Actor-director Mark Duplass is set to adapt David Grossman's acclaimed novel "A Horse Walks Into a Bar".
The movie is set in Israel and revolves around a controversial comedian, who invites an old friend, a retired judge, to watch him perform stand-up at a local bar one night.
The two men haven't spoken in over 40 years, and as the comedian confronts a personal crisis over the course of the two-hour performance, a series of candid and chilling revelations about his past that h ave haunted him, come to the fore, according to the Collider.
Duplass has previously directed "Cyrus" and "Baghead" and episodes of HBO's "Room 104".
He took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to call the book, winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize, one of his favorites in the last few years, adding, what an honor.
Village Roadshow Pictures will produce with Veritas Entertainment Group.

Mark Duplass to adapt David Grossman's novel 'A Horse Walks Into a Bar'

PTI Automatic

Actor Dakota Johnson is in negotiations to board the star-studded cast of Olivia Wilde's directorial "Don't Worry Darling".
If the deal goes through, the 30-year-old actor will star alongside the likes of Florence Pugh, Shia LaBeouf and Chris Pine, reported Variety.
Wilde, who made her directing debut with 2019's "Booksmart", will also feature in the new movie in a supporting role.
Described as a "psychological thriller", the film is set in an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert.
The script was penned by Shane and Carey Van Dyke of "The Silence" fame. Katie Silberman, who collaborated with Wilde on "Booksmart", is adapting the screenplay.
The project has been set up at New Line with Wilde and Silberman producing  alongside Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Miri Yoon.
Catherine Hardwicke, Shane and Carey Van Dyke will serve as executive producers.

Dakota Johnson in talks for Olivia Wilde's next 'Don't Worry Darling'

Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez's daughter Emme Muniz is coming out with a children's picture book about sloths and the power of prayer.
According to People magazine, Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, announced on Wednesday that it would publish a new picture book written by the 12-year-old.
Titled "Lord Help Me", the book will debut in both English and Spanish on September 29.
"In school I learned about sloths and how they're facing extinction, so I began to pray for them in my nightly prayers. I wrote this book to help raise money to save sloths while also teaching other children how we can pray and ask for help - two things that bring me a lot of comfort," Emme said in a statement.
With the targeted readership between ages 3 and 7, the book explores the "everyday power of mindfulness through prayer". It features illustrations by Brenda Figueroa.
"When we met for the first time, I was so inspired by (Emme's) heartfelt desire to share the ...

Jennifer Lopez's daughter Emme pens children's book

Robert Pattinson says his decision to do two back-to-back blockbusters in "Tenet" and "Batman" had to do with bringing commercial viability back to his career after doing a series of independent movies.
Pattinson, who played a small role in "Harry Potter" movies before rising to fame with "Twilight" series, has always worked with the directors of his choice but largely in indie space.
Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" will be his first major studio film after 2012 and it is to be followed by Matt Reeves' 2021 comic book tentpole "The Batman".
I started the beginning of last year with no job. And I was calling my agent and just being like  I had gotten good reviews in stuff  and I was like, What the f***? I thought this was a pretty good year, and I'm f***ing starting the year like I've just done a pile of trash'," Pattinson told GQ in an interview.
The actor said his agent told him that he did not get any major movies because everyone thought he was not interested in them.
Pattinson, 34, ...

Pattinson keen to boost star power with 'Tenet', 'Batman' after working in indie films

Director Shoojit Sircar says his filmography is a reflection of the lessons he has learnt in life, and his upcoming movie "Gulabo Sitabo" is another such film in his repertoire.
Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, the film is the first big ticket feature to directly go for a digital release amid the coronavirus-induced shutdown.
A Rising Sun Production, the Lucknow-set satire will start streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video from June 12.
"My films, sometimes, have my own reflections of life. They have life lessons I've had that I put across in a humorous or satirical way.
"When I made 'Vicky Donor', people said it's not a family drama, it is for youngsters. But families also went and watched the film. Same happened with 'Piku' and 'October'," Sircar told PTI in an interview.
The director said, like his previous films -- Kashmir in "Yahaan" to New Delhi's CR Park and Kolkata in "Piku", the location will play an important role in the story.
"Gulabo Sitabo" is penned by 

My films reflect my life lessons, says director Shoojit Sircar

Hoping that production on "Matrix 4" will resume in July, Warner Bros Pictures has signed eight-week extensions to keep the actors in the upcoming installment of the cult sci-fi franchise on hold.
Multiple sources told Variety that the cast of the film, directed by Lana Wachowski, has committed to be on standby until at least July 6.
The film was in production since February, and moved from San Francisco to Berlin mid-March for shooting, which never began due to the coronavirus-led production shutdown.
Actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will be reprising their roles in the film, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Neil Patrick Harris are new additions to the series.
Brian J Smith, Toby Onwumere and Jonathan Groff are also part of the cast.
Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell has co-written the script with Wachowski.
"Matrix 4" is scheduled for a 2021 release. The studio is yet to announce the exact date or if the film will be impacted by the production delay.

'Matrix 4' hopes to restart production in July, Warner Bros signs 8-week extensions with cast

Hollywood star Russell Crowe is set to play a mobster in "American Son", a new thriller set at Paramount Pictures.
The film is based on the 2009 critically acclaimed French movie "A Prophet", reported Variety.
Andrew 'Rapman' Onwubolu, best known for crime drama "Blue Story", is attached to direct from a screenplay by Dennis Lehane.
"American Son" revolves around a man, who, after falling under the control of a ruthless mobster (Crowe) while in prison, builds a multiracial crime syndicate, takes down his mentor, and earns a place for his crew alongside the Italian and Russian mafias.
The studio is yet to cast the protagonist, but according to insiders the studio will start scouting talent for the role soon.
H Moritz and Toby Jaffe will serve as producers via Original Film.
The original film, directed by Jacques Audiard, follows an Arab man (played by Tahar Rahim), who is sent to a French prison, where he becomes a mafia kingpin.
"A Prophet" won the grand prix at the 2009 Cannes Film ..

Russell Crowe to star in thriller 'American Son'

"The New Mutants", the horror-tinged "X-Men" spin-off, is slated to be released in theatres on August 28, Disney has announced.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the much-awaited film was earlier scheduled for a spring release but was taken off the calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Disney inherited the film upon acquiring 20th Century Fox.
Directed by Josh Boone, the film follows a group of young mutants trapped in a secret facility. It features Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga and Blu Hunt.
"The New Mutants", based on the comic of the same name, was the first "X-Men" spin-off and released in 1982.
The movie has had a tumultuous journey to release which led to intense speculation that it would skip theatres and go directly to streaming, which wasn't the case.
Shot in 2017, the film was originally was set to arrive in theatres on April 13, 2018, before being pushed back 10 months to February 22, 2019.
The release date was further pushed to August 

'The New Mutants' gets new August release date

French filmmaker Olivier Assayas has announced that he is adapting a TV series out of his 1996 feature "Irma Vep".
The movie, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, starred Hong Kong actor Maggie Cheung in the lead.
The story followed the disasters that break out when a middle-aged French film director attempts to remake Louis Feuillade's classic silent film serial 'Les Vampires'.
Cheung had played herself in the movie.
During an interview with IndieWire, Assayas said the TV series is being backed by studio A24.
"I've been working on that project which will keep me busy with writing for a while," the director said, adding that he is currently penning the episodes of the series.
Assayas is best known for making critically-acclaimed films such as "Clouds of Sils Maria" and "Personal Shopper".
His last release was "The Wasp Network", featuring Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Wagner Moura, and Gael Garcia Bernal.

Olivier Assayas working on 'Irma Vep' series

"The Favourite" star Nicholas Hoult says he has been a fan of Tom Cruise-led "Mission: Impossible" franchise since childhood and is glad to be part of its seventh installment.
Last year, Hoult boarded the cast of the new movie in an undisclosed role alongside the likes of Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham and Pom Klementieff.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight while promoting his series "The Great", the actor opened up about being a part of the long-running spy-action franchise.
"It's a franchise that I've loved since a kid. There are scenes in that first movie that are imprinted on my mind's eye forever because I was blown away by them," Hoult said.
"I'm obviously a fan of Tom and (director) Chris McQuarrie and what they do and their approach. They're so dedicated to their craft and created the best movies possible," he added.
The 30-year-old actor said he has learned a lot while working with Cruise and McQuarrie.
"It's a real learning curve for me. The experience has been ...

It's a real learning curve for me: Nicholas Hoult on 'Mission: Impossible 7'

Actor James McAvoy will voice the lead role in Audible's upcoming audio-drama series adaptation of author Neil Gaiman's popular novel "The Sandman".
The Amazon-owned company, which produces audio entertainment content, unveiled the star-studded cast of the audio series on Wednesday.
"The Sandman", which Gaiman created alongside artists Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, was originally published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.
Besides McAvoy, the audio series will also feature Riz Ahmed, Justin Vivian Bond, Arthur Darvill, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, William Hope, Josie Lawrence, Miriam Margolyes, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and Michael Sheen.
According to the official plotline, the story begins with an occultist who attempts to capture the physical embodiment of Death (Dennings) in a bargain for eternal life.
But he instead mistakenly traps Death's younger brother Dream (McAvoy), another of the seven god-like siblings known as The Endless who oversee aspects of human ...

James McAvoy to lead voice cast of Audible series 'The Sandman'

Actor Katee Sackhoff is set to reprise her "Star Wars" character of Bo-Katan Kryze in the second season of the Disney Plus series "The Mandalorian".
Sackhoff had earlier voiced the character in animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars".
Bo-Katan was first introduced in the fourth season of the series as a member of Death Watch, a Mandalorian terror outfit.
When the Mandalorians are later taken over by former Sith apprentice Darth Maul, Bo-Katan works with Ahsoka Tano to free her people at the end of the "Clone Wars", and becomes Mandalore's regent.
The second season of "The Mandalorian", a spin-off series in the "Star Wars" universe, is set to drop on the streaming service in October.
The show is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series depicts a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
"Narcos" star Pedro Pascal plays the titular character, which also features Carl Weathers, ...

Katee Sackhoff to return as Bo-Katan for 'The Mandalorian S2'

It's official. Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana starrer "Gulabo Sitabo" is heading for a direct digital release on Amazon Prime Video, the makers announced on Thursday.
Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the Lucknow-set satire will start streaming from June 12 worldwide.
"Gulabo Sitabo" is a quirky tale of two slimy scheming foxes -- a landlord and tenant -- in a game of one upmanship.
A Rising Sun Films Production, the movie was ready for an April release but owing to the coronavirus-induced shutdown the filmmakers decided to take the digital route.
Sircar said he is happy that the film, penned by frequent collaborator Juhi Chaturvedi, will finally release.
"I am happy that finally I can put forward my film as quickly as possible. As soon as the story was baked, I wanted to serve it. These are unforeseen circumstances, we all have to go through it," the director told PTI in an interview.
The film is the first direct digital release for Sircar.
"I have never experimented on a digital .

'Gulabo Sitabo' set for June 12 world premiere on Amazon Prime Video

Two former romantic partners of actor Johnny Depp came to his defense Wednesday in his libel suit against British newspaper The Sun, dismissing claims that he was violent or abusive.
Actresses Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder offered supportive statements for the Pirates of the Caribbean'' star, who is suing the tabloid paper's publisher, News Group Newspapers, over an April 2018 article which referred to the 56-year-old Depp as a wife -beater.
The article contained allegations by Depp's ex-wife, Amber Heard, who filed for divorce after requesting a domestic violence restraining order. Depp has strenuously denied the allegations.  In a hearing conducted remotely, lawyers for Depp argued that statements from Ryder and Paradis should be included as evidence in the actor's case against the publisher.
We've been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together,'' Paradis said, court documents show. Through all these years, I've known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, .

Ex-lovers of Johnny Depp come to his defense in libel case

Hollywood star Matt Damon has revealed that his eldest daughter Alexis had contracted coronavirus while he was stuck in Ireland.
The actor is in quarantine in with his family in the small town of Dalkey, Ireland, where he was shooting for a movie whose production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Damon made a surprise appearance on a local radio show --"SPIN 1038 Fully Charged" -- where he talked about how Alexis was diagnosed with coronavirus early on.
"I'm in the middle of a movie that I shot the first half in France and we were moving to Ireland and kind of right when we arrived in Ireland, the movie was shut down...
"Our oldest daughter's in college. Obviously that's been shut down, but she's in New York City. She had COVID really early on along with her roommates and got through it fine," Damon said.
Alexis is the actor's stepdaughter from his wife Luciana Bozan Barroso's previous marriage but Damon considers her as his own.
"I shouldn't say our whole family's together. Of 

Matt Damon says his daughter Alexis had coronavirus

Actor Amol Parashar, who rose to fame with web show "TVF Tripling", says two of his films -- "Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare" and film producer Mukesh Bhatt's next -- have been postponed due to the coronavirus-led lockdown.
Before finding fame with "Tripling", Parashar worked in Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year", and "Traffic" and Malayalam film "Mili".
"Professionally, I had a couple of releases lined up which have of course been pushed now. The film ('Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare') was tentatively supposed to release around this time but has been pushed for now..
"The film is ready and has already been to a few festivals around the world starting from its premiere in Busan. I am excited for the film to come out because I got to work with some really amazing people on this project," Amol told PTI.
Due to the current scenario, the actor said there is uncertainty over films releasing in theatres.
"There is uncertainty around when theatres will open 

Not letting lockdown affect me negatively: Amol Parashar

Quarantine cooking has been challenging for many but Robert Pattnson had a particularly tough time as he blew up his microwave while demonstrating a pasta recipe in the middle of an interview.
According to a GQ profile, the actor had some trouble while trying to invent a "pasta which you can hold in your hand." He even had an Italian name for the dish: Piccolini Cuscino or "Little Pillow."
Pattinson is known for his elaborate pranks and writer GQ writer Zach Baron said he is still not sure whether the actor had an actual mishap or was trying to pull a fast one in their Facetime interview.
The British actor told the outlet he once asked himself, what if "pasta really had the same kind of fast-food credentials as burgers and pizzas? I was trying to figure out how to capitalize in this area of the market" and he even designed a prototype and presented his business plan to Lele Massimini, the co-founder of pasta restaurant Sugarfish.
He then went on to recreate the recipe, which included .

Robert Pattinson blew up his microwave while cooking pasta mid-interview

Cinema hall owners in West  Bengal have urged the state government to waive their taxes  and provide financial assistance and interest-free loans to  them in view of the closure of the movie screens due to the  lockdown.
The Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA),  Exhibitors' Section, in a recent letter to Chief Minister  Mamata Banerjee, has urged the state government to reimburse  at least 50 per cent of the salaries paid by the cinema hall  owners to their employees during the lockdown period.
The association has also sought interest-free loans of  Rs 2 lakh per cinema hall after reopening of the  establishments so that the owners can pay their backlogs and  return to business, the letter, made available to the media on  Wednesday, said.
The body said it would take at least 18 months for the  sector to return anywhere close to normalcy after the lockdown  is lifted.
It urged the state government to waive GST, show tax,  local entertainment tax, property tax and other ...

Lockdown: Cinema hall owners' body urges Bengal govt for aid,

Hailey Bieber says it is not a bad thing that her husband, singer Justin Bieber's music tour has been postponed as she believes it will help him in maintaining his health.
Justin was set to embark on Changes Tour starting May 14 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tour has been postponed.
The couple recently appeared on their new Facebook series,"The Biebers on Watch", where they played a game of Jenga and talked about their lives together.
Hailey told Justin that due to the postponement, he will have more time to focus on his health and prepare better for the tour.
"You know what, I honestly feel like with that whole thing, everything happens for a reason, and I'm almost happy that I feel like you have even more time to just be strong and healthy and prepare.
"And when the tour does come back around and when you go out, you're going to just be so strong and healthy and that makes me feel a little bit better," Hailey said.

Hailey Bieber is 'almost happy' Justin Beiber's music tour got postponed

Superstar Aamir Khan along with director-wife Kiran Rao on Wednesday attended the last rites of his longtime assistant Amos.
Amos, who was associated with the actor for about 25 years, died of a massive heart attack at the Holy Family hospital on Tuesday. He was 60.
According to a family source, the last rites of Amos were held at Sewri Christian Cemetery on Wednesday morning with limited people allowed at the gathering due to the ongoing lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Aamir and Kiran attended the funeral wearing masks and followed other guidelines such as sanitising their hands as they offered condolences to Amos' family.
Amos is survived by his wife and two children.

Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao attend assistant's funeral

Russell Crowe's upcoming thriller movie "Unhinged" will be the first movie to be released in American theatres since they were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Deadline, Solstice Studios have decided to bring forward the movie's release date to July 1. It was earlier scheduled to come out on September 4.
In the US, some of the states have started to lift restrictions on business activities, including the operating of cinema houses.
The studio said the decision to advance the film's release was made after extensive consultation with the National Association of Theatres and leading theatre chains.
"If there are places where density is a factor and theatres aren't open, that's okay. It might be that theatres are closed in New York City or Chicago or San Francisco, but less populated cities and suburbs will be open and we expect there to be a lot of pent-up demand," Solstice's president and CEO Mark Gill said.
He said by shifting the release date of "Unhinged" to July, ..

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