ITV

Category: International

  • Big screen, star studded adaption of French Novella-‘The Little Prince’

    Big screen, star studded adaption of French Novella-‘The Little Prince’

    MUMBAI: The star studded cast comprising of James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro and Paul Giamatti have been brought on board to voice the characters of the big screen adaption of Antoine de Saint-Exupery‘s French novella The Little Prince. The film adaption of the classic children‘s book will see a brilliant voice cast with three Oscar winners including Bridges, Cotillard and Del Toro.
     
    The film adaption will be directed by the Kung Fu Panda director, Mark Osborne and is being produced by Onyx Films‘ Aton Soumache along with Dimitri Rassam. Soumache had also produced the stylish 2006 animated film Renaissance. While there is speculation that the Melrose studio would be involved as the film‘s U.S. distributor, the official statement regarding the same hasn’t been declared.

    The film’s story will centre on a pilot who crash-lands in the Sahara desert and comes across a little boy who says he is a prince fallen to Earth from his home on an asteroid. As the pilot repairs his plane, the little prince amuses him with stories about his homeland and the foolish inhabitants of nearby asteroids. It shall also include societal criticism, remarking on the strangeness of the adult world.
     
    While Bridges will voice the protagonist pilot, it was not revealed which roles the other actors were taking on.
     
    The French book Le Petit Prince was first published in 1943 and translated into over 250 languages. Its philosophical nature had appealed to both adults and children making it the most read and most translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France.

  • Jennifer Lawrence reunites with Susanne Bier for ‘The Rules of Inheritance’

    Jennifer Lawrence reunites with Susanne Bier for ‘The Rules of Inheritance’

    MUMBAI: Silver Linings Playbook‘s Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence has been roped in to star and produce the film adaption of The Rules of Inheritance, based on Claire Bidwell Smith‘s acclaimed memoir and will see Jennifer‘s Serena director Susanne Bier at the helm as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
     
    The film will be financially backed by Glen Basner‘s Film Nation and will represent foreign rights. The prominent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that also represents Lawrence has packaged the entire project and will handle the film domestically. Smith too is represented by Wendy Sherman Associates in association with CAA.
     
    The film adaption will see Jennifer Lawrence reuniting with her Silver Linings Playbook producer Bruce Cohen while the adapted script will be written by Abi Morgan who is also doing the screenplay of The Invisible Woman which is in its post production phase.
     
    Commenting about the project, Basner and FilmNation‘s Aaron Ryder commented, "We are thrilled to be working with the dream team of Jennifer Lawrence, Susanne Bier, Abi Morgan and Bruce Cohen. We have no doubt that this inspirational and hopeful book will be turned into an emotionally powerful movie that audiences around the world will fall in love with."
     
    Adding to it, Bohen mentioned "Jennifer, Susanne, Abi and I are incredibly excited to be working on this extraordinary project together. We all believe this film can strike a deeply resonant chord with audiences, just as Claire’s riveting memoir has."
     
    Smith who is a therapist in Los Angeles specialising in grief has herself had a traumatic past. She was the only child, who, over a seven-year period as a young adult, lost both her parents to cancer. While struggling to cope, she propelled herself into many romances, adventures and travels in an inspirational, emotionally charged and surprisingly humorous journey that celebrates life.

  • Pixar to woo Chinese audience with Asian premier of Monster’s University

    Pixar to woo Chinese audience with Asian premier of Monster’s University

    MUMBAI: Pixar‘s Monster‘s University, a sequel to the 2001 Monster Inc. is slated to release in China as the curtain raiser of the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 15.

    The 3-D animation comedy will release in the Chinese version with Xu Zheng voicing the protagonist blue haired monster Sulley and He Jiong, voicing the single eyed green monster Mike.

    The Lost in Thailand director-star Xu Zheng‘s roped in by He Jiong has gained immense popularity in the country with his prestige and reputation as the man behind the highest-grossing domestic release in China. The comedy raked in $203.9 million (1.25 billion yuan) during its three-month run at the box office from December 2012 to February 2013 as stated by Hollywood Reporter.

    The actor-singer He Jiong has too achieved fame for his 10-year stint as host of Happy Family, one of the most popular TV variety shows in the country. The premier of Monster University is a move by the American animator Pixar to push the movie in China. A collection of the animation studio‘s previous short films will also be shown during the festival.

    Pixar has yet to announce Monsters University‘s release date in the country. The film is imported into China as one of the 34 "shared-revenue” films allowed into the country every year.

    The animated comic movie is slated to premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 8, followed by screenings at the Sydney (June 10) and Los Angeles (June 18) festivals before its opening wide screening in the U.S. on June 21, a week after Warner Bros‘ Man of Steel is slated to release.

  • Kodak now supplies film to six major Hollywood studios

    Kodak now supplies film to six major Hollywood studios

    NEW DELHI: Kodak has concluded a new agreement with 20th Century Fox to supply motion picture film to its movie and television studios.

    "This is great news for our business," said Kodak‘s Entertainment & Commercial Films Division‘s president and GM Andrew Evenski, which includes the motion picture film business.

    "This agreement shows that this medium remains vital for studios and artists creating a variety of content for a global audience. Kodak is honored to continue supporting Fox and their content creation, distribution and archival needs," he added.

    With the signing of this agreement, Kodak has now completed new contracts with six major Hollywood studios in the last year. The company previously announced agreements with Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros Entertainment Inc, NBC Universal Inc, Paramount Pictures Corp and Sony Pictures.

    Kodak continues to manufacture billions of linear feet of film every year, and the Entertainment Imaging division continues to be the largest driver of film manufacturing volume for Kodak into the future.

  • , Skywalker Sound announce collaboration to support independent filmmakers, composers

    , Skywalker Sound announce collaboration to support independent filmmakers, composers

    MUMBAI: Sundance Institute in the US and Skywalker Sound have announced that the Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design Labs at Skywalker Sound will take place at Skywalker Ranch in 2013 and 2014 and also announced the artists that will participate in the 2013 Labs. This is the first time the two organisations will collaborate to support independent filmmakers and film composers and marks a significant expansion of the Institute‘s existing Composers Labs to include sound design.

    The Institute has hosted its Composers Labs at Sundance Resort for fiction feature films since 1999 and documentaries since 2005, allowing composers and independent filmmakers to collaboratively explore the process of writing music for film. Fellows also participate in workshops and creative exercises under the guidance of leading film composers and film music professionals acting as Creative Advisors.

    Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said, "Hosting the Composers Labs at Skywalker Ranch allows an expansion of the program to include sound design, giving further insight into the powerful ways that sound and music can impact independent films. We are deeply grateful to the Skywalker team for working with us to provide our Fellows with the tremendous benefit of accessing this legendary facility"

    Skywalker Sound GM Josh Lowden said, "We‘re very excited to formalise this relationship. Sundance Institute is virtually synonymous with independent film, and Keri and her team have done an amazing job to honor the Institute‘s legacy. 25 years ago Skywalker was founded by a filmmaker for filmmakers, and we have never forgotten our roots. We continue to believe in independent filmmaking, and are thrilled to deepen our relationship with the Institute by hosting these Labs at Skywalker."

    The Composers Lab for fiction feature films is a joint initiative of the Institute‘s Film Music Program and Feature Film Program, and the Composers Lab for documentaries is hosted by the Film Music Program and Documentary Film Program and Fund.

    Sundance Institute Film Music Programme director Peter Golub said, "Skywalker Sound is a leader in the field of post-production and sound design, and their world-class facilities offer the ideal environment for our Composers Labs. Lab fellows will have access to Skywalker‘s sound designers and mixers for ongoing collaboration, as well as the state-of-the-art facility during their stay."

  • Man of steel sets course for China

    Man of steel sets course for China

    MUMBAI: After a much eagerly awaited Super-Man reboot, Zack Synder‘s Man of Steel is all set to release on June 14. The movie will also be released in mainland China on June 20, according to a press release from the country‘s state-owned distribution agency.

    Post Iron Man‘s stupendous success in China both as a franchise and in terms of revenue collection, it is the red capped Superman‘s turn to woo the Chinese audiences.

    According to an update on the website of China Film Group Digital Cinema Line Co. Superman reboot is slated for a month long run in Chinese cinemas posing no close threat in the Chinese box office for good two weeks with the Jet Li-starring, Hong Kong-set action comedy-thriller Badges of Fury opening on June 28 and Keanu Reeves‘ Sino-U.S. co-production Man of Tai Chi hitting the theatres in China on July 5.

    The film is also debuting in Hong Kong on June 27 where the box office operates an independent distribution and exhibition system from mainland China.

    Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures‘ Man of Steel which stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costnerand Diane Lane opens in the US and UK on June 14.

  • ‘After Earth’ star Jaden Smith asks kids everywhere to save Earth and avoid use of plastic

    ‘After Earth’ star Jaden Smith asks kids everywhere to save Earth and avoid use of plastic

    NEW DELHI: Jaden Smith, who played a role in M Night Shyamalan‘s high-paced action spectacle After Earth along with his father Will Smith, has already adopted environmental consciousness in his life.

    "In the household we recycle," says Jaden Smith. "I compost all the food and put it in the ground to help the soil. And we just drink from glass bottles. We do not use any plastic. We have solar power at our house. We try to do as much as we can." The film is slated for release on 7 June.

    On a wider level, too, After Earth‘s Jaden Smith is passionate about the planet and says that he feels a responsibility to speak out and encourage his generation. "I feel the world needs a voice right now," he says. "It‘s in a very dark place. The world could use a voice in music, movies. Everywhere I feel like kids do not really care. But if we had somebody that was willing to say, ‘Hey, we need to do something about this,‘ I feel we can actually change the world. If we do not, the fiction on screen in the film could become a frightening reality."

  • Nicholas Cage to receive ‘Legend Award’ at 11th Annual Ischia Global Film and Music Festival

    Nicholas Cage to receive ‘Legend Award’ at 11th Annual Ischia Global Film and Music Festival

    NEW DELHI: Academy Award-winner and renowned actor Nicolas Cage will receive a 2013 "Ischia Legend Award" at the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival on 19 July.

    A special screening of his latest motion picture, Emmett/Furla Films‘ The Frozen Ground, will take place that night during a gala evening at the Regina Isabella Hotel on Ischia‘s Lacco Ameno bay. Co-star Vanessa Hudgens and producers 50 Cent and Randall Emmett will join the Hollywood superstar and the director at the event, according to Festival founder and producer Pascal Vicedomini.

    The annual festival will be held from 14 to 21 July on the picturesque isle that is located off the coast of Naples. It is presented under the auspices of the Ischia International Arts Academy with the support of BNL-Group, BNP PARIBAS, and 3 Italy along with the sponsorship of the Italian Culture Ministry and the Campania Region.

    Cage, nephew of filmmaker Francis Ford and of actress Talia Shire, has appeared in more than 60 films and is one of the most celebrated actors in the world. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for Mike Figgis‘ Leaving Las Vegas and in 2002 he was nominated by the Academy for Spike Jonze‘s Adaptation. Cage has worked with the greatest contemporary masters from Alan Parker (Birdy) to David Lynch (Wild at Heart), from Martin Scorsese (Bringing Out the Dead) to Brian De Palma‘s (Snake Eyes), from Ridley Scott (Matchstick Men) to Werner Herzog (The Bad Lieutenant) and Joel Schumacher (Trespass).

    His vast filmography also includes Raising Arizona, The Rock, Face/Off, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, National Treasure, Lord of War, Ghost Rider, Kick-Ass, and The Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. In 2013, he voiced the character of Crug in the animated film The Croods. His next film will be David Gordon Green‘s Joe.

    "Nicolas Cage has been praised for his daring performances and fearless choice of roles," said Vicedomini. "He is truly one of the great male movie stars and we welcome him with open arms to our festival and to the island of Ischia." Vicedomini also thanked the producers of The Frozen Ground for allowing the Ischia Global Fest to screen the film.

    Directed by Scott Walker, it is a thriller based on the life of serial killer Robert Hansen – played by John Cusack – a seemingly quiet family man who in the ‘80s terrorized Alaska by abducting, torturing and killing 24 women. Cage plays the role of the Sheriff while Hudgens plays a stripper trying to lure the assassin. The film also stars rapper 50 Cent.

    Noted film producer and executive Arnon Milchan and actor Samuel L. Jackson have already been announced as 2013 Ischia Legend Award recipients. Prior recipients include Oliver Stone, Vanessa Redgrave, Sir Ben Kingsley, Hilary Swank and music icons Sting, Burt Bacharach, Harry Belafonte and producer/executive Clive Davis.

    Joining Vicedomini in overseeing this year‘s Ischia Global Film & Music Fest are President Michele Placido, Honorary Presidents Trudie Styler and Tony Renis, and an Executive Board comprised of producers Mark Canton, Marina Cicogna, Rick Nicita, Paula Wagner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, multi Oscar-winning production designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, president of Cinecitt? Studios Luigi Abete, Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis and Italian movie icons Franco Nero, Lina Wertmuller and Enrico Lucherini.

  • CAA signs Genesis Rodriguez to their illustrious client list

    CAA signs Genesis Rodriguez to their illustrious client list

    MUMBAI: Los Angeles headquartered Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has recently signed actress Genesis Rodriguez. CAA, a prominent entertainment and sports agency boasts Hollywood‘s numerous famous entertainment-industry clients.

    Rodriguez last appeared in the hit comedy Identity Thief with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, while also appearing alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand released earlier this year.

    She also played leading roles in the Summit thriller Man on a Ledge and Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre.

    Rodriguez, the daughter of famous Venezuelan singer Jose Luis Rodriguez, started her career in telenovelas, starring in Prisionera in 2004 and Dona Barbara, a Spanish-language telenovela.

    She was previously at Institute of Commercial Management, the leading professional body for Commercial and Business Development Managers (ICM).

    Rodriguez continues to be represented by Ivan de Paz of DePaz Management and Karl Austen and Robert Koch of Jackoway Tyerman.

  • Taiwanese gangster films highlight of New York Asian Filmfest

    Taiwanese gangster films highlight of New York Asian Filmfest

    NEW DELHI: The 12th New York Film Festival will include a major tribute to Taiwan exploitation cinema and close with the Taiwan-produced kung fu-musical The Rooftop.
     
    Rooftop, which screens in New York just days after it opens in China and Taiwan, is described as a "musical extravaganza" with romance, martial arts and special effects. The film stars musician Jay Chou, also directing, opposite Gary Yang and Alan Ko.
     
    The Festival, to be held from 28 June to 15 July, will have a highlight in Taiwan Pulp! Tales of Gangsters, Female Avengers and Ninjas! focusing on a little-known period of Asian exploitation cinema from 1979 to 1983 with five rarely-screened classics and the documentary Taiwan Black Movies (2005).
     
    The festival has also announced New York-set Thai thriller Countdown, martial arts biopic Ip Man: The Final Fight, China western An inaccurate Memoir and Japanese horror films Helter Skelter and Lesson of the Evil.