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Tag: Anna Kendrick

  • Another Simple Favor to open 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival

    Another Simple Favor to open 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival

    MUMBAI: Buckle up for a cocktail of chaos, couture, and crime! The highly anticipated Amazon MGM Studios feature, Another Simple Favor, is set to make its world premiere as the opening night film of the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Directed by Paul Feig, this stylishly twisted sequel to 2018’s hit A Simple Favor will dazzle audiences on 7 March at the Paramount Theatre, before pulling off its grand heist on Prime Video on 1 May.

    Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke shared her excitement, “Paul Feig has once again delivered the perfect blend of mystery, wit, and unexpected twists in the highly anticipated Another Simple Favor. The cast, led by the extraordinarily talented Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, brings life to a script that propels the sequel to new heights. We are beyond grateful for our collaborations with Paul, Blake, Anna, and the entire cast and filmmaking team. We could not be more excited to share the next chapter of this saga with the always enthusiastic SXSW audience and ultimately with our Prime Video customers around the world.”

    Feig, who previously debuted Bridesmaids and Spy at SXSW, expressed his joy at returning to the festival, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at my favorite festival in the world where we successfully launched Bridesmaids and Spy, and I cannot begin to say how honored I am to have our film opening it all. I’ve avoided making sequels to any of my films, but these characters were just too much fun not to revisit. So, to be able to have Anna, Blake, Henry, Andrew, Michele, Elizabeth, Alex, and myself watch our film with the great SXSW audience is a bucket list event I’ll be able to check off March 7th—and move playing drums for Dwight Yoakam’s band up to the top slot.”

    The dynamic duo is back! Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) reunite on the stunning island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. But this is no ordinary nuptial affair—because when Emily’s involved, murder and betrayal are always on the guest list. With twists and turns sharper than the winding roads of Capri, the sequel promises to keep audiences guessing until the very last frame.

    As the mystery unfolds, expect glamour, deception, and unexpected alliances—all wrapped up in Feig’s signature stylish direction and razor-sharp humour.

  • Fifteen new HBO Max originals coming to Warner Media platforms in Asia

    Fifteen new HBO Max originals coming to Warner Media platforms in Asia

    MUMBAI: With the launch of HBO Max in the United States on May 27, Warner Media has confirmed that a first wave of at least 15 HBO Max Originals will land on HBO GO and channels in Asia in 2020.

    Most shows will be available first on HBO GO, such as The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and Love Life where three episodes of each have already dropped on May 27. Premiere dates for other titles and those across HBO, Warner TV, Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels are still to be confirmed.

    The programming slate, specially curated to suit the taste of Asian audiences, includes drama series, documentaries, movies and kids shows. The content is sourced from studios and distributors including Lionsgate, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Sesame Workshop.

    Talent includes household names like Ridley Scott, Meryl Streep, Kaley Cuoco, Lena Dunham, Anna Kendrick, Steven Soderbergh, Melissa McCarthy, Ray Romano, James Corden and of course Elmo and the Sesame Street gang.

    The titles include:

    Comedy & drama series

    Love Life

    Anna Kendrick stars in this anthology romantic comedy series about the journey from first love to last love, and how the people we’re with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever.

    Watch the trailer:

    Raised by Wolves

    From the mind of Ridley Scott, Raised by Wolves centres upon two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet.

    Flight Attendant

    Starring Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), a flight attendant awakens in a Dubai hotel room to find her one-night-stand dead beside her. Could she have killed him? And, if not, who did?

    Doom Patrol (S2)

    The critically acclaimed DC series features a band of superpowered freaks, part support group, part superhero team, who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.

    Made for Love

    A series adaptation based on the tragicomic novel of the same name. Starring Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano, Made for Love is a dark, absurd and cynically poignant story of divorce and revenge.

    Generation

    Executive produced by Lena Dunham and Ben Barnz, Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students. It tests deeply-entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.

    KIDS & FAMILY:

    The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo

    Sesame Street’s Elmo is the host of his very own talk show! He’s going to bring you some (not-too-late) fun with an all-new celeb-studded series that celebrates bedtime routines. Guests include Lil Nas X, the Jonas Brothers, Ciara, Blake Lively, Sofia Carson, John Mulaney, Olivia Wilde and John Oliver.

    Watch the trailer:

    Looney Tunes Cartoons

    An all-new series featuring the marquee characters in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories.

    The Fungies!

    A prehistoric comedy cartoon, The Fungies! explores Fungietown through the whimsical quests of Seth, a young student at Fungietown Elementary.

    Adventure Time: Distant Lands

    These four new specials will continue the Adventure Time stories that captured imaginations and introduced unlikely heroes Finn and Jake, best buds who traversed the mystical Land of Ooo and encountered its colourful inhabitants.

    Sesame Street

    For 50 years, Sesame Street has helped kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, offering preschoolers and their families the gold standard in educational children’s programming.

    Sesame Street: The Monster at the End of the Book

    Starring lovable, furry Grover from Sesame Street, The Monster at the End of This Story is a new animated special based on the acclaimed children’s picture book.

    FILMS:

    UNpregnant

    The film tells the story of 17-year-old Veronica, who never thought she’d want to fail a test – that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. The Greg Berlanti-production offers a mix of humour and grounded human emotion as it tackles complicated friendships and the difficult road to adulthood…all while in a stolen car.

    Let Them All Talk (wt)

    The film is based on a story of a celebrated author who takes a journey with some old friends to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew comes along to wrangle the ladies and finds himself involved with a young literary agent. Stars Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Diane Wiest and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

    Superintelligence

    Starring Melissa McCarthy, this film tells the story of Carol Peters, to whom nothing extraordinary ever happens. But the world’s first super-intelligence has selected her for observation, taking over her life…with a more ominous plan to take over everything.

    Love Life trailer:

    The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo trailer:

  • Insanely Funny Yet Chillingly Dark Watch Ryan Reynolds in an unhinged avatar as &PrivéHD premieres ‘The Voices’

    Insanely Funny Yet Chillingly Dark Watch Ryan Reynolds in an unhinged avatar as &PrivéHD premieres ‘The Voices’

    Mumbai: At every juncture in life, we’ve all wrestled with the two voices in our heads that constantly pull us in different directions. But, the real question is, who do we follow? From the multi-faceted Iranian-French director and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi comes a similar cinematic display of the dark spurs of emotions that lead us to evil temptations. &PrivéHD, the premium destination for nuanced cinema, is set to premiere, the bizarre and twisted tale of a deranged boy-next-door with ‘The Voices’ on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 1PM and 9PM. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver, the dark-comedy is known to have garnered multiple awards and nominations across coveted film festivals such as Festival D Cinema De Paris, Gérardmer Film Festival and Golden Trailer Awards.

    The Voices revolves around the life of Jerry (Ryan Reynolds), a seemingly normal man and an upbeat newbie at a bathtub factory. However, something about this friendly co-worker seems completely off. Turns out, Jerry is a schizophrenic who is undergoing therapy with Dr. Warren (Jacki Weaver). Having rejected his medication over a long time makes Jerry hallucinate and indulge in daily conversations with his pets ‘Mr. Whiskers’, a sadistic tabby cat and Bosco his affable dog. Their ‘voices’ influence Jerry to take on all sorts of crazy stunts. Trouble escalates in his merry life when one fine day, Jerry is turned down by his office crush. This triggers a series of sinister impulses that ultimately lead Jerry to commit a gruesome murder. But, that’s just the beginning of a disturbing turn of events waiting to unfold. With this opens a Pandora’s box of the dark underbelly and unsettling details from Jerry’s past and a series of troubling encounters that only make matters worse for Jerry. 

  • Justin Timberlake to write original music for DreamWorks’ ‘Trolls’

    Justin Timberlake to write original music for DreamWorks’ ‘Trolls’

    MUMBAI: Nine-time Grammy and four-time Emmy Award winning musician and actor Justin Timberlake will serve as executive music producer as well as pen original music for DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls. In this role, Timberlake will oversee all creative direction for the film’s music as well as perform multiple songs on the soundtrack. The multifaceted artist also stars as Branch, a hilariously hardcore survivalist who hides his surprising true colors, in DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming comedy.

     

    Joined by Academy and Tony Award nominee Anna Kendrick as Princess Poppy, the two embark on a hair-raising adventure as the globally iconic Trolls make their motion picture debut. The film will be distributed on 4 November, 2016, by 20th Century Fox.

     

    “Justin is an amazingly versatile artist and producer whose unprecedented creative talents provide a unique voice and sound for our movie.Trolls is a comedy with fantastic music at its core and we can’t think of a more perfect artist to elevate this soundtrack to incredible heights,” said DreamWorks Animation co-presidents of feature animation Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria.

     

    “Working with Justin has been a dream come true from day one,” added director Mike Mitchell.

     

    “Between the fantastic work he’s doing in bringing to life the character of Branch and his production oversight on the soundtrack, we couldn’t be in more inspired hands,” said co-director Walt Dohrn.

     

    “I have always envisioned bringing the two worlds of film and music together for one epic event.  I couldn’t be more excited that they will collide in DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls. This film is very special, the music is going to be very special and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it all,” said Timberlake.

     

    Produced by Gina Shay, the film for the first time tells the story behind the beloved Trolls and their gravity defying and colourful manes.

  • ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ to release in Indian theatres on 3 July

    ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ to release in Indian theatres on 3 July

    MUMBAI: Anna Kendrick and the rest of the Barden Bellas are back for another musical ride in Pitch Perfect 2. However, one person who didn’t return for the sequel is director Jason Moore with actor Elizabeth Banks deciding to take over the reigns and make her directorial debut with the sequel Pitch Perfect 2.

     

    Banks, who not only acted but also produced the 2012 sleeper hit Pitch Perfect left the lead actress, Academy award nominee Anna Kendrick quite perplexed.

     

    Talking about working with Banks, Kendrick stated, “She’s certainly got better legs than Jason Moore! When I found out Jason wasn’t doing it, I was a little upset because he had created the first movie and helped me create Beca. So for the first couple weeks on Pitch Perfect 2, I kept forgetting he wasn’t there. Since Banks only produced the first one, I would sometimes get confused when she would be directing a scene. It was an adjustment, but I think she did a fantastic job.”

     

    The movie releases in Indian theaters on 3 July, 2015.

  • Anna Kendrick to perform at 87th Oscars

    Anna Kendrick to perform at 87th Oscars

    MUMBAI: Actress and singer Anna Kendrick will make a special appearance at the 87th Oscars. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

     

    “Out of the woods and on to the Oscar stage, Anna will be performing something special that is sure to be an “Only on the Oscars” moment,” said show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

     

    Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in the 2009 film Up in the Air. Her other film credits include Into the Woods (2014), Pitch Perfect (2012) and the Twilight film series. In 1998, at the age of 12, Kendrick was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for High Society. She will star in the films The Last Five Years, The Hollars and Pitch Perfect 2 later this year.

  • Disney plans an extensive cast for the Broadway musical ‘Into the Woods’

    Disney plans an extensive cast for the Broadway musical ‘Into the Woods’

    MUMBAI: Disney seems to be successfully cashing out on its fairy tale adaptations. The latest in its list of offerings is a take on Cinderella, named Into the Woods. The Broadway musical which will be helmed by Rob Marshall has attracted a glamorous cast including Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Tracy Ullman and Christine Baranski, all of whom are in various stages of negotiations to be part of the production.

    Disney is also in talks with Anna Kendrick to play the lead Cinderella which will bring the actress back into the screen singing spotlight after her last year‘s surprise hit Pitch Perfect. Disney‘s keen for Kendrick as she has been acting in Broadway musicals from a young age and won several awards.

    The plot revolves around the classic fairy tale wherein a childless baker (Corden) and his wife (Blunt) attempt to lift a family curse by journeying into the woods to confront the witch that put the spell on them. Along the way, they encounter a group of fairy tale characters including Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

    In this mashup of the fairy tale, Cinderella will be married to a vain prince (Pine) and be described as a woman trying to find her place in the world.

    Kendrick who is yet to affirm her involvement in the project is currently shooting Richard LaGravenese‘s musical adaptation The Last 5 Years.