Category: International

MUMBAI: The deal with Marvel studios has assured Cooper’s voice for the hero Rocket Racoon. This will be the first time he will be a part of a superhero movie as well as lending his voice to a character. It is produced by Marvel studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The film has already begun filming and Cooper is the final name to the list. He joins Chris Pratt, Benicio Del Toro, Zoe Saldana, Glenn Close, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker and John C. Reilly in the cast. The movie is set to release on 1 August next year.

Cooper is repped by CAA. He was previously seen in the highly acclaimed movie Silver Linings Playbook, for which he was nominated in the Oscars. Guardians of the Galaxy is based on a Marvel Comics of the same name.

MUMBAI: With Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher released in cinema‘s this month, there has been a surge of interest in Steve Jobs‘ life as people seek to understand what made one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century tick.

Having experienced success with their recent release William and Kate: A Royal Arrival, Electric Sky has acquired another Future Sight Entertainments doc, Steve Jobs: His Story. The doc will include insight from the people who knew him best; his close friends, family and colleagues at Apple and Pixar.

Electric Sky already have early interest having released a promo screener last week and the doc includes contributions from Apple and Pixar heavyweights; John Lasseter, Tim Allen, Tim Cook, John Sculley and Steve Wozniak. Further big names to share their thoughts about Jobs include Ashton Kutcher, Owen Wilson, Bill Gates and Tom Hanks.

Steve Jobs: His Story, will be available to deliver very soon to coincide with the continued international release of the movie later this year.

MUMBAI: Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Mesrine, Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen) has been tapped as a last-minute addition to Summit’s now-filming Soviet thriller Child 44. The Cesar-winning thesp is replacing previously cast Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film which has been filming since June under director Daniel Espinosa (Easy Money, Safe House).

Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, and Joel Kinnaman also star in the tale of a military cop investigating a series of child murders in 1950s Stalinist Russia, adapted by Oscar-nominated Richard Price from Tom Rob Smith’s bestseller.

Child 44 is the first book in Smith’s trilogy featuring protagonist Leo Stepanovich Demidov, played by Hardy in the pic. Ridley Scott is producing Child 44 for his Scott Free Productions with Michael Schaefer and Greg Shapiro. The film is co-financed and exec produced by Worldview Entertainment, whose Christopher Woodrow, Molly Conners, Maria Cestone, Sarah Johnson Redlich are executive producing along with Douglas Urbanski. Lionsgate’s Erik Feig and Jim Miller are overseeing for the studio.

After his turn in Danny Boyle’s Trance this year, Cassel will next be seen in Christophe Gans’ Beauty and the Beast playing the Beast to Lea Seydoux’s Belle. He is repped by CAA and Agence Adequat.

MUMBAI: The Avengers sequel has its villain. James Spader will play Ultron in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Marvel announced online.

A fixture of the Marvel universe for decades, the evil robotic Ultron has repeatedly fought the Avengers collectively and individually in attempts to take over the world. At Comic-Con this year, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced the title of the upcoming Avengers tentpole and who the villain would be.

Disney will release the Joss Whedon-directed sequel on 1 May 2015. Last seen on the big screen in Lincoln, Spader returns to the small screen 23 September as the star of NBC’s new drama The Blacklist. Spader is repped by ICM Partners and attorney Melanie Cook at Ziffren Brittenham.

NEW DELHI: Steven Spielberg‘s 1993 dinosaur spectacular Jurassic Park had a huge opening when it was released in its first 3-D version in China this week.

The film made $6.64 million on its first day in cinemas.

Though the film has been broadcast on television and is widely available on home video formats, this is the first time Jurassic Park has been given a wide theatrical release in China.

The opening is significantly stronger than that of doomsday thriller 2012 (2009) which made $14.7 million in its first six days. The 3-D re-release of Titanic (1997) broke opening records in April 2012, grossing $76.3 million in its first six days.

With 12 per cent of screening slots, Pacific Rim dropped 35 per cent early this week, taking $1.08 million. With 18 per cent of screenings, Dante Lam‘s Unbeatable grossed $1.14 million for a total of $11.9 million after five days.

MUMBAI: Fandango announced late Tuesday that it has bought movie promotions rival Quantum Rewards, the number one provider of ticketing promotions and owner of Hollywood Movie Money.

Fandango’s own movie promotions arm was number two prior to the sale agreement. The NBCUniversal-owned ticketing giant will now zoom to number one in movie promos and gift cards with Quantum added to the fold. The deal is expected to close by third quarter of 2013.

Quantum’s Hollywood Movie Money currency, used worldwide in 28 countries, will now be accepted through Fandango’s website and apps which get over 41 million visitors monthly. The union also boosts Fandango’s movie ticket promotions reach to over 95 per cent of US theaters as well as international markets.

MUMBAI: The studio plans to squeeze more life out of its undead hit and space sequel. Paramount and a clutch of exhibitors are going back to the future for a week with an old-fashioned double feature of summer tentpoles World War Z and Star Trek Into Darkness starting Friday.

The twin bill screens in 3D or 2D through 5 September in select AMC, Regal, Carmike, Marcus and other theaters for the price of a single ticket. It’s the second stunt playdates for Brad Pitt’s zombie flick – third if you count a late-add IMAX run – following its $50 “Mega Ticket” deal that included an advance screening, a home video copy of the film, 3D glasses, a poster and popcorn. With more than $526 million worldwide, WWZ is Pitt’s highest-grossing film ever. J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness has banked $458.7 million worldwide and spawned another sequel.

MUMBAI: Universal Pictures has roped in Boseman to play the iconic character. Boseman was recently seen in 42. The biopic is being director by The Help‘s Tate Taylor while Imagine Entertainment‘s Brian Grazer is producing with Mick Jagger.

The film will be a co-production between Jagged Films, based on a screenplay by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth. Grazer and Jagger will produce along with Jagger‘s Victoria Pearman and Imagine‘s Erica Huggins.

The story is about a young boy who rises from extreme poverty and violence to be The Godfather of Soul, one of the most influential and successful black artists in History.