Trinity CineAsia Acquires Donnie Yen Film ‘Raging Fire’ (EXCLUSIVE)

For a film that almost didn’t get made, 76 Days has racked up an impressive number of awards.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s “Luca” is the first Hollywood picture to get a release in China in weeks, but its opening figures didn’t make that big of a splash — at least, not close to enough to douse the continued reign of Donnie Yen action film “Raging Fire.”The animation directed and co-written by Enrico Casarosa swam to a $5.1 million China opening weekend, according to consultancy Artisan Gateway.

The director of Irish film Wildfire says she is ‘heartbroken’ that its star Nika McGuigan is not alive to see the launch of the movie next month.

Spain’s San Sebastian Festival has set Zhang Yimou’s Chinese epic One Second as the opening film for its competition program this year.

Hong Kong government has confirmed it has given Nicole Kidman an exemption from the city’s strict quarantine procedures, while currently tightening inbound travel restrictions for ordinary residents.Through her Blossom Films production company, Kidman is attached as an executive producer on “The Expats,” an Amazon Studios series directed by U.S.-based Chinese helmer Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) that is currently shooting in the city.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese censors have approved the next feature from Tibetan director Pema Tseden, a Venice International Film Festival regular and one of the most influential filmmakers working in the Tibetan language.The film’s Chinese name translates to “Stranger.” It is an adaptation of a short story he wrote of the same name, which he has publicly said as far back as 2013 that he hoped one day to adapt into a film.Authorities have approved the script Tseden wrote for the project,

Donnie Yen stars in Raging Fire, the Hong Kong/Chinese actioner that’s hitting domestic cinemas on Friday (via Well Go USA) as it nears $100M at the China box office. Directed by the late Benny Chan, it introduces us to Yen’s character, Shan, as a principled cop who’s protective of his pregnant wife (who rarely speaks).

Naman Ramachandran Director Sebastián Lelio has commenced production of Netflix film “The Wonder,” starring Florence Pugh, in Ireland.An adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Emma Donoghue, author of the Oscar winning “Room,” the film is set in the Irish Midlands circa 1862.

Irish influencer Dominique Nugent has made her new relationship Instagram official after rekindling with an old flame.

As the fall festivals Venice, Telluride and Toronto, as well as New York and London continue to evolve in the surging Covid environment, AFI Fest has announced it is moving full speed ahead.

Ian Brown has debuted a new music video to accompany his cover of Johnny Osbourne’s ‘Truths & Rights’, which arrived earlier this year.The video, which is directed by filmmaker Scully, sees the Stone Roses frontman’s vocals being played over six minutes of footage from A Touch of Zen – the 1971 movie from Chinese filmmaker King Hu.The track also sees Brown offering a largely faithful take on Osbourne’s Reggae staple, but features a selection of lyrics that could be interpreted as being in

Ireland has become a hotbed for A-list blockbusters of late and Florence Pugh is the latest Hollywood star to land on our shores.

Rebecca Davis editorThe list of major Hollywood tentpoles that have released in the U.S. in the past month but not yet fixed a China release date is growing ever longer — an issue of significant concern to industry players on both sides of the Pacific.“Black Widow,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “Jungle Cruise” and now “The Suicide Squad” have all rolled out Stateside but given no formal indication of when and whether they will debut in the world’s largest film market.

Organizers of the Beijing International Film Festival have postponed the event due to increasing Covid cases in China.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHighly-anticipated mainland Chinese film “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which was due to have been released later this month has been postponed to an unspecified date. The move, announced late on Thursday, was caused by a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in China.The film is a Korean War epic that is co-directed by Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam and should have released on Aug.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese pop singer and actor Jackson Yee, who starred in the Oscar-nominated drama “Better Days,” will anchor a new blockbuster from Chinese director Wen Muye, whose “Dying to Survive” is China’s 12th highest grossing film of all time.The film, scheduled for a 2022 release, does not yet have an official English title, but its Chinese name translates to “Miracle.” It will be produced by Ning Hao and his Dirty Monkey Films.The plot is described in current reports:

Rebecca Davis editorDonnie Yen-starring action thriller “Raging Fire” roared to the top this weekend in China with a $37.2 million opening, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, but its sales were far from enough to revive China’s slumping ticket sales.Yen was last seen on Chinese screens last year in Disney’s “Mulan,” which performed worse than expected.

EXCLUSIVE: MGM TV has optioned Wednesday Martin’s bestselling memoir Primates of Park Avenue to develop as a television series with Emmy-nominated writer Yahlin Chang (The Handmaid’s Tale) set to pen the series adaptation. Former MGM film boss Jonathan Glickman will executive produce via his Glickmania Productions, along with Martin.

Christopher Vourlias Grasshopper Film has acquired U.S. rights to Omar El Zohairy’s “Feathers,” which won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, Variety can reveal.The Egyptian writer-director’s feature debut, which is being repped by the boutique Athens-based production company and sales agent Heretic, has also sold to China (Huanxi Media), Italy (Wanted) and Greece (Cinobo).

Rebecca Davis editorThe first import to break through China’s nearly two-month political moratorium on foreign films apparently won’t be “Black Widow” or “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Instead, Beijing is opening its doors to an unlikely contender for August: a little-known British Christmas film about a cat.“A Christmas Gift From Bob” — a seasonal, feel-good sequel to the uplifting 2016 biographical drama “A Street Cat Named Bob” — will hit Chinese screens on Aug. 6.