Go fuck yourself… Go. Fuck.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor One week ago, OpenAI’s board fired CEO Sam Altman. Now, the pioneering artificial intelligence startup, which created buzzy AI chatbot ChatGPT, is bringing him back. “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo,” the not-for-profit research company posted Friday night on X.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Elon Musk, as promised, is hauling Media Matters into court — alleging the liberal watchdog group “knowingly and maliciously manufactured” images depicting neo-Nazi and white-nationalist posts on X next to major marketers’ ads. The complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages, as well as an injunction requiring Media Matters to “immediately delete, take down or otherwise remove” the article titled “As Musk endorses antisemitic conspiracy theory, X has been placing ads for Apple, Bravo, IBM, Oracle, and Xfinity next to pro-Nazi content.” Media Matters reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor In a dramatic shakeup at artificial intelligence pioneer OpenAI, the organization said chief exec and co-founder Sam Altman is exiting after its board lost confidence in his “ability to continue leading OpenAI.” San Francisco-based OpenAI is a private research lab that develops AI, founded in 2015 as a nonprofit organization by Altman, Elon Musk (who is no longer on the board of OpenAI) and others. With Altman’s exit, CTO Mira Murati will assume the role of interim CEO while a replacement is sought. In addition, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will step down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The White House condemned Elon Musk as promoting “antisemitic and racist hate” after the tech mogul endorsed a conspiracy theory that Jewish people “promote hatred against whites.” On Wednesday, Musk — CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X — agreed with an X user who promoted the conspiracy theory that Jewish communities “have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.” In the now-removed post, the X user said they were “deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations” who are facing “hordes of minorities that support flooding their country.” In response to that, Musk commented, “You have said the actual truth.” In a statement released Friday, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust… We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans. We all have a responsibility to bring people together against hate, and an obligation to speak out against anyone who attacks the dignity of their fellow Americans and compromises the safety of our communities.” Reps for X and Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor IBM said it was immediately pulling advertising from Elon Musk‘s X, formerly known as Twitter, after a report found that ads for the tech giant had appeared next to posts supporting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” a company rep said in a statement to Variety.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Get ready for Gawker 3.0: The twice-shuttered blog site has a new owner, who plans to bring the gossipy pop-culture brand back to life — but not in exactly the same way. Meng Ru Kuok, CEO and founder of Singapore-based Caldecott Music Group, acquired the assets of Gawker from Bustle Digital Group. In an email to Variety, Kuok confirmed that he has closed the deal buying the Gawker trademarks and domain name but not its article archives.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Reps heading a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives are questioning Apple CEO Tim Cook about whether the tech giant’s decision to cancel Jon Stewart‘s Apple TV+ talk show was because the host may have been planning an upcoming episode about China.