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Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short for
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Will ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Return for Season 6? Everything We Know So Far

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 may not have premiered yet, but stars Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short are already looking ahead to the show’s future at Hulu.

While Season 6 hasn’t been ordered yet, that doesn’t mean they’re closing the book on Charles (Martin), Mabel (Gomez), and Oliver’s (Short) mystery-solving scenarios. The trio is back at it to uncover the mystery behind Arconia doorman Lester’s (Teddy Coluca) mysterious death, which capped Season 4, but in terms of where the story will take viewers in Season 5, they’ll have to tune in.

When asked about whether or not they know when the how will end, Martin told Entertainment Tonight, “We do not know. We get asked, ‘How long do you guys want to do this?’ And I just go, ‘Well, you tell us?’” the actor and series co-creator shared about his approach to the show’s possible future.

For now, Martin added, “We like doing it and it’s a wonderful job for us. We couldn’t say, ‘Well, let’s just do something else,’ and it be a situation that’s not as fun…”

Disney / Patrick Harbron

Martin’s pal and costar Short chimed in to add, “Hits are so rare, they’re such flukes when all of the stars line up, and I think this is one of them. But we would do it as long as we felt the quality was [there].”

In other words, the trio is in it for the long haul.  “The producer asked me, ‘How long do you think you’ll do this?’ I said, ‘My motto is never say goodbye to a miracle,’” Martin added.

Whether you think Only Murders in the Building is a miracle or not, the show still brings in a bevvy of talent year-to-year, and five seasons in, there’s no exception to the grade-A talent showing up to play in this world. Among Season 5 additions are Renee Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Logan Lerman, Bobby Cannavale, Dianne Weist, Beanie Feldstein, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jermaine Fowler.

Only Murders in the Building, Season 5 Premiere, Tuesday, September 9, Hulu

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Michelle Yeoh Talks Ne Zha 2, Dubbing
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Michelle Yeoh Talks Ne Zha 2, Dubbing

by jummy84
written by jummy84

This story contains minor spoilers for “Ne Zha 2.”

In contrast to the likes of Pixar movies or English dubs of Studio Ghibli films, the A24 re-release of “Ne Zha 2” has a decided lack of A-listers turning to voice acting — with one huge exception. For the new English-language version of the Chinese film, which broke box office records when it released this past winter, A24 opted for a cast largely of professional voice actors whose work you can hear in video games like “Marvel Rivals” or anime like “Dan Da Dan,” but who the average moviegoer probably would be unfamiliar with. But that huge exception is in the form of Michelle Yeoh, who supplies a healthy dose of star power to play the role of the titular devil child’s loving mother, Lady Yin.

NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER, James Brolin, 1980. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Yeoh came into the process already a fan of the film, having caught it in Hong Kong theaters during its original run. As a child, she grew up with the myths of the impish young boy Ne Zha, a huge part of popular culture in China. A veteran of Hong Kong’s film scene who rose to fame with her work in action films, Yeoh admired the movie’s animation and particularly it’s impressive action scenes. “As a person who comes from the action world, it’s just mindblowing seeing the arm to arm combat [this movie] has,” she said in an interview with IndieWire.

Yeoh said she rarely rarely watches films dubbed. However, she felt an exception should be made for “Ne Zha 2,” in part to expose it to a wider audience of its target demographic: children.

“I felt very strongly that it should be dubbed so that we can appeal to the young audience who love animation. And I would love to expose them to our Chinese cultural mythology. And the only way they would be able to watch and understand is if they can hear it. Because I myself personally, was going like, ‘Oh my God, this is just so much to read and listen to and watch,’” Yeoh said. “So when they came to me and they said they were going to do this, I jumped at the opportunity.”

A warrior woman who defends the town of Chentang Pass with her husband, Lady Yin isn’t dissimilar to the type of roles Yeoh cut her teeth on early in her career. The character isn’t in the film long, but makes an impact when it counts, with her complicated relationship with her son proving one of the film’s key emotional touchstones.

Yeoh called the process of voicing the character “very easy,” and credited the work with her vocal coach and dub director in helping her to easily slip into the role. “All I had to do was just step in and be this beautiful mother that they had created,” Yeoh said. The one part that proved difficult for her to record was the climactic moment of the film where a dying Yin shares parting wisdom with her son. Even then, her difficulty stemmed less from acting than it did her own emotions as a fan of the film.

“To mirror that, to go into that journey with her was, as an actor, was not difficult. It really wasn’t,” Yeoh told IndieWire. “But it was really, truly heart-wrenching. I mean I was in the recording booth with a puddle of tears around me.”

Discussing why “Ne Zha 2” has proven so successful, Yeoh credits the film’s simple but deeply relatable message of ostracization and self-determination. Yeoh directly compared it to her other recent films “Wicked” and its sequel “For Good,” which has a very similar message of being judged by society and finding your own self worth, as a comparison of how “Ne Zha’s” themes can translate universally to all audiences.

“It’s a story about friendship, about family, about being accepted for who you are, a journey of self-discovery. It echoes in so many of us today,” Yeoh said. “‘Wicked’ is also similar in that way, when you are different and people judge you by who you are, and then finding your self-worth and at the end of the day it’s family, friendship that helps you stand up and be who you are.”

“Ne Zha 2” is currently playing in theaters.

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'KPop Demon Hunters' Singer and Songwriter EJAE On Writing 'Golden'
TV & Streaming

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singer and Songwriter EJAE On Writing ‘Golden’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Both “Golden” and “KPop Demon Hunters” have become a global phenomenon.

In a nutshell, “KPop Demon Hunters” dropped on Netflix in June, and it exploded. It’s the biggest movie ever to stream on the platform. Four songs from the film’s soundtrack sit on Billboard’s top 10, and the film landed the top spot at the domestic box office – a first for the streamer.

The film’s “I Want” song “Golden” sung by the fictional K-Pop girl band Huntr/X sits atop the Billboard Top 10 and is undeniably the song of the summer. Countless social media videos show parents playing the song on repeat for their children, and adults have no shame in sharing their sing-along moments for the world to see.

There’s no escaping “Golden.”

“KPop Demon Hunters” follows Huntr/X, the fictional K-pop girl group whose members double as demon hunters. When they’re not battling demons and saving the world, they’re lighting up the stage with catchy songs such as “Golden.” However, they face their toughest foe yet, the Saja Boys, a demon boy band who are out to steal Huntr/X’s fans and their souls. Through it all, Rumi, who is half-demon, has to face another demon, one of self-acceptance. Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo provide the speaking voices for Rumi, Mira and Zoey, respectively. EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna provide the respective singing voices.

EJAE, a K-pop singer, is used to hearing her voice on demo tracks; hearing her voice and the songs played everywhere is taking getting used to. “Hearing it at H Mart on the radio. It’s weird,” she says.

The film’s popularity “hasn’t fully set in” for Cho. At a recent screening, she had a waitlist for her young nieces AND nephews. She understands its mass appeal regardless of age. Cho says, “It allows any human or person to feel like they can relate. It’s like they feel seen.”

The song is written by: EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24, and TEDDY. IDO, 24, TEDDY, and Ian Eisendrath are the song’s producers.

In the movie, “Golden” sets up the idea of Rumi, Zoey and Mira working to protect the world from demons and seal the honmoon, a barrier separating demons from the real world.

The song blends both English and Korean seamlessly into its lyrics.

Speaking with Variety, EJAE said, “One of the biggest assets I brought to the movie, or when writing the songs, was being bilingual. It was important for our co-director, Maggie Kang, to have Korean in the lyrics, and I just love that it’s not just the verses; it was in the actual song too.”

She went on to say that cracking the actual song took a while. While they had a general idea of what the scene needed, the filmmakers gave a guideline: “It needed to have the word gold in it, and the feeling of what Rumi was going through.” It also needed to introduce the struggles of each member in the verses. She says, “It needed a pep talk and the idea that we can do this together.”

Thematically, it also needed to be empowering and follow the hero’s journey of feeling like an outsider.

In the song, Rumi’s vulnerabilities are revealed – “She’s incredibly hardworking and has that leadership. She puts her best foot forward, but she tries to hide her imperfections and flaws.”

EJAE admits the melody was one of the first things she came up with for the song. “That was the first thing that I came up with.” She confesses, “I actually wrote the melody on my way to the dentist.”

The idea of “gonna be Golden” lyrics came soon after. She took it to Sonnenblick and had mumbled those words to him on the rough takes. His reaction? “Oh my God!” EJAE says the inspiration continued, and they wrote it “super fast.”

EJAE didn’t just relate to Rumi’s struggles; she related to the words she wrote. As a former K-Pop trainee, that experience and pressure were something she tried to drop into the song’s bridge. Once she had that, she says the bridge too came together with ease. “Going through that experience helped a lot in writing and emoting the melody and lyrics.”

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Angelina Jolie Film ‘Couture’ Sells To Key Markets Ahead Of Premiere
TV & Streaming

Angelina Jolie Film ‘Couture’ Sells To Key Markets Ahead Of Premiere

by jummy84
written by jummy84

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of its world premiere at Toronto this weekend, we can reveal that HanWay Films has closed key international sales on Couture, Alice Winocour’s high-fashion drama, starring Oscar winner Angelina Jolie.

International sales confirmed include: Airlines & Ships with Cinesky Pictures, Baltic States with ACME Film, Benelux with Case Départ, Bulgaria with Beta Film, Czechia & Slovakia with AQS, Former-Yugoslavia with MegaCom Film, Greece with The Film Group, India/Pakistan with Lionsgate Play, Italy with Plaion Pictures Italy, Switzerland with Pathé Films AG, Portugal with NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais, Scandinavia with Mis. Label, Spain with Avalon, Poland with Monolith Films, Latin America with Synapse Distribution, Malaysia with Golden Screen Cinemas, The Middle-East with Frontrow Films, Singapore with Shaw Renters, Turkey with Bir Film and Ukraine with Greenlight Films.

UTA Independent Film Group is handling North American rights, with HanWay Films representing international. Pathé, who previously collaborated with Winocour on her Cannes Directors’ Fortnight premiere Revoir Paris, will handle distribution in France.

Jolie plays the lead role of Maxine, and Louis Garrel (Little Women) and Ella Rumpf (Raw) star alongside her. The film marks international model Anyier Anei’s feature film debut.

The synopsis reads: “Set during the frenzy of Paris Fashion Week, three women’s lives intersect in Paris: Maxine (Angelina Jolie), an American filmmaker discovers she has breast cancer and is drawn into an unexpected connection with a familiar collaborator (Louis Garrel); Ada (Anyier Anei), a fresh face in modeling, is escaping a predetermined future back home in South Sudan; and Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a makeup artist works in the shadows of the catwalks.”

French born Winocour (Proxima), teamed up with cinematographer Andre Chemetoff (The Happening), multi-César nominated costume designer Pascaline Chavanne (Becoming Karl Lagerfeld), and multi-César nominated production designer Florian Sanson (Holy Motors).

The film is produced by Charles Gillibert (Bergman Island) of CG Cinéma alongside Zhang Xin (History Of Sound) of Closer Media, William Horberg (The Talented Mr Ripley) and Angelina Jolie (Unbroken). Bob Xu serves as an executive producer.

The project is a co-production with France 3 Cinéma and received funding from La Région Île-de-France, Canal+, Ciné+ OCS, France Télévisions and Chanel.

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Warwick Davis Returns to 'Harry Potter' in New HBO TV Series
TV & Streaming

Warwick Davis Returns to ‘Harry Potter’ in New HBO TV Series

by jummy84
written by jummy84

HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potter TV series has cast a familiar face to play Hogwarts Professor Filius Flitwick.

Warwick Davis, who played Flitwick in the original Harry Potter film series, will reprise the role for the TV series, which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.

Davis is the only actor (so far) to play the same role on the TV reboot as in the original films. His return to the franchise was announced as part of the annual Back to Hogwarts event, which is held each Sept. 1 and celebrates the franchise.

In addition to Davis, HBO also announced castings for seven other roles in the upcoming series:

  • Hogwarts students: Elijah Oshin as Dean Thomas, Finn Stephens as Vincent Crabbe and William Nash as Gregory Goyle
  • Hogwarts staff: Sirine Saba as Professor Pomona Sprout, Richard Durden as Professor Cuthbert Binns, and Bríd Brennan as Madam Poppy Pomfrey
  • Gringotts: Leigh Gill as Griphook

HBO has been active in casting the show over the summer, starting with the new actors playing Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, with John Lithgow playing Dumbledore, Janet McTeer playing Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu playing Professor Severus Snape and Nick Frost playing Hagrid, among other roles.

You can see the full cast list so far here.

The new Harry Potter series is in production now and will take a more expansive approach to author J.K. Rowling’s original book series, delving into storylines that weren’t able to be included in the films. While the cast is new, the inclusion of Davis as the Hogwarts charms professor provides some connective tissue between the original film franchise and the upcoming series.

Davis also portrayed Griphook in the film franchise but is not returning for the role in the TV series. The actor has also appeared in the Star Wars and Leprechaun franchises as well as the title character in Willow.

The series is being written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. 

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Who is Pui Man? Meet The Great British Bake Off 2025 contestant
TV & Streaming

Who is Pui Man? Meet The Great British Bake Off 2025 contestant

by jummy84
written by jummy84

The Great British Bake Off is back on screens in just a matter of hours, providing some much needed cosy viewing for the nation.

Tonight (2nd September), 12 amateur bakers will step into the tent for the first time to be put through their paces in a series of challenges. Up first? Cake Week.

Among them is Pui Man, who practices her bakes endlessly to make sure her creations are as close to perfection as possible. Pui Man is also eyeing up the show’s first ever Hollywood hug, rather than the usual Hollywood handshake the judge often gives out during the competition.

Read on to find out more about Pui Man as she makes her debut on The Great British Bake Off 2025.

Who is Pui Man?

Pui Man. Channel 4 / Love Productions

Age: 51

Location: Essex

Job: Bridal designer

Pui Man is a 51-year-old bridal designer from Essex. She brings the attention to detail required for designing wedding dresses to each of her bakes.

She rediscovered baking during lockdown and hasn’t looked back since, with her bakes being as beautiful as they are bold. Outside of baking, Pui Man volunteers three evenings a week, collecting surplus food from supermarkets and distributing it within her community.

The bridal designer had always “dreamed” about being in the tent and even meeting former bakers. She was at home when she got the phone call, and was “shocked” after she had applied four times int he past but had no success.

What are Pui Man’s strengths and weaknesses as a baker?

For Pui Man, she is “good at everything” she has known and practiced, but notes her weaknesses are down to her being a “perfectionist”, often growing frustrated when things aren’t perfect.

The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday 2nd September at 8pm.

Add The Great British Bake Off to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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Jessica Sanchez
TV & Streaming

Jessica Sanchez Interview on Pregnancy, ‘American Idol,’ and More (Exclusive)

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Nineteen years after she was a contestant on Season 10 of America’s Got Talent at just 10 years old, Jessica Sanchez is back for Season 20. The singer, who was also the runner-up on American Idol in 2012, received Sofia Vergara‘s Golden Buzzer during her audition and will hit the stage again for the Quarterfinals during the Tuesday, September 2, episode.

Just days after she auditioned for the show earlier this year, Jessica found out she was pregnant with her first child (she married husband Ricky Gallardo in 2021). However, the news didn’t stop her from wanting to continue the process, even though she’s now several months along amid the live shows.

“This year, I just felt this immense peace, like, I’m ready to do this. I took the leap and I found out that I was pregnant a couple days later, but it didn’t really hinder me from wanting to take that next step back on that stage,” she tells TV Insider. “If anything, it kind of motivated me a little bit because I’m like, now I get to do this with my daughter. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Sanchez says preparing for the live shows has been “going great” and that she’s felt “peaceful,” not stressed. “Even preparing vocally, typically your breathing and stuff gets affected when you’re pregnant, but as far as I’ve been preparing, it hasn’t really been affected tremendously and I’m so thankful for that. … Even if my voice does get a little impacted from the pregnancy, I’m excited to challenge myself on that stage.”

Trae Patton/NBC

Scroll down for more from our interview with Sanchez, including a tease of her next performance, what she learned from American Idol, and more.

Why were you ready to return for this season after being on the show in the past?

Jessica Sanchez: Season 1 of AGT, that was the biggest stage that I had ever been on at that time. I feel like that really catapulted my dream to being a professional singer. I was like, “Oh wow, I feel like being on this stage is something I really want to do and maybe I can take this dream somewhere I never thought I could.” So I feel like AGT was a big thing for me and a big reason why I decided to pursue this music career. But with all the things that I did after, I had so many amazing opportunities, worked with so many amazing people, and hit some very big stages, but I feel like I was so young at that time, I didn’t really get to, one, digest it properly, and also, I feel like I was tugged back and forth of where people wanted me to be and who they wanted me to be.

I needed to take a step back from music. So I took that step back and I kind of just lived a normal life, which was different for me because music was really, like, my identity when I was younger. It felt like a low season, but I definitely needed that to be where I am today to be confident in myself, to know who I am, to know what I want. To come back 20 years later, back on the stage where it all started for me, I feel like I’m on cloud nine.

What have you taken from your experiences on AGT and Idol into this new journey on AGT?

It can be overwhelming for some people, but I really fell in love with that big stage and being able to use my gift to entertain people, to impact people, and just kind of navigating through how hard you have to work and the pressure of it all. I feel like it molded me as a young woman how to handle pressure throughout my life. I feel like I have thick skin. After AGT, dealing with people, feeling rejected, feeling like I wasn’t enough, it taught me how to handle all of those things. I was really young, so I did need to take a step back if I wanted to do this fully and full of purpose before I could come back and feel like I was fulfilling a purpose with my gift.

Have you kept in touch with any contestants from the past shows you’ve done?

It’s so funny because it’s not like I keep in contact where we’re hanging out all the time, but I do hear every now and then from these people, like older contestants and stuff like that. Actually, the winner from the first season, Bianca [Ryan], we follow each other on Instagram and we message each other every now and then just about life stuff, not even about music stuff, which is so cool. I love seeing that she’s killing it and she sees me doing my thing. I really love that no matter how much competition it feels like, you can still kind of detach and be like, wow, all of these amazing talents are coming in and you can share that love of the stage and stuff like that. So I kind of keep in contact with some people.

You were on a few episodes of Glee back in the day. Would you ever dabble in acting again?

I would love to. I’ve tried. I’ve put out audition tapes after doing the Glee stuff. But I’m so seasoned with singing, that is really where I shine. I feel like acting would be a fun thing to do, not really a professional, this is what I do full-time. I think it’d be really fun to start doing it, but singing is really what I’ve known from the beginning.

Anything you can tease about your Quarterfinals performance?

I don’t want to give away too much, but I feel like the first audition I really came in with a song that a lot of people did not expect me to sing and with this next song, it’s similar as in, like, a lot of people aren’t really going to expect the song. It was really fun for me to be creative with it and take it somewhere vocally where a lot of people think it wouldn’t go. I’m excited for that, that’s the only little tease I can give you.

America’s Got Talent, Season 20, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC

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IndieWire picks the best new Blu-rays and 4Ks of September 2025
TV & Streaming

IndieWire picks the best new Blu-rays and 4Ks of September 2025

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Physical media culture is alive and thriving thanks to the home video tastemakers hailing everywhere from The Criterion Collection to Kino Lorber and the Warner Archive Collection. Each month, IndieWire highlights the best recent and upcoming Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K releases for cinephiles to own now — and to bring ballast and permanence to your moviegoing at a time when streaming windows on classic movies close just as soon as they open.

The gift-giving season officially begins this month with the release of Criterion‘s massive Wes Anderson boxed set, a 20-disc behemoth sure to pop up on many cinephiles’ holiday wish lists this year. Yet it’s a sign of how robust the world of physical media remains that the Wes Anderson package is just one of many indispensable releases dropping in September; we’ve also got a Criterion upgrade of a Kurosawa favorite, a new cut of an obscure Sylvester Stallone vehicle, and Jack Nicholson’s criminally underrated “Chinatown” sequel “The Two Jakes.”

WE'RE NO ANGELS, from left: Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, 1989, © Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Add to that a pristine transfer of an overlooked Walter Hill gem, a collection devoted to one of classic Hollywood’s greatest stars, and a new restoration of Victor Sjöström’s silent masterpiece “He Who Gets Slapped.” And let’s not forget to mention the physical media premiere of one of this year’s best movies, “Materialists,” with illuminating supplementary features.

IndieWire picks our eight favorite new physical releases for September 2025, below.

“Errol Flynn Collection” (Warner Archive, Blu-ray)

Another exquisite set from Warner Archive following this year’s earlier Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Elizabeth Taylor collections, this six-film package provides a rousing crash course in the work of one of the greatest action stars of his era. Flynn’s most famous film, Michael Curtiz’s influential “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” is here in a dazzling transfer that showcases all its Technicolor glory; so is one of the actor’s best movies, Raoul Walsh’s epic World War II adventure film “Objective, Burma!” The collection also includes another Curtiz swashbuckler, “The Sea Hawk”; the more somber WWII drama “Edge of Darkness”; and a late entry from Flynn’s days at Warner Bros., “The Adventures of Don Juan.” The weirdest and most fascinating film in the set is “Santa Fe Trail,” a Curtiz-helmed Western that imagines future Civil War enemies Jeb Stuart (Flynn) and George Armstrong Custer (Ronald Reagan) as military school pals competing for the affections of an heiress played by Olivia de Havilland. This is just one of several highly recommended releases from Warner Archives this month; they’ve also got terrific collections devoted to Greta Garbo and 50s sci-fi, as well as new remasters of the pre-code gangster classic “The Beast of the City” and the blaxploitation favorite “Black Samson.”

Available September 2

“Rebel” Director’s Cut (Giant Pictures, Blu-ray)

Originally titled “No Place to Hide” when it was released in 1973, this micro-budget feature from director Robert Schnitzer gave Sylvester Stallone his first starring role as an anti-war activist — yet it’s been virtually impossible to see for decades due to the vicissitudes of independent filmmaking. Retitled “Rebel” and re-released after “Rocky” made Stallone in 1976, the film made the rounds on videocassette and television but never got the attention it deserved as a richly detailed portrait of one of the worst moments in American history and its impact on people fighting for what they believed in. For this Blu-ray release Schnitzer has remastered “Rebel” in 4K, remixed the sound, and made subtle adjustments to fix issues that had always bothered him. The result provides an opportunity to discover one of the great unsung independent films of its era, a movie filled with electrifying New York location shooting, political urgency, and sophisticated moral inquiry.

Available September 2

“The Two Jakes” (Kino Lorber, 4K UHD and Blu-ray)

Jack Nicholson stepped into the director’s chair for this sequel to “Chinatown,” which met with mixed reviews and tepid box office upon its release in 1990 but is, in fact, every bit the artistic equal to Roman Polanski’s masterpiece. Broader in its tonal range, subtler in its observations, and more adventurous in its narrative structure than its predecessor, it’s a messier movie than the one concocted by Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne in 1974, but it yields even greater pleasures for viewers willing to accept its challenges. In his richly complex portrait of Jake Gittes learning to live — or not — with the tragedy that defined his life after the events of “Chinatown,” Nicholson reaches his apex as both actor and director.

Available September 2

“Undisputed” (Kino Lorber, 4K UHD and Blu-ray)

When Walter Hill‘s 2000 science fiction film “Supernova” was taken out of his hands during editing (he ended up signing the film under a pseudonym), he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make movies anymore. Thankfully, for those of us who treasure the lean, smart genre films (“48HRS,” “Streets of Fire,” “Johnny Handsome”) in which Hill specializes, he eventually changed his mind and decided to go back to basics for one of his best and most underrated films. After the large scale and abundant visual effects of “Supernova,” Hill got his creative mojo back (with help from co-screenwriter David Giler) with this return to the kind of modest but muscular character-driven entertainment that began his career. Like his debut, “Hard Times,” it’s a boxing picture: a riff on the real-life story of Mike Tyson, in which a heavyweight champion (Ving Rhames) goes to jail for rape and finds himself up against the prison’s reigning undefeated fighter (Wesley Snipes). Hill and Giler skillfully avoid virtually every sports movie cliché while still delivering the genre’s rousing satisfactions — this is a spectacularly fun movie in spite of its often grim subject matter. This long overdue 4K upgrade includes interviews with Hill, Snipes, and Rhames, and a new audio commentary with film historian Mike Leeder and filmmaker Matt Routledge.

Available September 2

“He Who Gets Slapped” (Flicker Alley, Blu-ray)

Victor Sjöström is best known to contemporary cinephiles for his memorable performance in Ingmar Bergman’s “Wild Strawberries,” but decades before that 1957 masterpiece he was directing silent films of exceptional subtlety and lyricism. This atmospheric 1924 thriller about a humiliated clown (Lon Chaney) plotting revenge against his tormentor is one of Sjöström’s most celebrated works, and the Flicker Alley Blu-ray offers up a brand new restoration of a film never before available in HD. Chaney gives a nuanced, uncharacteristically subdued performance as “HE,” the tortured circus performer, and this Blu-ray offers up an analysis of Chaney’s work via an audio commentary by makeup artist and Chaney enthusiast Michael F. Blake. Further context is provided by a brand-new documentary on the early days of MGM, where Louis B. Mayer green-lit “He Who Gets Slapped” as the new studio’s first film. (It didn’t end up being released first after Mayer held it for the lucrative Christmas holiday, but it was the first film to sport MGM’s lion mascot in its opening.)

Available September 9

“High and Low” (Criterion, 4K UHD)

Interest in this Akira Kurosawa classic has surged with the release of Spike Lee’s remake “Highest 2 Lowest,” and Criterion’s shimmering 4K upgrade is the perfect way to experience it. A bifurcated story that spends its first half in the “high” environs of upper class industrialist Toshiro Mifune before shifting gears to the “low” city life of a kidnapper who upends his life, this 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s crime novel “King’s Ransom” goes both broad and deep — it’s a sweeping portrait of post-war Japan as well as a meticulously detailed character study. And it’s one hell of an entertaining modern noir, kinetically directed by Kurosawa with a total mastery of the expansive TohoScope frame. The Criterion edition is essential viewing not only for the film itself but for the exceptional supplementary features, the best of which is an insight-packed audio commentary by film scholar Stephen Prince, who brilliantly breaks down Kurosawa’s approach to lenses, camera movement, composition, and editing.

Available September 9

“Materialists” (A24, Blu-ray)

Celine Song’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut feature “Past Lives” is the best kind of second film, a movie that both deepens the ideas of its predecessor while finding more varied means of expression and new areas for further inquiry. “Materialists” is as airy and expansive as “Past Lives” was hermetically sealed and claustrophobic; it’s got the effervescent charm of early Nora Ephron, but the exploration of how class, culture, and romance intersect is more complex — and ultimately more satisfying — than anything you’ll find in “Sleepless in Seattle” or “You’ve Got Mail.” Song’s visual taste is exquisite; her talent for finding the most felicitous camera angle and her eye for edits that convey a multitude of emotions makes her a kind of modern-day Ernst Lubitsch, and “Materialists” is a rom-com (yes, it is a rom-com, contrary to what some of my colleagues have argued) every bit as romantic, funny, and clear-eyed as that master’s best work. Special features on the Blu-ray include a commentary with Celine Song, an in-depth making-of featurette, and a composer deep dive with Japanese Breakfast.

Available September 9

“The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years” (Criterion, 4K UHD and Blu-ray)

To call this generously appointed and handsomely packaged collection a crash course in the films of writer-director Wes Anderson isn’t really doing it justice; with over 25 hours of special features and essays spread across 10 illustrated books, it’s one of the most comprehensive boxed sets ever dedicated to a single filmmaker. Containing all 10 of Anderson’s features from “Bottle Rocket” to “The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun,” the package is stuffed to the hilt with audio commentaries, interviews, documentaries, deleted scenes, auditions, short films, home movies, commercials, storyboards, animation tests, archival recordings, still photographs, and visual essays devoted to one of the most original voices in contemporary world cinema.

Available September 30

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Film4 Appoints Farhana Bhula as Director
TV & Streaming

Film4 Appoints Farhana Bhula as Director

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Farhana Bhula has been named director of Film4.

Bhula had been serving as interim director since July following the news of Ollie Madden’s departure. She will take up the role immediately, after what was described as an extensive external recruitment process.

Bhula joined Film4 in January 2022 and has overseen feature film projects including Molly Manning Walker’s debut film “How To Have Sex,” Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers,” plus upcoming titles such as Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada,” Oliver Hermanus’ “The History of Sound” and Philippa Lowthorpe’s “H is for Hawk.” She launched Future Takes in partnership with the BFI, currently in its second iteration, to support and nurture emerging talent. Following the success of “How to Have Sex,” Manning Walker reunited with the channel on her upcoming TV series “Major Players” with A24, which Farhana will work on alongside the Channel 4 drama team.

“Farhana has been a key part of Film4’s success for the last three years, working closely with Ollie Madden,” said Jonathan Allan, Interim CEO at Channel 4. “I am delighted that Farhana will take on this hugely important role, after a rigorous and competitive external recruitment process. Farhana’s experience within Film4, dedication to emerging talent and her established industry relationships will deliver a new exciting era and success for our filmmakers and the Film4 brand on the world stage.”

Bhula will remain on Channel 4’s executive team and senior leadership team, reporting to Martin Baker, chief commercial affairs officer, who has assumed interim responsibility for Film4 under interim CEO Jonathan Allan, and led the external recruitment process.

“Film4 has long been the home of original, daring filmmaking that truly cuts through,” said Bhula. “Under the dynamic and inspiring leadership of Ollie Madden, and alongside the passionate Film4 team, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most exciting writers, directors, and producers in the world. It’s an honour to now lead Film4 into its next chapter. With a mandate to take creative risks, an ambition to connect British filmmakers with global audiences, and the support of Jonathan Allan, Martin Baker, and the exceptional Channel 4 executive team, there really is no place like Film4.”

Bhula joined Film4 in 2022 as senior commissioning excutive, later becoming head of creative and deputy director. A prominent British film exec, she was was previously a senior development and production executive at the BFI, where she supported emerging talent and worked on a number of debuts including Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” Dionne Edwards’ “Pretty Red Dress,” and Ben Sharrock’s “Limbo”. Farhana also held positions at Wildgaze Films and Endor Productions.

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AllMedia Boss On M&A, Federal Model & Seamonster Development Label
TV & Streaming

AllMedia Boss On M&A, Federal Model & Seamonster Development Label

by jummy84
written by jummy84

EXCLUSIVE: Last year, Deadline dove deep into RedBird IMI‘s plan to rouse its new sleeping giant, All3Media.

But 12 months on, things have been slow going, with little in the way of splashy M&A activity and consolidation aplenty, while All3Media’s federal model has been brought into question.

Insiders say the narrative from within All3Media’s London HQ was expected to be one of expansion but has instead felt more like consolidation, with key decisions like the closure of Hollyoaks producer Lime Pictures‘ London hub, along with layoffs at Cash Cab producer Lion TV US and All3Media Deutschland, being indicative of the group’s efforts to tighten its grip on costs and reduce duplication. The reality, as ever, is nuanced.

Last year’s acquisition of All3Media by Jeff Zucker and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird IMI for £1.15B ($1.56M) was undoubtedly one of the biggest M&A deals in the TV production world for some years. The acquisition was supposed to unleash All3Media onto the buying market following a quiet first half of the decade. Over the past year, All3Media has launched two scripted vehicles in the form of George Kay’s Observatory Pictures and Clelia Mountford’s Sunburnt Penguin, but no one could argue that the group has broken the bank.

One senior All3Media insider said they were “surprised” that the super producer had not completed any major acquisitions since being acquired by RedBird IMI, adding that there was frustration that the group appeared to be back to where it was previously under former owners Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global. “You’ve got two different shareholders and everyone has got to agree [on spending],” they added.

This feeling runs somewhat counter to the notion of rousing the giant, and to All3Media boss Jane Turton‘s MIPCOM keynote last October in which she appeared to signal fairly imminent M&A in the scripted space.

Speaking exclusively to Deadline, Turton said the super-indie, which owns The Tourist producer Two Brothers, 1917 maker Neal Street and The Traitors indie Studio Lambert, remains “permanently on the lookout for high quality, talent and IP rich businesses that could make exciting additions to the All3Media portfolio.” “The emphasis is always on the people in the companies, their IP and development slates, their reputation and track record and, most important, whether the combination will be a good fit and additive to both sides,” she said.

In its defence, All3Media rivals such as Banijay and Fremantle have also had a quiet year on the M&A front in what is clearly a sticky market. ITV Studios has been busier, having acquired Hartswood Films, Eagle Eye Drama and Moonage. By far and away the biggest M&A contest, that being the race to acquire See-Saw Films, was won by French giant Mediawan, with All3Media widely thought to have been in the running. This deal valued the Heartstopper producer at a lofty £100M.

All3Media launches Seamonster in development push

Rathe than splashy buys, some of All3Media’s recent activity has instead pointed to a new strategy of creating ‘feeder labels’, those that can develop ideas which can then be taken up by All3Media’s larger beasts like Studio Lambert or the newly-rebranded Objective Entertainment.

Deadline can reveal that All3Media has set up one such label called Seamonster under former Lime Pictures executives Mirella Breda and Sam Pollard, who have worked on hits including Big Brother, Total Wipeout and Release the Hounds down the years.

Seamonster is “dedicated to creating original, eye-catching and absorbing unscripted formats,” according to its website, and we understand its primary focus will be to develop and sell to buyers, rather than produce. In this way, All3Media might come a step closer to locating the next The Traitors, the hit Dutch format created by its IDTV label which is still dominating the formats game worldwide and is made by Studio Lambert in the UK and U.S. A celebrity version, which was one of the buzziest shows on display at august’s Edinburgh TV Festival, kicks off on the BBC next month.

Backing up this new approach to development, All3Media is opening a number of unscripted labels in the U.S. under Studio Lambert, the first being Jill Goslicky and Vivian Choi’s MindMeld, with more expected imminently. Lion TV US has, meanwhile, become what is effectively a development hub within All3Media America under remaining co-CEO Stan Hsue, who has been left with just a handful of remaining members of staff. All3Media America, which has not had a dedicated CEO based in the States since Tim Pastore exited five years ago, has long been viewed by industry observers as having the potential to win more business than it does. “On the West Coast, take away Stephen Lambert and it’s not a pretty picture,” said a former senior All3Media insider.

Federal model scrutinized

Connecting more of these labels to All3Media’s established players like the influential Studio Lambert represents an interesting shift and one that may fit oddly with the super-indie’s much-discussed federal model, which has been the bedrock of the group since it was founded more than two decades ago by British TV vets Steve Morrison, David Liddiment and Jules Burns.

That model sees Turton and her lieutenants take a lighter-touch approach to All3Media-owned indies than its rivals do – allowing creatives to get on with what they do best – but hidden deep in All3Media’s recent annual results document was a small section that appeared to place a question mark over this model.

The section signaled that RedBird IMI will “review performance of the UK on an aggregate basis rather than at an individual production company level” in future financials, with “results reported to shareholders by geographical split” rather than via each individual indie.

Eye-catchingly, it added that if there is an opportunity for an indie to produce a new show with a broadcaster, All3Media’s group management will decide which of its production outfits is “best placed to produce it” based on that outfit’s previous experience rather than “assigning the production to an underperforming [indie] to improve their individual results.”

Were this strategy to be put into practice across the board, which would effectively involve All3Media intervening over which indie produces which show, the ex-senior All3Media staffer told us it would represent “a big statement against the federal system.”

All3Media insiders stressed that this is not the case. We understand that the section in the results was a reference to three Lime Pictures shows, TOWIE, Celebs Go Dating and Geordie Shore, which were handed to stablemate Objective Entertainment when Lime’s London base was closed. This one-off move was part of the reason Lime’s value was written down by  £25M ($33M), which makes up part of the circa-£60M worth of write-downs that came in RedBird IMI’s first year in charge, another sign that the new owner is keeping a beady eye on costs and value.

Going forwards, All3Media insiders stressed that reallocating shows – which would fly in the face of the federal model – will in no way become the norm.

Turton has in fact spent the past couple of weeks throwing her weight behind the federal system. At an Edinburgh TV Festival session that was closed to press, we are told she passionately defended the approach as a “very supportive model.” “If you give people autonomy and allow them to make decisions and don’t second guess them, you get better people, people who have all the authority, space and scope they need,” she is understood to have said.

A few days after the session, she told Deadline: “We are proud of the business we’ve built with its very strong group of production labels, digital businesses, and integrated distribution company, All3Media International. Our federal model has great business leaders and teams within a portfolio and sitting in a supportive structure.”

Nevertheless, continued consolidation and outward pressure may mean speculation of this sort rolls on.

“Going back to the last year or two under [former owner David] Zaslav, it definitely felt like they were being more aggressive when it came to companies that were struggling or where they didn’t believe entirely in the leadership,” said the former senior insider quoted above.

As more time passes without a statement acquisition, pressure may start intensifying.

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