Mila Kunis, right, a cast member in "Bad Moms," discusses the film as fellow cast member Kristen Bell looks on during the STX Entertainment presentation at CinemaCon 2016, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), at Caesars Palace on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --
Newbie film studio STX has a fresh creative partner in its ring: Sylvester Stallone.
The less than two-year-old company that specializes in mid-budget films like "The Gift" announced Tuesday at CinemaCon that it would be developing a film project with Stallone, who was on site at the annual gathering of theater owners.
STX Motion Picture Group Chairman Adam Fogelson also brought out director Gary Ross, Matthew McConaughey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw to preview footage from this summer's "The Free State of Jones," a Civil War drama about Confederate rebellion leader Newt Knight.
In the presentation, Fogelson touted the company's diverse range of movies, which includes the coming-of-age drama "The Edge of Seventeen," the Jackie Chan action thriller "The Foreigner," the raunchy comedy "Bad Moms," and the Jonas Cuaron-directed border drama "Desierto."
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
