ITV

Category: International

  • Kingsley to star in Iron Man 3

    Kingsley to star in Iron Man 3

    MUMBAI: Sir Ben Kingsley is in final negotiations to play for the role of the villain in Marvel Studios‘ Iron Man 3. However, it has been confirmed that the Gandhi star will not play Tony Stark‘s controversial foe The Mandarin.

    His character will instead be based on Mallen, a villain enhanced with a nanotech virus. The character appeared in Warren Ellis‘s Extremis storyline, on which the film will be loosely based.
     
    Written by Drew Pearce and director Shane Black, Iron Man 3 will see Robert Downey Jr reprise his role as the titular hero.

    Kingsley is currently filming Ender‘s Game in which he stars alongside Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford.

  • Ben Affleck set to star in Warner’s Nathan Decker

    Ben Affleck set to star in Warner’s Nathan Decker

    MUMBAI: Ben Affleck has been signed on to star in Warner Bros Pictures‘ Nathan Decker. In the political comedy will have the 39-year old Affleck play a politician who is caught in an affair and returns home to confront his past.

    Since the Daredevil star will not direct the film because of his current busy schedule doing the post-production stage of Argo, the Studio is currently looking for a director to helm the project.
    His upcoming directorial venture includes a big-budgeted adaptation of Stephen King‘s novel The Stand. Affleck has also been attached for an untitled Terrence Malick project that is said to be a romantic drama also starring Javier Bardem, Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams.

    Affleck was last seen in 2010‘s The Town that he also directed.

  • Troubled film financer David Bergstein sues Miramax owners

    Troubled film financer David Bergstein sues Miramax owners

    MUMBAI: Film financier David Bergstein has sued the owners of Miramax alleging that they haven’t paid him money and an equity stake owed for his role in the acquisition of the film label from Walt Disney Co. in 2010.
    The suit, filed by law firm Weingarten Brown, claimed that Bergstein played a crucial role in the deal to acquire Miramax. It further reiterates that Santa Monica private equity firm Colony Capital, one of Miramax‘s new owners and its principal Richard Nanula, conspired to deny Bergstein a $6.1-million fee and 3.3 per cent stake in the company that they agreed to provide him as part of the purchase.
    The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by the law firm, has named Filmyard Holdings, the entity which owns Miramax, as well as Colony Capital and its principal Richard Nanula. While Colony and Nanula are named as defendants as is Filmyard Holdings, others who also have stakes in Filmyard are the Qatari government‘s Qatar Holdings and Ron Tutor, the chief executive of construction firm Tutor-Perini Corp.
    It was not clear exactly what role Bergstein played in the acquisition, except that he was working with Tutor before Colony joined the acquisition team in July 2010. In the suit, Bergstein says that he initiated talks with Disney which had already put Miramax up for sale and negotiated the structure of the deal.
    He claims that for his work, he was promised two separate $6.1-million fees, one at closing and another when certain conditions were met, plus a 5 per cent equity stake in Filmyard. Later Bergstein agreed to reduce his stake to 3.33 per cent on the insistence of Tutor and Colony chief Tom Barrack.
    Colony declined to provide Bergstein with any documentation as part of his stake or a share of profits when the company was recapitalized last fall, the complaint alleges. Bergstein also said that he was not paid his second $6.1-million fee when conditions were met though he did receive the initial payment.
    The troubled film financer claims he was cut out because he has been the subject of negative press coverage related to his legal troubles from a string of troubled companies and business deals in which he has been involved. His controversial past would have put off Qatar Holdings and a lender, the complaint says.
    Advisory firm Duff and Phelps pegged Miramax‘s value at $813 million when the company refinanced in December. According to Bergstein‘s suit, his 3.33 per cent ownership stake would entitle him to somewhere around $27 million of that valutation, plus whatever moneys investors earned during the transaction.

  • Sequel of Avatar delayed

    Sequel of Avatar delayed

    MUMBAI: James Cameron‘s highly anticipated sequel to Avatar has been delayed.

    Earlier, the makers had planned to bring Avatar 2 in December 2014 followed by Avatar 3 next year but producer Jon Landau has confirmed that bringing back-to-back sequels would not be possible, it is understood.

    “We‘re not naming dates, but I think 2014 will be a tough date for us to make. It‘s about getting it right… movies make release dates; release dates don‘t make movies,” that producer has reportedly said.

    Cameron spent a lot of time and research on his recent dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench and he was also involved in the 3D conversion of Titanic, which is said to be the cause of the delay.

    It is said that Landau had already started work on the sequels with his core team including New Zealand effects company Weta Digital that is developing an underwater motion capture system that will help Cameron explore the oceans on Pandora.

  • Hunger Games grosses $33.5 mn in third weekend

    Hunger Games grosses $33.5 mn in third weekend

    MUMBAI: In its third weekend, Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games topped the domestic box office falling narrowly by 43 per cent to $33.5 million for a total gross of $302.8 million.
    On the other hand, American Reunion followed by James Cameron‘s 3D makeover of Titanic earned $21.5 million and $35.5 million respectively. Warner Bros.‘ Wrath of the Titans stood at No. 1 film internationally earning $43 million from 60 markets.
    Titanic, handicapped by its lengthy running time (195 minutes), did open higher than the recent 3D rerelease of George Lucas‘ Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith ($22.5 million) and Beauty and the Beast ($17.8 million).
    Paramount president of domestic marketing and distribution Megan Colligan said Titanic 3D isn‘t a limited engagement, and expects the 3D rerelease to have exceptionally good word of mouth. “There‘s something very special about seeing it again on the big screen. It‘s an experience,” she said.
    Titanic 3D played in 2,674 theaters, including 79 IMAX locations, which turned in 8 percent of Saturday‘s total gross alone. More IMAX screens will be added next weekend. For the five days, IMAX turned in $2 million, and boasted nine of the pic‘s top 10 theaters.
    The rerelease of Titanic — timed to the 100th anniversary of the real-life sinking of the luxury liner — received an A CinemaScore and drew plenty of younger moviegoers, particuarly females. Of those buying tickets, 51 percent were under the age of 25, while 60 per cent were female.In financial terms, both Titanic 3D and American Reunion already seem to be on strong ground.
    Domestically, Titanic 3D, that cost $18 million to convert couldn‘t match last fall‘s 3D rerelease of The Lion King, which opened to a stellar $30.1 million on its way to grossing $94.2 million domestically.

  • Nicole Kidman to play Grace Kelly

    Nicole Kidman to play Grace Kelly

    MUMBAI: Nicole Kidman is in talks to portray Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco, the project that centers on the actress-turned-princess. The actress is in the process of attaching herself to what is being envisioned as a $30 million production and is being compared in tone to The King‘s Speech.

    Monaco is the second high-profile project in the works featuring midcentury Hollywood stars. The film isn‘t a biopic and instead focuses on a six-month period in 1962 when the city-state got into a heated dispute with France, which grew tired of the petite principality being a tax haven.Kelly, still relatively new in her role as princess, maneuvered behind the scenes to save Monaco from a coup.

    Olivier Dahan, known for the Edith Piaf biopic La Vie en rose, is helming the period film. Le Pogam is producing and financing the picture. CAA is handling domestic rights and Wild Bunch is selling international.

    Kelly was an actress who broke through playing opposite Gary Cooper in 1952’s High Noon and quickly became Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite blond with a trio of classic films. She married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1955 and soon retired from acting. Her death in 1982, after suffering astroke and losing control of her car while driving the twisty streets of Monaco, shocked the world. Nearly 100 million people watched her funeral on TV.

  • MPAA lowers Bully rating

    MPAA lowers Bully rating

    MUMBAI: Weeks after the film was embroiled in controversy that was to its own making, the MPAA has lowered the rating of Lee Hirsch‘s documentary Bully from an R to a PG-13, it is understood.
     
    The decision came after three uses of the "f-word" were removed from the film. However, the scene that has been amid the controversy – the one that shows teen Alex Libby being bullied and harassed on a bus-has been left untouched and unedited.
     
    The MPAA is also allowing the film to be released with the new rating before 90 days, which is the length of time their policy states a film must wait to be in theaters after a rating change "to avoid confusion or inconvenience for moviegoers."
     
    Now, Bully‘s release will expand to 55 markets on 13 April with its new rating. It had opened last weekend in New York and Los Angeles without the MPAA rating.
     
    The new rating also grants the schools, organizations and cities the opportunity to share the film as an educational tool.
    Weinstein Co. had appealed the "R" earlier this year and sought a less-restrictive rating, but the MPAA refused to budge. Director Lee Hirsch could edit out the objectionable words, but has declined to make changes arguing the language is essential to the story.
     
    The Weinstein Co. has decided to release the documentary without a US film rating after failing to persuade the Motion Picture Association of America to change to one that is less restrictive.
     
    The MPAA, which represents Hollywood‘s major movie studios in governmental matters, rates films for content such as sex, violence and language to give audiences an idea of what will be in the movies they see.

  • Memento Films picks up US rights of Lore

    Memento Films picks up US rights of Lore

    MUMBAI: The distribution rights of forthcoming film Lore by Australian director Cate Shortland, set in the aftermath of World War Two Germany, for the US has been picked up by Music Box through France-based international sales agent Memento Films.

    The film, an adaptation of Rachel Seiffert‘s The Dark Room is the story of Lore, a young German girl who must get her four younger siblings to her grandmother on the other side of the country after her Nazi parents are arrested by Allied Forces
    Lore is a co-production between Australia, Germany and the UK, produced by the Australian Porchlight Film‘s Liz Watts as well as British producer Paul Welsh and German producers Karsten Stoter and Benny Drechsel.
    Averred Watts, “I‘ve not worked with Music Box before, but we‘re keen to be in their catalogue. They‘ve done a lot of foreign films like they did the release of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

    She said the size of the release in the US would depend on the launch of the film internationally. “We will work with Memento in regards to presenting it. It is German language film in a US market. It will be an appropriate release,” she added.
    Internationally, the film has also sold into Benelux to ABC, Brazil to Mares Filmes, to South Korea‘s Linetree, Isreal‘s Lev and to Colombia/Central America‘s Cineplex.

  • The Weinstein Co in copyright muddle

    The Weinstein Co in copyright muddle

    MUMBAI: Contrary to belief that copyright problems arise in India only, it has come to light that such things are prevalent in Hollywood too.

    It is being said that The Weinstein Co.(TWC) has sued writer-producer Kevin Williamson over rights to a film project called Shadows.

    In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, TWC claims that it hired Williamson to write and produce Scream 4 in 2009 but a dispute broke out over whether Williamson breached his duties.

    According to the suit, TWC settled the matter in 2010 buying Williamson out of his Scream 4 deal. As part of that agreement, TWC claims Williamson agreed to relinquish control over several other projects including Shadows.
     
    But Williamson now claims that he still owns the Shadows property.

  • Legendary mops up $275 mn in new financing deal

    Legendary mops up $275 mn in new financing deal

    MUMBAI: Legendary Entertainment, co-producer of movies such as Dark Knight and Hangover, announced that it has completed separate equity and debt financing deals totaling approximately $275 million in aggregate proceeds.
    The equity component consists of $128 million in new financing from a collection of new and existing investors.
    Existing Legendary equity investors who participated in this round include Jim Breyer and Breyer Capital and Accel Partners, IDG Capital Partners, and Gordy Crawford. New investors in Legendary include Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Peter Thiel‘s Thiel Capital LLC, and Eric Schmidt‘s Tomorrow Ventures, LLC.
    Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as sole agent to Legendary in the equity financing. Additionally, Legendary simultaneously closed a new $150 million round of debt financing structured and arranged by JPMorgan, Bank of America, Royal Bank of Canada and UBS who all served as co-leads. Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC also participated in the bank financing.
    Legendary will use the proceeds of these transactions to retire and refinance debt incurred in connection with its 2010 recapitalisation, more than 18 months prior to its scheduled maturity. Plans for the monies also include adding investment and working capital as Legendary readies projects across its filmed entertainment, publishing and television business units.
    Separately, Legendary East expects to announce its financial and distribution arrangements later this year. On December 31 2011, the date pre-arranged by Legendary and its partners, Legendary East allowed its previously contemplated business structure to lapse, enabling it to explore relationships with new distribution and financial partners.