Abhishek Bachchan Returns to ‘Housefull’ Bollywood Comedy Film Franchise (EXCLUSIVE) – Global Bulletin

Naman Ramachandran UPDATE: Sahara India Pariwar, the company founded by the late Subrata Roy, has hit back after SonyLIV and Applause Entertainment announced a series on him. “An abusive and grossly condemnable act has been demonstrated by the makers of ‘Scam’ to achieve cheap and wide publicity, by announcing to unveil, “Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga”. Sahara India Pariwar condemns such acts of all the individuals and parties involved and shall resist to their offending behavior.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Tom Felton, best-known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” franchise, is to star in the $15 million action/sci-fi film “Altered,” alongside Richard Brake (“Game of Thrones,” “Barbarian,” “Mayor of Kingstown”), Igor Jijikine (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”), Aggy Adams (“The Witcher”) and Liza Bugulova. The film is set in an alternate present, where most of the human population have undergone genetic enhancements.

When Adi (Ciprian Chiujdea) is beaten up outside the one dance club in the village where he grew up, his father takes up the cudgels, chivvying the local police chief into finding out who did it. It would be obvious enough to anyone but dad Dragoi (Bogdan Dumitrache) that this is a straight-up case of gay-bashing, which would seem to signal that Emanuel Parvu’s Cannes Competition title Three Kilometers to the End of the World, a slice of Romanian life, will be a worthy but familiar story of a boy’s coming out to a hostile world. Indeed, bloodied Adi with his black eyes and traumatic lesions is soon being punished, locked in his room by his parents as his desperate mother prays to the icons on the wall for guidance. We have undoubtedly been down this donkey-track before. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hit crime thriller “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon” received 13 nominations for the upcoming Taipei Film Festival’s Taipei Film Awards. These include nominations for best feature, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best supporting actress, and best supporting actor.

Rithy Panh has dedicated the lion’s share of his career to interrogating the genocidal Khmer Rouge era in his native Cambodia, and it is no trivial obsession. Panh fled Phnom Penh when he was just 11, and after his family was devastated in the Killing Fields, he escaped to a Thai refugee camp at 15. Now 60, Panh has been committed to keeping the memory of the impact of Pol Pot’s tyrannical regime alive in documentary, narrative and animated film.

Naman Ramachandran Streamer SonyLIV, filmmaker Hansal Mehta and studio Applause Entertainment have combined again for “Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga.” Based on the book “Sahara: the Untold Story” by Tamal Bandyopadhyay the series will tell the story of businessman Subrata Roy of the Sahara India Pariwar that operates in the the financial services, construction, real estate, sports, manufacturing, hospitality, media and life insurance sectors. In the early 2000s, Roy was accused of several financial misdemeanors, leading to his arrest in 2014.

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran‘s next film “Papa Buka” will commence principal photography in Papua New Guinea in July. The film will follow Indian historians Romila and Anand who go to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to write a book about the Indian soldiers who fought with the British and Australian armies against the Japanese during WWII in the country.

Naman Ramachandran International sales agent Incredible Film has secured global distribution rights to “Amsterdamned II,” the sequel to Dick Maas’ 1988 cult classic, “Amsterdamned.” Veteran Dutch actor Huub Stapel reprises his role as detective Eric Visser, who once pursued a serial killer through the Dutch canals three decades ago, as he is brought back from retirement by a revelation that shakes him to his core. In the sequel, also directed by Maas, Visser and fellow detective Tara Lee fight against an evil that threatens them and the city of Amsterdam. The film is a coproduction from the Netherlands’ 2CFilm and Parachute Pictures and Belgium’s Potemkino.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Omar Sy, the charismatic French actor of heist show “Lupin,” is set to star in “French Lover,” Netflix‘s romantic comedy that will mark the directorial debut of Nina Rives. Sy, who is currently attending the Cannes Film Festival and sits on Greta Gerwig’s competition jury, will star opposite Sara Giraudeau (“Bernadette”), Pascale Arbillot (“Lost Bullet”) and Alban Ivanov (“C’est la vie”). Hugo Gélin, who previously directed “Love at Second Sight” and “Two Is a Family,” a pair of heartwarming comedies which thrived at the French box office, is serving as artistic producer on the film.

An iconic sci-fi star is joining a legendary science-fiction fantasy series. Sigourney Weaver, known for her turn as Ellen Ripley in the “Alien” series, has been cast in the upcoming “Star Wars” film, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” according to THR.

Naman Ramachandran The European Film Academy has added a record 709 new members in its 2024 annual intake. New members include Cate Blanchett (Australia/U.K.), Jovan Marjanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maria Bakalova (Bulgaria), Juraj Lerotić (Croatia), Anna Hints (Estonia), Ariane Toscan du Plantier (France), Stéphan Castang (France), David Thion (France), Marie-Ange Luciani (France), Latifa Saïd (France), Rebecca Houzel (France), Thomas Hakim (France), Sami Mustafa (France/Kosovo), Mohamed Siam (France), Hanna Bergholm (Finland), Hamze Bytyçi (Germany) and Christian M.

If cinema is somehow retracting, contracting, or diminishing, don’t tell the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival and all its many sidebars. Thank god for them because when you look at the Cannes 2024 line-up, cinema seems to be in great health and shape.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Playmaker has signed with Neopol Film to handle international sales for their upcoming creature horror thriller, “Paws.” Featuring polar bear creature animatronics from the renowned studio behind “Star Wars” and “Jurassic World,” the film tells the story of a climate researcher stranded in the Arctic who must forge an unlikely alliance with a polar bear in order to survive. The project will feature a stellar international cast, yet to be announced.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Films Boutique has taken world sales rights to documentary “Elementary,” directed by Claire Simon, ahead of the film’s world premiere in the Special Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film was shot at the Makarenko public elementary school on the outskirts of Paris.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Studio 100 Intl., in collaboration with Germany’s Caligari Film and Studio Isar Animation, and Spain’s 3 Doubles Producciones, is to produce action-comedy CGI movie “Dougie Dolittle.” Targeting a core demographic of 8-12 year olds and a family audience, the movie is planned for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026. Studio 100 Film is handling global sales and will introduce the film at Marché du Film in Cannes.

It’s May 4th, and you know what that means. In honor of the annual “Star Wars” fan holiday (“May The Force”), Lucasfilm has revealed the new trailer for “The Acolyte,” and if you were maybe a bit underwhelmed by the secretive nature of the first teaser, well, this trailer rips off the mask, unveils secrets and looks pretty damn great.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood A-list actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has been appointed national ambassador for India by humanitarian organization UNICEF. UNICEF has been operating in India for 75 years and Kapoor Khan has been serving as the org’s celebrity advocate since 2014.

Naman Ramachandran Some of the Sony Music Group‘s top European artists are backing a voter participation campaign. Sony has launched what it describes as a “non-partisan campaign,” titled Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote, to encourage voting in the June European Union elections, with a focus on young people and underrepresented groups.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Meryl Streep will receive the honorary Palme d’Or on the opening night of the 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned. Luring the Oscar winner is yet another feat for this Cannes edition, which will bring together a flurry Hollywood legends. Notably, George Lucas will receive the honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony; Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” are playing in competition; and George Miller‘s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and Kevin Costner’s Western epic “Horizon, an American Saga” are playing out of competition.

Ellise Shafer The Royal Television Society has revealed the dates and initial speakers for its annual RTS London Convention. This year’s event will take place on Sept. 17 at Kings Place in London and is chaired by Anna Mallett, Netflix‘s vice president of production for EMEA and the U.K.