Russia Mulls Boycott of Hollywood Movies, ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons for NFL Comments, Johnny Depp’s ‘Mortdecai’ Moved Up

Russia Mulls Boycott of Hollywood Movies

After a string of recent movies featuring Russian villains, a member of the country’s parliament has suggested outlawing foreign movies that “demonize Russia and Russians.” (THR)

ESPN Suspends Bill Simmons for NFL Comments

Simmons has been suspended for three weeks over a profanity-laced rant in which he called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “liar." (VAR)

Johnny Depp’s ‘Mortdecai’ Moved Up

Lionsgate bumped up the release of Johnny Depp’s action comedy by two weeks and moved the Blake Lively romantic drama The Age of Adeline back by three months. (DH)

Adam Fogelson Heading Up Film Group at Robert Simonds' New Studio

The hire elevates the profile of a fledgling venture that doesn't have a name yet but boasts $1 billion in funding. (LAT)

Liam Neeson joins 'Ted 2'

Neeson has joined the cast of Ted 2, which writer/director Seth MacFarlane tweeted on Wednesday. (EW)

Which Stars Were Almost Cast in 2014’s Biggest Movies?

Here’s a rundown of the names you might have found on the movie marquee in an alternate universe. (VUL)

David Thomson On the Changing Nature of Film

Thomson’s “Biographical Dictionary of Film” is not just one of the best-written books on cinema in the English language, it’s also maybe the most emotional. (EB)

Box Office: Denzel Washington's Equalizer Versus Boxtrolls

The Equalizer hits theaters this weekend and should bring in between $28 million and $30 million. (VAR)

12 Things I Learned at Werner Herzog's Rogue Film School

"I had come to the Rogue Film School to hear from someone I revered as a filmmaker and learn how he managed to make the films he wanted from within and without the system. Maybe then I could figure out how to do it too." (IW)

Terry Gilliam Has No Use For Happy Endings

The Dissolve sat down with the iconoclastic filmmaker to talk Batman, and other things that skew dark. (DIS)