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Veteran Indian producer Bobby Bedi, who boldly backed Deepa Mehta’s landmark LGBTQ+ film “Fire” in 1995, returns to the frontier of boundary-pushing cinema with “Lala & Poppy,” a unique love story being presented at the Cannes Film Market.

The Mumbai-set drama, directed by Kaizad Gustad (“Bombay Boys”), explores uncharted cinematic territory through its central premise: a love story between a trans woman and a trans man navigating their transitions and relationship in a traditional fisherman’s colony.

Bedi’s credits include some of the landmark titles of Indian cinema, including Shekhar Kapur’s international breakthrough film “Bandit Queen” (1994), “Fire” (1996), Rani Mukerji-starring relationship drama “Saathiya” (2002), Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Macbeth” adaptation “Maqbool” (2003), Stanley Tong’s Jackie Chan starrer “The Myth” (2005) and Gurvinder Singh’s Rotterdam title “Crescent Night” (2002).

“When Kaizad brought Lala and Poppy to me, I did not see it as an LGBTQ subject but purely a love story between two...

At India’s inaugural Waves (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) in Mumbai, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan highlighted the striking cultural similarities between Indian and Chinese audiences as a foundation for deeper collaboration between the two film industries.

Khan’s films have been phenomenally successful in China, including “Dangal,” which grossed some $193 million.

“The cultural flavor in China, the emotions of the people in China, they’re very similar to the emotions of Indians,” Khan said during a panel focusing on China at Waves. “The Chinese audience reacts in a very similar way to content the way that Indians do. That’s what my experience was when I was watching a number of my films on the screen in China, and the audience was reacting to ‘Dangal’ – there was absolutely no difference between an Indian audience reacting to the film and a Chinese audience, almost identical, the reaction.”

Khan said that...

Shah Rukh Khan, Ted Sarandos, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Rajinikanth are set to headline the inaugural Waves (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) 2025, as India aims to position itself at the epicenter of global storytelling and screen innovation.

The summit will be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will deliver a keynote titled “Creative Bridges: Unlocking Power of Cultural & Digital Partnerships Between U.K. & India.”

Sarandos will participate in a fireside chat titled “Streaming the New India: Culture, Connectivity & Creative Capital.”

Shah Rukh Khan will feature in a session called “The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler,” moderated by multi-hyphenate Karan Johar.

The summit’s heavyweight panel “Legends & Legacies: The Stories That Shaped India’s Soul” brings together cinema titans Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Hema Malini, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, and Mithun Chakraborty — a rare assemblage of cross-generational icons – moderated by Akshay Kumar.

Aamir Khan, among the summit’s most visible speakers,...

The film presents a narrative that shifts between the dusty corridors of modern archaeological digs and the chaotic battlefields of ancient conquests. It opens with a mythic jade medallion acting as a symbolic key (a recurring icon in the film) that links a world of scholarly inquiry with an era defined by raw combat.

In the present-day segments, Professor Fang—an investigator of relics with a skeptical streak—leads his team in unearthing forgotten fragments of history. His academic rigor stands in sharp relief against the vivid, almost brutal flashbacks of clashes between Han and Hun warriors.

There is a curious symmetry here, as if modern-day methodical research collides head-on with a past that refuses to be neatly catalogued (one might even call it a time capsule with a few misprinted dates).

Director Stanley Tong imposes a measured pace and a careful visual structure that compels viewers to question how history is remembered and retold.

Jackie Chan is one of the most influential and popular actors in the industry who has had a ridiculously long career. Ever since his cameo as a child-actor in Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962), he has been prolific in picking up acting roles. Over six decades later, he shows no signs of stopping as Chan is returning for Karate Kid: Legends in 2025. He's led innumerable action movies and left an indelible mark on the martial arts scene as a man who performs his own stunts and adds his traditional comical twist to daring stuntwork.

However, despite the longevity that has continued well into the 21st Century, whenever he's talked about, people mostly refer to Jackie Chan's best action movies from the 1990s or the best old-school kung fu movies starring Jackie Chan. While he no longer takes on action-heavy roles that involve the most unbelievable stunts, Chan hasn't slowed his roll.

“A Legend” is another entry in the seemingly unlimited Jackie Chan universe, and despite its visual opulence, it is ultimately a bitter disappointment. The film joins the ranks of the many, many expensive but insignificant works that the action master has delivered in recent years. Released nationwide on July 10, it was massively rejected by Chinese audiences: With production costs of a good 50 million dollars, “A Legend” brought in a meager 11 million dollars and was not received well by critics either.

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The film is another collaboration between Jackie Chan and his long-time buddy Stanley Tong, a collaboration that has produced such pleasing and successful results in recent decades as “Police Story 3: Supercop” (1992), “Police Story 4: First Strike” (1996) and especially “Rumble in the Bronx” (1995), which finally made Jackie Chan famous in the USA. Tong also directed “The Myth” (2005) and “Kung Fu Yoga...

While investigating the history of a newly discovered ancient artifact, a renowned archaeologist (Jackie Chan) unwittingly establishes a mystical connection with a heroic Han dynasty general, blurring the lines between past and present right as the general prepares to wage war against the brutal Hun army.

Written and directed by Stanley Tong, well-known for his action-adventure flicks and long time collaboration with Jackie Chan, this mainland fantasy action also stars Lay Zhang, Gülnezer and Aarif Rahman. Releasing on January 21, 2025 by Well Go USA.

“A Legend” (传奇) written and directed by Stanley Tong, stars stunt performer/actor Jackie Chan, Lay Zhang, Gülnezer Bextiyar, Li Chen, Aarif Rahman, and Xiao Ran Peng, in a sequel to the historical action adventure features “The Myth” and “Kung Fu Yoga”, releasing January 25, 2025 in theaters:

“…an archeologist noticed the texture of the relics discovered during the excavation of a glacier closely resembled a jade pendant seen in one of his dreams.

“He and his team then embark on an expedition into the glacier.

“‘Professor Fang’ and his assistant somehow create a mystical connection with a heroic ‘Han’ dynasty general…

“…blurring the lines between past and present, as the general preps to wage war…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

A Legend's trailer features Jackie Chan in dual roles using de-aging technology. Directed by Stanley Tong and produced by the same studio behind Ip Man, the fantasy action movie is a sequel to the 2005 fantasy thriller The Myth. Chan reprises his role in the sequel, which was released in mainland China in July 2024. The film is coming to Netflix with a digital release scheduled for January 21, 2025.

Well Go USA Entertainment drops the official trailer for A Legend, offering a glimpse of Chan's character, a renowned archaeologist who establishes a mystical connection with a Han dynasty general upon the discovery of an ancient artifact. The trailer sees Chan traveling through time, playing both the archaeologist in the present time and the Han dynasty general (de-aged) in the past. Check out the trailer below:

More to come...

Source: Well Go USA Entertainment (via YouTube)...

Once upon a time, a certain legendary action star, Jackie Chan, favored performing his own wildly dangerous movie stunts which captivated audiences and made him into the global superstar he is today. Now a septuagenarian, Chan is well past those years, but with the use of AI, were seeing Chan as a de-aged warrior in his latest role in the fantasy action, A Legend. A sequel to the 2005 fantasy thriller, The Myth, A Legend reunites Chan with his frequent collaborator, Stanley Tong. Tong has directed Chan in several movies, including the super hit Supercop and Police Story films, as well as Rumble in the Bronx. A newly released trailer for the movie sees Chan playing dual roles, an archaeologist named Professor Fang and a twenty-something leader of the Han Dynasty named Zhao Zhan, the latter of whom appears in Fangs fantasies.

Jackie Chan once attempted to break out of his signature comedy style in the early part of the millennium when he made New Police Story, which had him playing a more dramatic role as an alcoholic ex-cop. He would follow it up with 2005’s The Myth, which would be half of an Armor of God-type movie where he played an archeologist and half of a period film where Chan also played a General of a historical Chinese army. Chan returns with a new sequel to The Myth, titled A Legend. This film reunites him with director Stanley Tong, who directed Chan in movies like Rumble in the Bronx and Police Story 3: Supercop.

Well Go USA has just released the trailer for A Legend. Not long after the company unveiled the trailers for the upcoming action films of other martial arts icons, Tony Jaa’s Striking Rescue and Donnie Yen’s The Prosecutor.

"We would rather die in glory, than live in shame." Well Go USA has revealed a kick ass official US trailer for Chinese historical fantasy action movie called A Legend, made by filmmaker Stanley Tong. Decades after Stanley Tong and actor Jackie Chan teamed up to make the two Supercop movies (in 1992 & 1993) the two have joined forces again for this Chinese action adventure movie. It is also a sequel to The Myth and Kung Fu Yoga. An archeologist noticed that the texture of the relics discovered during the excavation of a glacier closely resembled a jade pendant seen in one of his dreams. He & his team embark on an expedition into the glacier. Professor Fang and his assistant somehow create a mystical connection with a heroic Han dynasty general, blurring the lines between past & present right as the general prepares to wage war against the brutal Hun army. They attempt to discover the truth.

Bobby Bedi, one of India’s most successful film producers, unveiled a powerful multinational production slate ranging from dance documentary to soaring fantasy.

Speaking at a private event on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India, in Goa, Bedi introduced “Mudras,” the journey of a Spanish dancer who travels to India in the 1980s and finds her form and identity in a blend of Flamenco, Bharat Natyam and Kathakali. More than 20 years later, the woman’s daughter makes a similar journey but emerges with very different results.

Currently in post-production the feature documentary produced is by Bedi and Anna Saura through Bedi’s Contentflow Studios, with Bedi and Maria Salgado co-directing. Bedi described the film as “a story of two ladies, two countries two cultures and two generations, exploring dance, exploring themselves and discovering themselves.”

The company is in pre-production on “Bandit Queen MP,” a title that builds...

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Officer Black Belt is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Joo-hwan Kim. The Netflix film follows the story of Lee Jong-do, a skilled martial arts fighter as he is recruited by a probation officer to help closely manage the criminals wearing electronic ankle bracelets to stop them from hurting innocent people. Officer Black Belt stars Kim Woo-bin in the lead role with Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hae Young, and Kim Yool-ho starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Officer Black Belt here are some similar movies to watch next.

Midnight Runners (Tubi & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Lotte Entertainment

Midnight Runner is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Jason Kim. The 2017 film follows two new students at the Korean National Police University...

In Jackie Chan's “Police Story” film series, Stanley Tong took over the helm as director from Chan in “Police Story 3: Supercop” (1992). Michelle Yeoh joined the cast as Inspector Yang from China and gave Chan a good run for his money doing her own stunts and fighting. In “Supercop 2”, Yeoh reprises her role as the main lead this time while Chan returns in a cameo as Inspector Chan and in drag.

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Not long after her return to China from her successful mission in Malaysia, some terrorists are holding hostages in a building. The Government promptly sends Inspector Jessica Yang Jian Wa (Michelle Yeoh) to rescue them. With the help of her boyfriend, Vietnam war veteran David Chang Fung (Yu Rong Guang), who now works as a security guard, they have the situation under control. Yang gets a medal...

“Successor,” a Chinese-produced comedy drama about escape from poverty, opened on top of the mainland China box office over the latest weekend. “Despicable Me 4,” performed well, but landed only in third position.

Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Successor” earned RMB358 million ($50.4 million) between Friday and Sunday. The film charts the ups and downs of a poor dad and a hardworking mom, living in a broken yard and seemingly having fallen behind others on the road to prosperity.

According to an official synopsis, “Ma Chenggang and Ma Chunlan, ride their donkey to work and see their son, Ma Jiye, as their only hope of turning their fate around. Jiye is very promising, excelling academically every year. He is tough and determined. But as Jiye grows up, he perceives that the people around him are becoming more and more strange.”

The film is co-directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo and stars Shen Teng,...

Oscar-, BAFTA-, Golden Globe- and Grammy-winning composer A.R. Rahman, veteran producer Bobby Bedi and the Technicolor Group have unveiled a film project based on Middle Eastern wit Mulla Nasruddin at the Cannes Film Festival.

Also known as Nasreddin Hodja, Nasruddin was a 13th century folklore character from what is now Turkey, known for his pithy wit and humorous wisdom. Stories about him appear in the Islamic folklore of the Middle East, the Balkans and China and the character is enormously popular in India as well. The International Nasreddin Hodja festival is celebrated every year in Turkey.

Bedi’s credits include some of the landmark titles of Indian cinema, including Shekhar Kapur’s international breakthrough film “Bandit Queen” (1994), Deepa Mehta’s controversial “Fire” (1996), Rani Mukerji-starring relationship drama “Saathiya” (2002), Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Macbeth” adaptation “Maqbool” (2003), Stanley Tong’s Jackie Chan starrer “The Myth” (2005) and Gurvinder Singh’s Rotterdam title “Crescent Night” (2002).

Frequent collaborators,...

The story goes thus: it was 1985, and Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, having enjoyed nearly two decades of cinematic success in his native country, wanted to extend his reach into the United States. Chan had already tried to infiltrate America in 1980 with Robert Clouse's film "The Big Brawl," but while it was highly respected by martial arts fans, "Brawl" wasn't the massive hit Chan wanted. Chan had already directed four movies by 1985 but still felt that an American director could translate his fightin' sensibilities for a North American audience more accurately. So, he hired genre filmmaker James Glickenhaus to helm the 1985 actioner "The Protector."

Chan and Glickenhaus butted heads throughout production, as Glickenhaus refused to film fight sequences in a way Chan approved of. At the end of production, Chan merely re-edited the film himself and directed new scenes in the hope of salvaging the project.

It was his...

Several upcoming martial arts movies starring Jackie Chan showcase his diverse career from epic fantasy adventures to enjoyable comedies. With over 60 years of training as a martial artist, Chan continues to lead incredible movies, including sequels and new renditions of classic franchises. Fans can anticipate upcoming Chan movies such as "A Legend," "Karate Kid 2024," "New Police Story 2," "Project P," "Five Against a Bullet," and a rumored "Rush Hour 4."

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan is one of the most recognizable performers on the planet, and today at nearly 70 years old, he still has several upcoming martial arts movies in the works. Equally popular in both Eastern and Western media, Chan has excelled in action, comedy, drama, and thrillers, but he’s mostly associated with his incredible skill as a martial artist as well as his cross-cultural and cross-generational appeal. With an impressive and vast filmography behind him, martial...

The B2B meetings at Mumbai’s annual Frames media conference have now bloomed into the full-fledged Global Content Market under the guidance of veteran producer Bobby Bedi.

Bedi’s credits include some of the landmark titles of Indian cinema, including Shekhar Kapur’s international breakthrough film “Bandit Queen” (1994), Deepa Mehta’s controversial “Fire” (1996), Rani Mukerji-starring relationship drama “Saathiya” (2002), Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Macbeth” adaptation “Maqbool” (2003), Stanley Tong’s Jackie Chan starrer “The Myth” (2005) and Gurvinder Singh’s Rotterdam title “Crescent Night” (2002).

The market, which was buzzing from the get go, boasted a significant international presence from the U.K., Korea, Turkey, Spain, Germany and Saudi Arabia, besides a sizeable Indian contingent. Bedi said that the word ‘Asian’ suggests mainly content from the Far East and the Frames market plugs the gap for South Asian and Middle Eastern content. Differentiating the market from the Indian government’s Film Bazaar in Goa,...

Vintage martial arts film fans rejoice as the 70s classic, The Shaolin Plot, is set for a 2K restoration release on Blu-ray. The Mvd Entertainment Group has just released a trailer for Arrow Video’s new physical copy release of the Sammo Hung film. The Shaolin Plot comes from director Huang Feng (director of Lady Whirlwind & When Taekwando Strikes), the father of modern Kung Fu films and a mentor to John Woo (Face/Off) and Stanley Tong (Rumble in the Bronx). The cast features Sammo Hung, James Tien and Cassanova Wong.

The release details read,

“In 1977, fight choreographer Sammo Hung made one last film under his mentor, director Huang Feng before graduating to the director’s chair himself with The Iron-Fisted Monk. That film was the rarely-seen martial arts ensemble thriller The Shaolin Plot, which sees the pair reunite with Hong Kong heavy Chan Sing (New Fist of Fury). Prince...

Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment company, has acquired the U.S. rights to Connie Cocchia’s coming-of-age drama “When Time Got Louder.” The film will be released on Nov. 17 in select theaters and on VOD.

“’When Time Got Louder’ is a powerful story filled with emotion. It’s a great addition to the coming-of-age genre, and we can’t be more happy to bring it to audiences,” stated Cameron Moore, senior director of theatrical distribution, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Gravitas.

Willow Shields (“The Hunger Games” franchise) stars as Abbie, who is departing for college and leaving her parents (Elizabeth Mitchell and Lochlyn Munro) and brother (Jonathan Simao), who has autism and is non-verbal. As the film’s synopsis explains, “while exploring her independence and sexuality, Abbie finds herself torn between her new life and her love for her brother.” Ava Capri and Piper Curda also star in the film,...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to horror-thriller “Thirst.”

The film marks the directorial debut of musician Eric Owen, drummer with alternative rock duo Black Pistol Fire.

Written by Owen, in the film, insomnia spreads in a small town, causing fear and panic. As the situation becomes dire, two couples find salvation on an abandoned ranch until nefarious characters descend upon the land, claiming it as their own, and chaos ensues.

The film stars Brian Villalobos (HBO’s “Love and Death”) and Lori Kovacevich (“But Humble Sinners”). Josh Taylor produced alongside Owen.

The deal was negotiated between Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films and Mackenzie Maguire of Gravitas Ventures. A release is planned for the fall.

Owen said: “’Thirst’ realizes all of my greatest fears and asks the question – how will we act when our reality becomes distorted and would we be civil when our own survival is jeopardized?...

Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales duties on “A Legend,” the Jackie Chan -starring film.

As previously reported, the film is now in production.

“A Legend” is now pitched as a $50 million sequel to the 2005 action romance “The Myth” that involved both Chan and director Stanley Tong. In previous communication, producer Bona Film Group said that the film was inspired by the earlier film.

The new picture will be the tenth time that Chan and Tong have worked together, following other titles that include “Police Story 3,” “Supercop” and “Vanguard.”

“A Legend” sees Professor Chen, an archaeology expert, notice that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition, is strikingly similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams. The pendant is connecting the realm of dreams to reality. Filled with curiosity, Chen leads a research team on a journey deep into the Glacier Temple,...

The film the mark the tenth collaboration between Chan and director Stanley Tong.

Taiwan’s Distribution Workshop is to begin sales at Cannes on Jackie Chan fantasy adventure The Legend, which marks the action star’s tenth film with director Stanley Tong.

The $50m mainland China feature is a sequel to 2005’s The Myth, which was also directed by Tong, and stars Chan as an archaeologist who discovers a jade pendant that seems to connect the dream world with reality.

Produced by Bona Film Group, the feature also stars Yixing Zhang, Coulee Nazha and Aarif Lee. A release date has...

Jackie Chan has signed on to star in A Legend, a martial arts fantasy-adventure movie which will be a sequel to his 2005 movie The Myth.

The sequel to The Myth will find Jackie Chan reprising his role as archaeology expert Professor Chen. “The film’s action begins when he notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is strikingly similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams,” reads the description. “Suspecting that the pendant is acting as a bridge between the realm of dreams and reality, Professor Chen leads his research team on a journey deep into the Glacier Temple, embarking on a fantastical adventure.” A Legend will be directed by Stanley Tong, a long-time collaborator of Chan who has helmed Police Story 3, Rumble in the Bronx, and The Myth.

A Legend will have a budget of $50 million, a large...

Taipei-based sales agency Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales rights to $50M action adventure A Legend, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong.

A sequel to Chan and Tong’s 2005 collaboration The Myth, the film also stars Zhang Yixing (Kung Fu Yoga) and Coulee Nazha (Police Story 2013), and is currently in production with no release date set.

Chan again plays the role of an archaeology expert who this time notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams. Filled with curiosity, he leads the research team on a journey to the Glacier Temple in search of the truth behind the dreams.

Chan’s latest Chinese action drama, Ride On, in which he ironically plays a washed up stuntman, received positive reviews and grossed $30M in China last month. His upcoming...

Tenth Time Lucky The Legend teaser poster (Bona Film Group)

Director Stanley Tong (“Rumble in the Bronx”) is to team up with Jackie Chan for the tenth time on “The Legend.” State media in China report that Chan, who recently reached the top spot in the mainland Chinese box office with aged stuntman comedy “Ride On,” will play an archaeologist on a quest through time and space. With production by Bona Film Group, “The Legend” is pitched as being in the same vein as Tong and Chan’s 2005 effort “The Myth,” which was a fantasy love story. Tong and Chan have worked together on other titles including “Police Story 3,” “Supercop” and “Vanguard.”

Olympic Dreams

India’s Jio Studios is backing “Khashaba,” a Marathi-language film on the life of India’s first Olympic medalist Khasaba Dadasaheb. After delivering the “Sairat,” the all-time highest grosser in the history of Marathi cinema, and London and Goteborg selection “Fandry,...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to the Australian drama Ocean Boy, starring Luke Hemsworth (Westworld). The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company plans to release the pic formerly titled Bosch + Rockit in theaters and on demand on February 3, 2023.

The feature directorial debut of Tyler Atkins is set along the Australian coast in late summer and follows the young father Bosch (Hemsworth) as he goes on the run for drug dealing with his surf gang. In tow is his son, Rockit (Rasmus King), who believes he is on a magical holiday. Isabel Lucas and Leeanna Walsman also star.

“We at Gravitas are proud to be bringing Ocean Boy to theaters and into homes this upcoming February,” said Gravitas’ Senior Director of Acquisitions, Bill Guentzler. “Luke Hemsworth and Rasmus King bring to life a magical tale of the deep connection between a father and son that we believe will touch the hearts of audiences.

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has snapped up U.S. rights to the drama The Integrity of Joseph Chambers, written and directed by Sundance prize winner Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers), from Visit Films. The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company plans to release the film in limited theaters and on demand in February of 2023.

In the pic reuniting Machoian with Clayne Crawford — who exec produced and starred in The Killing — the latter plays Joseph, who – wanting to acquire the skills to be able to take care of his family in case of an apocalypse – decides to go deer hunting by himself for the first time ever, despite his wife’s objections. Setting out into the mountains with a borrowed rifle, he roams the woods aimlessly in search of deer. His boredom is short-lived, however, when in the blink of an eye he goes through a traumatic experience. What starts as an...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to The Inhabitant, the horror film starring Odessa A’zion (Hulu’s Hellraiser), Leslie Bibb (Mrs. American Pie), Dermot Mulroney (Umma) and Lizze Broadway (The Rookie), slating it for release October 7 in more than 100 theaters. Highland Film Group is handling international rights, with sales being launched at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

The film from director Jerren Lauder (Stay Out of the F**king Attic) follows Tara (A’zion), who like any other teenage girl is just surviving high school — yet her father Ben (Mulroney) and mother Emily (Bibb) seem strangely distant. Amidst a nearby spree of gruesome ax murders, Tara has sightings of terrifying entities, forcing her to question her own sanity and shocking ancestry. After a visit to her aunt in a mental asylum and a night in Lizzie Borden’s actual home, Tara realizes she is inextricably tied to the horrifying...

Four years after the second installment to arguably Jackie Chan’ most popular franchise, the actor would reprise his role as police inspector Chan Ka-Kui in “Police Story 3: Supercop” (or just “Supercop” in some areas). Perhaps due to his busy schedule in front and behind the camera, working on other projects such as the equally successful “Armour of God”-films, Stanley Tong took over directing duties from Chan, who would still be a producer for the project. This collaboration turned out to be quite fruitful for both them, setting the foundation for features such as “Rumble in the Bronx”, which would give the actor the breakthrough with US-American markets after years of trying. Although the previous entries into the franchise had already set quite a high level when it came to action set pieces, “Supercop” would see Chan in the middle of some of the most ambitious and costly action scenes of his career,...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to the 2022 SXSW award winner The Pez Outlaw, from directors Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel, with plans for a day-and-date release on October 21.

The fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man, who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.S. and making millions in the process. It was all magical, until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident, decided to destroy him.

The Pez Outlaw made its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival,...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to Lindsay MacKay’s romantic drama The Swearing Jar, starring Adelaide Clemens (Under the Banner of Heaven), Douglas Smith (Don’t Worry Darling), Patrick J. Adams (Prime Video’s A League of Their Own) and Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner (The White House Plumbers). The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company has slated the film for release on 20 screens in major markets across the country on September 23.

The Swearing Jar is based on Kate Hewlett’s award-winning play of the same name, which she adapted for the screen. Billed as an intimate story told through music, comedy, subtly shifting timeframes and a few tears, it tells two love stories at once: exploring the joys and challenges of dating, marriage, heartbreak… and moving on. The film was produced by Jane Loughman for Monkeys & Parrots in association with Kyle Bornais of Farpoint Films and Tony Wosk of Middle Child Films.

Revisiting the original 1985 Hong Kong trailer for Jackie Chan’s Police Story.

The Police Story Trilogy (Eureka Classics) Limited Edition 3-Disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is available to Pre-order now from the Eureka Store: https://bit.ly/3Prsoc8

The most action-packed trilogy of all time comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time ever! Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, these three films represent the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial-arts sequences, and bone-crunching stunt work – this series of films revitalized the Hong Kong action genre and established Jackie Chan as a worldwide superstar.

Police Story – considered by Jackie Chan himself to be his best film in terms of pure action, Police Story stars Chan as “super cop” Chan Ka-Kui, who goes up against a notorious crime...

As Michelle Yeoh basks in the success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” she ponders for a moment a world where “Crazy Rich Asians” wasn’t a huge box office success. “What if it didn’t work?” she asks.

Jon M. Chu’s 2018 film was one of the first films in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast. Yeoh starred alongside Awkwafina, Ken Jeong and Ronny Chieng. The film grossed over 200 million at the box office.

As she reflects on the film’s success, on the occasion of Asian American Pacific Islander Month, Yeoh looks at how it opened the door for her fellow castmates to shine a spotlight on their comedy careers. The actor sat down with Variety to reflect on some of the highlights across her expansive career. She also talks about her upcoming voice work for the new “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

“Crazy Rich Asians”

“It was a big moment for us,...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Hello Sunshine’s documentary Fair Play, based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Eve Rodsky, slating it for release in select theaters and on demand on July 8th.

The film from director Jennifer Siebel Newsom looks at the unequal division of labor in the home—a hot topic, which has taken on even more urgency in recent years, with the Covid pandemic exacerbating an already tension-filled dynamic in millions of households. It takes viewers into the homes of real families that are on a journey to balance their home life, while presenting interviews with Melinda Gates, author C. Nicole Mason and Congresswoman Katie Porter. Fair Play was produced by Hello Sunshine, in association with The Representation Project and P&g Studios.

“The home presents so small but it speaks to a much larger issue which is about reframing the value of time,...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights to the romantic comedy Most Guys Are Losers, starring Andy Buckley (The Office), Keith David (Nope), Mira Sorvino (Shining Vale), Grace Fulton (Shazam!), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas) and Belmont Camelli (Peacock’s Saved by the Bell), for release in theaters and on VOD on July 1st.

In the film from writer-director Eric Ustian, which is set over Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago, a college kid from California seeks approval from his girlfriend’s dad, a bar owner and the author of a dating book titled, Most Guys are Losers. Lee Amalfi and Anthony Clementi produced, with Ustian, Mark Berzins, Greg Stubblefield and Dan Ustian exec producing, and Maximilian Bustamante and Yuly Springer serving as associate producers.

“To work with the Oscar Winner Mira Sorvino and her dad, Paul, was an honor. Andy Buckley combines the comedic timing from his role in The Office, with a heart felt and nuanced performance,...

Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, today announced the launch of its new theatrical release label, Gravitas Premiere, which will acquire 4-6 cast-driven, high production value films per year and release them wide theatrically with significant P&a support. The first title on Premiere’s docket is Katie Aselton’s dramedy Mack & Rita, starring Diane Keaton, which it will release wide in theaters across the U.S. and Canada on August 12.

In Mack & Rita, Mackenzie Martin (Elizabeth Lail) is tired of doing all the things she has to do to keep up and get ahead in her 30s. Since she was a little girl, Mack’s deepest wish has been to be just like her Grammie: comfortable in her own skin, great at saying “no,” and largely unburdened by what others think of her—not to mention love for a good chunky sweater and being in bed by 8:00 p.

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to the musical crime drama The Score, starring Will Poulter (Dopesick), Johnny Flynn (The Outfit), Naomi Ackie (Master of None) and Lydia Wilson (Flack). The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company plans to release the feature directorial debut of writer-director Malachi Smyth exclusively in theaters on June 3rd, with a release on VOD to follow on June 10th.

In the film from the producers of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission—the ‘score’—that they both expect will transform their circumstances. As they wait for a rendezvous hand-over at a roadside café, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices…while the threat of real danger is driving to meet them.

The Score features songs by Flynn, who outside of his work as an actor, serves...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to the WWII-era romantic drama I’ll Find You from director Martha Coolidge. The Anthem Sports & Entertainment company plans to release the title starring Adelaide Clemens (To the Stars), Leo Suter, Stephen Dorff, Connie Nielsen and Stellan Skarsgård in theaters and on demand on February 25.

Inspired by true stories of Polish musicians from the 1930s and 1940s, I’ll Find You centers on the tender, music-infused relationship between Robert (Suter) and Rachel (Clemens) that is forged when the pair meet as music school students—he, a promising singer and she, a violin prodigy. While Robert is torn away from Rachel following the German invasion of Poland, he vows to find her, no matter the cost.

David S. Ward and Bozenna Intrator penned the script for the film, which was shot on location in Poland and New York. Intrator also produced it alongside Lukasz Raczynski, Zbigniew John Raczynski and Fred Roos, with Alexander Roos exec producing.

“I’LL Find You is a beautiful romance film set against the harsh background of World War II,” said Gravitas Ventures’ Manager of Acquisitions, Brett Rogalsky. “What director Martha Coolidge was able to do with these elements is truly impressive, and we’re excited to be able to bring this film to the public.”

“From the beginning I loved the theme in this film that music has an almost magical power to heal,” added Coolidge, “and that it can inspire and move all people even those at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.”

Coolidge is an Emmy nominee and DGA Award winner who has previously directed films including Material Girls, The Prince and Me, Angie, Lost in Yonkers, Rambling Rose, Plain Clothes, Real Genius and Valley Girl, along with episodes of such series as Siren, Angie Tribeca, Madam Secretary, The Night Shift, Psych and Weeds.

Gravitas Ventures was founded in 2006 and sold to multi-platform media company Anthem Sports & Entertainment in November. Recent releases from the company include Michael Lembeck’s Queen Bees; Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Our Friend, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel; Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan; and Andy Tennant’s The Secret: Dare to Dream, starring Katie Holmes. Gravitas has also recently acquired titles including Adrian Martinez’s feature directorial debut iGilbert; the Kathy Bates drama Home, from writer-director Franka Potente; family adventure film The King’s Daughter, starring Pierce Brosnan; Jason Pollock’s doc Finding Kendrick Johnson; and The Accursed, a horror film marking the feature directorial debut of writer-directors Elizabeta Vidovic and Kathryn Michell.

Red Arrow Studios has agreed to sell Gravitas Ventures, the prolific narrative film and documentary distributor with a 3,000-title catalogue, to Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City and Toronto.

Red Arrow is the content production and distribution arm of Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Group.

The deal, which will launch Gravitas into television distribution, was based on a cash purchase price of $73 million and an additional common stock consideration component.

Anthem owns seven consumer-facing streaming channels: Axs TV (music and entertainment) and Hdnet Movies — acquired from Mark Cuban in 2019; Impact Wrestling; Invicta Fighting Championships (all-women mixed martial arts); Fight Network (combat sports); Game+ (esports and gaming); GameTV; and a significant ownership in outdoor network Pursuit Channel. Anthem and Gravitas will develop new themed channels.

Cleveland-based Gravitas was founded in 2006 and acquired by Red...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to iGilbert, the feature directorial debut of actor Adrian Martinez, in which he also stars alongside Dascha Polanco and Raùl Castillo. The indie distributor will release the drama in theaters and on demand on December 31.

iGilbert centers on Gilbert Gonzalez (Martinez), who feels isolated from the world. He is 39, a virgin, obese and lives with his sarcastic, overprotective mother, who owns the Manhattan brownstone. Fearful of life and people, yet starving for human connection, Gilbert takes photos of women secretly, wherever and whenever he can. Enter Jana (Polanco), a tenant in the building and the source of innumerable fantasies.

Jana is a contradiction – beautiful but haunted by her own insecurities that inhibit her from standing up to her ex-boyfriend Tony (Castillo), an Iraq war vet with Ptsd.

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to The King’s Daughter, a family adventure film starring Pierce Brosnan, William Hurt, Kaya Scodelario, Benjamin Walker, Rachel Griffiths, Pablo Schreiber, and Bingbing Fan, which is narrated by Oscar winner Julie Andrews, setting it for a theatrically exclusive release at upwards of 1000 locations across the U.S. and Canada on January 21, 2022.

Sean McNamara’s film, shot at the Palace of Versailles, is based on Vonda N. McIntyre’s 1997 novel The Moon and the Sun. It centers on King Louis Xiv (Brosnan), whose quest for immortality leads him to capture a mermaid’s (Fan) life force, seeing his immovable will challenged when his long-hidden illegitimate daughter (Scodelario) forms a bond with the magical creature.

Barry Berman and James Schamus handled the screenplay adaptation. Veteran family film producers McNamara and David Brookwell produced for Brookwell McNamara Entertainment, alongside an international group of producers from Australia to America to France.

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios Company, has acquired North American rights to The Florist, with plans to release the film on digital and cable VOD on August 10.

The indie, based on a 2014 short of the same name, centers on a lonely urban botanist named Annika, who sources and tests the edible, sensation-inducing flowers, which are in vogue at high-end restaurants, before they make it to the table. Hoping to take her career to the next level, Annika pushes aside her regular customers and risks everything to concentrate on finding the extremely rare and profitable ‘Comet Flower.’ Unfortunately, the elusive flower proves harder to find than expected. Annika must then decide whether to accept defeat, or to do whatever it takes, in order for her unique business and career to flourish.

Andrew Ryan (The Mirage) wrote and directed the film, which marks the feature debut of his longtime collaborator,...

The New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center are delighted to unveil further highlights of the 2021 New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), including the Opening film, lifetime award honorees, the competition lineup, the inaugural Asian American Focus and additional films. The Festival will screen over 60 films, both virtually and in person, to audiences in New York and across the country from August 6 – 22, 2021.

Nyaff’s 20th edition will kick off at Film at Lincoln Center on August 6 with the in-person international premiere of Ryoo Seung-wan’s tense action thriller “Escape from Mogadishu,” starring Kim Yoon-seok (Nyaff Star Asia winner 2018) and Zo In-sung. The film is dramatically constructed based on real events that took place in 1991 at the onset of the Somali Civil War, and depicts the perilous escape attempted by North and South Korean embassy workers who were stranded during the conflict. (Well Go USA is releasing the...

The New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center will unspool the 2021 edition Aug. 6-22 at Flc, kicking off with the premiere of “Escape From Mogadishu,” directed by Ryoo Seung-wa.

In all, 60 films will screen to audiences in person and virtually, with premieres of first and second features from directors for the feature film competition: “Anima”, “City of Lost Things”, “Hand Rolled Cigarette”, “Joint”, “Ten Months” and “Tiong Bahru Social Club”.

Hong Kong new wave director Ann Hui will receive the Variety Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, and the festival will screen her film “The Story of Woo Viet” and Man Lim Chung’s pic on Hui, “Keep Rolling.”

The festival will introduce the section Asian American Focus, which will feature films including Aimee Long’s “A Shot Through the Wall.” The team behind the film will be present at the festival.

“Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me?...

Jackie Chan made his support for China’s Communist Party blatantly clear during a July 8 speech at a symposium organized by the China Film Association (via Variety). Chan has long supported the Communist Party’s propaganda efforts, but he generated news out of the symposium after declaring he wants to be an official member of the Party. As reported by Variety, the symposium was “organized by the China Film Association last week to ‘study and implement the spirit’ of a keynote speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping.”

“Abroad they often say, ‘proud to be Chinese.’ I’m very lucky to be a Chinese person, but I also am very jealous that you all are Party members,” Chan said during the event, video footage from which was released by official broadcaster CCTV. “What the Party says, what it promises, it doesn’t need 100 years to accomplish — it will definitely accomplish...

Exclusive: Universal Pictures has landed the rights to the Brian Freeman novel Infinite, with Fast & Furious scribe Chris Morgan and Head of Development Ainsley Davies producing through their Chris Morgan Productions. Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer will write the script.

The story follows Dylan Moran, who after being consumed by grief after losing his wife, begins hallucinating sinister versions of himself, lurking in the shadows. When he ends up accused of murder, Moran undergoes a hypnotherapy treatment built on the idea that with every choice he makes, he creates an infinite number of parallel universes. It’s then he discovers he’s not insane at all. There’s another version of himself, from another reality. A psychopath that not only ruined his life, but countless other Dylans. Can Dylan stop this doppelgänger before he strikes again? Or will he lose himself…to himself?

The novel was published last month by Thomas & Mercer.

Ng Man-tat, the star Shaolin Soccer and frequent collaborator of Kung Fu Hustle filmmaker Stephen Chow, has died.

The iconic Hong Kong actor, accompanied by his wife and children, died peacefully on Saturday of liver cancer. He was 70.

Born in China’s Fujian province in 1951, Ng began his career with acting classes from Hong Kong’s Tvb at 19 years old. Just years later he appeared Tit Lee’s 1975 comedy Gu huo lao xun chun, marking the vet’s first screen credit.

Upon garnering experience in a number of film and television titles throughout the 70s and 80s, Ng landed a recurring role in the adventure series The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The series, adapted from Louis Cha’s novel of the same name, saw Ng play Elder Peng.

In 1989, Ng first acted alongside Stephen Chow, who would soon become a frequent collaborator for “mo lei tau” films, a popular...