Category: International

MUMBAI: DreamWorks‘ feature project Quatermain a sci-fi film, will have Sam Worthington as co-producer and star.

Allan Quatermain was the protagonist of ‘King‘s Solomon‘s Mines‘, a Victorian adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard and its sequel, Allan Quatermain.

The first book had Quatermain leading an expedition into an unexplored region of Africa to find the brother of a friend as well as a fabled treasure of the lost mines.

DreamWorks‘ version is set in a time in which humans have left Earth and sees Quatermain return to the planet from a sojourn in space, embarking on another ‘King Solomon‘s Mines‘ -style adventure but on a planet-wide scale.
 

MUMBAI: In debts of over more than $ 400 million, MGM has won a fifth extension in terms of deadlines.

The studio had initially tried unsuccessfully to find a buyer for the studio and more recently has been searching for new equity investors to assist in a massive restructuring.

The studio and its lenders also have been meeting with industry VIPs such as Peter Chernin, Roger Birnbaum and others for input on its restructuring plans.

The latest deadline gives MGM time till 14 July to make payments to a large group of lenders who are expected to end up with the majority of studio equity following a likely bankruptcy.

MGM has been under a 15 May debt-payment deadline following the failure of previous extensions of separate deadlines on principal and interest payments.

“Lenders agreed to extend the forbearance period and therefore will not seek remedies in connection with the nonpayment of interest and principal due on the company‘s bank debt,” the studio announced in a brief press statement.

Time Warner topped bidders in a failed MGM auction with a $1.7 billion offer, but the Warner Bros. parent isn‘t interested in partial ownership. On the other hand, TW could re-engage with the Lion at any point to negotiate a modestly increased bid for the entire studio.

MGM‘s owners include Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Sony, Comcast, DLJ Merchant and Quadrangle.
 

MUMBAI: Roman Polanski‘s lawyers, in a statement have said that the request for the filmmaker‘s extradition from Switzerland was incomplete and unfair.

Polanski‘s lawyers maintain that Los Angeles prosecutors are hiding this fact from the Swiss.

“If, after a fair hearing in Switzerland at which the entire record of this case is truthfully presented, the Swiss determine that extradition is justified, Mr. Polanski will of course comply with a lawful extradition order and return to California to litigate the issues of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct and be finally sentenced under the law,” the statement read.

They however said that if facts were presented to Swiss officials and they determine that extradition was justified, the director would return to the United States to litigate his case.

It was the first time in the long legal battle that the team of lawyers has mentioned Polanski possibly returning voluntarily.

The Academy Award-winning director remains under house arrest in the 33-year-old sex case. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, but after a judge said he would renege on a promised sentence agreement, Polanski fled to his native France and has been a fugitive since.

MUMBAI: Film finance and production company Relativity Media has roped in by ex-vice president of Universal Pictures Michael Joe as its president.

“This is an incredibly unique opportunity in that I am able to utilize the breadth of my experience, help to influence change to our industry and yet join a company that is a clearly established brand within Hollywood,” Joe observed. 

Along with, it promoted production president Tucker Tooley as worldwide production president and will continue to oversee creative operations and report to Relativity chief Ryan Kavanaugh.

Joe, who had previously worked at Turner Broadcasting and LEK Consulting, will be in charge of expanding Relativity‘s domestic and international distribution and will also manage the company‘s banking and finance strategy.
 

MUMBAI: Jessica Biel and Luke Evans are in negotiations to star in period romance Vivaldi‘ that centres on a forbidden romance that develops between composer, priest and violin virtuoso Antonio Vivaldi and his protege, singer Anna Tessieri Giro that leads Vivaldi to write his enduring masterpiece The Four Seasons.

Giro was part of Vivaldi’s entourage when he was denied any romantic relationship.

The film being produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis is being directed by Patricia Riggen. Biel, who was last seen in romantic comedy Valentine‘‘s Day and will next appear in The A-Team is in advanced talks to play Giro.
 

MUMBAI: In a view to distribute indie‘s movies on all home entertainment platforms, Lionsgate has got into an exclusive arrangement with Newmarket under which most titles from the Newmarket catalogue will be distributed by Lionsgate.

The pact‘s first title would be the Charles Darwin biopic Creation which comes out on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and digital channels on 29 June.

“This deal is the perfect partnership for our company as we continue to grow and expand our theatrical distribution business,” Newmarket president Chris Ball said.

Averred Lionsgate president Steve Beeks, “I have known Chris for many years and have long admired how he has grown Newmarket into one of the top producers and distributors of independent film in the world.”

Founded in 1994 by Ball and William Tyrer, Newmarket was recently acquired by Exclusive Media Group, the labels of which include Hammer Films and Spitfire Pictures.
 

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Roman Polanski‘s legal options narrowed on Monday as a Los Angeles judge denied his request to unseal testimony about a sentencing plan in his 33-year-old sex-crimes case.

Lawyers for Polanski had hoped to use the testimony of a retired prosecutor to fight his extradition to the United States from Switzerland where he is under house arrest. 

The conditional testimony of the retired prosecutor, Roger Gunson, was taken this year so it could be used if Gumson was not available to testify in any future sentencing hearing because of his Cancer ailment.

In denying the request, Judge Peter Espinoza of Los Angeles Superior Court said of the Swiss authorities, “I‘m satisfied that they have information that they need.”
 

MUMBAI: Shareholders, at a meeting on Monday, again saw Investor Carl C. Icahn and Lions Gate Entertainment at loggerheads when Carl Icahn said that he was extending his $7-a-share takeover offer for Lions Gate until 21 May.

But the studio called this extension a sign of weakness on Icahn‘s part since shareholders had tendered less than 6.5 per cent of the company‘s outstanding shares so far. The studio asserted that this was evidence that its shareholders had rejected Icahn‘s offer. 

On the other hand, Icahn assailed Lions Gate‘s board and management for trying to push through a poison pill defense against his takeover bid,especially after the company lost an appeal of a ruling by the British Columbia Securities Commission that voided the poison pill plan on Friday.

Lions Gate is based in Vancouver and subject to Canadian securities law, although it operates out of Santa Monica, California.

Despite the adverse court ruling, Lions Gate is still planning on holding a special shareholders meeting on Wednesday to vote on the poison pill plan.
 

MUMBAI: Musician Liam Gallagher will unveil a new film project about the final years of the Beatles at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival. Gallagher, who has been a fan of the Beatles has reportedly acquired the film rights from Richard DiLello‘s memoirs. 

Gallagher will announce the film project based on the book – ‘The Longest Cocktail Party: An insider‘s diary of the Beatles, Their Million-dollar Apple Empire and Its Wild Rise and Fall.

MUMBAI: Marvel Studios‘ Iron Man 2 outpaced its predecessor opening atop domestic rankings with an estimated $133.6 million in weekend box-office. The first Iron Man that also starred Robert Downey Jr. debuted in May 2008 with $98.6 million.

Distributed by Paramount, the film marked the fifth biggest bow ever and Paramount‘s best to date. People were expecting that the broad pre-release buzz of the film could translate into a record-breaking opening, but the $158.4 million opening performance of The Dark Knight in July 2008 seems to be unscathed.

Iron Man 2 ruled the foreign theatrical circuit over the weekend for the second week taking the No. 1 spot with $57.2 million from 10,774 locations in 61 markets. The film accumulated an overseas box-office total of $194 million.

Combined with the film‘s $133.6 million opening domestic tally, Iron Man 2 has generated a worldwide gross of $327.6 million to date.

In China, Iron Man 2 drew $7.3 million from about 3,000 situations. In Germany and Austria, the film drew a combined opening tally of $3.88 million putting it to a No. 1 position in each market. The film also finished No. 1 in Korea ($4.7 million from 834 locations), Australia, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Italy and Mexico.

In France, the film lapped up $4 million from 655 locations, in the UK. It took the top spot with $4.9 million drawn from 426 spots.