Movies

American actor and filmmaker Bill Duke was 37 years old when he was cast as Leon James -- the pimp of Julian Kaye who was a suspect in framing Kaye of murder -- in the classic "American Gigolo" back in 1980.

Bill was cast alongside the great Richard Gere as the high-priced escort who is being accused of murdering one of his clients, Julian Kaye, Lauren Hutton as Julian's love interest and the state senator's wife, Michelle Stratton, Héctor Elizondo as a detective who is convinced Julian is guilty of murder, Detective Joe Sunday.

Duke went on to play the machine gun-toting Mac Eliot in the explosive 1987 film "Predator."

Alec Baldwin's gotta be breathing sighs of relief over settling the "Rust" wrongful death lawsuit, and his first stop after the announcement is the Bronx Zoo ... with most of his kids.

Alec's pulling major dad duty Wednesday ... getting in some QT at the world-famous zoo with 4 of his 7 children he shares with his wife, Hilaria. The family outing came within hours of the news breaking about his settlement of the lawsuit over Halyna Hutchins' shooting death on the movie set.

As we reported, Matthew Hutchins announced he's dropping the wrongful death suit against Alec, the producers and the production company ... saying they've reached terms.

What's more, Alec is going to complete filming his lead role, along with the OG cast, for the movie. Meanwhile, Matthew is now getting an Executive Producer deal on the project.

Matt said filming will resume in January 2023 ... "I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the  entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

As you know, Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on set by Alec Baldwin last year.

The Santa Fe County D.A. is still investigating Halyna's death and says it's still possible Alec, along with a few others, could be prosecuted in the case.

Matthew Hutchins' settlement in his wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin and others from the set of "Rust" means production is back on ... but it doesn't mean the ongoing criminal investigation into the D.P.'s death is coming to a halt.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the settlement will in no way affect the criminal probe ... a probe in which authorities say Baldwin and others could be charged.

The Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ, once the investigation is completed the file will be forwarded to the District Attorney, who will then decide who, if anyone, will be prosecuted.

As we reported, Baldwin and co. are picking up where they left off in the movie that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life last year -- because the actor's continuing in his lead role ... and other cast members will continue as well.

Halyna's husband Matthew announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and he's agreed to drop his wrongful death suit. Matthew has also signed on to be an executive producer for the project.

Attorney Jason Bowles, who is repping on set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, tells TMZ ... Hannah is grateful this settlement will benefit the Hutchins family -- adding they're hopeful the D.A.'s office will opt out of pursuing criminal charges.

Alec Baldwin is picking up where he left off in the movie that claimed a D.P.'s life -- 'cause her widower has settled his lawsuit against Baldwin and others ... and he'll now executive produce the movie side by side with AB.

Shocking news broke Wednesday morning in relation to the "Rust'" drama ... namely, Baldwin is going to reprise his lead role -- as is every other actor who was involved at first -- with the only difference now being who's running the show ... and that would be Matthew Hutchins.

Indeed ... the husband of Halyna Hutchins -- who was shot and killed by Baldwin last year -- has announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and agreed to drop his wrongful death lawsuit.

Not just that, but he's also reviving the flick ... plus, he's stepping in as the new executive producer and seeing this thing through -- a stunning development and a complete 180.

Matt says, "We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed."

He goes on to say, "The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023. I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

Attorneys and a rep for Rust Movie Productions LLC said they were happy to have landed on the same page as Matt, and are also ecstatic they can complete their passion project.

Alec, for his part, says ... "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation." Director Joel Souza also expressed his happiness with this turn of events -- so everyone's all good now apparently.

While things might be fine civilly, there's still a criminal investigation that's working its way through the system -- and based on recent revelations from the Santa Fe County D.A. ... Alec is not out of the woods, and very well might be prosecuted sooner than later.

Skyler Gisondo says a lady was supposed to do his hair and makeup for a movie -- but ended up playing masseuse and screwing up his body ... so now, he's suing.

The actor is taking hairstylist Lori Guidroz to court for what he claims was general negligence on her part during the making of P.T. Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" -- in which Skyler plays a somewhat significant role, Alana Haim's temporary on-screen boyfriend early on in the flick.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Skyler alleges while Lori was working on his makeup -- even though she has a hair credit for the movie -- she gave him a massage at one point, which he says ended up causing him severe neck injuries.

SG doesn't get more specific about how she might have rubbed him up -- or what precisely happened to his neck -- but at any rate, he claims Lori was unlicensed and shouldn't have done it ... 'cause he needed significant medical care in the aftermath.

Skyler also notes in his suit that he's suffered beyond just the pain here -- claiming he's lost wages and part of his ability to work because of what Lori allegedly did. SG also claims he's suffered the loss of use of property, plus property damage ... but doesn't offer any detail on what that means. He's seeking compensatory damages based on proof he says he can offer.

FWIW ... Lori is a pretty big deal in the hair world -- she's done 'dos for a number of A-list stars over the years, including Ben Stiller, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie and others.

Presumably, that could mean he's roping the studio and/or the director into this too.

The new 'Black Panther' trailer seems to confirm there will be a woman filling out the suit -- but that's news to one of the stars of the flick ... who's staying as tight-lipped as possible.

Actress and stuntwoman Janeshia Adams-Ginyard -- who plays one of the Dora Milaje female warriors in the 2 films -- gave us her reaction to the 'Wakanda Forever' trailer Tuesday at LAX, but acted oblivious to what was actually shown ... especially at the end of the trailer.

Of course, we're referring to the fact Letitia Wright appears to be revealed as the new Black Panther, with her whole suit and everything shown in full view in the newly revealed scenes.

It sounds like JAG is also aware of that spoiler, and even though it's out there for the world to see now ... she's not taking ANY chances, and played dumb on the topic.

So much so, we had to ask her -- just how serious does Marvel take its movie secrets??? Watch her response ... the Kevin Feige memes are real!

On a more serious note, our photog also asks Janeshia what she thinks this sequel will mean for little girls of color ... and if it'll have the same impact the OG had for boys.

She made a pretty bold prediction ... that this flick will culturally, and financially, surpass part 1 by leaps and bounds. That's saying a lot, as "Black Panther" is one of the highest-grossing movies domestically ever, sitting comfortably in the Top 10.

Velma's into women -- the character's been confirmed as lesbian after years of fan theories -- in a new cartoon 'Scooby-Doo' movie ... and the LGBTQ+ crowd is all about it.

Velma's sexual orientation was revealed in a new clip from the animated flick "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" which hit streaming services Tuesday. It shows Velma encountering a costume designer named Coco Diablo ... and she's instantly smitten.

You see Velma blush as she takes in the sight of Coco, with her glasses fogging up and romantic music playing. Velma is also shown as admiring other characteristics of Cocos beyond just her looks, including her fashion sensibilities and intelligence.

Interestingly enough, Velma has been depicted as straight in the past ... with a rebooted version of the series showing her as being in a relationship with Shaggy, although it's been suggested by showrunners he was actually just a beard for her.

Of course, people are overjoyed ... including those in the gay and lesbian communities, who are praising the explicit depiction and the on-screen representation.

FWIW, it seems Coco's lesbian too -- and she also appears to be into Velma, calling her "cute" in another scene where they show a little affection and flirting.

Velma being lesbian has long been suspected by the fan base -- and it's actually been stated as true by some creatives who've worked on 'Scooby' projects over the years ... including James Gunn, who helmed the live-action adaptations, and producer Tony Cervone.

Pete Davidson is seemingly erasing his past with Kim Kardashian -- sporting a bandage where he used to have a "My Girl is a Lawyer" tattoo.

Pete was spotted Wednesday on the set of his upcoming comedy series "Bupkis" in NYC, and he had a bandage peaking through his shirt. Remember, PD got that infamous tat for his ex-boo while they were dating.

At the time, Kim was gushing over the fact that Pete got some new ink to cement their love along with many other tattoos like the initials of Kim's kids and a branding on his chest to honor her.

Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne were thrust into a dangerous situation in Argentina this weekend -- one that left a paparazzi photographer going to cops and alleging assault.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the two stars were dining in Buenos Aires early Sunday morning, and as they were leaving a restaurant (Patagonia Sur in the La Boca neighborhood), there was an Uber waiting for them -- but the pickup went awry.

We're told that as the ladies were entering the car, a pap rushed them and started taking photos aggressively, intruding in their space. Our sources say the encounter freaked out the driver, who took off -- with Cara fully in the car, and Margot halfway in and halfway out.

Margot actually had to jump out of the car to avoid being seriously hurt, we're told, but even after she was on the ground ... the photog continued snapping. That's when a couple of male friends of Margot's, who were on hand, jumped in to help -- per our sources.

Now, we're being told the photog ran off and fell on his own at this point -- but he's telling police there in Buenos Aires something very different ... namely, that he was brutally beaten by these two gents, whom he perceived as security guards, and hospitalized.

According to the online Argentine newspaper Infobae -- which has been in business since 2002 -- the pap, named Pedro Alberto Orquera, was left with a broken arm and a bloody scalp after the alleged beatdown ... this per a police report the outlet claims to have seen.

They go on to say that the guy wanted to press charges ... and since then, the two men -- Jac Rhis Hopkins and Josei Mac Namara Callum -- have been detained. Our sources tell us they are NOT bodyguards (just pals) but that they are, in fact, in police custody.

Unclear if they've been arrested/booked on any specific charges yet. We've tried reaching out to the local authorities for confirmation, but so far ... no luck in connecting with anyone for info. Infobae reports the authorities are interested in prosecuting, pending an investigation.

No word on what may have happened after the alleged incident as it pertains to Margot and Cara -- but on the face of things ... it sounds like an upsetting altercation to say the least.

We've reached out to Margot and Cara's reps to check in on how they're doing. The two women are obviously close friends -- proven in recent house visits Margot's made amid issues Cara's been dealing with. They also travel together often, like earlier this summer.

We haven't heard back from either of their camps.

Niners wideout Ray-Ray McCloud will channel Bow Wow's Calvin Cambridge for "Monday Night Football" -- TMZ Sports has learned he's copped a pair of custom "Like Mike" cleats for the big contest against the Rams!!

The 25-year-old receiver hit up Joe Castro to get the movie-themed spikes done ... and we're told after the Cali artist spent about 10 hours making them, they're now set to arrive just in time for kickoff.

The Nike Untouchable Speed 3 cleats painted in 49ers' gold and red came out pretty sweet -- with both shoes featuring depictions of Bow Wow from the movie.

"Like Mike" is also written on the cleats as well.

If you haven't seen it ... the 2002 film is a classic -- it features an orphan named Calvin Cambridge (played by Bow Wow) who becomes an NBA superstar after wearing a pair of sneakers he found that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

Letitia Wright seems to be taking up the 'Black Panther' mantle post-Chadwick Boseman -- a revelation that just made itself clear in the latest trailer for the forthcoming sequel.

A new 'Wakanda Forever' trailer just dropped, and it appears to confirm a major fan theory that's been floated for months -- namely, that Shuri, T'Challa's sister in the film series, will become the costumed character going forward ... at least for now, anyway.

At the end of the trailer, you see a female 'Black Panther' standing tall -- and while it doesn't exactly spell out who's behind the mask ... all signs point to LW picking up the baton.

Right before we see the lady 'BP,' you see a shot of Letitia ... so it's not hard to piece this one together. Plus, this actually aligns with the comic series -- in one of the 'Black Panther' timelines, Shuri actually assumes the role for a while ... meaning her doing this is canon.

Of course, the reason this is even happening at all is because Chadwick passed away suddenly in 2020 -- succumbing to a cancer diagnosis that he kept private and hidden from public view. Marvel refused to recast the character ... so this is the route they've chosen.

The other reason this is noteworthy is because Letitia was embroiled in a controversy during COVID ... she was accused of spewing anti-vaxx rhetoric, and there were even some reports she took some of those sentiments on set with her during the filming of this movie.

Billy Eichner's new romcom completely bombed at the box office -- and he appears to be chalking it up to homophobia across the country.

The comedian-turned-actor took to Twitter Sunday to acknowledge the low ticket sales -- the movie only raked in $4.8 million domestically, placing 4th this weekend -- and he's definitely bummed by the underwhelming turnout ... despite the fact the film is objectively solid.

He writes, "Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA. The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie."

BE also went on to claim that -- despite 'Bros' being hailed as one of the funniest comedies in recent memory -- a theater chain called Universal to say they were pulling the trailer because of the gay content. He says Universal was able to convince them to keep it.

Billy adds, "That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately. Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is."

His final thought hits his point right on the head ... "Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast! And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often. I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!"

Billy's right about one thing ... the movie was positively reviewed by critics and normies alike -- so by all accounts, it's pretty darn good. As for why it did so poorly, it's hard to say. It was marketed fairly heavily by the studio ... with the trailer getting a lot of play in theaters and billboards all around the L.A. area.

A new movie about Emmett Till hits theaters next week, and the lead actor who's taking on the role says he learned some lessons -- both about himself and his surroundings.

Actor Jalyn Hall -- who plays Emmett in the forthcoming film, 'Till' -- attended the New York Film Festival premiere Saturday, and as he was signing autographs ... he answered some questions about the role and his takeaways about such an important historical figure.

First off, JH says there are certainly a lot of expectations when it comes to a performance like this -- but adds he wasn't really sweating it, and just did the best job he could ... noting it was an honor to be part of the production.

Now, when it comes to what he gleaned from this story -- one that undoubtedly changed the trajectory of America in terms of civil rights -- Jalyn gives a pretty poignant response.

He says it's never wrong to be yourself, and that one shouldn't ever refrain from doing so -- adding that ya gotta let your light shine. With that said, though, he also makes sure to note that there's evil out there in the world ... and a little situational awareness goes a long way.

Will Smith might be back in business sooner than later -- a key project of his that was paused seems on track to see the light of day after all ... this after a solid test screening.

The beleaguered actor -- who's still trying to repair his image after the Oscars slap -- was on hand Saturday at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st annual Legislative Conference, which was hosted by the NAACP ... with a ton of honchos there as well.

WS was standing next to director Antoine Fuqua, who was at the helm for their new flick, 'Emancipation,' while explaining to the audience why he'd been so averse to slave movies throughout his career ... but noting, he didn't really see this film in that lens, per se.

Will says this movie is, more so, about perseverance and determination -- and just the sheer will to survive and be free. He also talked about the character he'll be portraying, "Whipped Peter," whose photographs from the 1800s (showing scars on his back) went viral in its day.

As far as the actual movie itself ... the word is, it's incredible and quite powerful -- with a number of folks touting its importance for African-American culture, and America at large.

The jibes with all the buzz surrounding 'Emancipation' before Will hit Chris Rock on national TV -- there was a lot of talk of Oscars, and based on how people are responding ... it sounds like that might still be the case -- even though Will wouldn't be able to attend any ceremony.

As we all know ... the guy was banned from attending Academy Award shows for 10 years. Assuming Apple releases this thing in the next decade -- which they probably will -- and WS is actually in contention ... someone else would have to go up there for any would-be wins.

Ana de Armas' new movie about Marilyn Monroe is being blasted as a pro-life advertisement -- with none other than Planned Parenthood coming out against some mommy-baby scenes.

Caren Spruch, a PP honcho, tells THR ... "As film and TV shapes many people’s understanding of sexual and reproductive health, it’s critical these depictions accurately portray women’s real decisions and experiences."

She's mostly talking about the director, Andrew Dominik, and his depiction of Marilyn's fetus(es) -- which look fully formed in the movie, and which actually talk at one point.

Spurch goes on to say ... "Planned Parenthood respects artistic license and freedom. However, false images only serve to reinforce misinformation and perpetuate stigma around sexual and reproductive health care. Every pregnancy outcome -- especially abortion -- should be portrayed sensitively, authentically and accurately in the media."

She finishes with this ... "It is a shame that the creators of Blonde chose to contribute to anti-abortion propaganda and stigmatize people’s health care decisions instead."

For those who haven't seen it yet -- Ana, playing Marilyn, is shown as being preggo three different times ... and two of those end in nightmare-like, horrific forced abortions against her will and the third ends in a miscarriage. MM is shown as wanting to be a mother throughout the film, but forces outside her control strong-arm her into losing the babies.

Dominik, for his part, has defended his depictions of the baby stuff ... saying the feelings surrounding this are only heightened because of Roe v Wade, adding ... "no one would have given a s*** about that if I’d made the movie in 2008, and probably no one’s going to care about it in four years’ time. And the movie won’t have changed."

The movie has garnered a lot of controversy for a variety of reasons. But on this particular issue ... we should note, the whole thing is fiction -- including how Marilyn's pregnancies came to end, or how she may or may not have felt about any them. She is said to have miscarried in real life at least three times during her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller.

Could a Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson reunion be in the works?? Don't count it out just yet -- 'cause Kenya Barris tells TMZ Sports he'd love to include them in the reboot of the iconic 1992 film, "White Men Can't Jump."

We spoke with Barris -- who cowrote the highly anticipated remake -- out in NYC on Thursday ... and asked if fans should expect to see Snipes, Harrelson and the rest of the OG cast members in the flick.

"I hope so," Barris said ... adding he's "trying" to make it happen.

Worth noting -- the Jack Harlow-led project appears to have wrapped in July, so we're sure Barris knows the fine details on the cast already ... and is just toying with us at this point.

Speaking of OGs, TMZ also recently spoke with actor Kadeem Hardison -- who played Junior in the original -- and he's a bit concerned about how the reboot will play out without Ron Shelton writing.

Kadeem did, however, say he had reason to be optimistic -- he heard the "First Class" rapper's ball handling skills, coupled with his talent as an MC, will add flair to the movie.