ITV

Category: International

  • Biopic of Pele in offing

    Biopic of Pele in offing

    Mumbai: Imagine Entertainment is developing a feature film based on the life and times of Pele, said to be the best footballer of all time. The film will entail him from his childhood to the time when he won his first World Cup at the age of 17.

    “This will be more of a coming-of-age story that will trace Pele‘s childhood until he won his first World Cup in Sweden at the age of 17. The plan is to film the Pele movie in English with some Portuguese,” said Imagine President of Production Kim Roth.

    The yet-untitled Pele biopic, that is expected to begin shooting in Brazil next year, is projected to be released prior to the World Cup.

    No actor has yet been approached to portray the soccer legend.

    It may be remembered that Pele, whose real name is Edison Arantes do Nascimento, had earlier appeared in a number of feature films and TV series.

    His latest big screen appearance was in 2004 when he starred in “Pele Forever”, a documentary directed by Anibal Massaini Neto.

  • Joss Whedon to helm sequel of Avengers

    Joss Whedon to helm sequel of Avengers

    MUMBAI: Joss Whedon is all set to return to the Marvel Studios fold for a sequel to The Avengers. He also will create a Marvel-related TV series for ABC.
    This was revealed by Disney CEO Robert Iger. He also went on to state that Avengers was the third-biggest film of all time and his studio has initiatives in the works to “leverage the power of the Avengers” across the entire company.
    That Marvel was planning a sequel to the $1.46 billion-grossing movie was not a surprise, but having Whedon back behind the camera was definitely a surprise. This move will definitely make executives in the company breathe easier.
    Whedon was key to the success of Avengers, with his deft screenwriting and knowledge of the superhero characters frequently cited for the high marks the film got from critics and fans alike.
    Having him helm Marvel‘s foray into television is also an interesting move. Whedon is best known for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel, as well as the short-lived sci-fi-themed Firefly.
    His double duties on both film and TV might be a hint that Marvel could be creating not only multiple films but an even broader universe that also includes the small screen.

  • Next Kung Fu Panda to be filmed in China

    Next Kung Fu Panda to be filmed in China

    Mumbai: Further strengthening Hollywood‘s fast-growing ties with China, DreamWorks Animation and its Chinese partners have announced plans to co-produce the next Kung Fu Panda film and develop an entertainment district in Shanghai, expanding Hollywood‘s fast-growing ties to China.
    Kung Fu Panda 3 will be produced in China and released in 2016, according to DreamWorks Animation SKG Ltd. and its state-owned local partners, China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment.
    The film will be produced by a new joint venture, Shanghai Oriental DreamWorks Film and Television Technology Co. While DreamWorks will own 45 per cent of the company, its Chinese partners will hold stakes totaling 55 per cent.
    Hollywood studios have announced quite a few deals with local partners to gain access to Chinese financing and a government-controlled film market that seems to be growing strongly at a time of weak ticket sales in the US and Europe.
    Oriental DreamWorks plans to release one to three films per year and employ as many as 2,000 production professionals, the partners said. They said it aims to become the largest animation production base in China and also will explore opportunities in online games, musicals and consumer products.
    Last year, Legendary Entertainment, producer of hits including The Dark Knight, formed Legendary East with Chinese studio Huayi Brothers Media Corp. It plans one to two movies per year, mainly in English and based on Chinese themes.
    Another studio, Relativity Media, said last year it would make movies with two Chinese partners for global audiences and distribute movies in China.
    Foreign studios hope partnering with local companies will increase their access to China‘s tightly controlled film market.
    For the past decade, China‘s state-run film distributors have allowed in only 20 foreign films per year for national distribution. The foreign share of ticket sales is limited to a range of 13.5 to 17.5 percent.
    In March, the government announced it will allow in an additional 14 foreign films if they are made in 3-D or for the big-screen Imax format. It raised the foreign share of ticket sales to 25 per cent.

  • Dark Knight Rises is No. 2 release of the year

    Dark Knight Rises is No. 2 release of the year

    MUMBAI: The intake of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures‘ The Dark Knight Rises overlapped that of Ice Age: Continental Drift last Sunday to become the No. 2 release of the year with a global gross of $732 million. The latter grossed nearly $716 million till date. On the other hand, Disney and Marvel‘s The Avengers, with an intake of $1.46 billion ranks as the third-best showing of all time.
    The big question now is whether Dark Knight Rises, the final film in Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale‘s Batman trilogy, can match the $1 billion grossed by The Dark Knight in 2008.
    Domestically, Dark Knight Rises continues to trail Dark Knight at the same time during the latter‘s run – the difference is currently $38 million but it did decline less in its third weekend than its predecessor did.
    Dark Knight Rises is making up for the difference overseas where it is pacing more than 30 per cent ahead of Dark Knight after having earned $378.1 million till date.
    Till date, Dark Knight Rises has earned $353.9 million in North America, the third-biggest grosser of 2012 behind Avengers and Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games.

  • Savages to open Zurich Intl Film Fest

    Savages to open Zurich Intl Film Fest

    MUMBAI: Oliver Stone‘s action thriller Savages will open the 8th annual Zurich International Film Festival on 20 September. The Festival runs from 20 to 30 September.
    Stone is no stranger to the young Swiss festival, having attended the festival several times earlier, including in 2007, when the Oscar-winning filmmaker received Zurich‘s lifetime achievement honor, the Golden Eye. This year‘s Zurich Golden Eye winner is veteran producer Jerry Weintraub, whose credits include the Ocean‘s Eleven and Karate Kid franchises.
    Savages, which also features John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek, has earned $46 million domestically for Universal Pictures since its release on 6 July. But international distributors have held back the rollout of the film globally, may be to avoid going head-to-head with this summer‘s big televised sporting events – the Euro 2012 Soccer Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.
    Savages begins its European rollout on 13 September in Russia and continues across Europe through September and October.

  • No one to take on The Dark Knight

    No one to take on The Dark Knight

    MUMBAI: There is no beating The Dark Knight… Though Sony‘s sci-fi action epic Total Recall opened up collecting $26 million in the weekend, it was well behind the $36.4 million earned by The Dark Knight Rises in its third weekend.
    Also a new release, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days also opened below expectations as it collected $14.7 million. The film, that cost $22 million to make, is already on solid ground financially.
    The Aurora theater shooting and the 2012 Summer Olympics continue to mute movie going. Domestic ticket sales plummeted 25 per cent from the same weekend last year while research firm NRG continues to warn studios that 20 per cent of the movie-going audience is skittish after the shooting. Around 16 per cent viewers have reported that they would be watching the Olympics this weekend.
    Heading into the weekend, Sony projected a domestic opening between the $25 to $30 million range for its film, although many believed that it would gross a little higher and would possibly jump the $30 million mark. The remake cost at least $125 million.
    Total Recall, directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell in the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is counting on a strong international run to boost its bottom line. Incidentally, it opened in 10 Asian markets this weekend earning $6.2 million.

  • Barrymore returns to direction with The End

    Barrymore returns to direction with The End

    MUMBAI: Drew Barrymore returns wearing the director‘s cap once again for The End, an end of the world drama.
    The actress, who debuted as a director with the 2009 film Whip It, has made a deal with Warner Bros for the film which follows multiple stories of people who reconcile their fate on their last day on Earth.
    Among the storylines is a sixty something radio personality in London intent on broadcasting until the end, a father is trying to make it through the chaos in Tokyo to reach his wife and baby and a teenage couple in the American Midwest being pulled in different directions by their families.
    The script of the film has been written by Aron Eli Coleite.
    Unlike her directorial debut, the actress is not planning to act in the film. The star is also is attached to production and direction of the young-adult thriller Heist Society and How to Be Single.

  • Kirsten Stewart to play the lead in Lie Down in Darkness

    Kirsten Stewart to play the lead in Lie Down in Darkness

    MUMBAI: Kristen Stewart has edged out Jennifer Lawrence to clinch the lead role in Lie Down in Darkness.
    The 22-year old actress will play Peyton Loftis in the adaptation of William Styron‘s 1951 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of a girl whose mother is jealous of her and father harbours an incestuous feeling towards her, it is understood.
    Scott Cooper who had earlier directed Crazy Heart, will helm the project for producer Jeff Sharp.
    Here, it may be said that Lawrence was initially up for the role but could not commit in the end due to her busy schedule filming sequels to The Hunger Games and X-Men: First Class.
    It is unknown when Lie Down in Darkness is expected to go into production.
    Stewart is currently in the eye of the storm after it was revealed that she cheated on boyfriend Robert Pattinson with Rupert Sanders, the married director of her last project Snow White and the Huntsman.

  • NBCU hires Bruce Mitchell as vice president, Digital

    NBCU hires Bruce Mitchell as vice president, Digital

    MUMBAI: NBCUniversal International Television has hired Bruce Mitchell as vice president, Digital to build the online presence of NBCUniversal‘s pay TV brands.
    Mitchell, who will based in London, will be tasked with building the online presence of NBCUniversal‘s pay TV brands around the world, working collaboratively with in-territory digital teams.
    Mitchell takes on the role to strengthen the evolution of NBCUniversal International Television‘s portfolio of channel brands online and across new media platforms. The role includes leadership of the LA-based international digital team for E! Entertainment Television.
    The portfolio includes Universal Channel, Syfy, 13th Street Universal, Studio Universal, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, DIVA Universal and Golf Channel.

  • Fire in Babylon to chart West Indies‘ cricket supremacy

    Fire in Babylon to chart West Indies‘ cricket supremacy

    MUMBAI: From the Oscar winning producers of One Day in September and The Last King of Scotland, comes the hotly anticipated Fire in Babylon.
    Charting the glorious supremacy of the West Indies cricket team throughout the late ‘70s and ‘80s Fire in Babylon proves the bat and ball were more effective than gunfire in the battle against racial injustice and the struggle for black rights.
    In a turbulent era of apartheid in South Africa; race-riots in England and civil unrest in the Caribbean, the West Indian cricketers struck a wonderfully defiant blow at the forces of white prejudice world-wide.
    The story celebrates the liberation of a people through sport, whilst painting a fascinating picture of this extraordinary era of sporting dominance and its roots in politics, pride, anti-colonial fury and music.
    Directed by Stevan Riley (Blue Blood), produced by Charles Steel and John Battsek, Ben Goldsmith and Ben Elliot as executive producers, Fire in Babylon boasts a dynamic archive of classic music by the likes of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Gregory Issacs, Faithless and Horace Andy.