MUMBAI: After getting worldwide acclaim for The Slumdog Millionaire, director Danny Boyle has decided to turn producer for Shekhar Kapur‘s next project Paani starring Hrithik Roshan.
Though the project was formally announced at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival in 2010, Kapur now confirmed that he will start shooting his ambitious film in April next year.
“Right now, I am doing the organisation-related work before I start actual filming in April next year,” said Kapur in confirmation.
The film is broadly based on the global water crisis but Kapur has also woven an unusual love story into the narrative.
Kapur is the man behind films like Masoom, Mr India and Bandit Queen.
Category: International
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Danny Boyle to produce Shekhar Kapur’s Paani
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Hurricane Sandy wallops ship used in Pirates of the Caribbean
MUMBAI: HMS Bounty, the famous ship that was featured in Hollywood films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest has gone down with huge waves churned up by hurricane Sandy off the North Carolina coast.
Only 13 of the 16 people aboard got off the ship safely, initially, and only one of the three washed overboard made it into a raft, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Robert Parker has reportedly said.
The Bounty‘s longtime captain, Robin Walbridge remained missing as night approached yesterday, Lt Mike Patterson, a coast guard spokesman was reported as saying. The body of the second, deckhand Claudine Christian, was found yesterday evening.
The 180-foot, three-mast ship, a replica of the famous British vessel, foundered about 144 kilometres off North Carolina as Sandy‘s fury churned the Atlantic into 18-foot seas, its owner, Bob Hansen, told CNN affilliate KUSA.
Hansen said Walbridge was attempting to head east, away from the hurricane, when the ship began taking on water. “At that time it wasn‘t considered an emergency, even though they had several feet of water inside the boat,” he said.
The ship was built for the 1962 film version of Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando, and appeared in the 2006 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest.
It was once owned by America‘s Cup winner and CNN founder Ted Turner, who acquired it in 1986 along with the rights to the MGM film library. -
Disney acquires Star Wars film Lucasfilm for $4 bn
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire American film production company Lucasfilm, best known for Star Wars franchise, in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100 per cent owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on 26 October, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and “evergreen” Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production.Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said The Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney‘s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”
He also told analysts that the plan is to release a new movie in the series every two to three years thereafter.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney‘s global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximise the value of this global franchise. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
Driven by a talented creative team, Lucasfilm‘s legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks.
Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world‘s top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney‘s strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.
“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder George Lucas. “It‘s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I‘ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I‘m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney‘s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”
The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney‘s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company‘s ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. -
Argo at no. 1 with Cloud Atlas taking a beating
MUMBAI: In a downturn, Warner Bros‘ Cloud Atlas opened at a disappointing No. 3 with $9.4 million. The situation helped Ben Affleck‘s Argo to rise to the No. 1 position in its third weekend as four new releases bombed at the box office.
It is said that pre-Halloween parties, football and the World Series were more of a distraction. However, New York City grosses were hurt on Sunday as theatres shut down in advance of the approaching mega storm.
Argo grossed $12.4 million from 2,855 theatres for an appreciating North American total of $60.8 million. The film dropped 25 per cent and is the first movie since The Blind Side to come in the No. 1 spot for the first time in its third weekend.
There was more bad news for Cloud Atlas. It also was beaten by holdover Hotel Transylvania that narrowly claimed the No. 2 spot with $9.5 million from 3,276 locations in its fifth weekend for a domestic total of $130.4 million.
The $100 million Cloud Atlas came in at No. 3 with $9.4 million from 2,008 locations. The film, hurt by a C+ CinemaScore and mixed reviews, will need to make a strong showing internationally. -
Thirty minutes of ads precede Skyfall screening
MUMBAI: James Bond fans in the UK, who are going to see the latest venture Skyfall at theatres are being forced to sit through as long as 30 minutes of advertisements before the screening of the film.
The 23rd Bond film, which released in the UK on 26 October, is being used as a medium to promote a number of brands with a number of commercials and previews being shown long before the opening credits, it has been reported.
Five of the advertisements feature the secret agent, including ones for Heineken, Omega watches and a Bond aftershave.
And even before the opening theme, the spy, played by Daniel Craig, appears in an action sequence with the camera lingering on his Omega watch.
This has prompted many fans to complain on Twitter.
“Product placement aplenty and Adele hasn‘t even sung yet,” said one.
Another wrote, “Wow, sickening number of Bond product placement ads. Am sick of 007 and Skyfall hasn‘t even started yet!”
Many grew even unhappier once the film began. They were irked by seeing Bond enjoying Heineken instead of his trademark Martini and by the frequent use of Sony products. Heineken had a product placement deal for Craig‘s previous two Bond films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace but this is the first time he is seen drinking the beer.
Though it has not been confirmed how much the Skyfall deal is worth, but before agreeing to it the producers had reportedly already raised 29 million pounds from product placement deals almost a third of the film‘s budget. -
Venetian Macao to host Asia Pacific Film Festival
MUMBAI: Venetian Macao, one of Macau‘s biggest gaming resorts will be the hosting venue of the latest edition of the Asia Pacific Film Festival next month.
Bearing a promotional slogan of “The New Starting Line”, the festival‘s 55th edition will take place from 13 to 16 December at the casino-cum-hotel, the award organizers have announced.
Actor-producer Eric Tsang, the chairman of the festival‘s organizing committee said that he hopes to help further the development of Macau‘s entertainment industry by way of the festival while also striving to discover new filmmaking talents through the festival.
Fourteen awards will be given out at the festival, which was once the premier cinematic event in Asia until the emergence of first Taiwan‘s Golden Horses Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards. The Asia Pacific awards have also been eclipsed somewhat in recent years by the Hong Kong Asian Film Awards. -
Johnny Depp not averse doing Wally Pfister’s film
MUMBAI: Johnny Depp has shown his interest in starring in Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister‘s sci-fi directorial debut.
The 49-year-old actor is likely to play the lead in Pfister‘s film about a man who gets sucked into a malevolent, self-aware computer, it is understood. “I‘m thrilled, and feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Johnny. He is a creative and intelligent artist who I feel will bring great depth to the character and the overall narrative,” Pfister observed.
Depp, on the other hand, is reportedly waiting to see a final draft of writer Jack Paglen‘s script before fully committing.
Pfister is currently considering casting the likes of Noomi Rapace, Tobey Maguire, Christoph Waltz and James McAvoy for other roles in the Warner Bros film.
Pfister, who won an Oscar for his work in Inception, is Christopher Nolan‘s long-time cinematography partner and has made no secret of his desire to step behind the camera as director.
His collaboration with Nolan has spanned seven films, beginning in 1999 with Memento. -
Universal and Jason Blum to make fantasy horror film Mercy
MUMBAI: Universal Pictures and Jason Blum‘s Blumhouse Productions have joined hands for the making of the fantasy-horror tale Mercy, which has been adapted from Stephen King‘s short story Gramma.
The tale, which King first published in 1984 in Wierdbook magazine and which was then published in his 1985 short story collection Skeleton Key, concerns a mother, played by O‘Connor, with two young sons who come to discover their ailing grandmother, Mercy, is a witch.
The film, that will star Frances O‘Connor, of British origin will be directed by Peter Cornwell from a script by Matt Greenberg. O‘Connor, had earlier appeared in A.I. Artificial Intelligence and in The Hunter recently.
Cornwell had earlier directed 2009‘s The Haunting in Connecticut. -
Fogelman delighted to have Pacino, Moore in debut film
MUMBAI: According to director Dan Fogelman, it was beyond his wildest dreams to get Al Pacino and Julianne Moore to star in his John Lennon-inspired film debut Imagine.
The film centers on an aging 1970s rocker played by Pacino who decides to turn his life around.
“Every writer has ‘that one project‘… the one they feel so strongly about that they can‘t bear to turn it over to anyone else. For me, that project is ‘Imagine‘. It was a career highlight simply to get a script of mine into Al Pacino‘s hands.
To have him read it, and then want to star in it… it‘s five steps past career highlight,” Fogelman has been quoted to have said.
“And now, to have Julianne Moore and Jeremy join the fray? It‘s beyond my wildest dreams. I‘ve been hiding in my house for the past few weeks, out of fear that someone would pinch me. We are going to make a very special film here,” he added.
The story of the film kicks off when Pacino‘s character discovers an undelivered letter written to him when he was 19 by John Lennon, the Beatles legend. The discovery causes him to rethink his life, shunning his lavish lifestyle and trophy girlfriend, and make up for lost time by reconnecting with the son (Jeremy Renner) he‘s never known.
Moore will play the owner of a small New Jersey hotel where the rocker buys a residence. -
Liz Taylor is highest earning dead celebrity
MUMBAI: With her estate pulling in $210 million, much of it from the auction of her jewels, costumes and artwork, Elizabeth Taylor has edged out Michael Jackson as the highest-earning dead celebrity in the last year, said Forbes.
Jackson, who died in 2009, dropped to the second spot with earnings of $145 million. He was followed by Elvis Presley with $55 million.
In addition to the Taylor auction that totaled $184 million, the actress also earned $75 million from sales of her top selling perfume White Diamonds. The rest of the money came from property sales and residuals from her film,” it is gathered. After Cleopatra, the star had negotiated a 10 per cent ownership in each of her films.”
Although Taylor bumped Jackson from the top spot, Forbes said the pop star is likely to regain it next year due to steady revenues from music sales and other ventures.
Cartoonist Charles Schulz, who created the Peanuts comic strip, came in at No. 4 with earnings of $37 million, followed by reggae star Bob Marley with $17 million.
Forbes compiled the ranking by analysing the dead celebrities‘ earnings between October 2011-2012. Films stars and musicians dominated the list but Nobel-prize winning physicist Albert Einstein tied with Marilyn Monroe for seventh place, with each earning $10 million.
The 13 dead celebrities on the list earned a total of $532.5 million.