Sizzling Samachar of the Day

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.

Hollywood's OG blonde girl, Reese Witherspoon is now stepping into the shoes of a cheerleading coach in her next. The Amazon Prime Video series named All Star follows a former cheerleader trying to trick her way into being a cheerleading coach at a school in England. She tries to reciprocate her desire of becoming an all-star through her students. Witherspoon will also serve as the executive producer for the series along with Lauren Neustadter. Go, Reese! is all we have to say.

S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR is on the roll right now. With two Golden Globe nominations already announced earlier this week, hitherto the movie has been nominated for the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards. The Los Angeles-based Critics Choice Association announced the nominations on their official website. RRR has received five nominations comprising Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Visual Effects and lastly Best Song for the Telugu track "Naatu Naatu".

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's new song Besharam Rang from Pathaan has resulted in multiple jaws hitting the floor. Deepika's new bold look coupled with Shah Rukh's shirtless avatar has already become a rage. But the song has also drawn much controversy on social media. Twiterattis were quick to call out that the actress wore a saffron outfit in a song called ‘Besharam Rang’ which translates as ‘shameless colour’. This was deemed offensive by certain cohorts who decided to ban the number. But more worryingly, some Twitter users have now accused the track to be plagiarized from the song Makeba by French singer-songwriter Jain. Those concerned about why a French artiste has chosen the name ‘Jain’, keep your pants on. It’s only her stage name. Jain’s real name is Jeanne Louise Galice. As for the resemblance between the two tracks, why don’t you give them a listen and decide for yourself.

Spiderman fans were full of praise for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse upon its release which grossed over $375.5 million worldwide against a $90 million budget. Fans are keen for the adventures Miles Morales has in store in the forthcoming Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse. The film continues after their whirlwind journey through the multiverse and we’ve not learnt that it will feature a new addition. The film’s director Kemp Powers recently revealed in an interview that The Spot will feature as the main villain in the movie. The Spot was portrayed as a comical villain in the comic books but has the potential to deliver as a formidable adversary to Spiderman. How the webbed superhero takes on this new villain is yet to be seen.

The new season of the popular sci-fi show, Doctor Who has already started filming. This long-running BBC show is returning for the fourteenth season with a fresh new Time Lord, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. The season continues after David Tennant returns as the Fourteenth Doctor for the special episodes in honour of the show's 60th anniversary. Millie Gibson and Ruby Sunday are also joining the cast of the fourteenth season.

The much-anticipated series Cross is finally gearing up for filming after a long wait of two years. The series is based on the New York Times best-selling author James Patterson's Alex Cross book series. Aldis Hodge, the producer and lead actor of the show revealed that the series focuses on Hodge’s character Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist and a skilled detective. As it turns out, Cross is haunted by past trauma and his obsession with hunting down killers challenges his personal life where he happens to be a doting father.

Disney announced the release date of the fan-favourite Disney+ series The Mandalorian at last night’s CCXP 2022 Marvel and Star Wars Panel. The third season will be available for streaming from March 1, 2023. The next Star War project to hit the streaming service is the animated series The Bad Batch on January 4. The Mandalorian became immensely popular when it debuted a few years ago with Jon Favreau at the helm and Pedro Pascal essaying the titular character.

The Meghna Gulzar directorial Sam Bahadur is set to release in cinemas on December 1 next year. Vicky Kaushal plays the lead as the former Chief of the Army Staff Sam Manekshaw, Sanya Malhotra will essay the role of Manekshaw's wife Silloo, and Fatima Sana Shaikh will play the role of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film has gathered a lot of hype already for the uncanny resemblance Vicky Kaushal shares with the real Sam Bahadur.

Netflix’s Wednesday was possibly one of the most anticipated releases this year owing to the immense popularity of The Addams Family. The series premiered last week on November 23 with Jenna Ortega playing the titular character of Wednesday Addams. The show has received several positive reviews and has reportedly broken a Netflix viewing record. The show made it to the top of the list of the most viewed hours of a Netflix debut for an English TV series with 341.2 million hours viewed in its first week of release, breaking the record previously held by Stranger Things.

Theatrical releases have not looked well in Bollywood this year but there’s a last-minute shift with Drishyam 2’s staggering success. The film is going strong for a second weekend and earned almost Rs 39 crore including a collection of Rs 17-17.25 crore just on Sunday. Drishyam 2 starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu has made a total collection of Rs 141 crore and it has been estimated that they will soon join the Rs 200 crore club.

Bollywood actress Anushka Sen is set to make her Korean debut with a South Korean film titled Asia. You might know her from the hit television show Jhansi Ki Rani, and she returned from Seoul after completing the first schedule of the film. The film is conceptualized, written, and directed by Lee Jung-sub and will be released as a multilingual film. It is set to feature performances from actors from all over the world, including India, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, and the U.S.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s niece is set to make her feature film debut. Atul and Alvira Agnihotri’s daughter Alizeh Agnihotri will be featured in national award-winning filmmaker Soumendra Padhi's next film according to reports. She has been preparing for the role by taking dancing and acting lessons. The film is set to begin shooting by the end of 2022 and is scheduled to release in the year 2023.

British royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to feature in a documentary created by Netflix. The docuseries will focus on The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and will be directed by Academy award-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus. It is set to premiere in December this year, and it is part of the multi-year deal with Netflix signed by Harry and Meghan in 2020.