Movies: Whats the Buzz from The Hollywood Reporter

Here is the latest Movie News from The Hollywood Reporter.

How Demetri Martin Mixes Death Drawings, Deadpan One-Liners and Kevin Kline in His First Movie (Q&A)

The heartfelt dramedy ‘Dean’ — premiering Saturday at the Tribeca Film Festival — marks the stand-up comedian’s directorial debut and also stars Gillian Jacobs and Mary Steenburgen.

AMC Will Not Allow Texting During Movies “in the Foreseeable Future”

The CEO of the theater chain had recently said he was open to exploring the idea of allowing texting at some theaters.

Irrfan Khan On Why ‘The Jungle Book’ Has Resonated in India

The ‘Jurassic World’ actor voiced Baloo the bear in the Hindi dubbed version of the film, helping Jon Favreau’s version of Rudyard Kipling’s classic to the second highest opening ever for a Hollywood title in India.

‘The Jungle Book’: How Jon Favreau Juggled Walt Disney’s Legacy and Digital Effects That Go Beyond ‘Avatar’

For the latest incarnation of the Rudyard Kipling tale, the ‘Iron Man’ director breaks new ground in a $175 million film that creates believable animals that talk with the voices of Bill Murray and Christopher Walken.

Cannes: South Korea Rejoices as ‘The Handmaiden’ Is Selected to Compete for Palme d’Or

Park Chan-wook’s lesbian thriller is the first Korean film in four years that will vie for the top prize, while ‘Gokseong’ and ‘Train to Busan’ will show in out-of-competition sections.

Cannes: Luxbox Picks Up Singapore’s Un Certain Regard Contender ‘Apprentice’

Version Originale Condor has already acquired French distribution rights to Boo Junfeng’s second feature, which tells the story of a Singaporean executioner.

‘Rocky’ Producer Irwin Winkler to Speak at Harvard

The veteran filmmaker will take part today in a discussion about the politics of film at the Kennedy School of Government.

‘Magallanes,’ ‘Ixcanul’ Top Premios Platino Shortlist

The Platinos, which are aiming to become the Latino Oscars, will air live on TNT Latin America on July 24.

Tribeca: Jon Stewart Reveals “Serendipitous” Involvement in Syrian Refugee Doc

The former ‘Daily Show’ host made an appearance at the world premiere of ‘After Spring,’ which provides a close look at the lives of the residents of the world’s second-largest refugee camp.

Will Ferrell Pitch Lands at Universal in 7-Figure Deal (Exclusive)

‘Neighbors’ writer Brendan O’Brien will pen the comedy about an escaped convict who teams up with an unlikely partner (Ferrell) to stop his girlfriend from getting married.

Cannes: Sundance Selects Nabs Two Competition Films Including Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Graduation’

The distributor also scooped up Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s ‘The Unknown Girl.’

Joan Edwards, Longtime Personal Assistant to John Travolta, Dies at 87

She worked with the actor for more than a decade and with pianist Roger Williams as well.

DreamWorks Snaps Up ‘Voyeur’s Motel’ for Sam Mendes to Direct

The project will be be based on the Gay Talese-penned article that ran in the April 11 issue of The New Yorker.

Pokemon Movie Rights Bidding War as China’s Legendary Makes Big Play for Japanese Property

Warner Bros. and Sony also are vying for the popular children’s game property.

Oscars: Are There Any Contenders in the Cannes Lineup?

THR’s awards columnist looks at which Oscar-baity films are bound for the Croisette — and wonders what happened to a number of others.

CinemaCon: Lionsgate Teaming With Amazon to Release Woody Allen’s ‘Cafe Society’

“A good robust theatrical run is good for everyone,” Amazon Studios chief Roy Price told theater owners in Las Vegas hours after learning that five of his movies will play at the Cannes Film Festival.

Tribeca: “Egyptian Jon Stewart” Bassem Youssef Talks ‘Tickling Giants’ Doc About Rise and Fall of Satirical Show

The heart surgeon-turned-comedian whose ‘Al Bernameg’ or ‘The Show’ became the most viewed series in the Middle East before he was forced to cancel it amid a political climate no longer accepting of satire, weighs in on whether Donald Trump is a threat to free speech in the U.S.

Tribeca: Patti Smith Explains Why Acting “Is the Worst F—ing Job in the World”

During a Tribeca Film Festival talk, the rock legend and Ethan Hawke discussed how they measure success and what they love about Vincent D’Onofrio: “We should be giving awards to that guy!”

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Plans Get More Grandiose, But Will Audiences Care?

In a Marvel Cinematic Universe world, is ‘Avatar’ a relic?

Cannes: Sundance Selects Nabs 2 Competition Films Including Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Graduation’

The distributor also scooped up Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s ‘The Unknown Girl.’

Cannes Lineup Draws Heavily From Hollywood’s A-Listers

Keanu Reeves, Michael Shannon, Adam Driver, Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron are just a handful of those with projects headed to the Croisette.

Jason Statham to Star in Dinosaur Adventure Movie ‘Meg’

Jon Turteltaub of ‘National Treasure’ fame is directing.

Cannes: Xavier Dolan Wants to Look Past the “Glittery, Cheap Thrills”

The director, seeing his sixth film, ‘It’s Only the End of the World,’ selected for official competition, said Cannes isn’t just “champagne-flooded parties” and “endless PR.”

Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Fremaux Defends “Regulars” Who Often Make the Cut

“No one asks me about the new names,” he said of a lineup that sees several past prize winners in competition.

CinemaCon: ’90s Rapper Vanilla Ice Sings “Ice Age Baby” to Attendees

The rapper kicked-off Fox’s presentation at CinemaCon Thursday morning.

Netflix Rounds Out Cast of National Lampoon Movie ‘A Futile & Stupid Gesture’

Based on Josh Karp’s best-selling 2006 book of the same name, the story chronicles the life and career of comic magazine co-founder Doug Kenney.

Lego Unveils ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Tease

Facebook post previews the look of the upcoming toy tie-in to Gareth Edwards’ standalone ‘Star Wars’ movie

Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Rhys Meyers to Star in Thriller ‘Black Butterfly’

AMBI Distribution, the sales arm of the AMBI Group, is handling worldwide sales and will be introducing the film to buyers in Cannes next month.

CinemaCon: James Cameron Announces Four ‘Avatar’ Sequels

Fox plans to release one film each year starting Christmas 2018.

Zooey Deschanel, Jeffrey Tambor Join DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Trolls’

Christine Baranski, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick feature in the November 2016 release.

Peter Jackson on Sean Parker’s $50 Home Movie Service: “It’s Inevitable”

The home movie service has been described as controversial, but the Oscar-winning filmmaker says it’s more of a “healthy injection.”

Terence Winter Describes ‘Vinyl’ as Learning Experience, Wonders If Project Came “Too Soon”

The ‘Sopranos’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’ veteran reflected on a career of storytelling during his keynote address at Wednesday’s Winston Baker TV + Film Finance Forum in New York.