RUSSELL CROWE

“Normal People” and the “Aftersun” breakout star Paul Mescal was tagged to step into the arena for Ridley’s Scott “Gladiator 2.” Ridley Scott is slated to direct the sequel.

Russell Crowe, 58, and his girlfriend, 31, appeared in Rome for the premiere of his movie "Poker Face." This comes just after he slammed claims he had had a terrible audition with Julia Roberts.

ROME — (AP) — Russell Crowe, who won a best actor Academy Award for portraying a gladiator in the 2000 film of the same name, was feted Friday by the city of Rome, home to the Colosseum where real gladiators clashed before thousands of spectators through the time of the Roman Empire. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed the actor to City Hall which sits atop the ancient Capitoline Hill, stepping out on a balcony with Crowe to show off a sweeping view of the ancient Roman Forum. Crowe was given a plaque and the title of “ambassador or Rome in the world.”The actor, speaking Italian, said, “I am always at the service of Rome." In the film, Crowe portrayed Maximus, who was a general forced into slavery before turning into a gladiatorCrowe is in Rome these days for the city’s film festival, where a movie he directed and stars in, “Poker Face,” is having its world premiere. The mayor said the city was giving the plaque “as the symbol of friendship and affection of Rome for Russell Crowe.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Russell Crowe, who won a best actor Academy Award for portraying a gladiator in the 2000 film of the same name, is being feted by the city of Rome, home to the Colosseum where real gladiators clashed before thousands of spectators through the time of the Roman Empire

Russell Crowe, who won a best actor Academy Award for portraying a gladiator in the 2000 film of the same name, is being feted by the city of Rome, home to the Colosseum where real gladiators clashed before thousands of spectators through the time of the Roman Empire.

A crowd of staunch fans have braved wet winter weather in downtown Melbourne to watch an outdoor showing of an Australian soap opera's finale.

TV show Neighbours gave us Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie and the Hemsworth brothers. But it struggled to keep up with changing times.

The actor did the scenes once in a Greek accent and then again in a British accent. Waititi said he decided on Greek during post-production.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” earned $143 million in its opening weekend in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

A popular surfing spot off California's scenic Monterey Bay was shut down Wednesday after a man was badly injured in a shark attack.

Henrik Stenson has checked out the Italian course staging next year’s Ryder Cup for the first time since being appointed captain of the European team.

Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disney’s “Doctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madness” and runs through the end of August.

Moviegoing audiences in North America are not rushing back to the theater just yet. In the second major weekend for U.S. and Canadian movie theaters, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” earned only $6.7 million from 2,910 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday. Although it is enough to top the charts, it also isn’t enough to jumpstart the struggling domestic exhibition industry. The weekend’s only major new opener was Sony’s PG-13 rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” which earned an estimated $1.1 million from 2,204 North American locations. Other still-closed markets include North Carolina, Michigan, New Mexico and the cities of Seattle and Portland.

NEW YORK AMC Theatres, the nation's largest movie theater chain, will reopen in the U.S. on Aug. 20 with retro ticket prices of 15 cents per movie. AMC theaters have reopened in numerous international countries but have remained shuttered in the U.S. since March. During its opening-day promotion, AMC will show catalog films, including Ghostbusters, Black Panther," Back to the Future and Grease." AMC confirmed that Disney's much-delayed New Mutants will debut in theaters Aug. 28, with Christopher Nolan's Tenet to follow Sept. 3. AMC said Thursday is expects about two thirds of its theaters will be open in time for Tenet. Several states, including California and New York, are yet to allow movie theaters to reopen.

LOS ANGELES – Kelly Preston, who played dramatic and comic foil to actors ranging from Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire” to Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Twins,” died Sunday, husband John Travolta said. Travolta said in an Instagram post that his wife of 28 years died after a two-year battle with breast cancer. “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer,” Travolta said. “Kelly was such a bright loving soul, a talented actress, and a loving mom and wife. The couple last starred together in the 2018 film “Gotti,” with Travolta playing John Gotti and Preston playing the crime boss’s wife, Victoria.

AMC Theaters, the world's largest theater operator, said Tuesday that it expects to have 97-98% of its theaters worldwide reopened by mid-July. It will be up to movie theater operators to convince moviegoers that its safe to once again sit in the dark among strangers. Only recently have state guidelines allowed the reopening of theaters in California (including in the countrys top market, Los Angeles, where local officials have yet to agree). Before Tenet arrives, theaters will play just as those that are currently open are showing recent and classic catalog offerings. Though a handful of movies have been steered to streaming or on-demand platforms during the pandemic, most studio films have been postponed until theaters reopen.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Earth Alliance environmental organization will donate $3 million to help wildfire relief efforts in Australia. The foundation said Thursday that it has started the Australia Wildfire Fund to help with an "international response to the catastrophic bushfires" currently raging in the country. Phoebe Waller-Bridge said she would auction off her Globes outfit and have the proceeds go to firefighter relief at the Golden Globes on Sunday. Actor Russell Crowe skipped the Globes because he was home in Australia protecting his family. DiCaprio's foundation donated millions to help fight the wildfires that devastated the Amazon rainforest last year.

Russell Crowe hit the red carpet Monday night for the premiere of the new Showtime mini-series The Loudest Voice. The Australian actor portrays the controversial Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes, who died in 2017. The show is based on Ailes life, and Crowe had to go through a transformation to look like the portly mogul. It's an incredible likeness of Roger Ailes, who I knew for many, many years. British actress Sienna Miller plays Ailes' wife, Beth, and told Inside Edition, It was a lot of work to transform into Beth, but I loved it. RELATED STORIESFox News' Janice Dean Weeps on Air Over News of Roger Ailes' DeathFox News Architect Roger Ailes Passes Away at 77Bill O'Reilly Questions Megyn Kelly's 'Loyalty' After She Says Roger Ailes Made Fox News 'Look Bad'

Web extra: The Oscar-winning star of "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind," and the star-director of "The Water Diviner," talks to Seth Doane about collaboration on a film set and the never-predictable sense of when a movie succeeds or fails.

Preview: The Oscar-winner talks to Seth Doane about the fascination of acting, and about the job he enjoyed even more.