Hasbro’s eOne U-Turn: Behind Toymaker’s Decision To Sell Indie Film & TV Studio & What’s Next

Gurinder Chadha revealed in an In-Conversation at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival on Saturday, that she had been approached about collaborating on a local version of her hit 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham during her trip to the festival.

A platoon of titles hits the specialty circuit this weekend, getting in ahead of steamroller Avatar: Way of Water and the year-end deadline for Oscar eligibility. This is a soul-searching, what-lies-ahead moment for a market still much too inconsistent for comfort, but that can be pondered later. At the moment, indie distributors are quite busy “with all these movies, and these plans to release theatrically. We are not going anywhere,” said one executive.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has entered the running to replace Daniel Craig as the new James Bond.

Aussie actor Hugh Jackman was best known for musicals like “Oklahoma” when the Wolverine role was offered to him in the early 2000s. At the time, director Bryan Singer and 20th Century Fox had lost their original choice, Dougray Scott, to Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible II.” After “X-Men” became a huge hit, Jackman was briefly considered for the role of James Bond in what would end up being 2006’s “Casino Royale.” He turned down the part paving the way for Daniel Craig to ultimately take the reins from Pierce Brosnan.

Emma Sidi has landed the role of broadcaster and MacTaggart Lecture giver Emily Maitlis in Channel 4’s upcoming satire Prince Andrew: The Musical.

John Dartigue, a 22-year Warner Bros executive who rose to VP Publicity and supervised campaigns for such hits as The Fugitive and The Dark Knight and after starting his career at United Artists and working on the first 10 James Bonds pics, has died. He was 82.

Royal surprise! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent a loving shout-out to Sir Elton John at one of his farewell concerts — and showed a rare display of affection in the process.

EXCLUSIVE: Darren Criss, Lena Hall, Ramin Karimloo and Solea Pfeiffer will perform a one-night-only benefit concert of the 1986 Benny Andersson-Björn Ulvaeus-Tim Rice musical Chess next month at a Broadway theater to benefit The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).

“I’ve been to the other side!,” testified Tonight host Jimmy Fallon in mock-revivalist-preacher mode on last night’s show. “I’ve seen the Pearly Gates! I’ve paid $8 for that blue check mark in the sky but I want you all to know I wouldn’t leave this earth until my job is done and tonight my job is to entertain you!”

Jimmy Fallon, contrary to a thoroughly unconvincing Twitter hoax, is not dead. Still, when he reached out – half-heartedly, if must be noted – to Twitter CEO Elon Musk for assistance, he was met with a verbal shrug.

The most recent report by the public spending watchdog on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) accounts has revealed that around 237,000 people over State Pension age have been underpaid a total of £1.46 billion. The underpayments average around £8,900 per person.

PBS NewsHour made the official announcement on Wednesday that Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett would succeed Judy Woodruff as co-anchors of the newscast.

Heartbreaking. An 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot to death by his 13-year-old brother at their home while handling a gun he found in their parents’ bedroom.