TMZ.com

3:41 PM PT -- Two of Carl's former costars have expressed condolences for the late actor.

Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a photo of them from the set of 'Predator,' and wrote ... "Carl Weathers will always be a legend. An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it."

Dolph Lundgren of 'Rocky' fame also posted a tribute, writing ... "I was saddened to hear the news this morning. Along with the world, I will miss Carl. He was a great actor, a terrific athlete and a good friend. I cherish many special memories of Carl, both professionally and personally. Like Apollo Creed, he had that special charm that always brought a smile to your face"

Carl Weathers -- famous from a number of movies, but most prominently as Sylvester Stallone's early nemesis in the 'Rocky' movies -- has sadly died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The beloved actor passed away peacefully Thursday while surrounded by loved ones -- this according to a statement from his family. They say, "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers."

They add, "He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend."

Unclear what ailments, if any, Carl may have been battling lately ... he'd been actively acting in recent years -- and on the surface, there didn't seem to be much wrong with him.

In any case ... it's an absolute blow to showbiz -- Carl was a titan in the movie industry, with acting credits dating back to the early 1970s when he was guest starring on shows like "Good " 'Kung Fu," "S.W.A.T.," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Cannon" "McCloud" and more.

His true big break came courtesy of Sly ... Carl was cast as the brash and bold heavyweight champ of the world, Apollo, and he was pitted against Rocky in the ring for two films.

His character stuck around for another two 'Rocky' films ... in the third one, he actually brought the Italian Stallion out of a slump and back to glory with a new type of training he'd never experienced ... making for some iconic, memorable scenes as part of a montage.

The shot of them slow-mo running on the beach, and Sly eventually pulling ahead, goes down in movie history as one of the most awesome and inspiring things caught on camera.

Apollo was killed off in "Rocky IV" -- in dramatic fashion, no less -- but his imprint in that movie franchise lives on even today ... Michael B. Jordan plays his fictional son in the 'Creed' flicks, which are still going strong -- and which continue to be cranked out in Hollywood.

Even outside of 'Rocky,' Carl's presence left an impression in just about every cult classic flick he's been a part of. Just to name a few right off the bat -- "Predator," "Happy Gilmore," "Action Jackson," "The Defiant Ones," "Braker," "Death Hunt," "Hurricane Smith," and others.

His TV credits are also quite impressive ... CW was on shows like "Fortune Dane," "Tour of Duty," "Street Justice," "In the Heat of the Night," "Brothers," "The Shield," "Arrested Development," "Chicago Justice," ... and more recently, in Star Wars' "The Mandalorian."

He'd appeared in episodes of the latter as recently as 2023. In all, he has 80 acting credits.

Outside of Hollywood, Carl was involved in noble charitable efforts -- including Lupus L.A., The L.A. Police Memorial Foundation, The PEACE Fund and The Tower Cancer Research Foundation.

Prior to his acting career, Weathers played for the Oakland Raiders from 1970-1971 ... and the team addressed the tragic loss in a statement Friday afternoon.

"Always a proud Raider, Weathers will be missed dearly by his Raiders Family and his many fans worldwide," the team said. "Our deepest condolences are with the Weathers family at this time."

He's survived by his two sons. Carl was 76.

RIP

Issa Rae has a bone to pick with Hollywood execs ... accusing them of copping out of their promises to increase diversity onscreen ... and continuing to live in the Stone Age.

The "Insecure" creator/actress lays out her thoughts about the current state of the entertainment industry to TIME ... saying she hasn't seen Hollywood so scared, clueless and at the mercy of Wall Street, and stating there are no more smart execs around anymore.

Issa's firm on her stance ... saying that many have aged out, holding onto their position with iron-clad claws and refusing to let young blood in to get that much-needed representation on the big screen. In other words, a bunch of old heads are still calling the shots -- and Issa seems to think they're screwing the pooch 'cause they're out of touch.

A main point she's trying to make is that conglomerate leaders should stay in their lane, focusing on the business side of things rather than making big creative decisions they know nothing about.

One such example -- Issa says these execs haven't caught onto the fact that social media has changed the way we consume entertainment ... saying the only people taking risks are on platforms like TikTok, adding, "That's what's getting the eyeballs of the youth. So you're killing your own industry."

Though, the "Barbie" star ain't blind to the harsh realities of keeping up with the evolving industry herself ... she's had her reality series, "Sweet Life: Los Angeles," canceled, and she also had to lay off 8 staff members amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.

But, she's staying true to her brand identity and will continue fighting to have diverse stories told on the big screen.

Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino are back at it ... the duo will be reuniting for the director's tenth and final film, "The Movie Critic."

Pitt walked away with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his last collab with Q in 2019's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" ... and their first collab in 2009's "Inglorious Basterds" also generated tons of praise -- so signing up for another round of acclaim was clearly a no-brainer for the actor, 'cause he's coming back for thirds with QT.

Deadline reports the new movie's eyeing up a 2025 release & producer Stacey Sher, who worked on QT's 1994 hit "Pulp Fiction," has hopped on board as producer ... so it'll clearly be in good hands. Sony's also supposedly picked up the film's distribution rights.

Quentin has not delved too deep into the movie's premise -- but we know it's based on the life of a movie critic in the late 1970s, as per the title.

Filming will be taking place in his L.A ... Quentin said in a previous statement he started directing movies in Cali ... so it was only fitting he'd shoot his final motion picture in his hometown and cinema capital of the world.

QT's long made it clear he would only direct 10 movies ... telling Playboy back in 2022 that he didn't believe directors got better with age -- in fact, he noticed they got out of touch with what audiences wanted, making their last 4 films their worst.

Film producer Bradley Thomas -- who helped make "Killers of the Flower Moon" -- has suffered an unimaginable tragedy ... his wife took her own life this week, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Isabelle Thomas jumped from a balcony at the Hotel Angeleno in the West L.A. area Monday night -- and we're told she was discovered dead at the scene when first responders arrived. Our sources tell us she leaped from a high-up floor.

Our law enforcement sources also say no suicide note was left behind.

Her death case is currently with the Medical Examiner's Office -- and they list it as a suicide. The official cause is attributed to multiple traumatic injuries ... consistent with a major fall.

Isabelle and Brad had been married since 2018, and they share two young children together -- and they were even pictured as recently as Jan. 13 at a public event.

It's a tragic turn of events for BT, no doubt, who's in the middle of Oscar season thanks to a movie he produced that's up for Best Picture -- namely, "Killers of the Flower Moon." He's produced tons of other movies over the years ... "Dumb and Dumber," "There's Something About Mary," "Kingpin," "Shallow Hal," "All the Money in the World," "Triangle of Sadness," etc.

Isabelle is survived by her husband and their two children. She was only 39.

RIP

Brad Pitt ain't about giving away his acting secrets ... just ask Donald Glover.

Donald's starring in the new series "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" alongside Maya Erskine -- a reboot of the 2005 film starring Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but Donald says the megastar wasn't exactly keen on passing on the torch.

Donald said Brad skirted giving him advice for the high-octane action series. He was on the 'Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon when he revealed a meeting with Brad didn't amount to much.

In fact, he says Brad didn't dish out any actual pointers on how Glover could take on the role. DG added, he "kind of Brad Pitted his way out of it" -- in Layman's terms, he just charmed his way through their interaction, and let him know he'd do a great job.

It's no surprise Glover was fishing for advice from Brad -- especially since "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was a runaway hit on the big screen ... with its leads having spectacular onscreen chemistry and even falling in love IRL while filming -- something Glover's costar Maya said put heaps of pressure on her.

Maya said they were asked to "sex it up" for the show ... with a photog from the show's promo shoot even asking them to channel their inner sexual animal -- which she says was a worm.

Not really the vibes he was going for, Maya!!

Leonardo DiCaprio's all-in on Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie ... shooting in NorCal for the second day in a row -- and working alongside another uber-talented star.

TMZ has obtained video and photos of Leo out at a restaurant Tuesday afternoon opposite "Scary Movie" legend Regina Hall and a younger, unknown actress ... and it looked like he brought some cool confidence to the scene.

Check out the vid -- looks like PTA is giving the Oscar winner some notes while he's chowing down. He's clearly keeping calm -- although we're sure a regular patron or two might've flipped out! The reason we say that ... this appears to have been filmed out in the open.

Eyewitnesses tell us the production team didn't fully shut down the establishment for this shoot -- and, instead, pulled an old H'Wood budget-saving move by allowing regular business to flow while they only took up a few booths to film the scene. That's what's being claimed anyway ... and we'll say this, it sure looks like normies might've been hovering around.

Leo and Regina Hall grabbing lunch together??? Definitely a shock if you happened to be passing through his restaurant. To be fair, PTA's sorta known for his low-budget, indie filmmaking ... even if Leo's normally used to more luxurious catering and a slightly larger budget -- not to mention a much more closed set than what appears to be going on here.

Also worth noting ... all these pics and videos of Leo filming are low-key giving away a lot of clues about the film's story. To be clear, we don't officially know anything about the plot yet ... but if this doesn't look like some sort of family outing, we don't know what does!

Anyway, just another day on the job for Leo. We broke the story ... LDC was filming in the same small little NorCal town Monday as well, though that scene was a bit more frantic.

Leo was in full-blown costume and makeup Monday in a dirty-looking trench coat and disheveled beard -- definitely appearing worse for wear while cop cars seemingly chased him down.

The untitled flick doesn't have a release date yet or much more in the way of details ... but we do know Sean Penn's in it -- and it seems only a matter of time before he's spotted too.

Margot Robbie is finally speaking on the Oscar snubs heard 'round the world over "Barbie" -- and while she's taking the high road for herself ... she's going to bat for her director.

The actress shared new remarks on the issue Tuesday night during a SAG-AFTRA panel where she was present and given the floor to air out her thoughts. It's interesting ... MR doesn't address her own snub for Best Actress, but she does explicitly defend Greta Gerwig.

Margot says, "Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is. But it’s been an incredible year for all the films."

She went on to say that she's "beyond ecstatic" that 'Barbie' racked up as many nominations as it did (8) -- but in the same breath, noted she understood the disappointment from fans.

Margot finished by saying ... "I just suspect it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than this movie, it’s bigger than our industry." Unclear what exactly she means by that ... sounds like she's referring to politics within the Academy, though.

Last thing Margot mentioned on this topic ... "We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it’s already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this."

Remember, there was widespread outrage over the fact Margot and Greta had been left off the nominations list -- even though Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera got Oscar nods.

Many felt if Ryan was nominated, it was a no-brainer to get Margot in there too ... seeing how she literally carries the film, and is the heart and soul of the whole thing.

Leonardo DiCaprio is getting right back to work on a new movie -- which makes sense, we suppose, since his Oscar campaign is finally done ... with nothing to show for it this year.

TMZ has obtained video of the actor on set Monday in Northern California, where he was in full-blown costume, makeup and character as he and Paul Thomas Anderson's crew shot a scene with at least a few different takes ... and LDC going all out while cameras were rolling.

As you can see here, Leo is taking on quite a different character than what he might normally do -- lately, the guy's been playing more historical figures in period pieces (see "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," etc.).

Here, Leo looks like more of a modern down-on-his-luck dude in a setting that looks like present day. In fact, he comes across as kinda homely ... and rough around the edges.

He even puts his acting chops on display in our video ... yelling into the receiver at a payphone, slamming it and slumping down with a lot of emotion. Dude's very in his element.

No word yet on what the plot of this film might be -- it's being kept under wraps for now -- but we do know who else will eventually join Leo as the production continues ... Sean Penn and Regina Hall have also been tapped to star, so it's a solid cast in the mix here.

An eyewitness also tells us that it appears that the fictional town PTA and co. are trying to create might be called Baktin Cross ... 'cause the cop cars that pass feature that signage.

It's all still shrouded in mystery -- but knowing PTA's style, this looks to be shaping up in the vein of "Licorice Pizza," "Boogie Nights," "Inherent Vice," "Punch-Drunk Love" or even "Magnolia." Speaking of 'BN,' fun fact ... Paul has publicly said he wanted Leo for that lead role, but wasn't able to land him, going with Mark Wahlberg instead. LDC was the one who got away!

Now, he's finally got his chance to work with Leo ... and so far, it appears they're making magic onscreen. It's also not lost on us that PTA has gotten tons of actors nominated at the Oscars over the years ... including Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore and others.

Seeing how Leo missed out this year for his Martin Scorsese flick, maybe he wants another bite at the apple with Paul. Based on what we see here ... the homeboy's coming for that statuette.

Christian Bale is known for his extreme on-screen body transformations -- but for his 50th birthday, the dude's reached a great middle-ground ... looking super ripped and toned.

The Oscar-winning actor was photographed Monday ringing in the big 5-0 down in Mexico -- Cabo, to be specific -- and like we said ... the guy was definitely ready to show off his huge guns for the cameras, 'cause he was hanging out on the balcony without a shirt on.

He was also wearing a towel around his waist at one point too ... big-time thirst trap vibes.

Eventually, CB popped on a top, hat, and shades to shield himself from the rays ... making his way down to a beach with his wife, Sibi Blažić, and their nine-year-old son Joseph. We'll say this about him ... even when clothed, Christian puts other dad bods to shame.

Christian and Sibi are also parents to daughter Emmeline, 18 ... although, she didn't appear to be on the family getaway here.

The Hollywood actor is clearly making the most of his downtime after taking a bit of a breather on the career front -- his only 2023 credit was voiceover work for "The Boy and the Heron" ... and he currently has nothing in the pipeline this year.

Granted, he's still one of the most prolific actors working today -- and he's still killing it at this point in his career. He can most certainly afford to take a break from on-camera work.

Lucky for us (and everyone else) ... he's right here putting on another type of show, no general admission tickets needed either.

Florence Pugh got caught in a vulnerable state while shooting "Oppenheimer" -- namely, when she and Cillian Murphy were naked ... during which cameras weren't rolling.

The actress shared this cringeworthy story at a recent screening of the blockbuster, where there was a Q&A ... and where FP revealed there were some technical difficulties at one point in the production, and it came at the worst time ... during a sex scene.

If you've seen the movie ... you know there's at least 3 sex scenes where Florence and Cillian are nude -- so it's unclear which one exactly this happened for, but it sounds awkward.

Apparently, while they were filming this intimate scene, one of the main cameras broke ... and the whole crew had to hit pause while they worked on it to fix the problem. That left Florence and Cillian standing by (naked) as they waited for the issue to be resolved.

Luckily, FP had a good attitude about it all -- her whole point here is that 'Oppenheimer' was very much like an old-school Hollywood production ... and she's talking about how in awe she was by everyone and how they handled their craft. Even during this stop-down, she says she found stuff to appreciate ... and learned a thing or two about the equipment, etc.

Her point about the set being like a classic Hollywood movie isn't lost on us either -- considering Christopher Nolan's rep for wanting his cast/crew to be in the moment (and, allegedly, not to sit down either) ... this kinda makes sense that Florence and Cillian stuck around during this.

You'd figure the stars of a major film like this could head back to their trailers during this in-between time ... not so for a CN flick though, apparently! On his set, you see it through.

Anyway, sticking with it for these inconveniences clearly paid off for Florence and Co. -- 'Oppenheimer' is an Oscar darling this year, and is primed to win a bunch of awards.

Jonathan Majors is speaking out about his life after the guilty verdict, and before sentencing in the domestic violence case -- and he says he's staying positive and doing okay in the aftermath.

TMZ got the "Creed III" actor out Monday in West Hollywood, where despite the judgment blindsiding him, he told us he's been relying on faith and prayer for some light amid this dark time ... adding, "God is good."

A focus on religion definitely seems to be doing him wonders .. Majors was grinning, happy, and relaxed during our interaction -- though when pressed on matters regarding future work, he drew the line ... telling us that was enough for now.

Work-related matters are clearly a sore subject for JM ... he was booted from a series of projects following his guilty verdict, including all Marvel projects -- which is, generally, a financial pinnacle for any actor, so we can only assume it was a bummer for him when they pulled the rug from under his feet.

Of course, it would be in bad taste for major Hollywood studios to be attached to Majors after his recent legal battles.

Remember ... he was convicted on 2 of 4 counts after being accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari -- the charges included reckless assault and harassment ... though he was acquitted of aggravated harassment and intentional assault.

Jonathan maintained his innocence earlier this month to ABC News in his first interview since the verdict ... though, he expressed regret over how he handled things with his ex.

It remains to be seen if he'll say that in front of the judge when he's sentenced -- that's scheduled for Feb. 6, and he faces up to a year behind bars.

Jamie Dornan says he hid out in the countryside after feeling ridiculed over some poor reviews for "Fifty Shades of Gray."

The actor, who played Christian Gray in the film adaption of the erotic novel, says he and his wife shut themselves off from the world when movie critics didn't like the flick.

Jamie told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs he ended up hiding out at 'Fifty Shades' director Sam Taylor-Johnson's home way out in the boonies.

JD says the bad reviews hit hard because they came on the heels of earning "career-altering" award nominations for his work in BBC's "The Fall" ... basically, going from high praise to ridicule.

Despite hate from film critics, 'Fifty Shades' was a huge hit at the box office.

Jamie says the 2nd and 3rd movies were greenlit overnight, adding ... "It's a strange thing because there's a bit of ridicule here and I'm now contracted to do two more, knowing that there will be much more damnation to come."

He's gone on to act in a bunch of movies and TV shows since 'Fifty Shades' ... but Jamie says he can't escape his past. Even when he gets good reviews now, he says critics still reference his infamous role.

Scott Disick's daughter Penelope is hopping on a new viral trend with friends ... though the inspiration for the trend may raise a few eyebrows.

Here's the deal ... SD appeared to host a sleepover at his place for Penelope and some friends Saturday night -- including her cousin, Kim Kardashian's daughter North West. The girls clearly take after their famous family members 'cause they filled their evening filming TikTok vids.

Disick's clip shows the girls filming his 11-year-old dancing down the stairs and through the massive Los Angeles-area estate. They're blaring "Murder on the Dancefloor" while PD twists and turns her way to the kitchen.

If all that sounds familiar to ya ... it's probably 'cause Barry Keoghan's character does the same thing in the movie "Saltburn" -- though he dances buck naked.

If you haven't seen the movie, spoilers ... basically, BK's character Oliver strips down and dances through the massive estate of another character's wealthy family after successfully murdering them for their money -- bottom line, very adult content.

To be fair, the dance has taken on a life of its own online with many people recreating it fully clothed, just like the girls did ... but it still had some fans online worried they may have seen the flick.

For the most part though ... followers on Disick's IG post are just lauding how fun of a time the girls look like they're having and applauding Scott -- seems like a lot of people think his house looks like a dang good time.

Penelope certainly seems excited about a girls' night in ... away from her brothers Mason, Reign and new baby bro Rocky who was born just a couple months ago.

Wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich is praising the way Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White portray him and his famous brother in a new movie about their life ... but he says there is no way they would make it in a real ring.

Kevin, the subject of "The Iron Claw," tells TMZ ... Zac, Jeremy and Harris Dickinson did a great job bringing him and his brothers Kerry and David Von Erich to life ... though the actors are way too small to cut it as pro wrestlers.

Don't get it twisted, Kevin's not hating here ... he's just keeping it real.

In fact, Kevin has nothing but love for 'Iron Claw,' which tells the story of his famous wrestling family.

Kevin says the film does a pretty good job boiling down so many stories into a 2-hour movie ... and it's pretty much historically accurate, at least by Hollywood standards.

One thing Kevin says 'Iron Claw' took some liberties with is his relationship with his father ... pro wrestler Fritz Von Erich. Kevin says his pops never wanted him to get into wrestling, unlike the way it's portrayed in the flick.

Kevin also understands why the director left his brother Chris Von Erich out of the movie ... and he wants folks to know he never would have risen to such heights without Christianity ... something the movie omits.

But hey, it's Hollywood ... and Kevin knows the name of the game.

Diablo Cody's all about the dollar bills, and she'd give up seemingly anything for enough of them ... including her Oscar!

The writer/producer talked about Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig getting snubbed for Best Actress and Best Director respectively in an interview with People ... and insisted she'd give back her Academy Award for penning "Juno" if she'd get a "Barbie"-level box office return.

DC basically told the mag that of course Margot and Greta got snubbed ... but who cares about that when you just made 10 figures at the box office -- before adding she'd "trade my Oscar for a billion-dollar movie right now, if I could flip a switch!"

Cody said she meant to disrespect to the Academy ... though it kinda felt like saying "no offense" after you've low-key shaded a friend if we're being honest. But, let's be real -- a ton of stars would make that deal for a billion-dollar movie.

Another interesting note ... Diablo took a stance similar to a lot of people online -- mainly that both Robbie and Gerwig got nominated in other categories -- so not a total snub for either star.

To be fair, Cody's a bit of an expert in this field ... 'cause she worked on the "Barbie" project that was meant to star Amy Schumer way back in the day -- though hers never quite got off the ground, saying it's a hard IP to make believable.

Still, lots of fans are outraged at MR and GG getting left out of their biggest categories ... with some calling the voting sexist and even celeb fans like Hillary Clinton weighing in.

Welp, it seems there's only one way to settle this ... vote below!

Pharell Williams' life story is coming together brick by brick -- literally in this case ... 'cause he's collabing with LEGO to bring the vision to life.

The 50-year-old superproducer announced the big news Friday ... saying he's partnering with the toy giant to tell his tale -- and sharing a first look at the poster for the movie!

Check it out -- Williams' LEGO self's got his trademark camouflage on and looks ready to dominate the studio, the stage or the fashion industry ... the definition of a triple threat, one for each brick of his body!

Williams added a low-key emotional caption to the post ... saying he never dreamed he'd have his story told in LEGO when he was playing with the crazy popular toy as just a youngin'. Williams also shared the name of the film -- "Piece By Piece" -- so clearly no pun's going unused.

It's a pretty unique idea -- tons of people are having their stories told in movie form like Priscilla Presley, Diana Nyad, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Jose M. Hernandez ... and those are just from the last year alone.

But, not many filmmakers are going the animated route ... something the company behind the production, Focus Features, is crediting Williams entirely with conceiving.

Basically, in a joint press release with Williams ... Focus explains PW came to them with the idea five years ago -- and they've been building the project (pun very much intended) as a team ever since.