JOKER, ONCE UPON A TIME, THE IRISHMAN TOP BAFTAs: Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Irishman have topped the nominations for the 2020 British Academy of Film and Television’s Film Awards. Joker snagged 11, and The Irishman and Once Upon a Time grabbed 10 each. 1917 earned nine. Criticism for the lack of diversity emerged quickly. “Film is an incredible medium to tell the stories of our society and our world, but we need people of all backgrounds to be working in the industry to enable us to do that,” BAFTA chief Amanda Berry told the BBC. “If you look at the number of female noms this year it’s well over a third, well up from what it was, say, two years ago, but it’s still not good enough. We just have to keep pushing forward on this.” The BAFTAs take place Sunday, February 2nd.
THE MAGIC FLUTE, GOT STYLE? Pixomondo, the VFX firm responsible for the dragons in Game of Thrones, has joined Roland Emmerich‘s adaptation of Mozart‘s The Magic Flute. The company, which also won an Academy Award for its work on Martin Scorsese‘s Huge, will create the visual effects and character animations in the adaptation. The story follows 17-year-old Tim Walker, as he is sent from London to the Austrian als as he begins his singing scholarship at the Mozart boarding school. Once there, he discovers a passageway that leads to a fantastical world.
CHRISTIAN BALE JOINING THOR? Christian Bale is in talks to join Marvel Studios‘ Thor: Love and Thunder, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Chris Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as the God of Thunder, with Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson back as well. Taika Waititi will direct. Thor: Love and Thunder is set to drop Nov. 5, 2021.
GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS TO HONOR JANET MOCK AND TAYLOR SWIFT: Author, director and producer Janet Mock and Grammy-winning pop star Taylor Swift will be honored at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in L.A., which are set for April 16th at the Beverly Hilton. Previous GLAAD honorees include Wanda Sykes, Jim Parsons, Beyonce and Kerry Washington.