Sizzling Samachar of the Day

The hit Netflix series Squid Game is set to release its second season in 2024, and the streaming giant has announced four new cast members for the second season. The Korean survival drama series has added former K-pop singer and The Attorney star Im Siwan along with Midnight Runners actor Kang Ha Neul, The Glory star Park Sung Hoon, and Yang Dong Geun, the star of the Disney+ K-drama Connect.

Sony LIV has announced that the highly-anticipated Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is set to release this year. The Hansal Mehta series will be a direct adaptation of journalist Sanjay Singh’s book Reporter Ki Diary, which focuses on the infamous stamp paper scam involving counterfeiter Abdul Karim Telgi. The series will premiere on 2nd September this year on Sony LIV.

DC’s latest big-budget release, The Flash, has been met with mixed reactions from both critics and audiences. However, DC Films co-head James Gunn appears to be convinced that The Flash director Andy Muschietti can shoulder the responsibility of a major big-budget DC project. A report from Variety claims that Muschietti will be helming the new Batman reboot based on the Brave and the Bold comics. This will be separate from Matt Reeves’ Batman universe starring Robert Pattinson.

XO, Kitty, the spin-off series to the To All the Boys films on Netflix, has been renewed for a second season. The series revolves around Anna Cathcart’s character Kitty, and chronicles her life at a school in Seoul, South Korea. Netflix is yet to announce a release date for the second season.

The writer’s strike in the US has forced Disney to reschedule some of its biggest releases. Fortunately for Deadpool fans, the release date for Deadpool 3 has been moved up from November 8th, 2024, to May 4th 2024. However, Captain America: Brave New World, has been pushed from May 3rd 2024, to July 26, 2024. Other MCU releases in 2024 have also been delayed with Thunderbolts being moved to Dec 24th, and Blade and Fantastic Four being pushed back to 14th February 2025 and 2nd May 2025 respectively. Whereas Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is being delayed by a year and will now release on May 1st 2026, thereby delaying its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars also by a year to May 7, 2027.

Sony’s Spider-Man franchise is in full swing with the recent success of Spider-Man: Across the Spidervrse having drummed up much hype about the upcoming spinoffs Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, and the video game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The studio has now announced that Venom 3 starring Tom Hardy is set for a Halloween 2024 release. Ted Lasso star Juno Temple, who was recently cast in the film, revealed that filming will commence soon. Kelly Marcel, who wrote the first two instalments, will take over the reins as director. It was also announced that actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Mordo in the Doctor Strange films, has also joined the cast. Stephen Graham and Michelle Williams are expected to reprise their roles in the film too.

Bryan Cranston, the four-time Emmy Award-winning star of Breaking Bad, has announced his retirement from acting. In an interview with British GQ, the veteran actor explained that he will retire in 2026 so that he can spend more time with his family. The acclaimed actor was last seen in the Showtime drama series Your Honor, and he will next appear in Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated film Asteroid City, which releases on June 23rd in India.

Despite mounting speculation that Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana was postponed indefinitely, a new report by Pinkvilla confirms that the project is said to go on the floors by December this year or early next year. Alia Bhatt will reportedly star opposite her husband Ranbir Kapoor in the upcoming film. The couple will essay the roles of Ram and Sita, while Kannada superstar Yash will reportedly slip into the role of Raavan. The news comes amidst social media backlash against the upcoming Ramayana adaptation Adipurush, starring Prabhas, for its underwhelming visuals.

Nitesh Tiwari's highly anticipated adaptation of Ramayana, starring Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and Premam actress Sai Pallavi has been put on hold as per various reports. Tiwari will instead focus his attention on another project which was announced earlier this year. Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan were also reportedly cast in the project. The news comes as another Ramayana adaptation, Adipurush, starring Prabhas, is gearing up for its imminent release on June 16th.

In other news, Ranbir Kapoor has shot for an important cameo in Aryan Khan's directorial debut web series Stardom. The star kid has been leaving no stone unturned to ensure the success of his maiden project and has been involved in the writing, casting, and pre-production for the series. Currently filming in Mumbai, the series has garnered much attention with Ranbir Kapoor's surprise visit to the sets to support Aryan Khan. Besides Kapoor, the show will also feature guest appearances by Karan Johar and others. Aryan Khan's Stardom delves into the history of Hindi cinema and will be an ode to those key figures from the industry who redefined the medium through their compelling contributions. Let’s just say we’re stoked to see how this one turns out.

Pathaan director Siddharth Anand has reportedly become the highest-paid director from the Yash Raj Films stable, after collecting a reported fee of Rs.40 crores for the upcoming film Tiger vs Pathaan. The news comes as no surprise considering the Shah Rukh Khan film Pathaan shattered box-office records earlier this year. The much-awaited Tiger vs Pathaan is the next film in YRF’s spyverse and will be a crossover between the Salman Khan-led Tiger franchise and Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan franchise. The film will commence shooting next year and we’re stoked to see how this one turns out.

Popular web series actor Bhuvan Arora, who is best known for Farzi, has been cast alongside Bollywood star Kartik Aryan in a new film. Both actors will appear in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ek Tha Tiger, and 83 director Kabir Khan’s next film. Arora announced the news of the collaboration and the latest project, but further details have been kept under wraps.

Popular Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh is set to play the titular role in Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming film Amar Singh Chamkila. Dosanjh will play the role of the legendary Punjabi rockstar Amar Singh Chamkila, who is widely regarded as a trailblazer in the Punjabi music industry. The Netflix film will be a musical and also stars Parineeti Chopra in pivotal roles. The streaming giant released the first trailer for the film.

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino recently announced that he has begun work on what could be his final film. Titled The Movie Critic, the film was initially speculated to be about film critic Pauline Kael, but Tarantino has contradicted these claims. He has confirmed that it will be about a man who wrote film criticisms on a page in a pornographic magazine. The auteur also added that he is looking for a 35-year-old actor, with whom he has never collaborated before, to play the lead role. The film will be set in ‘70s California and also confirmed that the story is based on a real person who he believes was an underrated critic.

The highly anticipated third instalment of Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds, has finally begun filming. Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine from Fox’s X-Men franchise, while Morena Baccarin, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, and Stefan Kapičić will reprise their roles from the previous films. Shawn Levy replaces David Leitch as director, and the film is set for an 8th November 2024 release. The film will be the first 20th Century Fox film from the X-Men franchise to be released after Disney’s acquisition of the studio.

The God of mischief, Loki, is set to return to television after DIsney+ announced that the second season of Loki will premiere later this year. The new season will be released on October 6 during this year’s Halloween. The first season ended in a major cliffhanger, with major implications for the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Loki, and he will be joined by returning cast members Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jonathan Majors. It remains to be seen how much involvement Majors’ character Kang will have in the new season, considering the controversies he was been involved in recently. Kang was introduced in the season finale of Loki season one and was established as the primary villain in the MCU in the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has also been announced for 2025 with Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton at the helm.

James Cameron’s blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water, is set for an OTT release on Disney+ Hotstar. Fans of the hit franchise won’t have to wait much longer to dive into the mesmerising world of Pandora as the film is set to drop on the streaming platform on June 7th. We’re surely looking forward to experiencing this big screen extravaganza at home.

Ranveer Singh’s sports film 83, based on the heroic performance by the Indian cricket team at the 1983 World Cup, may not have impressed at the box office when it released, following multiple setbacks due to the pandemic. But it appears the film is now set to be bestowed with a unique honour later this year. The inspiring tale of how the underdog Indian cricket team overcame the mighty West Indies team at the 83’ World Cup is set to be screened at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London, which is revered as the most prestigious cricketing venue in the world. It also makes it a relevant space as it is here that Kapil Dev and his men lifted the World Cup, marking India’s first historic win in the international contest. The screenings will be held on July 15th and 16th.

The much-awaited second season of HBO’s superhit drama The Last of Us is likely to be delayed. Like many others, the production of the show has been temporarily suspended due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Sources share that the show was in the process of casting for new characters and had begun the process of adapting scenes from the video game into the script

Bollywood star Arjun Rampal is set to make his Telugu debut in Anil Ravipudi’s untitled film starring Balakrishna. The film also stars Kajal Aggarwal and Sreeleela in pivotal roles, while Rampal will slip into the role of the main antagonist. Director Ravipudi has revealed that Rampal has been practising his lines in Telugu in order to give more authenticity to his performance.

The White Lotus star Theo James has been cast in James Wan’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey. The plot revolves around twin brothers Bill and Hall who stumble upon their father’s toy monkey, only to realise that a series of gruesome deaths have begun occurring around them since they found the toy. Wan will serve as executive producer and the film will be directed by Osgood Perkins.

Recent rumours claimed that Ghajini, Aamir Khan’s blockbuster remake of Christopher Nolan’s 2000 hit Memento, is planning a sequel. But when an entertainment portal reached out to producer Allu Arvind to confirm the loose report, he vehemently dismissed it. The producer shared that there were no plans to make a sequel of the Aamir Khan-Asin starrer about the man who struggles with memory loss while seeking revenge for a brutal crime. Well, sequel or not, going by Khan’s ability to metamorphose for his characters, if there were a sequel, getting into a ripped frame would surely not be a concern for the actor known for his dramatic physical transformations.

Abbott Elementary, Cobra Kai, Yellowjackets, all the Late Night shows including Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and SNL are among the several American TV programs that were forced to halt production following the writer’s strike being enforced across America. The Writers Guild of America recently announced the strike after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell through.

13 Reasons Why star Miles Heizer will essay the lead in the upcoming queer marine corp series, titled The Corps. The Netflix comedy-drama series will be set in the 90s and will tell the story of a bullied high school student named Cameron. The 10-episode series will also feature The Conjuring star Vera Farmiga and Vampire Academy’s Max Parker. The series is based on the memoirs by U.S. Marine Greg Cope, titled the The Pink Marine and will be helmed by Andy Parker who exec produced the 2019 remake of Tales of the City.

Avatar the Last Airbender, the universally-acclaimed animated series is set to continue its story with a sequel. In a joint production with Nickelodeon Animation, Avatar Studios, and Paramount, the film will tell the story of Avatar Aang and his friends in a magical world ravaged by war. The film will likely be set during the events of the animated series and its sequel series The Legend of Korra. The animated feature will release on October 10, 2025.

Agatha Christie's iconic character, Hercule Poirot, is set to make a return to the silver screen in the upcoming film A Haunting in Venice. Acclaimed British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh will reprise his role as the ace detective as he investigates a case surrounding a tragic honeymoon. The film will feature a star-studded ensemble of Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jamie Dornan among others. Branagh will serve as the director while Michael Green also returns to pen the script. The film will release on September 15.

House of the Dragon, HBO’s hit spin-off to Game of Thrones has announced new additions to its cast for season two. Gayle Rankin, best known for her role in Glow has been cast as Alys Rivers, a woman with mystical powers who forms a relationship with Aemond Targaryen. Simon Russell Beale will essay the role of Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal, Freddie Fox will play Otto Hightower’s son and Queen Alicent's brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Abubakar Salim will play the role of Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet. Showrunner Ryan Condal will return to helm the second sequel.

Ayushmann Khurrana’s highly anticipated film Dream Girl 2 has been delayed. Fans of the Bollywood star will have to wait till August 25, 2023, to catch Khurrana essay on the roles of Pooja and Karam in the film. Directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa, the film also stars Ananya Panday and Paresh Rawal.

The popular ABC medical drama The Good Doctor has been renewed for a seventh season. The news comes after the American Network renewed Grey's Anatomy for an incredible 20th season and The Rookie for a sixth season. The Good Doctor follows the story of Dr. Shaun Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, an ingenious surgeon with autism and savant syndrome.

Lionsgate has announced a new film to be helmed by Aziz Ansari. The Parks and Recreation star will write, direct, and star in the upcoming comedy titled Good Fortune. While the plot details of the film have been kept under wraps, it has been revealed that Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen have been cast in the film.

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is set to reunite with Tomas Alfredson, his director from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for a new mini-series. Titled, How to Stop Time, the six-part mini-series is based on Matt Haig’s novel of the same name. The plot is said to be a love story set against the backdrop of a sci-fi fantasy setting where the lead character suffers from a rare disease which causes him to age incredibly slowly. The series will commence production next year in London.

One of the breakout stars of the fourth season of Stranger Things was Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. Fans who were heartbroken with how Eddie’s arc was unceremoniously ended in the hit Netflix series have reason to rejoice. Stranger Things writer Caitlin Schneiderhan has announced a prequel spin-off novel titled Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus. The story will follow Eddie Munson as he meets a producer named Paige who offers to promote his band in LA, and it will be set two years prior to the events of the fourth season. Unsurprisingly, Schneiderhan is also part of the writing team for the fifth and final season due to drop in late 2023 or early 2024.

Last week, it was reported that WB was considering adapting the Harry Potter franchise into a TV series, with seven seasons for each of the seven books. Warner Bros. Discovery has officially greenlit the project. A teaser clip was also released with the series title and the iconic Harry Potter score from the films. The series will be available on the newly rebranded HBO Max streaming platform, which will merge with Discovery+ and will be called Max.

The Indian version of the upcoming Prime Video spy thriller series Citadel has added Sikandar Kher to its cast. He will be joined by previously announced cast members Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The series will be helmed by the filmmaking duo Raj and DK, and is expected to release later this year. The English version will release on April 28 this year and stars Priyanka Chopra in the lead opposite Game of Thrones star Richard Madden.

John Wick: Chapter 4 continues to dominate global box offices, and the film’s production company Lionsgate has ambitious plans to further expand the John Wick franchise. One of the several projects announced by the company is the spin-off titled Ballerina starring Ana de Armas. The Knives Out and Blonde actress will essay the role of Rooney, a ballerina on a quest for vengeance against those who murdered her family. The role was previously played by Unity Phelan in the 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Ballerina is set for a June 7, 2024 release, and is directed by Len Wiseman.

Deadline has reported that Warner Bros is closing in on a deal to adapt the hit Harry Potter franchise into a TV series. The author of the original books, J K Rowling, has come under scrutiny in recent years for her stance on transgender rights. And it now appears that Rowling will serve as executive producer but will not helm the project for HBO Max. It has also been reported that each of the seven books will be adapted into seven seasons. The move comes after Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s reported interest in bringing back iconic IPs owned by WB back to the mainstream, similar to how Disney has handled Star Wars.

Actress Rashmika Mandanna is set to star in a new Telugu-Tamil bilingual film Rainbow. The film is touted as a light-hearted romantic drama told from the perspective of its female lead. It will be helmed by Shantharuban who makes his feature film debut, and the production is set to commence on April 7. Shaakuntalam star Dev Mohan will also essay a prominent role in the film alongside Mandanna.

Marvel Cinematic Universe star Tom Hiddleston, is set to narrate a nature documentary for Apple TV+ titled Big Beasts. The 10-episode series will premiere on April 21 on Earth Day, and it will focus on some of nature’s largest creatures such as whales, elephants, and tigers across 17 countries. The series has been created by the same team that helmed the documentary Tiny World, narrated by Paul Rudd.

Disney+ is determined to explore the Japanese anime market with the release of the highly anticipated series Heavenly Delusion. The series is based on the critically-acclaimed manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masakazu Ishiguro. The story is about a nursery where children are raised by robots, shielding them from the realities of the outside world which has been devastated by an apocalyptic event. The series will premiere in Japan on the first of April and will simultaneously release worldwide on Disney+.

Matthew Macfadyen, the Emmy Award-winning star of the hit HBO series Succession has joined the cast of the upcoming superhero comedy Deadpool 3. Specific details of Macfadyen’s role in the film are yet to be revealed but it has already been confirmed that Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine from Fox’s X-Men universe, while Ryan Reynolds will also return as the titular anti-hero Deadpool. It was also announced in February this year that Crown star Emma Corrin has joined the cast in an undisclosed role. Free Guy and The Adam Project director Shawn Levy will direct Deadpool 3, the third film of the franchise.

The 2008 film The Incredible Hulk was the second film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but is one that has almost been retconned from the MCU. Lead star Edward Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for future MCU films, while lead actress Liv Tyler did not feature in any of the MCU films or TV shows that followed. However, her character Betty Ross will return after 15 years in the upcoming film Captain America 4: New World Order. The film will be headlined by Anthony Mackie, who has taken over the mantle of Captain America from Chris Evans’ character Steve Rogers. It is yet to be confirmed whether Betty Ross will make an appearance in Thunderbolts, as she is the daughter of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. The late William Hurt played the role of Thunderbolt Ross in The Incredible Hulk and other MCU titles, and Harrison Ford will replace Hurt in the upcoming film.

American comedian Robin Thede, who is best known for creating A Black Lady Sketch Show, is set to helm a sketch comedy for HBO. Titled Disengagement, Thede will develop a half-hour comedy series, and it is among the several projects she is working on with HBO after the overall deal she signed with the network in 2022. The fourth season of A Black Lady Sketch Show is set to premiere on April 14.

Despite starring in a string of commercial flops, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar’s stock appears to have been unaffected. Kumar has been roped in to play the lead in the remake of the hit Tamil film Soorarai Pottru starring Suriya. Directed by Sudha Kongara, the film is set for a September 1st release this year.

Director Jordan Peele has announced his next project, with an untitled film set to release on Christmas Day in 2024. Peele is well-known for his critically-acclaimed horror films, including Get Out and Us, so it's highly likely that this upcoming film will also fall under the horror genre.

Fans of The Crown just couldn’t get enough of Princess Ann played by the inimitable Erin Doherty. Now the actress has been pulled in to feature in a Disney+ series called A Thousand Blows. The period drama which is being filmed in London is set in the 19th Century and depicts the illegal boxing matches which were held at the time. The series is headlined by British actor Malachi Kirby who won a BAFTA for his performance in Small Axe and revolves around two Jamaicans who forge a friendship when they find themselves in London’s East End and are pulled into the criminal underworld by unavoidable circumstances. We’re expecting this period drama to pack some fierce Victorian-style gang wars, and hopefully, some mind-blowing action, considering it’s a series that revolves around illegal boxing matches. One thing we’re certain about, this one’s not going to be about a gentleman’s sport.

After weeks of speculation, James Gunn has finally confirmed that he will be directing the upcoming rebooted Superman film, Superman: Legacy. Gunn, the new boss at DC Films, revealed earlier this year that he is working on the script for Superman: Legacy. The film is set for July 11, 2025 release with a new lead is slated to be cast, replacing the fan-favourite Henry Cavill. The film is one of the several projects announced under the newly rebranded DCU and we can’t wait to find out who will eventually be cast to play the new man of steel. Stay tuned in and we’ll let you know just when there’s an official announcement.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is reportedly set to team up with Maddock Films’ Dinesh Vijan for a new project. Let’s hope Kumar’s new project, titled Sky Force, will fare better at the box office following a string of flops in recent years. Producer of hit films such as Cocktail, Hindi Medium, and Stree, Vijan will helm the project and the plot will revolve around an Indian Air Force officer. According to an entertainment website, filming for the project will commence by May 2023.

Nancy Meyers, the popular filmmaker widely recognised for helming superhit rom-coms such as Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap, and The Holiday is set to direct a new film for Netflix. Big names such as Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Michael Fassbender, and Owen Wilson are reportedly in talks to join the project. The story will revolve around a novice writer-director who becomes involved in a personal and professional relationship with her producer. The plot has parallels to Meyers’ own life, considering she married her producer Charles Shyer in 1980 when she was a young filmmaker. We’re already digging into a bucket of popcorn in anticipation for this one to drop.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro is set to star in his first-ever TV series for Lesli Linka Glatter’s directorial Zero Day. Narcos showrunner Eric Newman will serve as co-creator and executive producer along with Noah Oppenheim. The Netflix series will be a political thriller with De Niro playing the role of a former American President. It’s time for some executive decisions and few in Hollywood have De Niro’s heft to pull this off.

British actor Damien Lewis will return as Bobby Axelrod in the seventh season of the Showtime original series Billions. The actor recently shared the news with host Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. Lewis was the top-billed star but departed the series after season five, following the tragic passing of his wife Helen McCrory. He will not be returning as a series regular but will appear in episodes one and six of the upcoming season.