Category: International

MUMBAI: Entertainment attorney Irwin Russell, who represented industry notables including Michael Eisner, Jim Henson, David Wolper and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), passed away on 23 August from complications related to Leukemia. He was 87.

“Irwin Russell was a brilliant lawyer, an insightful executive, an eloquent writer and, in all things, a true gentleman,” said Eisner, the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, in a statement. “He represented me for 40 years, including my tenures at ABC, Paramount, Disney and, until the day he died, at Tornante.”

Eisner added: “He was able to write – and get all parties to agree to – a one-page deal, something unheard of in American business. Ethics, doing it right and being fair were embedded in his DNA. This is a deep loss for all of us.”

Born in 1926, Russell arrived in Los Angeles in 1971 after experience serving on the National Wage Stabilization Board in Washington, DC and working in private practice in New York City. He was involved in the takeover of the Walt Disney Company in 1984 and served on the Disney board.

Among the many industry deals he is credited with, Russell helped bring the Muppets toSesame Street and Candid Camera to television. The lawyer is survived by his wife, Suzanne. A memorial is set for September.

MUMBAI: Universal Pictures‘ Despicable Me 2 continues to rake it in around the globe. The animated sequel surpassed the $800 million mark with Friday‘s estimated domestic grosses of $349.9 million and $451.4 million international bringing the worldwide take to $801.3 million.

The Universal and Illumination Entertainment pic has opened at No.1 in 45 territories and is the second highest grossing pic of 2013 worldwide behind Iron Man 3. Domestically it‘s No.2 and internationally only third behind Iron Man 3 and Fast & Furious 6.

Last month NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke declared Despicable Me 2 the studios‘ most profitable film in history; it‘s also Uni‘s second highest grosser of all time worldwide behindJurassic Park.

MUMBAI: Warner Bros has set Scott Cooper to re-write and direct The Stand, the seminal post-apocalyptic Stephen King novel. That means that while the studio has roped in Ben Affleck as its new Caped Crusader for Batman vs Superman, Affleck has withdrawn from The Stand. He had been set in late 2011 to write the script and helm the project. Affleck is busy directing and starring in his scripted adaptation of Dennis Lehane‘s Live By Night for Warner Bros.

Warner Bros is teamed on the project with CBS Films, which is co-producing and co-presenting and possibly financing the project together. Dave Kajganich scribed the first draft. Published in 1978, the mammoth novel covered a biological apocalyptic disaster that decimated the population. The survivors then had to try and piece together a new form of humanity and it became a good vs evil struggle, with elements of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. King was at his best, both in creating depictions of the demise of civilization and in the arcs of characters good and bad who became important in a new order.

Roy Lee and Mosaic are producing for Warners and Jon Berg is the studio exec. Cooper is currently developing Creek with Leonardo DiCaprio, and his next film, Out Of The Furnace, is set to release 6 December. That one was produced by Appian Way and Scott Free. Cooper, the actor-turned-filmmaker who made his breakthrough with the Jeff Bridges-starrer Crazy Heart, is represented by CAA and attorney Darren Trattner.

MUMBAI: Benedict Cumberbatch has exited Crimson Peak, the Legendary screamer being directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The reason for his departure is unknown, although sources claim his exit is not due to another project.

Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska remain on board to star in the four-hander gothic horror story that centers on a woman who discovers that her husband might not be who he appears to be.

Peak is scheduled to shoot in January, and the exit at this early stage gives del Toro plenty of time to find a replacement. The filmmaker has already shown he can roll with the punches when he quickly cast Wasikowska after Emma Stone fell off the movie.

Cumberbatch is entering a busy period where many of his completed films will hit screens. Dreamworks‘ The Fifth Estate kicks off the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Fox Searchlight‘s 12 Years a Slave opens on 18 October, while the all-star August: Osage Countyopens this Christmas.

He is also voicing the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and is in preproduction on The Imitation Game, in which he will portray gay cryptographer Alan Turing.

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.

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, withHouse 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.”

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’sRevenge, 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.

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.