Zee Sets ‘Dhadak 2’ for November Theatrical Release – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S-produced film and TV content has maintained leadership in terms of reach among Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) users in nine major markets in Asia-Pacific. And it remains important for acquiring and maintaining subscriptions, a new report finds. New research from consultancy firm Media Partners Asia is based on passively-collected data from 40,000 digital users amassed by its AMPD sister company.

K.J. Yossman A “Friends”-themed exhibition and experience is setting up home permanently in London.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Gospel of the Beast,” a film from The Philippines director Sheron Dayoc, was named the best narrative feature at the Bali International Film Festival (aka Balinale) which concludes Friday. The film features a 15-year-old boy who accidentally kills a classmate, runs away and sets up an unlikely relationship with a man he barely knows.

Naman Ramachandran After playing the host of “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in “Slumdog Millionaire,” Indian star Anil Kapoor will be the new host of “Bigg Boss OTT,” a Hindi-language adaptation of the “Big Brother” format. The third digital edition of the reality show will commence June 21 on billionaire Mukesh Ambani‘s JioCinema Premium streamer. The first season was hosted by Indian media personality Karan Johar and the second by Bollywood star Salman Khan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Memoir of a Snail,” directed by locally-born, Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot, has been set as the opening title of the Melbourne International Film Festival. The festival runs Aug.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production has begun on a second season of “Scrublands,” the Australian crime thriller series starring Luke Arnold (“Black Sails”) and Bella Heathcote (“The Neon Demon,” “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”). With action set a year after the events of the first season, award-winning investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold) has returned to his coastal hometown, Port Silver, in Western Australia, to set up a new life with partner Mandy Bond (Heathcote). When he arrives to find his childhood friend Jasper brutally murdered and Bond the prime suspect, Scarsden struggles with doubts – about Bond and about his own ability to recognize the truth.

EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday named the 20 filmmakers, from 12 different nations, selected to participate in the 2024 Global Media Makers LA Residency.

EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical distribution rights to the Michael Douglas-narrated documentary America’s Burning, directed by bestselling writer David Smick and produced by Ian Michaels.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Plans for a “Gomorrah” series prequel are moving forward, with shooting now scheduled to start in winter 2025 on the hit crime drama’s previously announced origin story. News that the “Gomorrah” prequel show is firmly on track surfaced as Sky Italia celebrated the 10th anniversary of the country’s top TV export, with a special aired on Sunday – of which Variety has been given an exclusive clip – in which key cast traded anecdotes about how their onscreen roles wound up seeping into their real lives.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The imminently upcoming Sydney Film Festival has added eight titles that premiered at Cannes to its lineup. They are: Guan Hu’s “Black Dog”; Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”; Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project “Megalopolis”; Guy Maddin, Evan and Galen Johnson’s “Rumours,” starring Australia’s Cate Blanchett; documentary “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” Jia Zhangke’s “Caught by the Tides”; “The Girl with the Needle”; and revenge thriller “Ghost Trail.” Due to demand, the SFF organizers have also added additional screenings of “The Substance,” the Demi Moore-starring film already set as the festival’s closing night title. The festival runs June 5-16.

EXCLUSIVE: The Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase is taking a different tack this year in its mission to highlight emerging talent. For the first time in its 22-year history, the Talent Showcase will debut D-Day: An Original Workplace Comedy, an ensemble piece born out of ABC Casting’s continued commitment for rising artists to be discovered, nurtured and celebrated. An in-person screening event for an industry-invited audience will take place late summer 2024.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Joel Pearlman, one of the best-known names in Australian cinema, is to step down from his role as CEO of Roadshow Films after 30 years with the Village Roadshow organization. Pearlman’s tenure saw him oversee the organization as built a diverse slate from local and global studios, licensors, and production companies including Warner Bros, Lionsgate, Village Roadshow Pictures, A24, FilmNation, Made Up Stories and Arenamedia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Columbia Pictures’ action-comedy movie “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is set to play in cinemas in mainland China from June 22, it was announced on Thursday. Starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the film is the fourth in the nearly 30-year-old Bad Boys franchise. It sees the titular Miami cops investigate corruption in the police force after their late boss is accused of colluding with a foreign mafia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Taipei Film Festival has set “A Journey in Spring” as the Taiwan flagbearer in its international competition section. Directed by Peng Tzu-hui and Wang Ping-wen, the film was shot on Super 16 mm film stock and stars King Jieh-wen and Yang Kuei-mei.

EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent has named the six filmmakers selected for its third annual Episodic Directing Intensive: John Gutierrez, Lorena Lourenço, Alfonso Morgan-Terrero, Huriyyah Muhammad, Kelsey Taylor and So Young Shelly Yo.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korea’s CJ ENM has given a second season commission to “Couple Palace,” its hit couple matching survival show. The show stars fifty men and fifty women from various backgrounds who unveil their detailed social status to search for ideal partners based on elements such as ideal marriage values, physical appearance, economic status, and lifestyle.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Recently, confirmed to star in Park Chan-wook’s new film “The Ax,” Korea’s Son Ye-jin is set as the subject of the Bucheon International Fantastic Festival (BiFan)’s annual actor focus. Previous honorees include Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Hye-soo, Seol Kyung-gu, and Choi Min-sik.

Stormy Daniels Doc Finds UK Buyer

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter “Super/Man,” a documentary about the life of Christopher Reeve, will hit the big screen in the fall. The film, which was widely embraced at Sundance and sold to Warner Bros. Discovery for roughly $15 million, will play in select theaters on Sept.

Anne Hathaway– and Jessica Chastain-starring psychological thriller “Mothers’ Instinct” is set for release in Chinese theaters. Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel. The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens.