Rebecca Davis Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Rebecca Davis editorThree-time Olympian tennis player Peng Shuai is one of China’s best-known and beloved sports figures.

Rebecca Davis editor“Squid Game” star Park Hae-soo is set to star in the Korean adaptation of the popular Spanish series “Money Heist (La Casa de Papel),” Netflix announced on Tuesday.Park is set to play Andrés “Berlin” de Fonollosa, one of the drama’s main characters. The news of his casting hits as the original series approaches the conclusion of its five-year run on Dec.

Rebecca Davis editor“House of Cards” creator and showrunner Beau Willimon and his Westward producing partner Jordan Tappis will work with “Crazy Rich Asians” co-financier SK Global to develop a TV series based on the blockbuster novel “Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World.”SK Global and Willimon’s independent film, TV and music studio Westward will independently finance and oversee all stages of development and production.David Henry Hwang — the

Rebecca Davis editorHackman Capital Partners (HCP) and its affiliate the MBS Group have won the request to build a major new $250 million studio complex in Toronto, a project that marks the most significant investment in the production industry in more than two decades, the city said Wednesday.The Basin Media Hub, named for its Basin Street location, will sit on 8.9 acres in the provincial capital’s waterfront Port Lands.

Rebecca Davis editor“The happiest place on earth” became a lot less carefree this week after a single visitor tested positive for coronavirus, triggering a sudden lockdown of Shanghai Disneyland that left more than 30,000 visitors barred from exiting the park on Sunday until they could show a negative test result.But what was a nightmare for some frustrated guests has been touted in China as a humane, orderly and targeted form of emergency COVID-19 response that Beijing hopes other regions

Rebecca Davis editor“Dune” didn’t quite manage to spice up its China open after a middling $6 million first day in the country on Friday. The film grossed just $21.6 million in its debut three-day weekend, according to studio estimates.The result is more or less in the ballpark of its $41 million weekend tally in North America, where it released day-and-date simultaneously on HBO Max.

Rebecca Davis editor“Dune” is seeking to lure in China viewers with a new trailer revealing not-yet-seen scenes billed as a “China exclusive.”Without dropping spoilers, the clip shows new images of story’s legendary sandworms and the character Paul Atreides’ visions, among other things.The trailer is slightly more explanatory and less action-oriented. Text inserted into the clip features lines in Chinese that roughly translate to: “From the depths of hopelessness a legend is born.

Rebecca Davis editor“Free Guy” has retained enough charm to stay at second in China in its fourth weekend in theaters, but it slid in just a mere hair ahead of Chinese titles setting themselves up for box office success over the current Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.The 20th Century Studios film starring Ryan Reynolds grossed $4.8 million in the three days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bringing its China cumulative so far up to $85.1 million, according to data from  consultancy Artisan

Rebecca Davis editor“Free Guy” retained its lead of the China box office for the third weekend in a row, and has now surpassed “Tenet” in local sales.It brought in $12.4 million on a rare weekend with three non-Chinese language titles in the top five, according to Maoyan figures.China’s box office has been dismal all summer and the slump continued this week with, once again, only five films that made over $1 million.

Rebecca Davis editorFilming has begun on “Marie Antoinette,” a new, eight-part drama for Canal Plus Creation Originale.The story of the incredibly modern young queen was created and written by Deborah Davis (“The Favourite”), who worked alongside co-writers Louise Ironside (“The Split”), Avril E. Russell (“All on a Summer’s Day”) and Chloë Moss (“Run Sister Run”).

Rebecca Davis editorSony Music Entertainment Korea (SMEK) has appointed Bobby Youngchan Ju as its new managing director.He will oversee all of the company’s operations in the country, build and strengthen strategic partnership, and grow SMEK’s local roster.

Rebecca Davis editorKabul-based filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat has made it out of Afghanistan, her producer Katja Adomeit formally announced on Monday.Sadat was able to make it through thronging crowds and Taliban checkpoints into the airport along with nine of her family members after numerous days of trying, said Adomeit, who is also CEO of Adomeit Film. Sadat is currently in Abu Dhabi and will soon board a plane to Europe.

Rebecca Davis editorThe toppling of powerful men by #MeToo accusations in Hollywood and beyond has be­­come a familiar phenomenon to Americans in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, but in China, such reckonings remain rare.

Rebecca Davis editorLast month, to fete the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party, China broadcast a propaganda megashow convened at Beijing National Stadium, which was built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Throughout the massive two-hour spectacle, Olympic themes intertwined with political imagery to depict the party as a benevolent, beloved world leader.

Rebecca Davis editor“Lego Masters” is heading to China following a major deal from distributor Banijay Rights.Chinese production firm Long Qing Media has been commissioned to create a first run of the show for Shenzhen TV, for which production is already underway.

Rebecca Davis editor“Green Snake,” the Chinese animated sequel to the folktale adaptation “White Snake,” slithered past propaganda films to the top of the box office this weekend with a $29.7 million debut, according to Maoyan figures.The platform currently predicts that “Green Snake” will go on to gross $77.5 million, which would make it more successful than its 2019 predecessor’s $61.6 million.The new sequel brought in $2.6 million from Imax screens in China, which accounted for 9.1% of its

Rebecca Davis editorMajor brands are dumping their partnerships with Kris Wu, a former member of the K-pop group EXO and one of China’s most influential celebrities, after he was accused of predatory behavior toward women.The allegations have created a nationwide scandal and set the Chinese internet on fire.

Rebecca Davis editor“Chinese Doctors” gave a shot in the arm to a sluggish weekend at the Chinese box office, coming in first with sales of $44.4 million, according to Maoyan data.The patriotic tear-jerked had little competition: only other patriotic films, children’s animations and youth-centric programming are currently in theaters.The Wuhan-set pandemic film from Bona Film is the most commercial of a slew of blockbusters intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party, and

Rebecca Davis editorC.B. Yi’s Un Certain Regard title “Moneyboys” is a moving exploration of Chinese rural-to-urban migration that feels authentically emotional despite being peppered with incongruous moments and details.The film follows Fei (Kai Ko), who moves from the countryside to Chinese cities to support his family as a hustler.

Rebecca Davis editor‘Mulan’ actor Gong Li will serve as the chairman of the international jury doling out the top Tiantan Awards at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), the event said Tuesday.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese TikTok rival Kuaishou has sub-licensed the rights to the two next Olympic Games from state broadcaster CCTV, making it the first short video and livestreaming platform globally to become an official broadcaster of the Olympics.The deal comes a few weeks after Chinese tech giant Tencent also struck a deal with CCTV for official streaming rights.Kuaishou secured the short-form rights to both the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in a deal

Rebecca Davis editor“Moneyboys,” the China-set first feature from up-and-coming helmer C.B. Yi, dropped its first trailer Wednesday.

Rebecca Davis editorK-pop group BTS’ limited-edition branded McDonald’s meals were so hot in Indonesia this week that dozens of stores had to close for fear that the crowds clamoring for them would spread COVID-19.The meal debuted locally on Wednesday, and demand quickly overwhelmed stores.

Rebecca Davis editor“F9” star John Cena apologized to Chinese fans Tuesday after calling Taiwan a country in a promotional interview, but many viewers in the world’s largest film market have deemed his beseeching appeal for forgiveness insufficient.Speaking with the Taiwanese news channel TVBS earlier this month, the professional wrestler — who has been learning Chinese for over a decade — said in Mandarin that Taiwan would be the “first country” able to watch the latest installment of the

Rebecca Davis editor“F9,” the latest installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, is already revving up for a box office takeover — though a notably less spectacular one than other franchise films in years past.Its release appears not to have been marred by what Universal Pictures called a security “threat” earlier this week that forced the studio to abruptly cancel a major promotional event in Shanghai.“F9” racked up more than $32.6 million (RMB210 million) in pre-sale tickets, making it the

Rebecca Davis editorA recent Chinese state media report has added to rumors that two major Marvel superhero films, “The Eternals” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” may not be approved for release in China.In a report on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four films, the CCTV6 China Movie Channel aired a list of the U.S. release dates for eight of the ten scheduled titles, but conspicuously left out “The Eternals” and “Shang-Chi.” After “Black Widow,” which hits the U.S.

Rebecca Davis editor“Better Days” is Hong Kong’s first Oscar submission to be nominated for best international feature film since 1993, but its nod has only inflamed political tensions at home.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese director Jia Zhangke has formally launched his new venture: a filmmaking school in his native Shanxi staffed by some of China’s top industry talent, including helmers Ning Hao and Bi Gan.The Shanxi Film Academy was inaugurated in a ceremony presided over by Communist party officials and attended by major firms seeking synergies between the school’s future crop of filmmakers and their own thirst for new talent and content.

Rebecca Davis editor“Godzilla vs. Kong” was once again muscled out of the top China box office slot by local drama “Sister” thanks to a $13.2 million third weekend cume that was no match for the latter’s $21 million.Its China tally was a touch less than its $13.4 million second weekend sales in North America.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou’s historical spy thriller “Cliff Walkers” will hit North American cinemas on April 30, day-and-date with its China release.“Cliff Walkers” was previously title “Impasse” in English. Its Chinese title translates to “On the Cliff.” It will be distributed abroad by CMC Pictures.The film marks Zhang’s first foray into the spy genre.

Rebecca Davis editorLongstanding Alibaba executive and pop culture icon Gao Xiaosong has left his role as director of Alibaba Music, according to company data publicly available via the Chinese company information site Tianyancha.He exited Tuesday, the same day that the Wall Street Journal reported that the Chinese government has asked Alibaba Group to sell off or reel in its sprawling assortment of media assets.

Rebecca Davis editorChina is belatedly scrambling to fill in its post-Lunar New Year screening calendar, announcing Tuesday that it would round out its March offerings with foreign title “Persian Lessons” and a re-release of “Avatar.”“Avatar” will hit in just three days’ time on March 12. The official screening green light comes so close to the film’s actual re-release date that it appears the DCP hard drives might not even make it to some cinemas in time.

Rebecca Davis editor“Tom and Jerry” squeaked in a narrow fifth in China with a $12.4 million debut, failing to capture viewers still flocking to local Chinese New Year holdover titles over the Lantern Festival holiday weekend.The Warner Bros.

Rebecca Davis editorTaiwan has denied prominent Hong Kong film producer and entertainment mogul Charles Heung Wah-keung and his son visas to live there, citing national security concerns.Heung is known for founding Win’s Entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s powerhouse China Star Entertainment, the Hong Kong-listed production company and distributor that helped cement the stardom of Hong Kong cinematic icons such as Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, Johnnie To, and many more.

Rebecca Davis editorHours after Beijing banned the BBC World Service, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster announced Friday that it will also drop certain BBC programs, sparking concern from foreign governments and journalist organizations.Beijing’s tit-for-tat move to block the BBC came a week after the U.K.

Rebecca Davis editorFormer NBA superstar Michael Jordan still doesn’t own the rights to his own name in China, but at least he’s just won a bit of pocket money heading into 2021.In the latest installment of Jordan’s years-long saga of trademark suits, a Shanghai court ruled Wednesday that a Chinese sportswear and shoe manufacturer that has used his name as its brand for decades did so without authorization and with the intention to “mislead” consumers.