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She was Saturday Night Live’s oldest hire, then faced a torrent of abuse after her role in the Ghostbusters reboot. She talks about the deaths of her mum, dad and brother – and why she’s given up dating men

It’s early evening in a photography studio in west London, and the American comedian Leslie Jones is capering about, dressed in a full-length gold lamé ballgown and smoking. “Make me look skinny,” she says to the photographer’s departing back.

“I’m 6ft tall – I can’t cut my feet off,” she says, later. “I can’t stop being a scary motherfucker. This is who I am – let me work with who I am.” Yet, she is the opposite of scary. Statuesque, no question, but whatever she’s doing, whether peering into a bag of fish and chips as if it’s alive, or telling her assistant to read The Alchemist,...

Although Philip Barantini had a solid career both as an actor and filmmaker before Adolescence, the series launched him into stardom, and we are quite happy that he is now enjoying a lot of success.

We know that he is going to helm Enola Holmes 3 very soon, but based on the latest report, it seems that he is taking on another major and potentially challenging project.

As things stand, an adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s world-famous novel The Alchemist is in the works and it seems that Barantini is the one who will be helming the adaptation as its director.

Related: Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ Ending Explained: Here’s Why Jamie Killed Katie

As far as the project itself is concerned, not much is known at this moment. According to the report, Legendary is working on the movie and is aiming for a 2026 production start, which is interesting, considering Barantini...

Netflix’s overnight hit series, Adolescence, pulled a plot twist bigger than any of its episodes. The show is reportedly returning for Season 2! The wild part? Owen Cooper is making headlines for his chances of setting a new Emmys record with his performance in the Best Limited Series.

You know what that means? Adolescence isn’t supposed to have any further seasons. Yet, as it turns out Stephen Graham’s show isn’t the only one to pull this stunt. There are five other buzzy shows that have already broken the same rule, proving that sometimes, good TV just can’t be contained to one season.

Mark Stanley, Stephen Graham, and Owen Cooper star in Adolescence | Image: Netflix Netflix’s Adolescence gets big updates about season 2

After Netflix’s Adolescence left us disturbed, heartbroken, and shocked at the capabilities of a teenager under the influence of social media, Stephen Graham...

With Adolescence’s success flying high, the showrunner, Philip Barantini, reportedly sets eyes on a new intriguing project. As a director, Barantini blends an emotionally intense world with character-driven stories like Boiling Point. He has gained quite a stature with his famous one-shot filming technique, adding feathers to his hat.

Adolescence Director Philip Barantini/ Credits: Instagram/ @barantini

The Adolescence director is emerging as the frontrunner to helm a highly anticipated film adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s timeless novel The Alchemist. Known for its profound philosophical depth and universal appeal, the book has captivated millions of readers worldwide since its publication in 1988.

With Barantini’s potential involvement, this beloved story might finally receive the cinematic treatment it deserves.

Adolescence director Barantini might direct the theatrical adaptation of The Alchemist A still from Adolescence | Credits: Netflix

Philip Barantini has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in filmmaking. A former actor turned director,...

Joaquina wishes she could revisit the time she spent in that rare middle ground between girlhood and adulthood. She’s 20 now, and she knows she’s going to keep changing and maturing, but she wants to remember the years she spent growing up forever.

The pop star’s second album, Al Romper la Burbuja, is a snapshot of that period, capturing Joaquina when, as she puts it, she was “not big but not small” and “hypersensitive to the world.” The project — a followup to Los Mejores Años, which earned her...

Exclusive: Netflix Brazil is bringing Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage to the screen. The streamer has greenlit a film adaptation of the Brazilian author’s novel, which will shoot in Brazil and Spain.

The commission was announced during Netflix’s session at the Rio2C market in Brazil and Coelho shared the news in a video message for attendees. Rio based Migdal Filmes will produce.

The Pilgrimage, first published in 1987, is one of Coelho’s early novels. In the book, he recounts a journey across Spain on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. He is accompanied by a spiritual guide and mentor and the novel deals with the main protagonist’s quest for spiritual learning and fulfilment.

Another adaptation in the works for Netflix hails from Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles and his son Quico Meirelles. They will jointly helm a miniseries based on Edyr Augusto’s novel Pssica.

Andrea Barata Ribeiro...

The world of anime and manga is rapidly spreading throughout the world. It is no longer subjected to only a particular audience and accessible to basically the entire world. Kadokawa has taken the initiative to bring these mediums even closer to the general public. Mangas have been adapted into many forms for decades now.

Kadokawa Masterpiece Comics

From movies, animes, and live-action adaptations to even novels. There is no medium that hasn’t seen the masterpiece born of the most talented mangakas. Complains have been rising slowly and steadily, concerning the pace and future of the Anime and Manga industry. This pertains to the fact that Western influences have very quickly taken over the craft that held a lot of cultural significance. However, Kodakawa has other plans.

Kadokawa’s Masterpiece Comics Initiative

Kadokawa, a popular publishing house for manga, light novels, and magazines has taken up an initiative unlike any other.

Japanese publisher Kadokawa today announced a new label called "Masterpiece Comics" with the aim of adapting well-known, classic books from Japan and other countries into manga by up-and-coming artists. Kicking off the initial lineup is Paul Gallico's The Silent Miaow , which is being adapted by I'm a Cat, Said the Dog 's Katana Sajima and will be published on July 20. The Silent Miaow cover (not final) Sample page Related: Viz Media Announces Vagabond Definitive Edition, One Piece: Heroines and More An adaptation of Kunio Yanagita's Tono Monogatari by Kujiraba will follow suit in September, then Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist by Tamaki Nakamura in November, Yasutaka Tsutsui's Zanzo ni Kuchibeni wo by Hiroaki Terada in January 2025 and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby by an undisclosed artist in March 2025. Source: Comic Natalie...

Kadokawa has announced the launch of a new initiative titled ‘Kadokawa Masterpiece Comics (Kmc)’ dedicated to adapting classic literature, from Japan and other parts of the world, into manga.

A website for Kmc was unveiled on June 3, 2024, to commemorate the announcement.

The inaugural line-up of classics which are getting adapted into manga include:

The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico, illustrated by Katana Sajima, set for release on July 20. The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita, illustrated by Kujiraba, scheduled for September. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Tamaki Nakamura, slated for November. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui, illustrated by Hiroaki Terada, planned for January 2025. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, artist to be decided, expected in March 2025.

Kmc’s mission is to curate stories that will be celebrated as masterpieces even a century from now. Checkout their official statement below:

From world-renowned masterpieces to hidden gems.

The Alchemist, the allegorical 1988 bestseller, is headed for the big screen. Jack Thorne has been tapped to adapt the novel. Variety reports that the Paulo Coelho novel is in development at Legendary Pictures and TriStar. The novel, originally published in Portuguese in Coelho's native Brazil, tells the tale of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, who dreams of a great treasure buried beneath the Egyptian pyramids. He sets out on a quest to find it, finding friendship, true love, and the titular alchemist along the way —but learns that the real treasure may have been closer than he thought all along.

The elusive feature adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s popular novel The Alchemist has gone from lead to gold — again.

Legendary Entertainment has secured the film, TV and ancillary rights to develop a feature based on the classic novel, with TriStar Pictures on board to release. Jack Thorne — whose film credits include Enola Holmes and The Swimmers — is attached to write the feature adaptation of a popular 1988 novel that has seen a road to the big screen as winding as the traveler’s philosophical journey in the book.

Laurence Fishburne had wanted to develop Coelho’s best-selling book for 16 years after acquiring the film rights from Warner Bros. Pictures with the intent of making the movie themselves. Warners acquired author Coelho’s book — about a traveler journeying the world during the Inquisition in order to find man’s purpose in the world — in 2003 as a Fishburne vehicle.

In 2008, The Weinstein Co.

Refusing the blistering politics of identity is a radical move in a (cinematic) decade where representation is royalty, but it's something that Seo Ah-hyun does not take lightly. The filmmaker's quietly ambitious debut feature, “Queer My Friends,” admirably never bends to the crucifying Enlightenment dualities that practically beg to be used in a work about her best friend, a gay Korean Christian man: religion versus reason, self versus other, truth versus reality. Instead, Ah-hyun — as she is referred to in the film — trades dualisms for a dualistic monism in the parallel-woven depictions of her friend Song Kang-won and herself, a straight Korean woman, over the course of five years.

Check also this interview

Narrated à la Sandi Tan's “Shirkers” but intimate with the intricacies of queerness in East Asia like Yan Zhexuan's 2020 documentary “Taiwan Equals Love,” the filmmaker embraces intentional subjectivity as objectivity, put forth by Donna Haraway...

The opening title card in Book Club: The Next Chapter comes from the great novelist Paulo Coelho: “At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.” It’s the elixir we take into this follow-up of the surprise 2017 box office hit Book Club, which starred Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen playing four 65+ women who have a kind of sexual awakening after reading the mega bestselling romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Like that book, the discussions in Book Club were frank, and the film went on to garner more than $100 million at the box office. And, like the Fifty Shades of Grey films, Book Club: The Next Chapter just falls limp.

Ms. Fonda, Bergen, Keaton, and Steenburgen: With all due respect — we love you, and you deserve better.

Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda et al go on a bookish holiday after keeping their reading club going through lockdown, but jokes are thin on the ground

Bill Holderman’s 2018 silver-years comedy Book Club had the amusing idea of showing us four prosperous female friends – Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen), given to drinking balloon glasses of wine and laughing life-affirmingly in picture-perfect kitchens – who are radicalised by reading Fifty Shades of Grey and inspired to overhaul their personal relationships. Now for the sequel: it is a few years later, the heroines have gone through the Covid lockdown and kept their book club going on Zoom, flirting with Sally Rooney’s Normal People, but heart-sinkingly sticking with lite fare such as Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

Yet books are irrelevant to their new adventure: a bachelorette holiday together in Italy before Vivian marries her...

Focus Features has the right idea in releasing the new sequel, Book Club: The Next Chapter just in time for Mother’s Day. Reuniting four genuine movie icons – Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen – whose first film in this senior franchise, 2017’s Book Club, was a surprise hit making over $100 million worldwide, there was proof positive that older female audience was eager for a night or matinee out at the multiplex if the idea and cast were right. Since then the pandemic hit and changed moviegoing habits for the older crowd, a group that is hard to get back into theatres (although not impossible – witness The Lost City and Ticket To Paradise). My guess is that with this quartet back in fine form, and now all over 70 (!), this could again play with the usual Hollywood conceit that women of a certain age are not boxoffice. Throw in Italy...

Signed, sealed and delivered, Book Club: The Next Chapter is an unabashed love letter to four great movie stars. As a vehicle for their talents, it’s less of a sure thing. If you can see past the clunky plot contrivances, strained hijinks and one-liners that don’t land, and focus on the Italy-set comedy’s Mediterranean glow and the dazzling quartet of go-getters at its center, the movie might fit the bill as a celebratory pairing with Mother’s Day brunch.

The tagline on the key art encapsulates the sequel’s problems: “Slightly Scandalous. Totally Fabulous.” That qualifying “slightly” signals the softer cadence of this reunion. In the 2018 hit, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen transcended the often tepid humor with their rat-a-tat delivery; here, returning director Bill Holderman, again working from a screenplay he wrote with Erin Simms, struggles to find a rhythm, and flat...

Since Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist came out in 1988, it’s obtained an almost apocryphal status that it’s bound to never outgrow. The book, which concerns an Andalusian shepherd on a journey to find out what his destiny is, has been acclaimed less as a gift of great literature than as a fount of self-help. Given that it’s an affirming and, especially, digestible tale of discovery and hope, it makes for an apt early reference point for Bill Holderman’s Book Club: The Next Chapter: Though its main characters don’t carry on an official reading series in this sequel, each points to Coelho’s book as something of a north star in their lives.

The film is cinema as affirmation, asking us to think of it as a ticket to a far-flung locale, where love might be birthed alongside conversations with good friends about innocuous barriers that we pretend are insurmountable.

As the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Pathaan’ continues to set new records at the box-office, the Badshah of Bollywood received praise from acclaimed author Paulo Coelho, who recently took to Twitter and spoke about his ‘king’ friend while calling him a ‘legend’ in the same breath.

Paulo Coelho posted a tweet from Srk, which has a video of fans swarming outside his Mannat residence in Mumbai, with the caption, “King. Legend. Friend. But above all, Agreat Actor.”

Reacting to the tweet, Srk wrote, “You are always too kind my friend. Let us meet up sooner than soon!! Bless you.”

This is not the first time that Paulo Coelho has lavished praise on Srk. In 2017, the author had congratulated the ‘Baazigar’ actor on the seventh anniversary of the movie ‘My Name Is Khan’ on Twitter, saying the actor delivered an Oscar-winning performance in the movie.

He wrote, “His first (and only...

And when we have almost all that we may want, but are still not content, what can be done?

One recourse for the latter would be to turn inward to religion or philosophy — but all of the first and a lot of the second are based on some variety of divine design and control over humans, maybe for their benefit — "the universe conspiring to help you attain something you want," as Paulo Coelho says in ‘The Alchemist’. But, we may also find that the universe could be hostile, or worse, absolutely indifferent.

At such a time, it may be useful to retrace the thought of a charismatic French philosopher with movie star looks (he bore an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood star Humphrey Bogart) — the man who identified the "absurd" existence we find ourselves in, or rather, told us clearly that our life is a meaningless struggle and what we can do about it.

Popular face of TV industry, Shweta Tiwari, who is currently seen in ‘Main Hoon Aparajita’ playing the role of a mother of three daughters, revealed her interest in reading books and said that reading a good novel for her is like a stressbuster.

She said: “I enjoy reading a good book whenever I have free time. Even if I have a hectic shoot schedule, reading an interesting novel always makes me happy and stress-free.”

The actress made her place in the entertainment industry with the role of Prerna in ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ and also acted in a number of daily soaps, films and web series. She was also the winner of ‘Bigg Boss 4’ and then participated in ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 11’. She made her digital debut with ‘Hum, Tum and Them’.

Apart from acting, Shweta makes sure to take out some time for her hobby of reading books and said about...

Actress, model and VJ Suchitra Pillai says that she enjoys doing audio shows as people appreciate her voice. The actress has narrated multiple characters including the lead protagonist in the audiobook ‘Naqaab’. She candidly speaks about being part of it and how she managed to play so many characters.

The audiobook is a psychological thriller written by J P Pomare and it revolves around a psychologist Margot Scott.

The 51-year-old actress briefs about her role saying: “This audiobook is about the psychologist, Margot Scott and her family and her clients. So to play her and all of her clients and family members, etc. was the challenging bit of it. But that’s the interesting thing about audiobooks, where you get to play so many characters and it’s all about voice.”

“You don’t have your expressions, you don’t have your face, you only have vocal expressions that you...

Actress Ashna Zaveri, who impressed with her performance in Santhanam-starrer ‘Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham’, says that meditation has helped her stay grounded. Taking to Instagram, the actress, who will next be seen in the Tamil film, ‘Titanic Kaadhalum Kavundhu Pogum’, recalled Paulo Coelho’s statement, “Praying is talking to the universe, meditation is listening to it,” before […]...

InterviewThough he started as a romantic hero, in the last few years Kunchacko Boban has broken the shackles of the heartthrob image and stepped up his act. His next movie ‘Bheemante Vazhi’ releases on December 3.Neelima MenonPhoto by Anwar PattambiThis writer was in Class 12 when Aniyathipravu (1997) was released. Though touted as Baby Shalini’s debut as a heroine, teenage girls took stock of the quiet young man who looked deep into her eyes at the public library, handed her a romance novel and walked away, with a throbbing romantic melody wafting in the backdrop. During a time when Malayalam cinema was still grappling with themes that paid obeisance to the alpha male heroes, Kunchacko Boban was like a breath of fresh air, who took on the mantle that was left vacant by chocolate hero Rahman of the 80s. For the longest time Kunchacko played heartthrob and danced like a dream,...

After more than two decades of stops and starts, it was looking like The Alchemist — a feature adaptation of the much-beloved best-selling novel by Paulo Coelho — would finally get made.

Earlier this month, it was announced at the Cannes Film Festival that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios was joining Netter Films to produce The Alchemist with a cast led by Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander and Shohreh Aghdashloo. PalmStar Media, which had acquired the screen rights to the book some five years ago, would finance, with the company’s founder, Kevin Frakes, set to direct. A September ...

After more than two decades of stops and starts, it was looking like The Alchemist — a feature adaptation of the much-beloved best-selling novel by Paulo Coelho — would finally get made.

Earlier this month, it was announced at the Cannes Film Festival that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios was joining Netter Films to produce The Alchemist with a cast led by Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander and Shohreh Aghdashloo. PalmStar Media, which had acquired the screen rights to the book some five years ago, would finance, with the company’s founder, Kevin Frakes, set to direct. A September ...

Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander and Shohreh Aghdashloo are set to star in the long-awaited film adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s popular novel The Alchemist.

The project, set to start production in Morroco in September, has seen a road to the screen as slow and winding as the traveler’s journey in Coelho’s philosophical book. Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Netter Films and PalmStar Media are producing the movie, which is directed by Kevin Frakes.

De Souza will play the role of the Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, alongside Hollander and Aghdashloo. The ensemble cast includes Jordi Molla, Youssef Kerkour and Ashraf ...

Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander and Shohreh Aghdashloo are set to star in the long-awaited film adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s popular novel The Alchemist.

The project, set to start production in Morroco in September, has seen a road to the screen as slow and winding as the traveler’s journey in Coelho’s philosophical book. Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Netter Films and PalmStar Media are producing the movie, which is directed by Kevin Frakes.

De Souza will play the role of the Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, alongside Hollander and Aghdashloo. The ensemble cast includes Jordi Molla, Youssef Kerkour and Ashraf ...

Exclusive: Westbrook Studios, Netter Films, and PalmStar Media have locked a September start date in Morocco for The Alchemist, the seminal Paulo Coelho novel that PalmStar principal Kevin Frakes will direct. Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander, and Shohreh Aghdashloo have been set to star. Pic will be ready for release in late 2022.

De Souza joins as Santiago; he is cast alongside Hollander and Aghdashloo. They are joined by Jordi Molla (Jack Ryan), Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci), and Ashraf Barhom (By Any Means).

The film is produced by Will Smith and Jon Mone for Westbrook Studios; Frakes and Raj Singh for PalmStar; and Gil Netter for Netter Films.

The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago on an epic quest for life-changing treasure. The book is an international best-seller and beloved literary work...

ReviewIn comparison to Shakti Soundar Rajan's previous films, the writing in ‘Teddy’ is better but the film still takes liberal leaps with logic. Sowmya RajendranScreengrabShakti Soundar Rajan is fond of introducing genres to Tamil cinema. Apart from claiming to have made the first Tamil bank heist film (Naanayam), he's also made the first Tamil zombie apocalypse film (Miruthan) and the first Tamil space film (Tik Tik Tik). Coming in this line-up is the first Tamil teddy bear film, Teddy. Starring Arya, Sayyeshaa and an overstuffed teddy bear, Teddy is about a young woman, Sree (Sayyeshaa) who turns into a teddy bear and has her human form simultaneously abducted by some evil forces. Arya plays Shiva, a bespectacled genius with a photographic memory. He can not only learn Russian in a jiffy, he's also a seasoned martial arts specialist. He only has 12 friends on Facebook and is leading a content life till he meets Sree.

John le Carré was lauded Sunday as a writer’s writer whose productivity and singular storytelling style was praised by fans ranging from late night star Seth Meyers to fellow novelists Stephen King and Paulo Coelho.

Le Carré, who died Dec. 12 at the age of 89, was known as a master of espionage fiction who turned out 25 novels over more than a half-century of writing. His signature works — including “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” — captured drama and tension of Cold War geopolitical jockeying like no other contemporary scribe.

Le Carré’s novels were widely adapted as film and TV properties over the years, including 2005’s “The Constant Gardener,” which earned an Oscar for star Rachel Weisz, and 1965’s “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold,” starring Richard Burton. AMC had a hit in 2016 with limited series “The Night Manager,” starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.

Shweta Singh Kirti on Saturday shared a series of pictures of billboards set up in Sri Lanka, seeking justice for her brother, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Shweta took to Instagram and Twitter to share pictures of billboards across Sri Lanka that feature Sushant and demand justice for the late actor. The billboards are hashtagged SushantJusticeNow and SriLankaUnitedForSSR.

View this post on Instagram

Thanks Sri Lanka...

The family of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput is still looking for answers and will wait for justice patiently, his sister Shweta Singh Kirti declared on Thursday, a day after Rhea Chakraborty was granted bail.

Sharing a quote by bestselling Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho, Shweta wrote on Instagram: "We might not have all the answers yet... but we have #Patience #Courage #Faith #God."

Coelho's quote, which Shweta posted on her social media page, reads: "The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter."

She also shared a verse from Bhagvad Gita: "Bhagvad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 48 Krishna Says -- "Steadfast in Yoga, do your duties, without attachment, O Arjuna, treating success and failure alike. Yoga is equanimity."

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14 in Mumbai. While Mumbai Police...

In our Q&a series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favorite celebs - from the last thing they texted to the last thing they do before bed. This week, actress Alexandra Shipp takes our call.

From X-Men to Love, Simon, Alexandra Shipp has been mesmerizing us on screen for years. Now she's back again with the new Ya love story Endless - a story about two high school sweethearts who are separated by a tragic accident but find a way to connect and share a love that transcends both life and death. Read on to hear more from Alexandra about Endless, the moving piece of advice that changed her life, and more!

Ps: What was the last day of filming Endless like?

It was really hard to say goodbye to this cast and crew! Our last day, we were filming in a school,...

Madrid — Movistar Plus and The Mediapro Studio have greenlit development on Season 2 of “Nasdrovia,” an upcoming comedy-drama tracking an ex-couple’s excruciating decent into hell, as they fall into the maws of the Russian mob.

Season 2 is being written by the show’s creators, Sergio Sarra, Miguel Esteban and Luismi Perez, and its showrunnner, Marc Vigil.

“One of the things which we can certainly do in these extraordinary circumstances is develop new shows,” Domingo Corral, Movistar Plus dictator of original fiction, said at an online presentation by Movistar Plus and The Mediapro Studio on Wednesday.

The Mediapro Studio Distribution handles international sales, with “Nasdrovia” being brought onto the international market via selection for MipTV’s online Drama Buyers Summit, held from late March, and now April 22’s presentation by Corral, showrunner Marc Vigil, and The Mediapro Studio Distribution head Marta Ezpeleta.

Sharply written with a clipped, rhythmic delivery of dialog...

The Los Angeles Public Library has revealed Kobe Bryant’s reading inspirations.

“As one would expect from a passionate storyteller, Bryant also appreciated reading a good book,” librarian Keith Kesler wrote in a blog post on the library’s website. “I searched through old interviews and social media posts to find the books that inspired the Black Mamba.”

The Kobe reading list includes “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho; “The Illustrated Art of War,” Sun Tzu; “Blink” and “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell; “Children of Blood and Bone,” Tomi Adeymi; “The Hero’s Journey,” Joseph Campbell; “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” Richard Bach; “Lone Survivor,” Marcus Luttrell; “Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable,” by trainer Tim Grover; “Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike,” Phil Knight; “The Silver Linings Playbook,” by Matthew Quick; “Sunny,” Jason Reynolds, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” by Dolores Kearns Goodwin; “Thirty Rooms to Hide In,...

Kobe Bryant had been working on a children's book before his tragic death. Now, his co-author, Paulo Coelho, is deleting the draft.  "You were more than a great player, dear Kobe Bryant," the writer tweeted on Sunday after news of the basketball star's passing broke. "I learned a lot by interacting with you. Will delete the draft right now, this book has lost its reason."  He also shared a screenshot of an August 2019 text exchange with Bryant in which the Lakers legend wrote, "Let's right that book together" before correcting his typo. Many fans urged Coelho to finish the book in Bryant's honor. "With all due...

Peter Berg and Michael Lombardo’s Film 44 is set to produce a limited series based on Eliza Griswold’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America. Kristina Lauren Anderson, who is adapting Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist for TriStar and a screenplay based on Swan Lake for Universal, has been tapped to write.

The book, published last year, is an exposé on how fracking shattered the rural Pennsylvania town of Amity and how one lifelong resident, Stacey Haney, brought the story into the national spotlight. The paperback edition hits stands tomorrow.

Haney, a lifelong resident of Amity, was struggling to support her children when the fracking boom came to town. Like most of her neighbors, she saw the energy companies’ payments as a windfall. Soon trucks are rumbling down her unpaved road and a fenced-off fracking site rises on adjacent land. But her annoyance...

Laurence Fishburne says his long-gestating The Alchemist project is now moving forward.

“It has just come back around again,” he said, adding the project will come together “sooner rather than later.”

Fishburne has been wanting to develop Paulo Coelho's best-selling book for 16 years, but he said a conversation with Martin Scorsese during the Marrakech Film Festival put it in perspective. “Twenty years isn't that long to wait,” he said, comparing the time frame to the three decades it took Scorsese to get Silence to the screen.

He added that the spiritual message ...

Laurence Fishburne says his long-gestating The Alchemist project is now moving forward.

“It has just come back around again,” he said, adding the project will come together “sooner rather than later.”

Fishburne has been wanting to develop Paulo Coelho's best-selling book for 16 years, but he said a conversation with Martin Scorsese during the Marrakech Film Festival put it in perspective. “Twenty years isn't that long to wait,” he said, comparing the time frame to the three decades it took Scorsese to get Silence to the screen.

He added that the spiritual message ...

With Crazy Rich Asians closing on $200 million at the worldwide box office, its success continues to puncture several myths: that spandex heroes own the summer, that rom-coms can’t be cross-cultural, and that comics must provide the sole source material for franchises.

The surprise hit also points up Hollywood’s growing dependency on what some considered an arcane genre — the novel. Warner Bros was quick to announce that Kevin Kwan’s Rich novels will provide the basis for a new franchise (this was the studio obsessed with DC comics). Meanwhile, television producers and development executives are intensely competing for the rights to other once-obscure novels, having realized they lend themselves ideally to longer formats and to other streamer product.

All of this is good news for novice novelists – even several stars and filmmakers have tried their hands at fiction this year. It’s also relevant to those select companies like Random House Studio that develop scripted television by connecting published fiction to the fast-changing Hollywood universe.

Hollywood has always had its eye on revered literary titles, of course – witness The Great Gatsby, which was made (badly) four times. Movies based on Lord of the Rings and Gone with the Wind were giant hits, but some of Hollywood’s best movies stemmed from non bestsellers, such as Midnight Cowboy and In the Heat of the Night.

Hollywood’s appetite in genre and style has broadened in recent times, according to Peter Gethers, an accomplished book editor who is also Evp and general manager of Random House Studio, which is backed by Fremantle and Bertelsmann. The company has sold scripted projects to HBO, TNT and Showtime among others, along with three studio feature films.

Currently in development there as feature material are such novels as Social Creature by Tara Burton, a thriller about an ambitious career woman who winds up committing murder (it’s at Lionsgate); and Longbourn by Jo Baker, a Jane Austen-mode period piece set up at StudioCanal. Neither were runaway bestsellers but still found ready buyers. Random House Studio under Gethers also has optioned several books by Paulo Coelho as potential one-hour TV series. A Brazilian writer, Coelho’s books have sold more than 260 million copies, but The Alchemist, his best-known title, has proven difficult to translate because of its ethereal story line. In concert with Original Productions, Random House Studio has also moved aggressively into the documentary business.

From the point of view of Gethers, who also is the author of 12 novels, this moment in the media business holds out great opportunity for writers who may have struggled in a previous era. “Genre books ranging from The Thin Man to Maltese Falcon have always been ideal grist for films,” he points out. “The big difference today is that genre categories have shifted to TV, which eats up so much material that there’s opportunity for non-bestselling books. There’s room to fully develop characters and themes; the TV translation of the book doesn’t have to be crammed into two hours.”

Many of today’s “hot” filmmakers, of course, still rely on original material as the basis for their projects. The story of Roma was the creation of Alfonso Cuarón, while A Star Is Born, now in its fourth iteration, is credited to an original 1937 story by director William Wellman and three writers, one of whom was the legendary critic Dorothy Parker.

In a few famously reverse cases, however, the writing of the novels themselves was actually funded by studios for the purpose of translating them into films. The classic example was Love Story by Erich Segal; Paramount bought the script, then paid the author to novelize it. The studio also spent heavily on marketing the novel, with the promotional materials avoiding mention that the project originated as a script — a revelation that would have blemished its legitimacy. In the eyes of the literary establishment, it’s acceptable to film a novel, but not to manufacture one.

In today’s roundup, CBS All Access released a first look at the trailer and key art for “Strange Angel” and YouTube releases new clip from “Cobra Kai.”

Dates

“Carriers at War,” a new four-part series exploring the U.S. Navy’s fleet of aircraft carriers, premieres May 20 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on Smithsonian Channel as a part of its Memorial Day programming. The series features an in-depth look at the construction and launch of the Navy’s latest generation of carriers, including the multibillion-dollar and controversial supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

First Look

“Cobra Kai,” the new series coming to YouTube Red as a continuation of the “Karate Kid” story, has released a first look at the show, which includes never-before-seen footage from the 1984 film. The clips shows the iconic fight scene from Johnny Lawrence’s perspective, setting the stage for the series, which follows Lawrence (William Zabka...

Untitled show follows young priest on journey of self-discovery.

FremantleMedia North America (Fmna) has signed The Alchemist author Paulo Coelho to an exclusive deal to develop the first-ever TV drama series based on the work of the Brazilian novelist.

The deal – which also involves Fmna-owned Random House Studio and Dancing Ledge Productions, the UK company in which FremantleMedia has a stake – covers an as yet untitled series that will follow a young priest on a journey of self-discovery as he is ostracised by the church and hunted by a powerful crime family.

The project will explore themes and characters from...

Exclusive: Works by Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) are headed to the small screen. American Gods producer FremantleMedia North America, Random House Studio and Dancing Ledge Productions have signed an exclusive deal with the famous Brazilian author to develop the first-ever TV drama series based on his books.

Exploring themes and characters from Coelho’s novels The Devil and Miss Prym, Brida and The Witch of Portobello, all published by Harper Collins, the crime thriller will explore the human condition, celebrating Coelho’s multi-layered and inspirational storytelling.

The yet-untitled TV series follows a young priest who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption – ostracized by his church, a fugitive from the law, and hunted by a powerful crime family. Meanwhile, the CIA agent chasing him discovers mysterious powers, and a more profound connection to the priest than she ever thought possible.

Coelho, who is known for his deep connection with his audience,...

Anupam Kher, who we have seen essay a variety of roles took on a completely new one while he penned down a book titled, ‘The Best Thing About You Is You!’ in 2011. The seasoned actor put pen to paper to draw lessons from his personal life that could inspire his readers. His book is so successful and loved that he made it to Richtopia’s The 200 Most Influential Authors. Ranked 6th on the list, the actor-turned-author shares this mention with acclaimed writers such as J. K. Rowling, Paulo Coelho, Michael Moore, John Green and E. L. James. The list has also featured a few big names from India such as Hrh Dalai Lama, Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Tharoor.

The book was an instant bestseller as soon as it hit the shelves and has been passed on to Kher’s co-stars in the Oscar-winning, Silver Linings Playbook, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

PalmStar Media options rights to novels Doc, Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral.

Jeremy Renner will star as the legendary gunfighter Doc Holliday for PalmStar Media.

Kevin Frakes, PalmStar Media CEO, announced the casting on Monday after he optioned rights to Mary Doria Russell novels Doc and Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral.

Frakes will produce alongside Renner and Don Handfield’s The Combine.

Russell’s novels chronicle the life of the gunslinger who lived in the second half of the 19th century and went from being a gentleman dentist in Reconstruction-era Atlanta to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Wyatt Earp in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

“We are excited to re-introduce this classic American character to a whole new audience by chronicling Doc Holliday’s incredible transformation from average Joe dentist to a man who Wyatt Earp called the ‘nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun [he] ever knew,’” Renner and Handfield...

It didn’t take long for Matt Ross to locate his Captain Fantastic follow-up.

Deadline reports that the writer-director has signed on to adapt Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Tom Sweterlitsch’s brainy 2014 sci-fi novel that’s set up shop at Sony’s TriStar arm. Set in the not-so-distant future, one in which Pittsburgh has been reduced to an ashtray following a huge explosion, Sweterlitsch’s book delves deep into humanity’s relationship with fabricated environments and the intersection between reality and the virtual world.

It’ll largely center on John Dominic Blaxton, a fragile man who steps foot in a Vr setting known as the Archive after losing his wife and only child. Within this man-made construct, Pittsburgh has been fully recreated, but a wayward murder victim who seemingly exists outside the system spawns a mystery, and it’s up to our protagonist to crack the case. Mark Gordon and Captain Fantastic...

TriStar and PalmStar are set to turn Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist” into a feature film, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. Coelho’s book has sold over 65 million copies in 56 languages, following a young Spaniard who embarks on a quest to find a hidden treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. The book also holds a Guinness world record for being the most translated work by a living author. Previously, the rights had been set up at The Weinstein Company with Laurence Fishburne and Idris Elba to direct and star. A few weeks ago, it was announced that.

Exclusive: Sony-based TriStar has stepped up to make a worldwide rights deal to turn the Paulo Coelho novel The Alchemist into a feature film. The book has been guided creatively for years by Cinema Gypsy's Laurence Fishburne, who will take it the rest of the way in partnership with fellow producer, PalmStar Media's Kevin Frakes, and TriStar president Hannah Minghella. "I'm thrilled to be moving this project forward after all these years," Fishburne said. All this…...

Exclusive: U.S. rights on the Nacho Vigalondo-directed Colossal with Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis starring have just been sold by CAA and Voltage to an unspecified Chinese-based media company. That China-based enterprise, which paid mid-seven figures for the film and is guaranteeing a significant 2017 theatrical release, will be revealed in the next few weeks when it announces its investment in a new U.S. studio.

Hathaway plays a woman who becomes convinced that the power of her mind is connected to the rampage of a giant lizard that has just started destroying Seoul, and that she alone can halt the destruction. Austin Stowell and Dan Stevens also star in the pic, which was written by Vigalondo.

Despite the unusual nature of this deal, it falls in line with what so far has been a most unusual 2016 Toronto Film Festival. This becomes the second high-seven- or near-eight-figure deal for...

Exclusive: In a deal as remarkable as the $5 million that upstart Imperative Entertainment paid for the David Grann novel Killers Of The Flower Moon last March, PalmStar Media's Kevin Frakes and Buddy Patrick have acquired rights to the Paulo Coelho classic novel The Alchemist from The Weinstein Company. The upfront payment for book rights and developed scripts is $5 million, plus there is another $1.5 million against potential back end for TWC. PalmStar confirmed the…...