Kelvin Harrison Jr. teases B.B. King portrayal in ‘Elvis’

Martin Scorsese’s Boston gangster movie “The Departed” was loosely based on the thrilling Hong Kong crime epic “Infernal Affairs” that starred Asian superstars Tony Leung and Andy Lau. Well, the pair of actors are reuniting for a new thriller, “Goldfinger,” aka, “Once Upon A Time In Hong Kong,” that will be written/directed by Felix Chong, who penned the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHit by mandatory closures through 40% of 2020-21, the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park and resort trimmed its losses to HK$2.4 billion ($308 million), management reported on Monday.The park and its hotels operate a financial year that runs from October to September and reported the figures nearly six months in arrears. The park and hotels are currently closed, following yet another government order in early January 2022.

Russell Wilson held up his jersey at the first press conference after signing with the Broncos, and his family was right by his side in the team’s colors. Ciara looked stunning in an orange suit with their mini me’s Future Zahir Wilburn,7, 4-year-old Sienna Princess Wilson,4, and 19-month-old Win Harrison Wilson. The proud and supportive entertainer shared a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Broncos Country Baby! Let’s Ride!” She had the support of her friends, including Vanessa Bryant who commented, ”Love you guys! Congratulations!!!!”The singer also shared addtional photos outside the stadium on her story, and was all smiles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAfter “Parasite” and “Squid Game” struck planet-wide notes with their critique of elitism, Trevor Choi’s “Smashing Frank” is a timely Hong Kong twist on the revenge-against-the-rich theme. It is being pitched at the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) that this week runs alongside the FilMart rights market.“This is a comedy-drama about four millennials who form a squad to rob the rich. During the course of the crime, they are outraged as they gradually realize that the older generation will never change their ways.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s drama of the rock-and-roll legend starring Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) and Tom Hanks, will world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has confirmed.The movie currently has June 24 release date, which means it couldn’t open the festival unless Warner Bros. Pictures decides to have it bow on May 17 to kick off the milestone 75th edition.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has firmed a splashy Cannes premiere for Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann-directed epic story about the relationship between Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker that shook up the world of rock and roll forever. No specific date yet, but the film is locked in for a Palais bow, sources said. Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood‘s Austin Butler plays Presley and Tom Hanks plays Parker, the man who discovered the singer and turned him into a world famous star, taking half his earnings for his trouble.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFree Stone Productions has added a quartet of new Japanese film titles to its sales slate for this week’s virtual edition of Hong Kong FilMart. The female-led company is selling romance “Leave in Summer” and drama film “Yes, I Can’t Swim” both of which will release later this year.Directed by Igashi Aya, “Leave in Summer” is a tale of a lost soul and his spiritual guide. It depicts a man washing up in a seaside town at the end of the season and seeking to stay so that he can reconnect with his recently deceased wife.

Mirror singer and actor Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming action thriller Chungking Mansions. Billed as Hong Kong’s biggest zombie film ever, the Phoenix Waters Productions pic, in co-production with AMM Global and Salon Films Japan, has also added Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korea’s Choi Si-Hun and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAsian sports streaming platform SPOTV has launched in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and The Philippines. The move was announced on the first day of the virtual FilMart rights market.The service is available as a subscription-based app that includes linear channels and on demand event coverage. The sports it covers include MotoGP World Championships and World Superbike Championships; World Badminton Federation Tour; the Korean Baseball League; V.League Japan and Formula E motor racing.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefOrganizers of Hong Kong FilMart, normally Asia’s biggest film and TV rights market, are putting on a brave face despite their prestige event being forced into an online-only format for the third time in a row.The city’s borders are closed to travelers from several key countries and its onerous quarantine on-arrival conditions show no sign of being lifted during the current fifth wave of COVID-19 infections.But, while many Asian industry executives have been unable to attend an in-person festival or market for some two years now, and are keenly awaiting the first opportunity, these days they are also vastly more experienced at dealing with virtual markets, video conferencing and online screenings. The number of companies participating as exhibitors at FilMart 2022 is set to reach 750, compared with 680 last year.

EXCLUSIVE: Elvis star Austin Butler is in negotiations to play Feyd-Rautha in Warner Bros and Legendary’s Dune: Part Two. Florence Pugh is also in negotiations to join the all-star ensemble with Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin expected to reprise their roles. Director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve is also returning.

EXCLUSIVE: After directing Will Smith to a SAG Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated performance in King Richard, which has been nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Reinaldo Marcus Green has set up a new project with Lionsgate—an untitled dramedy that he will write, direct and produce for the studio.

“Elvis” headliner Austin Butler is in early talks to play Feyd Rautha in “Dune: Part Two,” according to an insider with knowledge of the project.Feyd is the cunning nephew of Baron Harkonnen (played by Stellan Skarsgård in the first film). The role was previously played by Sting in David Lynch’s 1984 “Dune” film and Matt Keeslar in the “Dune 2000” miniseries.Denis Villeneuve will return to direct the sequel, which is set for release in October 2023.As implied by the final scene of the first film, “Dune: Part Two” will see Paul Atreides (Timothée  Chalamet) continue to train his powers of foresight and mind control under the aid of his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and the Fremen on Arrakis.

Zack Sharf Austin Butler is in talks to join the cast of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part 2” as the villainous Feyd-Rautha, the sadistic nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and the heir to the Harkonnen empire. The role is one of the most important new characters appearing in “Dune: Part 2.” A source close to the project told Variety that Butler is in “the very early stages” of joining the film.

Kaia Gerber, 20, and Austin Butler, 30, are spending some quality time together after her week hitting the runways for the top designers at Paris Fashion Week. Kaia and Austin had an afternoon lunch date together in Los Feliz on March 5. The couple stayed cozy on their outing, with Kaia sweetly wrapping her arm around Austin on the side of the street.