Page 344 - Entertainment Culture

Gavin O'Connor in talks to direct 'Fast' for Warner Bros

Warner Bros is in talks with director Gavin O'Connor for its new action thriller, "Fast". O'Connor, who has films such as "Warrior", "The Accountant" and "Jane Got a Gun" to his credit, began negotiations for helming the project with the studio after writer-director Taylor Sheridan, who penned the script, failed to strike a deal with it. The story is about a former special forces commando who's recruited by the DEA to lead a black ops strike team targeting drug dealers who are protected by the CIA. Chris Pratt was earlier being in talks for the lead role but it is not yet known whether the actor will star in the film. David Heyman and Jeff Clifford will produce the project through their Heyday Films.

Will Smith not returning for 'Suicide Squad' sequel

Will Smith will not be returning for the sequel of his 2016 DC-Warner Bros film "Suicide Squad". The 50-year-old actor, who played Deadshot in the David Ayer-directed film, exited the sequel due to scheduling issues. His departure from the project was amicable, reported Variety. The sequel, which is being branded as a relaunch, will be directed by James Gunn. The film would mark Gunn's return to the director's chair after Disney sacked him from "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3" last July when his old offensive tweets resurfaced on social media. "Suicide Squad" featured the characters of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc, who are forced into the service of the government in exchange for lighter prison sentences. Charles Roven and Peter Safran are attached as producers. Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder are acting as executive producers. The Warner Bros film is slated to be released in August 2021.

'Aquaman 2' gets December 2022 release date

'Aquaman' sequel will release on December 16, 2022, Warner Bros. has said.The studio took the first step toward 'Aquaman 2' earlier this month by bringing back David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick to write the script.The film will be produced by original director James Wan and Peter Safran.'Aquaman' over-performed for Warner Bros., coming in above pre-release projections after launching with $68.7 million in its opening weekend in North America. The title gained momentum in subsequent weeks and hit USD 330 million in North America and USD 805 million internationally, led by nearly USD 300 million in China.It's currently the 20th-highest worldwide grosser of all time.Johnson-McGoldrick teamed with Will Beall on the 'Aquaman' script, from a story by Beall, Geoff Johns, and Wan.Johnson-McGoldrick began working on the screenplay three years ago after reading 'Aquaman' comic books while on the set of Wan's 'The Conjuring 2.

Spotify goes live in India to rival Amazon Music, Gaana, Saavn

Spotify is finally available in India - a market the US-based streaming service had been long eyeing.The service, with its new features and custom recommendations for the Indian listeners, will seek to compete with existing players including Amazon Music, Gaana and Saavn, among others.Spotify pricing starts at INR 119 per month for premium members. Similar to Apple Music, there is an option for prepaid subscriptions, and student discounts as well.As Spotify explains in its blog, some of the exclusive features include multi-language music recommendations, songs-on-demand in Spotify Free, India-specific playlists, actors-based curated playlists and city-based playlists which plays new algorithmic playlists based on what is trending in which city.Spotify says it has more than 200 million users, including more than 87 million paid subscribers.

DesiYUP builds cross-cultural Youtube-channel for Indian world music

Explore the richness of meaningful Indian world music from across the globe on the DesiYUP YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/user/DesiYup). This Dutch based company specialized in nourishing and endorsing meaningful music from India and Indian diaspora countries. In the last six years DesiYUP organized many concerts in The Netherlands. They gave a respected platform to known gems like Padma Vibushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, but also talented music powerhouses such as; Shammi Pithia, Maati Baani, Vasuda Sharma, Arjun, Shweta Subram, Rupak Kulkarni, Prem Joshua, Manish Vyas, Navin Kundra, Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam and many more.The content of their live performances are published on the DesiYUP Youtube channel."DesiYUP is an important provider to the South Asian music community as it has true love, dedication and passion at its core. This means they act for the sole benefit of the audience and artists and not themselves, resulting in excellence in their work. Their goal to expand ...

Use all channels to have IAF pilot released: Deora

Congress leader and former city MP Milind Deora urged the Union government Wednesday to use all "diplomatic and military channels" to ensure the release IAF pilot detained by Pakistan. "This is a sensitive matter. Jingoism around Indo-Pak conflict will only add fuel to fire. We need responsible journalism and responsible political discourse," he added in a statement here. Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is in Pakistani custody after his plane was shot down amid rising tension on the Indo-Pak border.

'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' clocks 4 years, Bhumi nostalgic (Movie Snippets)

Actress Bhumi Pednekar, who made her debut in Bollywood in 2015 with the film "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", became nostalgic and emotional as the film completed four years on Wednesday.

Why should John Lasseter be given a second chance, asks Emma Thompson

Actor Emma Thompson, who pulled out of the production of "Luck" over the hiring of John Lasseter by Skydance, has written a letter, explaining why she found it difficult to work with someone with a history of sexual misconduct. Lasseter, a co-founder of Pixar and former chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, had to quit from his post after a number of women came forward with allegations of sexual exploitation against him. He was hired to head Skydance animation in January this year, prompting Thompson to quit the the film. "It feels very odd to me that you and your company would consider hiring someone with Mr Lasseter's pattern of misconduct given the present climate in which people with the kind of power that you have can reasonably be expected to step up to the plate," the Oscar-winning actor wrote in her letter, sent to the Los Angeles Times. The 59-year-old actor said while she understood that the "situation was complicated" because it involved too many people, .

IKKA associates with THEMXXNLIGHT for 'unique' hip-hop track

Hip-hop artiste IKKA and R&B duo THEMXXNLIGHT have collaborated for a 'unique' hip-hop track titled "Body language".

Samarpan enthralls Delhi with its Raga-Jazz offerings

A mix of Indian classical music with a "little Jazz and Carnatic music" is how tabla player Ojas Adhiya describes the music of his band Samarpan. The band performed here on Wednesday.

British TV rivals join forces, taking on Netflix in UK

The BBC and ITV, Britain's biggest television broadcasters, on Wednesday announced plans for a UK streaming service BritBox to confront massive competition for viewers from online giants such as Netflix. It is likely to be a larger version of their BritBox streaming service in North America, which has more than half a million subscribers. "The BBC and ITV are in the concluding phase of talks to establish a strategic partnership to bring an exciting new streaming service to UK audiences," a statement said, adding that it would feature new and old programmes at a "competitive" subscription fee. "The BBC and ITV anticipate that other partners will be added to BritBox and both will speak to regulators and the wider industry about their proposals," the statement said. The BBC, Britain's mainly state-funded broadcaster, and London-listed ITV said they hoped to launch the service in the second half of 2019. "I am delighted that the BBC and ITV are working together on something truly special .

Movie on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in the works

A film titled "Major", based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guards (NSG) commando who lost his life while fighting terrorists at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in 2008, is in the works by Sony Pictures International Productions.

Rajeev Khandelwal praises fresh content on digital platforms

Actor Rajeev Khandelwal says fresh content on digital platforms is giving actors a chance to test their mettle.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in talks for Jordan Peele's new 'Candyman' film

"Aquaman" star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in negotiations to star in filmmaker Jordan Peele's new "Candyman" film. Peele, who won an Oscar for his directorial "Get Out", will co-write and co-produce the new project which will be a "retelling" of the 1992 horror film, reported Variety. The original film featured Tony Todd as the hook-weilding supernatural killer who, according to a legend, appears after his name is called five times. The film was directed by Bernard Rose from Clive Barker's script that the scribe adapted from his short story "The Forbidden". MGM has partnered with Peele's Monkeypaw Productions and Win Rosenfeld to produce the new project. The new film, being called a "spiritual sequel" to the original, will be directed by Nia DaCosta from a script by Rosenfeld and Peele. The story of the film returns to the same neighbourhood where the legend of Candyman began, a section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood. The new film has a release date of ...

Jayasurya, Soubin share best actor title; Nimisha actress

Young actors Jayasurya and Soubin Shahir, who have experimented with divergent genre of roles in commercial and realistic movies, Wednesday shared the best actor award at the 49th Kerala State Film Awards. Nimisha Sajayan won the best actress award. Shareef C-directed "Kanthan-the lover of colour", which depicted the struggles of marginalised tribals, was adjudged the 'best feature film.' Eminent director Shyamaprasad won the 'best director' award for his film "Oru Njayarazhcha", which was also selected as the second 'best feature film'. "Sudani From Nigeria", helmed by Zakariya Muhammed, a realistic movie which had also been a commercial success, won five titles in various categories including 'the best popular film',the 'debutant director' and the 'screenplay'. State Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan announced the annual awards here during a press meet. Jayasurya won his first state award for his exceptional performances in the movies "Captain" and "Njan Marykutty" in

Sony Pictures collaborates with Mahesh Babu for its first Telugu film

Sony Pictures International Productions is joining hands with Mahesh Babu for Telugu film, "Major" based on the life of 2008 Mumbai terror attack martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. The bilingual film, which is the studio's foray into Telugu industry, will be made under the South star's production house G Mahesh Babu Entertainment (GMB). "Major" is inspired by the life of Major Sandeep, the brave NSG commando, who saved several hostages during the 26/11 attack at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai and sacrificed his life for the nation. Major Sandeep was decorated with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest military honour in peacetime. Actor Adivi Sesh will play the lead and has also penned the film. "Major" will be directed by Shashikiran Tikka. The actor-director duo have already collaborated on 2018's hit "Goodachari". Vivek Krishnani, MD, Sony Pictures Entertainment in India, said the team is looking forward to the project. "We are excited to partner with Mahesh and Namrata who are such ...

Always had a wish to work with Satyajit Ray: Gulzar

Poet, filmmaker, and lyricist Gulzar says that he always wanted to work with the late iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray. With his association on "Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya", he feels his wish has been fulfilled in some way.

Nishant bats for action sequences in TV shows

Actor Nishant Singh Malkani says more Indian TV shows should have action sequences and characters could be inspired by cine icon Amitabh Bachchan's films like "Zanjeer" and "Shahenshah".

'Hotel Transylvania 4' to release in 2021

The fourth instalment of the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise will release on December 21, 2021.

Alejandro G. Inarritu named Cannes film fest jury president

Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Inarritu of "Birdman" and "The Revenant" fame has been named president of the Cannes Film Festival jury, becoming the first Mexican artiste to chair the panel.