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Category: Hollywood

  • Natalie Dormer to star in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

    Natalie Dormer to star in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

    MUMBAI: The Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer has joined the cast of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.

     

    The announcement that was made by Lionsgate said that Dormer was to star in both the parts of the movie as Cressida. The movie directed by Francis Lawrence is based on the novel by Suzzane Collins in which the protagonist played by Jennifer Lawrence leads a revolt against the autocratic Capitol government.

     

    The first film of the series The Hunger Games became a box office hit worldwide and the second installment are to be released in two separate installments in 2014 and 2015. The first film has an official release date of 21 November 2014, while Part 2 is due out on 20 November 2015.

  • Idris Elba to star in Beasts of No Nation

    Idris Elba to star in Beasts of No Nation

    MUMBAI: The film financed by Red Crown Productions has roped in Elba, a prominent British actor who was recently seen in Pacific Rim as Stacker Pentecost. Cary Fukunaga will direct the adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s bestselling novel.

     

    Red Crown Productions’ Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Riva Marker, Parliament of Owls’ Fukunaga and Primary Productions’ principal Amy Kaufman are producers while Daniel Crown and Bill Benenson will be executive producers.

     

    The story is about a young boy called Agu who turns to mercenary fighters when his west African country is engulfed by a war. He has to face the death of his father and the disappearance of his mother as

     

    sister while fighting with a mute man he makes a friend. He will play the lead role of commander.

     

    Beasts of No Nation was packaged by WME. IM Global’s specialty label Acclaim will do international sales at Toronto Film Festival. Fukunaga has previously directed Jane Eyre and is currently on HBO’s series True Detective.

     

    Elba is to be seen as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, releasing this November. Both Elba and Fukunaga are repped by WME and managed by Anonymous content.

  • Night and Day Pictures and Rockford Entertainment sign six film deal

    Night and Day Pictures and Rockford Entertainment sign six film deal

    MUMBAI: Six low budget films are slated to be produced every year starting 2014. Budgeted at one to two million dollars per movie, it will be funded by Texas based investment firm Anubis Partners. The deal is between Michael Roff who owns Night and Day Pictures and investment banker Michael Gelmon’s Rockford Entertainment.

     

    Production of the first movie will start in the first quarter of 2014, which will be announced next month. The festival sales strategy will follow, which had previously led to Fox Searchlight pick up his movie Waitress from Sundance festival. Save the Date also got picked up by IFC after being shown at Park City.

     

    Night & Day’s upcoming slate includes Joss Whedon’s In Your Eyes, Lovesick starring Matt LeBlanc, and comedy Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant.

  • Adrien Brody to star in Houdini miniseries on History

    Adrien Brody to star in Houdini miniseries on History

    MUMBAI: History has announced that it has ordered a four-hour miniseries about the famed magician and his wife.

     

    The Pianist star Adrien Brody will play Houdini in the Lionsgate/A&E Studios co-production, with House of Cards’ Kristen Connolly playing his wife, Bess. Oscar nominee Uli Edel will direct the project.

     

    The mini will trace the arc of Houdini’s life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame. The drama will chronicle the life of a man who can defy death through his stunts, his visions and his mastery of illusion. Production will begin in the fall.

     

    “Since my childhood, when I dreamed of being a great magician, Harry Houdini has been one of my heroes,” Brody said. “His bravery and obsessive determination still fascinate me. Houdini mastered the art of escape – not only from physical chains, but from poverty and the social constraints of a humble immigrant origin. His life story appeals to the universal longing for acceptance with which we all can identify. To portray him is beyond an honor.”

  • Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation brings eight rare films to Hulu

    Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation brings eight rare films to Hulu

    MUMBAI: Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation (WCF) has been restoring rare films from around the globe since 2007. But while the foundation has saved 21 movies in that time, the product of its efforts haven’t been made available to the public until today.

     

    Recently, Scorsese announced that eight of the foundation’s restorations are coming to the streaming-video service Hulu, by way of a partnership with the Criterion Collection. Like the WCF, Criterion is a group that collects and restores historic and influential films. But Criterion sells its collection on disc and online, and streams exclusively on Hulu. The first WCF movie to make to Hulu is The Housemaid from South Korea and it’s available for streaming now.

     

    In the coming days, Criterion will add Senegal’s Touki Bouki, Turkey’s Law of the Borderand Dry Summer, Morocco’s Trances, India and Bangladesh’s A River Called Titas, Kazakhstan’s Revenge, and Mexico’s Redes from the WCF’s vaults to Hulu. Through 24 August the eight films – which have never before been available for streaming in the US – can be seen for free with ads. After that, only paying Hulu Plus subscribers will be able to watch the WCF movies, and they’ll do so ad free.

  • Reese Witherspoon turns down Legally Blonde 3 19 August 2013 6:35 pm | Indiantelevision.com Team

    Reese Witherspoon turns down Legally Blonde 3 19 August 2013 6:35 pm | Indiantelevision.com Team

    MUMBAI: The Cruel Intentions star, Reese Witherspoon, has turned down the chance of making Legally Blonde 3 because she isn’t interested in reprising her role as lawyer, Elle Woods.

     

    The 37-year-old actress had played the ditzy lawyer in Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde: Red, White and Blonde, but will not be part of the third installment as per media reports.

     

    Jennifer Coolidge, who played Elle’s friend Paulette in the films, said, “That was Reese’s choice.”

     

    However, despite Witherspoon’s reluctance to rejoin forces, Coolidge had nothing but praise for the star, claiming that she made the movie a success.

  • Stan Lee, Nathan Fillion honoured at Geekie Awards

    Stan Lee, Nathan Fillion honoured at Geekie Awards

    MUMBAI: Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion were honored with the top prizes at the inaugural Geekie Awards.

     

    The Geekie Awards, held on Sunday evening at Hollywood’s Avalon club, recognises independent creators, artists and filmmakers in the geek world and was created by Kristen Nedopak.

     

    Lee received the lifetime achievement award, which was presented by Seth Green. Fillion was honored with the Geek of the Year award, presented by Samm Levine, Natasha Melnick and Sarah Hagan. Jesse Heiman accepted the award on Fillion’s behalf, giving his best impression of the actor. (Fillion was not present at the awards show.)

     

    Alison Haislip emceed the live stream, while Tara Platt served as the main announcer for the Geekie Awards.

  • US-China resolve dispute relating to payment of two per cent rise in taxation

    US-China resolve dispute relating to payment of two per cent rise in taxation

    NEW DELHI: The dispute between the American film studios and China Film Group Corporation has been resolved with the Chinese side agreeing to pay the money due in full.

     

    According to Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Christopher J Dodd, a controversial two per cent rise in taxation on luxury goods that came into nationwide effect on 1 August was the cause of the dispute.

     

    Previously there was a 3.3 per cent tax on ticket sales, in addition to the controversial five per cent paid to the opaque government film fund. The internal dispute between CFG which is China distribution partner for American studios and the US studios has been over who will pay the newly introduced two per cent that the film industry has suddenly been burdened with.

     

    According to the trade agreement signed between the (then) vice president’s Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in February 2012 – US studios was guaranteed 25 per cent of revenue on imported films after all taxes had been paid by China Film Group.

     

    According to Film Business Asia, unverified reports state that the state-owned CFG receives about 14.5 per cent of revenue on imported films, compared to the 25 per cent that goes to the US studios on non-flat fee deals. Cinema owners take a fixed 57 per cent of box office revenue. But the 25 per cent deal was made at the highest level of government and was never at risk.

     

    It has not yet been determined how the two per cent will be accounted for outside of the US studios 25 per cent. There could be a reduction in the film fund to three per cent. Any decision may need to be approved at the next meeting of the State Council. What has been made clear is that under the agreement signed by Xi and Biden – the US studios’ post-taxation 25 per cent take will still be honoured.

  • CAA signs New Girl star Zooey Deschanel

    CAA signs New Girl star Zooey Deschanel

    MUMBAI: The popular TV star has gone back to CAA after being with UTA for seven months. She has also moved on from long-time manager Sarah Jackson but has not yet signed up a new manager.

     

    Deschanel has won an Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations. She is also a singer and songwriter and has been nominated in the Grammy awards.

     

    She shot to fame with the TV show New Girl that has done well with the viewers. Ex-manager Jackson’s Seven Summits still continues to represent clients like Homeland’s Morena Baccarin and comedian Russel Peters.

  • R Madhavan to be a part of 3D remake of ‘Night of the living dead’

    R Madhavan to be a part of 3D remake of ‘Night of the living dead’

    MUMBAI: Simon West Productions, and the Graphic Film Company, in association with 2020 Entertainment and Indus Media and Entertainment, have set Bollywood actor R Madhavan to star in the classic movie’s remake Night of the living dead: Origins 3D. Madhavan was previously seen in the movies 3 Idiots and Tanu Weds Manu.

     

    Zevbediah De Soto has directed and co-written the movie. Warren Davis II and David Reuben Schwartz will be writing it along with De Soto. The film will also star Tony Todd, Tom Sizemore, Danielle Harris, Sarah Habel, Sydney Poitier, Bill Mosley and Joseph Pilato.

     

    West, Jib Polhemus, Gus Malliarodakis and Matty Mangone-Miranda of the Graphic Film Company, Paresh Ghelani of 2020 Entertainment, and Naveen Chathappuram and Charles Leslie of Indus Media and Entertainment are producing. Meyers Media Group is handling all international rights.

     

    In this movie, a group of survivors enclose themselves in a room when a zombie plague attacks New York City. It’s being shot in a CG setting using stereoscopic 3D.

     

    Producer and CEO of 2020 Entertainment, Paresh Ghelani, says, “It’s great to help introduce American audiences to what the many fans of Bollywood films have known for years. Madhavan is a huge dynamic talent.”

     

    Producer Simon West adds, “This movie represents a whole new way of visualizing the classic zombie genre. It has a fresh and exciting style that sets it apart from all other horror films seen up until now.”