News

John Krasinski and Matthew Rhys are set to executive produce and star in “Silent River,” a new psychological thriller ordered by Amazon MGM Studios for Prime Video.

According to the official logline, the project, which is seen through the lens of two men whose lives are far more more connected than they realize, explores the cracks of small-town America in the wake of discovering a serial killer among them.

“Silent River” is created by Aaron Rabin, who serves as an executive producer. In addition to Krasinski, Rhys and Rabin, Allyson Seeger and Alexa Ginsburg will executive produce for Sunday Night. Krasinski is set to direct the show’s pilot and some additional episodes. Andrew Bernstein is also set to direct and executive produce.

In addition to the series order, Sunday Night has renewed its first-look television deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

“We are thrilled to continue our work with John Krasinski,...

Amazon Prime Video has given a series order to the drama series “Silent River” with John Krasinski and Matthew Rhys attached to star, Variety has learned.

Both Krasinski and Rhys will also executive produce the series, with Krasinski also set to direct the pilot and additional episodes. Krasinski is executive producing under his and Allyson Seeger’s Sunday Night production banner, which has renewed its first-look television deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

The official logline for “Silent River” states, “Through the lens of two men, whose lives are far more connected than they realize, ‘Silent River’ explores the cracks of small-town America in the wake of discovering a serial killer among them.”

Aaron Rabin is the creator of the series and will also executive produce, with Andrew Bernstein onboard to direct and executive produce. Seeger and Alexa Ginsburg will executive produce for Sunday Night alongside Krasinski. Amazon MGM Studios will produce.

Lily James in ‘Cliffhanger’ (Photo Courtesy of Rocket Science)

Lily James takes the lead in the reboot of the 1993 action thriller Cliffhanger directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone. Rocket Science released the first two photos from the new version, which is currently in filming in Austria’s East Tyrol region of the Lienz Dolomites.

In addition to Lily James (Pam & Tommy), the thriller stars Pierce Brosnan, Nell Tiger Free, Franz Rogowski, Shubham Saraf, Assaad Bouab, Suzy Bemba, and Bruno Gouery. Jaume Collet-Serra directs, based on a story by Ana Lily Amirpour.

“In this reboot of Cliffhanger, seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper (Brosnan) and his daughter Sydney run a mountain chalet in the Dolomites. During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers,” reads the official synopsis. “Ray’s older daughter Naomi (James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes.

FX is extending its relationship with one of the creators of its Emmy record-breaking series Shōgun.

Justin Marks, who co-created the series with Rachel Kondo, has signed a new overall deal with FX Productions, where he’s been based for the past five years. Under the new deal, Marks will develop new material for FX in addition to working on two potential additional seasons of Shōgun with Kondo.

“It is an honor to have Justin as part of the FX family,” said FX Entertainment president Gina Balian. “He is a gifted storyteller who is tireless in his commitment to doing the best possible work. His dedication is in every frame of Shōgun, and we are delighted to be continuing our relationship with him as we forge new stories to share with the world.”

Shōgun won a record-breaking 18 Emmys — the most for any series in a single year — in September, including awards for best drama series,...

German kids and animation outfit Studio 100 International and Gaumont Animation are joining forces on a new animated series inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book. The series, tentatively titled Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures, is currently in early development and will explore Mowgli’s life before the age of 11.

Gaumont Animation, behind series such as Stillwater (Apple TV+), Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (Netflix) and Do, Re & Mi (Amazon), and Studio 100, a subsidiary of Belgian entertainment company Studio 100 Group, and home to Maya the Bee, Vic the Viking, Heidi and Mia & Me, will be bringing the show to Cannes and the international television market MIPCOM later this month, seeking production and financing partners.

Created by Josh Fisher, Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures is being planned as a series of 52 episodes, each 11 minutes, targeting preschool kids and their families. The storylines will focus on Mowgli’s adventures with...

Exclusive: Tennessee-based Showdog Studio has signed with Gersh for representation in all areas, as it adds five projects to its production and development slate.

The five projects include animated feature Baby on Board (slated to deliver in early 2025), the live-action feature The 442, scripted drama series Plan B and Sweet Toxins and nonfiction series Spec Ops Boss.

Showdog Studio founder and veteran producer John Attard and company executive Robert Harris serve as Executive Producers for all projects.

“It is with great pleasure that we bring Showdog Studio into the Gersh fold,” said Roy Ashton, Partner at Gersh. “John and his team have a remarkable track record of creativity and innovation across a wide range of genres. Their ability to produce content that resonates with diverse audiences – from animated and live-action features to high-stakes drama and unscripted series – is truly impressive. Showdog’s dedication to pushing creative boundaries, combined with their extensive...

From Pinocchio’s Revenge to Silent Night, Deadly Night, taking beloved cultural icons and turning them into cold-blooded killers is nothing new in horror. I mean, corrupting traditionally innocent iconography is pretty much the genre’s specialty, but I still find it fascinating how modern filmmakers are fighting back against franchise monopolies by re-imagining popular figures like Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse as murderous monsters as soon as they enter the public domain.

And with the announcement that the Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey team’s “Twisted Childhood Universe” is expanding to include evil versions of characters like Bambi and Peter Pan, I think it’s time that filmmakers start looking at some less obvious source material when coming up with their public domain scares. With that in mind, we’ve decided to highlight six public domain characters that also deserve their own horror movies. After all, if these...

Before I knew her as Archie Bunker's little girl Gloria on "All in the Family," I knew Sally Struthers as Rebecca Cunningham on "TaleSpin." A loving single mom and ambitious businesswoman whose outspoken personality belied her petite build, Rebecca -- aka "Becky," "Beckers," and the many other nicknames her responsibility-skirting, party-loving employee Baloo would use to refer to her -- was but one of many reasons to love the "Jungle Book"-inspired animated pulp period adventure series and Disney Afternoon staple. After years of trying (and failing) to keep the peace between her stubbornly conservative dad and her liberal, holier-than-thou husband Michael as Gloria in "All in the Family," Struthers was an expert in the art of sounding flustered, a talent that served her well on "TalepSpin."

Struthers' distinct, gently raspy vocals would allow her to carve out a career for herself as a voice actor, resulting in roles on...

Disney executive Sean Bailey is exiting after 15 years as the motion picture group’s president of production. He’ll be replaced by Searchlight’s chief David Greenbaum, who has been named to the newly created role of president of Live Action and 20th Century Studios.

In his new post, effective immediately, Greenbaum will report to Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman. This shakeup merges two of Disney’s film divisions: live-action (responsible for remakes and spinoffs of the studio’s classics) and 20th Century Studios.

“David has an incredible creative sensibility and eye for film, and he has built a reputation as an exceptional leader and creative executive, as proven by his track record at Searchlight Pictures and deep relationships throughout the industry,” Bergman said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that he’ll be taking on this new and important role.”

Bailey, who has overseen Disney’s live-action slate since...

Sampooran Singh Kalra, more famous by his pen name ‘Gulzar’, is renowned as a man and master of letters, in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, with over seven decades of rich contributions to the literary arena as well as Bollywood. On Saturday, Gulzar and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, Sanskrit scholar, spiritual leader and educator, were declared the recipients of the coveted 58th Jnanpith Award-2023.

For Gulzar (89), this is yet another feather in his artistic cap brimming with an Oscar Award, a Grammy Award, five National Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award (Urdu), Padma Bhushan, and 22 Filmfare Awards. He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Assam Central University besides being decorated with many more honours and accolades.

Born in Dina, Jhelum district (now in Pakistan), Gulzar started coining and penning couplets and ‘shayris’ from an early age, earning his father’s ire over his passion.

Post-Partition, when his clan also suffered a split,...

Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, the co-writers and co-directors of Aardman Animations’ musical film “Robin Robin,” which premiered on Netflix in November 2021, and was nominated for an Oscar the following year, say that a spinoff is in the cards.

“We are currently working on more stories in the world of ‘Robin, Robin,’” Please tells Variety. “I think that’s all we’re allowed to say. But that would certainly be our hopes and dreams. We feel like there are loads more stories to tell in this world, so we’d love to do more.”

“Robin Robin,” whose voice cast includes Bronte Carmichael, Adeel Akhtar, Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant, centers on a robin who is raised by a loving family of burglar mice. As Robin grows up, her differences become more apparent. She sets out to pull off a daring heist in a bid to prove to her family...

The Lion King Photo: ©2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hopefully, all our readers are enjoying a bit of a seasonal break right now - and what better time to catch a few good films on the telly? We hope you've enjoyed the last 12 months of recommendations and would like to wish you all a peaceful and happy 2024.

The Lion King, 5.05pm, BBC1, Boxing Day

Jon Favreau had already tackled a live-action remake of The Jungle Book to great acclaim when he took on Disney's version of Hamlet. It might not reach the heights of Mowgli and his crew but this is a faithful adaptation of the original - even if the term "live action" seems somewhat weird given that we're looking at CGI creations. Nevertheless, as with Jungle Book, these animals look the business, as we watch Simba (Jd McCrary then Donald Glover) struggle with guilt over the death...

With lines from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, Fulton County District Attorney Adriane Love made opening arguments Monday in the racketeering and gang trial of Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, and other accused members of Ysl, 18 months after his arrest.

“Ysl operated as a pack,” she said, citing the law of the jungle from Kipling’s book. The words “are appropriate for where we are today. For 10 years and counting, the group calling itself Young Slime Life dominated the Cleveland Avenue community of Fulton County. They created...

New Delhi, Nov 14 (Ians) Children’s Day, which is celebrated on November 14, is all about making kids feel special and bringing a smile to their faces. And what better way to do that with some fantastic series to binge-watch and listen.

Here is a list of the most captivating and educational series that are perfect for this Children’s Day, that are not just about entertainment but they also offer valuable life lessons, encourage creativity, and inspire young minds.

From exciting adventures to heartwarming stories, there is something for every child to enjoy.

Gullak:

It is a heartwarming web series directed by Palash Vaswani and Amrit Raj Gupta. ‘Gullak’ revolves around the Mishra family, comprising Santosh, Shanti, Anand “Annu”, and Aman Mishra. In season one, Annu’s constant tiff with his mother, Shanti, over joblessness and exam results sets the stage. Season two beautifully captures stories of hope, wishes,...

New Delhi, Nov 14 (Ians) Children’s Day, which is celebrated on November 14, is all about making kids feel special and bringing a smile to their faces. And what better way to do that with some fantastic series to binge-watch and listen.

Here is a list of the most captivating and educational series that are perfect for this Children’s Day, that are not just about entertainment but they also offer valuable life lessons, encourage creativity, and inspire young minds.

From exciting adventures to heartwarming stories, there is something for every child to enjoy.

Gullak:

It is a heartwarming web series directed by Palash Vaswani and Amrit Raj Gupta. ‘Gullak’ revolves around the Mishra family, comprising Santosh, Shanti, Anand “Annu”, and Aman Mishra. In season one, Annu’s constant tiff with his mother, Shanti, over joblessness and exam results sets the stage. Season two beautifully captures stories of hope, wishes,...

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is requesting an alteration.

The 51-year-old Jungle Book star spoke out after his wax figure was unveiled at the Musée Grévin in Paris, France.

The figure quickly went viral on social media, as fans reacted with laughter and horror at the final product, which drew comparisons to Mr. Clean.

Dwayne shared a video from comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. on his Instagram.

Keep reading to find out more…

“You know Black a– Samoan The Rock? That’s how Paris thinks he looks,” the comedian says. “They turned The Rock into a pebble!… it looks like The Rock has never seen the sun a day in his life… You make the rock look like he David Beckham. It looks like The Rock is going to be a part of the royal family. Did y’all even Google him?”

“Knew my boy James Andre Jefferson Jr. had this...

Director Karan Tejpal’s feature film debut “Stolen” is a nail-biting thriller about two privileged, big-city boys who unwittingly embark on a harrowing adventure as they help an impoverished young woman find her kidnapped baby in rural India.

The film, which is produced by Gaurav Dhingra’s Jungle Book Studio (Toronto titles “Angry Indian Goddesses” and “Faith Connections”), is also a commentary on the alarming number of child abductions in India in recent years, and the explosion of often misguided vigilantism that accompanied the widespread adoption of instant messaging apps, particularly in rural areas.

The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, earned a special mention in the Feature Film Competition at the Zurich Film Festival this week, and heads next to the BFI London fest.

The film follows brothers Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) and Raman (Shubham), who try to help the desperate Jhumpa (Mia Maelzer) find her five-month-old child...

Production veterans John Attard and David “Doc” Abbott have launched Showdog Studios, a content company based in Franklin, Tenn.

The partners are self-financing the business and have established a development fund to create their own content. The pair are at work on an anthology series, “Revive: Portraits of Redemption,” with producer Tom Evans that they intend to shop to buyers down the road. Another industry veteran, Robert Harris, has joined Showdog as executive producer to help shepherd “Revive” and other projects. Franklin is about 20 miles south of Nashville.

“Doc and I are extremely excited to have Robert join the Showdog Studio team. We want to create stories of hope along the lines of the stories I’ve enjoyed watching over the years – many of which were deftly shepherded by Robert’s steady hand,” Attard said.

John Attard

The partners vow to produce TV shows, films and other content that revolve...

Earlier this year, an astounding statistic came to light, indicating that Scarlett Johansson was the highest-grossing movie actor of all time.

Given her roster of screen credits — which includes the likes of “Avengers: Endgame”, “Jungle Book” and “Ghost in the Shell” — the total gross of the 33 films in which she’s appeared are $14.52 billion.

This places her ahead of the No. 2 actor, fellow ‘Avengers’ co-star Robert Downey Jr., whose 43 films have amassed $14.39 billion. In third place”: Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in 43 films, which have grossed $14.36 billion.

Read More: Scarlett Johansson Shares What It Was Like Taking Her 8-Week-Old Son To Work With Her On ‘Asteroid City’ Set

During a recent appearance on “CBS Mornings”, Johansson was asked about earning that accolade.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to get some text message from Sam [L] Jackson, that’ll be like ‘No, no, no, no. Wait a minute,...

Sarah Polley — who earlier this year won the best-adapted screenplay Oscar for her feature Women Talking — is in talks to direct the live-action Bambi film for Disney, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The project is still in development, but should it happen, it would join Disney’s lucrative classic animation–to–live-action roster, the most recent addition to which was The Little Mermaid, which has made over $400 million at the box office to date.

The Bambi project was first reported in 2020, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel, Tomb Raider) and Lindsey Beer (Chaos Walking) set to pen the screenplay and Depth of Field, the production banner run by Chris and Paul Weitz and Andrew Miano, on board to produce. It’s unclear if this team is still in place. (Depth of Field worked with the studio on Robert Zemeckis’ take on another classic animation, Pinocchio.)

The original movie, released in 1942, told...

The unstoppable march of the Disney live-action remakes continues -- over both land and sea. The Memorial Day weekend brings Rob Marshall's new take on "The Little Mermaid," starring the golden-voiced Halle Bailey in the titular role, and the numbers so far indicate an opening weekend similar to Jon Favreau's 2016 adaptation of "The Jungle Book."

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Disney estimates that "The Little Mermaid" will gross between $120 and $130 million over the four-day holiday weekend, after Thursday previews and Friday ticket sales brought in $38 million. That's the consensus at Variety and Deadline as well, though THR notes that some analysts think the movie could end up north of $130 million. Over the three-day weekend, Deadline estimates that the live-action adaptation is set to bring in $104 million at the domestic box office. Overseas, it's tracking for an $80 million opening weekend following a day-and-date release in most major international markets.

The...

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is poised to make a box office splash over Memorial Day weekend. The big-budget remake is projected to earn a mighty $100 million from 4,300 North American theaters in its first three days of release and $120 million to $125 million by Monday’s holiday.

Based on those estimates, it’ll be the fourth movie (and third from Disney) this year to clear the $100 million mark in its debut, following “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($118 million) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” ($106 million).

Rob Marshall directed “The Little Mermaid,” which looks like it’ll be one of Disney’s more successful live-action adaptations. The studio has revisited classics like “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin,” — all of which cracked $1 billion globally — as well as the less commercially embraced “Mulan” and “Dumbo,” to varying degrees of box office glory.

By comparison,...

Update, writethru: Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Bros Movie has got super game as it levels up to cross 1B$ at the global box office through Sunday. It now becomes the 10th animated film in history to cross $1B worldwide, and is the 10th biggest animated film of all time globally, overtaking Despicable Me 2 and Minions: The Rise Of Gru. The Super Mario Bros Movie is the third Illumination title to hit the $1 billion mark.

The juggernaut powered-up to an additional of $68.3M this session in 80 overseas markets, bringing its international receipts to-date through Sunday to $532.5M. Worldwide, the estimate through today is $1.022B.

Notably, Japan opened this weekend. On 776 screens, the start was a huge $14.3M to score the biggest opening weekend ever for an animated studio movie, as well as the biggest Saturday box office in Universal history – topping Jurassic World Dominion. In only two days,...

A month out from the release of “The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s other beloved nautical cartoon is prepping its live-action makeover. A remake of “Moana,” the 2016 animated blockbuster, is in early development, Disney announced Monday.

The news was revealed during Disney’s annual meeting of shareholders. During the webcast, a prerecorded message from Dwayne Johnson, who voiced the character of Maui in the original animated film, was played. (You can watch the full video below.)

Speaking from Hawaii, Johnson said, “As many of you may not know, the brilliant team at Disney Animation, my partners, we found so much inspiration for Maui in the mana and presence of my late grandfather, the legendary high-chief Peter Maivia. … In a way, when I bring Maui to life, I’m doing it in the spirit of my grandfather.”

No director, screenwriter, or casting has been announced for the feature. Johnson will produce the...

If you've seen anything about "Cocaine Bear," then you've been introduced to Cokey, the titular ursine entity that stumbles across a brick of cocaine in the woods and promptly goes on a killing spree in search of one more fix. As producers Lord and Miller told me in my interview with them, not only did no real-life bears do cocaine on set, but no real-life bears were involved at all. Cokey is a creation of Wētā FX, and while her distinct look comes from the artists there, she was also represented on set by motion capture performer Allan Henry, a veteran of movies like "Avengers: Endgame," "Jungle Book," and the "Planet of the Apes" trilogy.

I sought an interview with Henry after seeing the film and talking with Lord and Miller as well as Keri Russell about what they witnessed on the set. "He's on stilts on his arms, doing...

Jon Favreau, director of “Iron Man” and creator of “The Mandalorian,” got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday and was joined by his own star Robert Downey, Jr. But Downey, who Favreau famously fought to cast in the original “Iron Man,” threw a comical curveball when the star was being unveiled.

“Hold on,” Downey, Jr. said as cameras were snapping and Favreau was holding his plaque. “Just to make it official…”

Downey, Jr. then reached into his mouth, pulled out his gum and smashed it down on the star.

“Now we’re ready,” he said.

Entertainment Tonight captured the video, which you can watch below.

.@RobertDowneyJr jokingly plants a wad of gum on @Jon_Favreau's newly unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame star "just to make it official." pic.twitter.com/DReWckplTh

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 13, 2023

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark and tourist destination...

Exclusive: 12 Years a Slave and Brokeback Mountain outfit River Road Entertainment has joined Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd’s feature Unicorns as producer and financier.

CAA Media Finance will be selling the project at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

The cross-cultural romance, directed by The Swimmers filmmaker El Hosaini and Floyd, from a screenplay by Floyd, is now in post-production.

Today, we can also reveal that the film will co-star emerging British Indian R&b artist Jason Patel alongside the previously announced Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody).

Related: Deadline’s Full EFM Coverage

Set against a secretive London subculture, the film follows a queer performer (Patel) living a double life and a single father (Hardy) working as a mechanic, whose lives collide after a chance encounter.

“When Laura Windows, our casting director, introduced us to Jason, we knew we’d found our unicorn. Jason has poured his heart and soul into this.

The actor will answer questions on Thursday on anything from her new film Mr Malcolm’s List to her career in movies such as Slumdog Millionaire

Mumbai-born actor Freida Pinto found fame after being cast in 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire: she had been working as a model for Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, Škoda and Vodafone, and was picked by Danny Boyle to star as the love interest to British-born star Dev Patel.

After Slumdog cleaned up at the award dos, Pinto went on to become a household name, with the unusual career trajectory for an Indian actor of having not featured in any homegrown Bollywood movies, skipping straight to Hollywood, where she’s stayed ever since. She featured as James Franco’s primatologist love interest in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and one of the few human characters in 2018’s Jungle Book update, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.

Simon Brew Dec 18, 2017

With new exclusive behind the scenes pictures, director Kevin Lima takes us through Enchanted, as it hits its 10th birthday.

It’s been ten years since the terrific Enchanted arrived in UK cinemas, just under two months after it premiered at the London Film Festival. The film made a star of Amy Adams, brought back 2D animation from Disney to the big screen, and has a songbook that sits happily alongside the top end of Disney work. Plus, the film remains a flat out family treat.

“It has been a long time” Lima chuckled, apologising in advance if he couldn’t recall all the answers I was after. Turns out he didn’t do too badly. He spared me some time to look back over the film, the challenges of making it, and what happened next…

I’ve only just discovered that Enchanted actually had its premiere in the UK!

Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes are great and all, but what would an Avengers-style team-up movie be like if it featured a mash-up of Disney’s finest? Well, this new fan-edit of the Avengers: Infinity War trailer (seen below) imagines just that, as the teaser is remade beat for beat using clips from your favourite movies from the House of Mouse.

Apart from the clever swapping out of Infinity War scenes with their closest match in Disney movies, the fun in this trailer is seeing which cartoon characters replace the Avengers line-up. For instance, Tony Stark becomes Aladdin, Doctor Strange morphs into Genie, Scarlet Witch and Vision are now Lady and the Tramp, Thor is Hercules (natch), Peter Parker is Max Goof, Bucky Barnes is Peter Pan, and so on.

Perhaps the best match-ups, though, are the villains. Obviously, The Lion King‘s Scar takes the place of Loki, another trickster...

Even lesser Abbott & Costello movies are still comedy gravy to the avid fans of the fast-talking duo. Their first film deal away from Universal yields a so-so production graced with a string of their patented old-time comedy routines. And the transfer beats anything we’ve yet seen.

The Noose Hangs High

Blu-ray

ClassicFlix

1948 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 77 min. / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through ClassicFlix / 24.99

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Joseph Calleia, Leon Errol, Cathy Downs, Mike Mazurki, Fritz Feld, Murray Leonard, Ellen Corby, Russell Hicks, James Flavin, Minerva Urecal, Fred Kelsey.

Cinematography: Charles Van Enger

Film Editor: Harry Reynolds

Assistant Director: Howard W. Koch

Original Music: Walter Schumann

Written by John Grant, Howard Harris from an earlier screenplay by Charles Grayson, Arthur T. Horman story by Julian Blaustein, Daniel Taradash, Bernard Feins

Produced and Directed by Charles Barton

A few famous movie comedy teams prospered with good will and parted with hugs,...

As the reigning king of motion capture, Andy Serkis is pretty skilled at walking around on all fours. The former Gollum, King Kong and now Caesar from the “Planet of the Apes” series brought his “quadrupedding” talents to “The Graham Norton Show” this week, eventually forcing “Spider-Man: Homecoming” star Tom Holland to try his hand (and feet) at monkeying around.

Read More: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Trailer: Tom Holland Fights Michael Keaton in Upcoming Marvel Film

“I happen to have with me some arm extensions, which we can all have a go with,” Serkis says before grabbing said extensions, which totally happened to just be sitting there. He then seamlessly transitions into silverback-gorilla mode and hobbles around as only a seasoned veteran could; Holland, meanwhile, goes wide-eyed when called upon to replicate the motion. (“How do you beat your chest with these things?” he asks after being given the arm extensions. )

Read...

Jungle Book: Origins – the directorial debut of motion-capture guru Andy Serkis – is in the midst of an increasingly lengthy journey to the big screen. The Warner Bros. project was shifted to an October 2018 release window last year – allowing for an increased post-production period – and since then, we haven’t heard too much about it. Truthfully, there’s a cloud of worry starting to form around the project, and rightfully so, but if there’s one thing that we can at least look forward to, it’s Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance.

The 40-year-old is one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men at the moment, finding even more popularity after joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe this past November as Doctor Strange. His career is skyrocketing, to be sure, and if Serkis is to be believed, fans are in for quite a treat when they see, or rather, hear him in Jungle Book: Origins.

I am a huge fan of what Jon Favreau and Disney did with The Jungle Book. It was a spectacular film that captured all of the things that we loved about the original animated film. When the director jumped on board to develop a new version of The Lion King, I was excited to see what he would do with it. Everyone seems to be calling the film a live-action adaptation, but the thing is Favreau will be using the same, yet updated technology, used to bring the animals to life in The Jungle Book in CG form.

Favreau recently appeared at New York City’s School of Visual Arts Theatre with Scarlett Johansson for the latest entry in the Tribeca Talks. It was there he talked about getting into the zone when directing a film saying:

"When you’re directing, you have to love [what you’re making]. You have to love it to the point of obsession.

Few actors working in Hollywood today are juggling as many projects as Benedict Cumberbatch – save for maybe Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Fresh off his title role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, the British thesp has signed on to reprise as the Sorcerer Supreme in both Thor: Ragnarok and next year’s marquee ensemble movie, Avengers: Infinity War. And that’s before you factor in the more drama-oriented fair such as The Current War and Andy Serkis’ long-delayed Jungle Book movie, the latter of which will see Cumberbatch play the iconic role of Shere Khan – no relation to his villain from Star Trek Into Darkness, of course.

It looks likely that Benedict Cumberbatch will have to carve out room on that bustling slate for another project, too, with Deadline reporting today that the actor has entered talks to become The Man In The Rockefeller Suit for Fox Searchlight. Negotiations are ongoing,...

A young girl, thought to be 10 to 12 years old, was discovered living with monkeys in an Indian forest by officials in January and taken to a hospital, according to multiple reports.

She was found naked and seemingly emaciated in the Katarniaghat forest range in northern India surrounded by a troop of primates, according to The New Indian Express. But, she appeared to be in good spirits in the company of the monkeys, according to sub-inspector Suresh Yadav, who was on routine night patrol in the woods.

The publication has drawn comparisons between the girl and Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli, the feral child from Seoni,...

MaryAnn’s quick take… Like a theme-park mounting of the 1991 cartoon, or the blandified pop version of an enchanting signature character tune. A watered-down pastiche of itself. I’m “biast” (pro): love the 1991 film…

I’m “biast” (con): …and saw no need for a remake

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

First there was Disney’s 1991 animated feature Beauty and the Beast, which is one of the most perfect movies ever and helped kickstart the Disney renaissance and completely holds up even now, a quarter of a century later. But the other thing it helped kickstart was Princess Madness, the license to print money that Disney stumbled upon back then. So in 2002 we got a cashing-in IMAX version of Beauty and the Beast, and it was still glorious in spite of the mercenary motive. And in 2012 we got a cashing-in 3D version of Beauty and the Beast,...

We’re not saying they all should be, but they could.

This week, Disney releases another live-action remake of one of their animated classics. And they have many more planned for the future. But they aren’t the only ones attempting to adapt animated works into flesh and blood. The Ghost in the Shell joins Beauty and the Beast in theaters later this month, and other anime remakes, such as Akira, are in development.

It is surprising that more studios aren’t trying to copy Disney with the idea, though. Is it because so few non-Disney features involve human characters or because those that do aren’t that interesting? Below I’ve selected some that could work just fine. Some of them maybe should be done. If you have any other ideas, be our guest and share them in a response.

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)

As I’m not a fan of redundant literal adaptations, I...

CBS is officially set to move forward with their Big Bang Theory spinoff series called Young Sheldon. As you can tell by the title, the series will focus on the character Sheldon when he was a little kid.

Iron Man and Jungle Book director Jon Favreau is officially set to executive produce the series and direct the pilot episode! It seems like he's the perfect guy for the job! Lain Armitage ( Big Little Lies) has been cast in the role of nine-year-old Sheldon. The series set in East Texas where he will be attending high school. Jim Parson will also be involved with the project and will narrate the series as the adult version of Sheldon.

The half-hour comedy series was created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro who originally pitched the idea as being Malcolm in the Middle, but with a young Sheldon.

The series also stars Zoe Perry...

Beauty and the Beast is getting an inclusive update!

Disney's live-action remake of the classic film will feature an "exclusively gay moment," director Bill Condon revealed in an interview with Attitude Magazine.

In the movie, the moment will center around the complex feelings LeFou (Josh Gad) has for Gaston (Luke Evans).

Exclusive: Josh Gad Says 'Beauty and the Beast' Is Going to 'Blow Everyone Away'

“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," Condon shared. "He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that’s what has its payoff at the end, which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie."

Sounds intriguing!

"It may have been a long time coming but this...

Later this month, the mighty Kong returns to the big screen! To celebrate, we’re looking back at all the major primate appearances in film.

For as long as films were being made, humans have starred alongside primates. Unlike other animals, their human-like qualities can lend a sense of comedy or horror. Throughout the history of film, primates have been used to fulfill certain roles. In the early days, they were often a form of antagonist, carrying out dastardly deeds or causing mayhem. More common is the primate cast in a role of mischief, causing all sorts of comedic hijincks. While most primate roles were portrayed by live animals, it was not uncommon for men to dress up in ape suits for roles where the primates needed to carry out specific actions. Later, the advent of CGI has led to men mimicking primates in real time to create a motion-capture performance.

Chicago – And the winner was… a wild and bizarre ending to the 89th Academy Awards, as Best Picture presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given a wrong envelope, resulting in a call of “La La Land” as top movie, but after an on-stage melee, it was further revealed that the Best Picture was actually “Moonlight.”

Producer Jordan Horowitz Announces the Best Picture as ‘Moonlight,’ with Warren Beatty

Photo credit: Getty Images

Beatty – who co-presented with Dunaway 50 years after their starring together in “Bonnie & Clyde – hesitated after opening the envelope, before having Dunaway announce that the musical “La La Land” as Best Picture. The usual celebration on stage took place, until producer Jordan Horowitz of “La La Land” held up the real envelope and said, “This is not a joke, ‘Moonlight’ has won Best Picture,” and after a hesitation, “‘Moonlight.’ Best Picture.” The crew from “Moonlight” took the stage, for...

Moonlight claimed the top prize at Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards in a dramatic finale.Full list of winnersBEST Motion Picture Of The YEARArrivalFencesHacksaw RidgeHell Or High WaterHidden FiguresLionLa La LandManchester By The SeaMoonlightPERFORMANCE By An Actress In A Leading ROLEIsabelle Huppert, ElleRuth Negga, LovingNatalie Portman, JackieEmma Stone, La La LandMeryl Streep, Florence Foster JenkinsPERFORMANCE By An Actor In A Leading ROLECasey Affleck, Manchester By The SeaDenzel Washington, FencesRyan Gosling, La La LandAndrew Garfield, Hacksaw RidgeViggo Mortensen, Captain FantasticBEST DIRECTORDamien Chazelle, La La LandBarry Jenkins, MoonlightKenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The SeaDenis Villeneuve, ArrivalMel Gibson, Hacksaw RidgeADAPTED SCREENPLAYArrival, Eric HeissererFences, August WilsonHidden Figures, Allison Schroeder and Theodore MelfiLion, Luke DaviesMoonlight, Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraneyORIGINAL SCREENPLAYHell Or High Water, Taylor SheridanLa La Land, Damien ChazelleThe Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis FilippouManchester By The Sea, Kenneth Lonergan20th Century Women, Mike MillsACHIEVEMENT In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Song)‘Audition (The Fools Who Dream)’ from...

Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards are underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in a popular adapted screenplay win for Moonlight as the drama earned its second win of the night.

Moments earlier Kenneth Lonergan accepted the original screenplay award for Manchester By The Sea in the film’s first prize. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon – winners of this award for Good Will Hunting 19 years ago – presented the honour to Lonergan. Damon was a producer on the film.

Meryl Streep used her Oscar show platform to pay subtle homage to the unifying power of film when she joined Javier Bardem on stage at the Dolby Theatre to present the cinematography award.

“Truth is hard to reveal,” Streep said, “but when it happens on the movie screen filmgoers no matter where they are from, feel their hearts soar.”

Sweden’s [link...

The Academy Awards are upon us! Join us as we discuss our Oscar picks and those nominees which deserve to win the most.

There are currently almost 6,000 members in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). These people are professionals who have worked in the film industry and every year it is their votes which decide the films and individuals which receive Oscar nominations. Each member will select 5 nominees in the category of their work, and they also select nominees for best picture. These votes are tabulated and the people and films that get the most votes end up with the nominations, which are then voted on again by the Academy to select the winners.

It’s not an easy task to sift through hundreds of films a year to determine which ones are the “best”. Consider that each of the nearly 6,000 voters this year brings their own...

Disney’s live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” is looking at a huge opening of $120 million-plus, according to early tracking three weeks out. One executive familiar with the tracking described it as “‘Jungle Book’ on steroids.” Another tracking analyst even said the film could hit $150 million given that it’s one of Disney’s most beloved tales. The movie stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad and is hitting theaters on March 17. Disney is being more conservative with their estimates, anticipating an opening around $100 million. Also Read: 'Beauty and the Beast' No. 1 in Fandango...

You may not know the name Robert Legato, but you definitely know his work. He's been on the visual effects teams of all sorts of blockbusters (Armageddon, Interview with the Vampire) and won his first Oscar for groundbreaking work on one of the most popular films of all times Titanic (1997) before creating the system that allowed for Avatar (2009). Hes' got two Oscars (Titanic and Hugo), two BAFTAs (Apollo 13 & Jungle Book) and two Emmys (both for Star Trek series). Will a third Oscar follow next weekend? It looks likely for the live action photorealism of the not really live action Jungle Book. 

Though a lot of the particulars of his craft are still a mystery to me after our conversation, I've cherry picked some pieces to share with you that are more readily translatable from our moviegoing perspective. 

Nathaniel R: Rob, I'm not sure where to even begin with your work on Jungle Book.

Disney are going full steam ahead with the live action remakes of their classic cartoons, and while we wait to see what the new Beauty and the Beast has in store for us, plans are already being made for John Favreau’s new take on another modern classic, The Lion King. After helming the delightful Jungle Book remake, Favreau returning to the world of CGI talking animals is something everyone is ready for, especially if his cast follows suit with these first two announcements. Taking to Twitter revealed that Donald Glover will be lending his voice to the project as Simba, and that one of the original cast members will be returning with James Earl Jones once voicing Mufasa. Because if it ain’t broke, why the hell would you fix it. I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba pic.twitter.com/wUYKixMBJI — Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February...

Donald Glover continues to score roles that bring cinematic icons into the 21st century as the Childish Gambino rapper will play Simba in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Disney's The Lion King.

James Earl Jones will also reprise the role of Mufasa in the film, which will be directed by Jon Favreau.

Like Favreau's remake of the The Jungle Book, the film will utilize CGI technology and green screen to transform the beloved 1994 animated movie into a live-action movie.

In addition to voicing Simba, Glover has also been cast to...

Sticking to his usual M.O. for big movie announcements, Jon Favreau appears to have just told Twitter that he’s casting Donald Glover as Simba in his live-action remake of The Lion King. Disney has yet to confirm the information, but Favreau tweeted this out earlier this afternoon:

I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba pic.twitter.com/wUYKixMBJI

— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 18, 2017

It’s always possible that this is just directorial wishful thinking—Glover’s a busy guy, what with Han Solo, Atlanta, and his musical career as Childish Gambino—but it certainly looks like he’ll be belting out “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” somewhere down the line. Details about the live-action Lion King are extremely sparse; Favreau will reportedly film it back-to-back with his second Jungle Book film, but there’s no release date on the books.

Update: Favreau ...