Sizzling Samachar of the Day

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.

The Indian adaptation of John le Carré’s hit novel The Night Manager starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapoor, and Sobhita Dhulipala has received much critical acclaim. Now it appears the 2018 British adaptation is being renewed for a second season. British star Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as the hotel manager Jonathan Pine who finds himself embroiled in a battle of wits against an international arms dealer. The new season will be set two years following the death of the said arms dealer and will find Pine grappling with a new threat.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar’s much-anticipated film, Welcome 3 has reportedly added Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi to its cast. The duo have famously served as a comedy tag team, starring in movies such as Munna Bhai M.B.B.S and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The upcoming Welcome 3, rumoured to be titled Welcome to the Jungle, will also be the first Indian film to use the ‘Huey’ helicopter. We can’t wait for this action comedy to drop.

The highly anticipated reboot of the popular TV series True Blood has been cancelled by HBO. The reboot was officially announced in 2020, with Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa roped in to helm the project. The original show’s creator Alan Ball was also attached to the reboot as executive producer. The original series is based on Charlaine Harris’s novels The Southern Vampire Mysteries, which aired between 2008 and 2014 for seven seasons.

Fans of the critically-acclaimed crime drama series Mindhunter have reason to be disappointed. We’ve now learnt that the show will not be returning for a third season. Despite being unofficially cancelled by Netflix some time back, fans had hoped that the series would be revived at some point in the future, perhaps with a different streamer. However, creator David Fincher recently revealed that the show’s high cost of production and the relatively lower viewership numbers meant that the possibility of a third season on Netflix is almost none. Guess we will never get to see how the storyline about the BTK killer pans out.

Yash Raj Film’s ambitious ‘Spy Universe’ which already boasts blockbuster hits such as the Tiger franchise, War, and now, Pathaan, could get another major addition. According to reports, Aditya Chopra has plans to merge Abhishek Bachchan’s astute cop Jai Dixit from the Dhoom franchise to the Spy Universe. So, there is a possibility that Tiger, Kabir, Pathan, and Jai could feature in a major crossover scene in the future. This only means one thing: the world could never be any safer than in YRF’s spy-verse.

BAFTA-nominated director James Hawes is back with a new project after the success of the Apple TV+ Original series Slow Horses. He will be helming a thriller film titled Amateur starring Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek. Malek will essay on the role of a CIA cryptographer who lost his wife to a terrorist attack in London. He is dead set on jumping the case, but his superiors are understandably not too keen on the prospect. So he decides to pursue the terrorists himself after resorting to blackmail to gain the required training. Backed by 20th Century Studios, the film is still in the early development stages.

A number of Hollywood stars are joining the cast of the upcoming adult animated series Digman! Maya Rudolph, Danielle Radcliffe, and Edgar Wright are among a few stars who will be part of the show, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg in the lead. Samberg is stepping in as the voice of the titular character, Rip Digman. He will also serve as co-creator along with Neil Campbell. His Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-star Melissa Fumero will also play an important role in the show, and actors Jane Lynch, Kyle Mooney, Cole Escola, Lauren Lapkus, and Paul Rust are also joining the cast. The project is already shaping up to be a fun series.

Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of famed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is set to direct her first film. The twenty-two-year-old has already worked behind the camera helming episodes for the Apple TV+ series, Servant. She is now set to helm a feature film based on the A.M. Shine novel, the gothic horror titled The Watchers. It follows a young artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland and gets trapped with three strangers while mysterious creatures watch them. The film is set to premiere on June 7, 2024.

The superhit Nordic series The Bridge is up for an Indian remake and Saif Ali Khan has been cast to play the lead on the show. Produced by Endemol Shine India and Black Knight Film, the investigative thriller revolves around a dead body which is discovered on the border between two nations, calling for a joint-investigation to get to the bottom of the affair. Saif Ali Khan has already proven that he’s got the chops to play a cop with much conviction, going by his performance in the compelling Sacred Games and we’re sure this is going to be an equally thrilling ride.

The Academy Award-winning film Spider-Man Into the Spider-verse was a historical release since it marked the first animated feature of the franchise to traverse through the multiverse. Fans will be overjoyed to learn that the creators are planning to showcase the movie as a live in concert titled Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Live in Concert. The minute-long clip released on the movie’s official Twitter account features visuals from the movie with a live background score performed by a multitude of artists. The concert will take place in Kings Theater in NYC in March.

Amazon is producing a new bounty hunter drama with A+E Studios. Joe Barton and Michael Bay will be overseeing this untitled project centring on an American bounty hunter working on the border between the United States of America and Mexico. The plot revolves around how the bounty hunter gets into trouble with a Mexican cartel while chasing down a criminal.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg and Hacks star Jean Smart will star opposite each other in Craig Gillespie's next film, 42.6 Years. Samberg will play a young man who was part of an unconventional experiment which cryogenically froze him. After waking up 42.6 years later from this life-saving experiment, he is forced to turn to his now older ex-girlfriend played by Smart. Samberg is the one who came up with the idea for the film and co-wrote it with The Menu writer Seth Reiss.

The major production house Reliance Entertainment entered the streaming space in 2018 and has since produced 13 shows. They have also worked with several streaming platforms and have created gems like Netflix’s Sacred Games, Disney+ Hotstar’s Masoom, and Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-nominated film The Fabelmans. They are currently working with Amazon’s Prime Video on Rohit Shetty’s Indian Police Force, which revolves around a Delhi police officer. Furthermore, they are also working on Vikramaditya Motwane’s Bollywood saga Jubilee.

Vishal Bhardwaj released a new film, a 30-minute short film titled Fursat. The film is a Bollywood-style musical celebrating the power of love and has scenes featuring the desert, the underwater, a train, and even a massive dance stage. The most fascinating thing about the film is that it was shot with an iPhone 14 Pro, and Actor Ishaan Khatter revealed it was a delightful experience to see the film’s director Vishal Bhardwaj shoot the whole thing with an iPhone. Apple made a deal with Bhardwaj and roped him in to shoot the entire film on an iPhone 14 Pro.

It was speculated that Aamir Khan was on a break from acting, following Lal Singh Chaddha’s dismal performance at the box office. But now we’ve learnt that he has chosen to be associated with the official adaptation of Campeones only as a producer and won’t be acting in the film. Salman Khan is said to replace the Dangal star in the lead and will play the coach leading a team of disabled players. The film which has been titled Champions will start filming in the first half of 2023.

Back in 2021, Showtime network revived the immensely popular crime drama Dexter into a miniseries, Dexter: New Blood. Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter reprised their roles as Dexter and Debra Morgan and the series continued after Dexter faked his death in a hurricane. In the series, his sister Debra makes a return, only as a part of his imagination. New reports claim the new series will not be renewed for a second season. Showtime has announced they are planning a prequel instead that will focus on Dexter’s origin story.

Luke Hemsworth, much like his younger brothers, has earned a name in the action genre and is best known for his role in the futuristic Sci-fi show Westworld. Luke Hemsworth will be next seen in the action film Gunner as Lee Gunner, a Special Forces veteran on a camping trip with his kids. The special family trip goes wrong when the kids accidentally discover a fentanyl lab and get kidnapped by drug runners. Details on the rest of the cast are being kept under wraps.

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has reportedly backed out from Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming film Ramayan, according to Bollywood Hungama. The report also claims that the film’s producers were in talks with Ranbir Kapoor to play another role. It appears the filmmakers may have diverted their attention to K.G.F star Yash, and he is expected to star alongside Kapoor in the upcoming film.

Yami Gautam is making a comeback with the Aniruddha Roy Choudhury directorial film Lost. The movie received a standing ovation at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2022 and the 53rd International Film Festival of India. Gautam plays a bright young crime reporter searching for the truth behind the disappearance of a young theatre activist. The film is set to premiere on ZEE5 on 16th February.

Unlike the Oscars 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to return to the original run time of the telecast. Their attempt to shorten the telecast last year by pre-recording less-prominent awards such as the Best Original Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Documentary Short was highly criticised. Many Hollywood figures like Guillermo del Toro, Denis Villeneuve, and Steven Spielberg were against the Academy’s treatment of certain categories which were deemed as less important.

The Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has finally concluded the filming process. To celebrate this major milestone, several crew members took to social media to share the news. Among them was stunt coordinator George Cottle, who celebrated by posting a video with the caption” That’s a Wrap on Skeleton Crew!! Once again I was lucky enough to be surrounded by some of the most amazing stunt performers I have ever worked with!!...” Helmed by Spider-Man series director Jon Watts, the show revolves around 10-year-old kids from a tiny planet who get lost in the Star Wars galaxy and their attempts to return to their home planet.

Titanic is set to return to the big screen for the film’s 25th anniversary. Cameron has decided to release the remastered version on February 10, ahead of Valentine's Day. This came as an odd development as the movie was originally released just before Christmas. He revealed he came to this decision since the highest-grossing single day for the film was Valentine's Day. He is hoping that romance enthusiasts will flock to the theatres for the re-release.

Disney’s decision to revive the former Netflix original series Daredevil was met with skepticism by fans when it was announced in 2022. There were concerns that Disney could tone down the gritty and grounded tone of the story which earned Daredevil several plaudits, and it is still widely regarded as the best superhero TV series ever created. Lead star Charlie Cox’s cameo in She-Hulk further elevated these concerns. However, the addition of Tony Award-winning actress Nikki M. James to its cast has given fans a reason to be cautiously optimistic about the soft reboot titled Daredevil: Born Again. Vincent D'Onofrio is confirmed to reprise his role as Wilson Fisk but there is no update on whether Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson will return.

The last Marvel film that received a theatrical release in Chinese was Avengers: Endgame, nearly three and a half years ago. China placed a de facto ban on the 2021 film Black Widow and every Marvel film that followed. However, new reports claim that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will get theatrical releases in February. This is great news for Marvel Studios and Walt Disney since China makes up the world’s second- largest theatrical market.

The trailer for Jackie Shroff’s upcoming film Quotation Gang has just dropped. Helmed by Vivek K. Kumar, the film also stars Sunny Leone and Priyamani Raj in prominent roles. The gangster drama film has an unusual storyline and is set to release in multiple languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Netflix’s new deal with Tokyo-based studio Babel Label will expand their Japanese live-action catalogue. The partnership will give Netflix access to several projects by Babel Label for the next five years. Launched by the Japanese media company CyberAgent back in 2013, the studio became home to the 2020 Japan Academy Award-winner Michihito Fujii. His film The Journalist was adapted by Netflix in 2022.

After the success of Star Trek: Picard, Jeri Ryan is joining the cast of AMC's psychological thriller show Dark Winds. Based on the late Tony Hillerman's novel series Leaphorn & Chee, the series has been renewed for a second season which is set to release later this year. The series was among the few that survived major cancellations by AMC. Nicholas Logan from Dopesick is also set to join the second season.

A remake of the 1992 cult classic sports comedy film White Men Can't Jump was announced last year. The director of the film Calmatic has confirmed that the film is expected to release sometime this year, despite the lack of promotional images and teasers. The roles previously played by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes will be essayed by Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls. The film follows the lives of two grifters who use their basketball skills to extort money from unsuspecting targets.

After breaking multiple box office records across the world, it seems like Avatar: The Way of Water has surely performed beyond expectations. Unfortunately, the film was released during the new COVID-19 wave in China. This naturally affected the film's success considering the zero tolerance Covid restrictions enforced across the country. But new reports claim that government regulators have now allowed Disney to screen the film in Chinese theatres for 30 more days. Where there’s a will, there’s a way – the way of water, in this case.

Rishab Shetty’s labour of love and perhaps, the most critically-acclaimed Kannada movie of 2022, Kantara has finally got its due. The film is now eligible to be nominated for the Oscars in the Best Picture and Best Actor categories. SS Rajamouli's RRR has also qualified in the Best Original Song category for the song 'Naattu Naattu'. Whether both these films will receive nominations remains to be seen, but it speaks volumes of the recognition Indian films are gaining these days across the globe.

Abhay Deol took to Instagram to share the trailer of the upcoming web series Trial By Fire. Deol and Rajshri Deshpande will be portraying Shekhar Krishnamoorthy and his wife Neelam who tragically lost their kids in a fire. The story follows their pursuit of justice for their kids, an ordeal that lasts for over 18 years. The series will premiere on Netflix on January 13.

Tiger Shroff’s upcoming film Screw Dheela, helmed by Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania director Shashank Khaitan, has a major replacement. As it turns out, Rashmika Mandana, who was to play the film’s leading lady, has dropped out of the project and has been replaced by Shanaya Kapoor. While Kapoor is yet to officially sign the deal, those close to the project are certain of this development. The film is set to be an action entertainer backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions banner.

Earlier reports claimed Kartik Aaryan may not be a part of Firoz Nadiadwala's highly anticipated project Hera Pheri 3. There were also reports that Akshay Kumar might join the cast. However, director Anees Bazmee has rebuffed all those claims and also revealed that he hasn't officially joined the project yet.

The highly-anticipated teaser for the 60th anniversary special of Doctor Who released recently and marks the return of David Tennant as the titular character after five years. Tennant, who shot to fame in the 10th reincarnation of Doctor Who, is also known for shows such as Broadchurch and more recently, for his turn in the thriller series Inside Man. The recent teaser also shows Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris as an eccentric villain. The series recently released stills of the future Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the doctor’s new companion Ruby Sunday.

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, was predicted to make a big splash at the box office and it appears the film is well on course to achieve its targets. As of January 21, the long-awaited sequel has earned $609.7 million at the worldwide box office, and it holds the record for the second-biggest Wednesday opening of the year with a total of $14.3 million just behind Top Gun: Maverick with $14.8 million. It is expected that there will be a staggering growth in box office numbers during the holiday season.

Dwayne Johnson was looking to change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe with his movie Black Adam, however, the newly appointed heads of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Saffran do not have immediate plans for the character. The film’s lacklustre performance at the box office may also be factored into their decision as they prepare to reboot DC’s cinematic universe. Gunn recently confirmed that Patty Jenkins’ third Wonder Woman film is also shelved, and shockingly announced that Henry Cavill, who recently announced his return as Superman, will not play the character for future DC films.

Tollywood filmmaker Puri Jagannadh’s film Liger with Vijay Devarakonda was a colossal failure at the box office. New reports claim that he is joining hands with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan for a new project. Interestingly, Salman Khan played the lead role in Wanted, the Hindi remake of Jagannadh’s film Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu. Both Jagannadh and Khan also appeared together in the 2022 film Godfather starring Chiranjeevi in the lead role.