During a May 16 press call, Fox president of alternative entertainment and specials Rob Wade told reporters that he had “absolutely no regrets” over casting disgraced attorney and former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani on “The Masked Singer.” Giuliani’s performance led to judge walkouts, with Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke leaving the stage. “‘The Masked Singer’ is all about delivering jaw-dropping moments, which is exactly what [we] accomplished whether it was on set or with the viewers at home,” Wade said....

But, ostensibly, there will be some of our television favorites returning to our screens in 2021, and newcomers worth getting excited about arriving on the scene. With the tendrils of information made available by publicists, sizzle reels, sneak peek teasers, and fervant hopes spawned by social media posts, we’ve created a list of shows that seem likely to hit our screens next year. Probably. Most likely. We might even have some flavor of live events, like the Olympics and the Oscars....

Even if “The Spine of Night” struggles to align its overarching story with the anthology-like shape that it takes, it’s still rare and rewarding to watch a film that makes so few bones about what it wants to be — all the more so when “what it wants to be” is a merciless blood-storm that feels like it was adapted from the most intense blacklight poster your best friend’s older brother used to hang in the basement of his mom’s house....

“The Staircase,” based on Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s docuseries of the same name that spanned from 2004 to 2018, stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, who was investigated for the murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). Warner Bros. ordered an eight-episode treatment of the case, now an HBO Max Original limited series debuting in Spring 2022. The limited series is written and executive-produced by showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn....

“It was artists, storytellers, filmmakers, who were finding ways to move us, inspire us, to remind us what we’re living for,” he said. “I want to thank you, the best movie audience in the world, for being part of this experience again.” That experience takes many forms. The festival is a beacon for awards-season titles as well as red-carpet galas, documentaries, genre films, and international cinema. It’s also a snapshot of how the industry views commercial movies at a most fragile moment....

Principal photography began in the United Kingdom just this past month. King wrote the script with Simon Farnaby (picking up from prior writers including Simon Rich, Simon Stephenson, Jeff Nathanson, and Steven Levenson). Farnaby previously wrote the screenplay for “Paddington 2.” David Heyman is producing via his Heyday Films. Luke Kelly is also producing, with Michael Siegel and Alexandra Derbyshire executive-producing. This latest revamp of the Willy Wonka story will mark the third time Warner Bros....

Gaspar Noé is the kind of mad scientist filmmaker whose very name invites expectations of provocative experimentation. “Vortex,” which clocks in at 142 minutes and spends almost all of them in split screen, would appear to be consistent with that trend. Yet this quiet, slow-burn look at an elderly couple suffering from dementia and other ailments is a grounded, emotional variation of “Amour,” as well as the the most sensitive and accessible work from a filmmaker for whom those descriptors rarely apply....