Keerthy Suresh, Radhika Apte to Headline YRF Entertainment Revenge Thriller Series ‘Akka’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Greek non-profit creative incubator Oxbelly has revealed the participants of its 2023 retreat for writers in episodic, fiction and poetry. Founded by producer and Faliro House founder Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Oxbelly is known for its screenwriters and directors labs — which run under the artistic direction of Athina Rachel Tsangari — and draws a number of international filmmakers every summer to Greece.

Selome Hailu Moonbug Entertainment, the studio behind “Cocomelon,” has set its first project in collaboration with game and toy company Toikido: animated preschool series “PeaKeeBoo.” “PeaKeeBoo” focuses on sounds and visuals from nature and draws inspiration from the children’s game peek-a-boo. Season 1 will debut on the Moonbug Kids YouTube channel in 2024.

BLACKPINK are still discussing their individual contracts with YG Entertainment, the label has confirmed.YG Entertainment announced yesterday (December 6) that BLACKPINK had re-signed with the K-pop agency following a months-long negotiation process, saying that the quartet would be releasing “new albums” and embarking on “world tours” in the future.However, in its statement, YG Entertainment also said that BLACKPINK had “signed an exclusive contract for group activities”, which left questions about the quartet’s individual contracts with the agency.In a later statement to South Korean news outlet eToday, YG Entertainment confirmed that “the exclusive contracts for individual members are still being negotiated”.In addition, the label also said that it is currently “difficult to provide details” about the duration of BLACKPINK’s new group contract, as well as any possible upcoming plans for new music. “For now, please kindly refer to the official statement only,” per TV Report, as translated by Soompi.Yesterday, the share price of YG Entertainment shot up by as much as 29 per cent after it announced that BLACKPINK have renewed their contracts with the agency.

YG Entertainment has shot up after it announced that K-pop girl group BLACKPINK have renewed their contracts with the agency.The share price of YG Entertainment soared as much as 29 per cent today (December 6 KST), following the agency’s announcement that BLACKPINK have re-signed their contracts after a prolonged negotiation process.According to CNBC, the share price of YG Entertainment had closed at ₩48,000 (US$36.50) the day prior, but surged to as high as ₩61,900 (US$47.15) today. The price of the company’s stocks have since cooled slightly, hovering at around ₩60,000 (US$65.70) at time of writing.Meanwhile, Bloomberg also notes that the stock price of YG Plus, which is partially owned by YG Entertainment, jumped up by the daily limit of 30 per cent.

BLACKPINK have renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment, following a months-long negotiation process.On the early morning of December 6, YG Entertainment announced in a press release to NME that BLACKPINK will “continue their partnership” with the K-pop agency, following a prolonged negotiation process.In its statement, YG Entertainment said that the quartet have “signed an exclusive contract for group activities”, noting that the re-signing is “based on strong trust after careful discussions”.YG Entertainment also said that the K-pop girl group will be releasing “new albums” and embarking on “world tours” with the “full support” of the K-pop agency.“We are more than thrilled to finally make an official statement that YG will continue the intimate relationship with BLACKPINK,” said YG Entertainment founder and executive producer Yang Hyun-suk in the press release.“As the group represents YG and K-pop itself, they will certainly endeavor to shine brilliantly in the global music market,” he added. “YG will send unwavering support and trust in their actions”.The news of BLACKPINK’s decision to renew their contracts with YG Entertainment follows months of negotiation with the label.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Madeleine Gavin’s Sundance award-winning documentary “Beyond Utopia” will kick off the winter season of PBS documentary series “Independent Lens” on Jan. 9. Using hidden camera footage, the 115-minute doc follows the high-stakes journey that a handful of desperate families make in order to defect from North Korea — a country with the most brutal regime on earth, led by a dictator, Kim Jong-un.

EXCLUSIVE: Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, Xolo Maridueña, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver will star in Killing Castro. Eif Rivera will direct from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia, and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Williams is set to star in and produce Dying For Sex, a limited series for FX from writers Liz Meriwether (The Dropout) and Kim Rosenstock (Only Murders In the Building), director Leslye Headland (Acolyte) and 20th Television where Meriwether and Headland are under overall deals.

EXCLUSIVE: Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones, SAS: Rogue Heroes), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley) and Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, Sex Education) are to star in a Dutch-Belgian thriller series from Ozark co-creator Mark Williams, Night Train Media and Submarine.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic If John Woo had permitted the characters in “Silent Night” to speak, chances are that audiences would laugh them off the screen. Instead, the director gets right down to business, opening with a wordless chase sequence in which a sad dad (Joel Kinnaman) in a corny Christmas sweater sprints after a pair of speeding cars.

The cast of Asacha Media’s Spanish-Serbian thriller series Scar (Cicatriz) has taken shape.

EXCLUSIVE: Happy Valley actor James Norton has been set to lead an ITV and StudioCanal adaptation of JP Delaney’s bestselling novel Playing Nice.

Sony Pictures is launching an immersive entertainment destination next month called Wonderverse at the giant Oakbrook Center mall near Chicago with attractions from the studio’s film, TV series and video games including Jumanji, Ghostbusters, Bad Boys, Zombieland and Uncharted.

BBC drama Boat Story to the works of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.Created by Jack and Harry Williams (The Tourist), the thriller series follows Janet (Daisy Haggard) and Samuel (Paterson Joseph) who stumble upon a boat filled with cocaine. The pair decide to sell the drugs and split the profits between them, only to find themselves entangled with the police and a gangster known as ‘The Tailor’ (Tcheky Karyo).Other cast members include Joanna Scanlan, Craig Fairbrass and Phil Daniels.After the first episode aired on BBC One on Sunday (November 19), with the full series available on BBC iPlayer, some viewers compared the show’s tone, and violence, to Tarantino’s work.“Thought Boat Story was really good but be warned you need a strong stomach! Bit Tarantinoesque! Good cast as well,” one viewer wrote on X.Another added: “#boatstory tonight on @BBCOne was so good. Very Coen Bros and Tarantinoesque.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Oscar winner Jeremy Irons has joined the cast of Palme d’Or-winning director Bille August‘s prestige limited series “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which also stars Sam Claflin. A sprawling adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, the English-language series is produced by Mediawan’s banner Palomar, the leading Italian company behind “Inspector Montalbano” and “The Name of the Rose,” in collaboration with another Mediawan label, France’s DEMD Productions.

GOT7 member BamBam says that there is no bad blood between the boyband and their former label JYP Entertainment.BamBam recently spoke about the boyband’s relationship with JYP Entertainment during the latest episode of his online talk show, Bam House, which featured a special guest appearance from the label’s founder and namesake J.Y. Park.“I really want to untie this misunderstanding.

Naman Ramachandran “The Railway Men,” the first production from YRF Entertainment, the streaming production arm of India’s Yash Raj Films, was a carefully considered choice from studio head Aditya Chopra, director Shiv Rawail has revealed. The four-part series is a tribute to the unsung heroes of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and marks the first venture in a multi-year creative partnership between Netflix and Yash Raj Films. In 1984, a cloud of toxic gas escaped from an American pesticide plant in the central Indian city of Bhopal.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Tyra Banks is shaking things up at her production company. Formerly known as Bankable Productions, the production shingle will now go by the name SMiZE Productions. The move is a nod to Banks’ ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream.

YG Entertainment trainee Ahyeon will no longer be debuting as part of the label’s highly anticipated girl group BABYMONSTER.Earlier today (November 15), South Korean news outlet News1 reported that BABYMONSTER will be debuting as a six-piece rather than a seven-piece with the departure of member/trainee Ahyeon from the group. The report cited “personal reasons” for her withdrawal, and also claimed that Ahyeon may re-join the group’s ranks at a later stage, but will not be present for their debut.Several hours after the reports surfaced, a representative from YG Entertainment released an official statement through press confirming the absence of Ahyeon from the debuting BABYMONSTER line-up.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The newest surprise at Fox’s “Masked Singer” isn’t tied to an appearance by a mysterious celebrity. On Wednesday night, the popular reality-competition program will bring an advertiser into its format for the first time since launching in 2019.