Given the massive popularity of Naruto as both manga and anime, it was no surprise to see that the property was being made subject to a live-action movie adaptation. After all, it’s one of the most successful series ever, pulling in fans around the world through its story of Naruto Uzumaki and leading to multiple cross-media adaptations. Back in 2015, Lionsgate then confirmed that a live-action Naruto movie was in development. With The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey on board to direct, things then went a little quiet as work began on the film. Fans of the manga and anime were then left wondering exactly how this adaptation was going to turn out, and whether it would follow in the footsteps of other failed adaptations. Thankfully, Naruto fans can now get an update on the progress of the film, courtesy of Gracey himself. In an interview with Collider, the director has been able to divulge a little about how the production is going. Although things seem to be moving slowly, at the very least it sounds like it’s positive news for those worried that the live-action movie could fail to live up to the original, with Gracey stating he is not sure if Naruto is even going to be his next movie. Gracey explained why this cautious approach was being taken, and also revealed why he felt it was important to work with Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto on the film. “So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right,” said Gracey, “and for me what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it.” At the very least, this cautious approach – and the desire to work with the character’s creator – should be a good sign for the final film. So, where does that leave the production as a whole? “We’re still working on the script,” said Gracey, explaining that “until that script is at a level that I’m excited about, I have no interest in destroying an amazing franchise, as has happened before.” It’s a good sign that Naruto does not want to follow down the path of the likes of Death Note and Dragonball: Evolution, and according to Gracey everyone involved in the film is of the same mind. “At this stage, no one is going to go into production until we’ve got a script that excites everyone.” Of course, that’s not always a sure-fire success when it comes to manga and anime adaptations. The original director of Ghost in the Shelldefended the much-criticized casting of Scarlett Johansson, while the creators of Death Note apparently loved the Netflix movie adaptation, so it’s clear that even creator approval doesn’t always lead to a great final product. However, hopefully caution when it comes to this production will allow Naruto‘s live-action adaptation to be a cut above its peers.

Disney is planning a major "Avengers Tour" at the Shanghai Disney Resort on April 19 to promote the release. Disney Marvel's upcoming mega-tentpole Avengers: Infinity War has secured its release date in China, the territory all but certain to be the film's second-biggest market. The film, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and featuring most of the Marvel pantheon, will unfurl in the Middle Kingdom on May 11, two weeks after its North American debut on April 27. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is Hollywood's biggest overall franchise in China by far, challenged only by The Fast and the Furious and past enthusiasm for the Transformers movies. Avengers: Age of Ultron earned $240 million in the country in 2015, setting a slew of records at the time. Captain America and Iron Man movies also have been huge earners, while other MCU character titles consistently pull in more than $100 million. In the past couple of years, Disney has been able to secure day-and-date releases for many of its biggest tentpoles in China. But it appears Beijing regulators were unwilling to budge on their usual blackout policy, which allows only locally made Chinese films to open over important national holidays. This year, Chinese Labor Day falls on Monday April 30 and Tuesday May 1, creating a long weekend. How much the delay in release will impact Avengers 3, if at all, is hard to say, but opening over the holiday weekend almost certainly would have added to the box-office bonanza. Black Panther recently was delayed in a similar way by Chinese New Year (it has earned $105 million to date). Disney is planning a major Avengers Tour at the Shanghai Disney Resort on April 19 to promote the release. No word yet on exactly which talent will be on hand for the extravaganza. Infinity War reunites the Avengers gang and friends, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), as they join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew — Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper — to stop the evil intergalactic despot Thanos (Josh Brolin). Other characters from the MCU making a play include Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Marvel president Kevin Feige has said the film will have big ramifications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so much so that the title for 2019's Avengers 4 has not yet been revealed, as the name itself would be a spoiler.

Taraji P. Henson plays a woman determined to get revenge on the husband she thinks betrayed her in Tyler Perry's thriller. It may be hard to believe, but Tyler Perry's dramatic movies are actually worse than his comedies. For evidence, look no further than Acrimony (or Tyler Perry's Acrimony, if you care to indulge the branding), which could be considered a psychological thriller except for the fact that none of the psychology rings true and there are absolutely no thrills. There are unintentional laughs, to be sure. In abundance. But the film is so ridiculously overwrought that it makes the Madea films look subtle by comparison. The filmmaker's loyal fans will no doubt show up in droves, but if the audience's cackling at a public screening is any indication, word of mouth will be less than stellar. What even's worse is that the writer-director has now achieved something that would previously have been considered unthinkable: He's actually gotten a bad performance out of Taraji P. Henson. Not just bad, but Razzie Award bad. Both she and Perry (who recently won worst actress honors for last year's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween) should start practicing their acceptance speeches now. If there's one quality that Henson projects in many of her performances, it's fierceness. She gets to display that in spades with her starring turn as Melinda, who in the opening scene is being ordered by a judge to attend anger management counseling (and she hadn't even seen this movie yet). The title then appears in the opening credits, followed by a helpful onscreen definition for those who either don't know or haven't yet taken the trouble to Google it. As the clearly aggrieved Melinda relates her story to the shrink, the story flashes back to the early days of her relationship with Robert (Antonio Madison, playing the younger version of the character), whom she meets when they're both in college. The young Melinda (Aijona Alexus, who seems to be making a career out of playing Henson's younger self, as she assumes the same responsibility in Empire) quickly falls for the handsome and charming Robert, although she resents him taking her virginity while she's still grieving the death of her mother. But she finds it hard to resist, especially when he puts on a record by Nina Simone and tells her, "Her voice is like going to church." The couple's relationship hits a considerable speed bump when Melinda catches Robert cheating on her and she retaliates by ramming his RV with her car. But it's Melinda who comes out the worse for wear, suffering injuries that leave her unable to bear children. Despite the loud objections of her sisters who accuse Robert of being a shameless gold digger, Melinda agrees to marry him even though he's impoverished. She works two jobs to support them as he works endlessly on his design of a rechargeable battery that he says will revolutionize technology. When it's finished, he assures her, he'll buy her a diamond ring, a yacht and everything else she desires. Cut to years later, when the older Robert (Lyriq Bent) is unable to even get a meeting with Prescott Industries, apparently the only company in the world that might be interested in such an invention. Melinda becomes increasingly angry and frustrated over their living conditions. She finally she asks him for a divorce, but only after a series of plot machinations so patently ridiculous that even relating them feels onerous. Not long after, Robert strikes it rich and, as icing on the poisonous cake, gets back together with Diana (Crystle Stewart), the woman with whom he had his dalliance years earlier and who now happens to be, you guessed it, working for Prescott Industries. And that's when Melinda goes seriously crazy. We're talking crazy to a degree that would make Glenn Close's Alex in Fatal Attraction go, "Too much." "You know me, you know I can be the motherfucking devil," Melinda hisses to Robert at one point, in an example of the dialogue so ripe it immediately starts to rot. But the character's profanity-filled threats aren't nearly as ridiculous as when she performs what can only be described as a war dance. Henson is a compelling screen presence, even in this. But as talented as she is, she's unable to overcome the utter ludicrousness of the proceedings. So, you can imagine how the other members of the ensemble fare, which is not at all well. Perry has directed more than 20 films in his amazingly successful career, and yet seems incapable of improving. This latest effort is the sort of hackwork that wouldn't have passed muster decades ago as the bottom half of a B-movie double bill. The technical aspects are atrocious, from the ugly cinematography to the treacly piano music underscoring every dramatic moment. The story supposedly takes place in Pittsburgh, but it's immediately apparent that the actors never left the confines of the filmmaker's Atlanta studio. Not even for the absurd climactic sequence, taking place on a boat, that defines cheesy. And in keeping with the film's ethos, here's a definition. Cheesy: tacky, cheap, tawdry, corny. Production companies: Tyler Perry Studios, Lionsgate Distributor: Lionsgate Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Lyriq Bent, Crystle Stewart, Ptosha Storey, Jazymn Simon, Ajiona Alexus, Antonio Madison, Bresha Webb, Danielle Nicolet, Nelson Estevez, Kendrick Cross Director-screenwriter: Tyler Perry Producers: Tyler Perry, Ozzie Areu, Will Areu, Mark E. Swinton Director of photography: Richard Vialet Production designer: Paul Wonsek Editor: Larry Sexton Composer: Christopher Lennertz Costume designer: Crystal Hayslett Rated R, 120 minutes

Past winners include Werner Herzog, Jia Zhangke, Jane Campion, Jim Jarmusch and Clint Eastwood. The French Directors’ Guild will honor Martin Scorsese with this year’s Carrosse d’Or, the Golden Coach prize, during the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. The honor will be handed out on May 9 during the opening ceremony of the festival sidebar. For its 50th anniversary, the French directors’ guild SRF said it was "proud to celebrate an outstanding and inspiring filmmaker." Last year, Werner Herzog won the award. Jia Zhangke, Jane Campion, Jim Jarmusch, Clint Eastwood and Alain Resnais are among the other directors honored since the prize was created in 2002. The Cannes Film Festival this year runs May 8-May 19.

Ludwig Goransson, the composer behind Disney/Marvel’s uber-successful Black Panther, has signed on to score the next film in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters, Venom, starring Tom Hardy as the Spider-Man supervillain. The film will reunite Goransson with Venom‘s director Ruben Fleischer after the Swedish composer and record producer worked on Fleischer’s 2011 film 30 Minutes or Less. Goransson, who has teamed with Ryan Coogler on his two other films, Fruitvale Station and Creed, has also composed for films such as Central Intelligence, Death Wish, as well as television programs like Community and New Girl. In addition, Goransson serves as the producer of Altanta star Donald Glover’s Childish Gambino albums. Venom, which co-stars Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, and Reid Scott, is slated for an October 5 release.

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Netflix has had some mixed success stories when it comes to its Originals film brand, but it’s an understatement to say that it’s latest offering looks set to be one of its biggest flops yet. The Outsider, starring Jared Leto, dropped on the streaming service on Friday – and on the surface it looks to be a slick crime drama in the vein of Only God Forgives. The period piece sees the Oscar-winning actor take on the role of a former American soldier in Japan back in the fifties, who, following a stint in prison, falls in with the Yakuza. As the films progresses, the central character, Nick Lowell, is inducted into the criminal underworld of post WWII Japan and finds himself at home in the alien world of honour-bound crime. The Outsider, starring Jared Leto, dropped on the streaming service on Friday, and so far the reviews have not been kind (Picture: Netflix) Prior to its release the film suffered a slight PR catastrophe as it was accused of whitewashing by casting Jared in the lead role of what is essentially a Japanese period-film, but then again the story lends itself to the casting. However, after dropping on the streaming service the film has received a tonne of what would be fair to say damning reviews. In fact, one reviewer went so far as to say that it’s worse than Bright (Will Smith and Joel Edgerton’s critically panned Netflix blockbuster fantasy outing). But, just what is it that seems to have got everyone so down on The Outsider? The overall plot of the film seems to be one of the more outstanding problems for critics who’ve deigned to review it. Starting out in prison, the film slowly charts Leto’s character as he becomes aware of and immersed in the Yakuza life, slowly his Gaijin gains the trust of the family he falls in with and he becomes one of its more wily and violent enforcers. At the same time a love story ticks along behind the action, pitching Nick and his friend’s sister into an addictive romance which crosses the line with the Yakuza. In fact, one reviewer went as far as to say it was worse than Bright – now, that’s harsh! (Picture: Netflix) What the reviewers said… The Guardian: ‘It’s by no means impossible to carve a challenging, meaningful story out of difficult interchanges between the east and west. To return to Scorsese, consider Silence, a fine film about European men slowly realising just how little they understand of Japan. But neither Zandvliet, Baldwin, nor Leto care to look beyond themselves.’ Thrillist: ‘Unfortunately, The Outsider is a dull vehicle for that hotness. Arriving mere months after Netflix’s last movie-star-driven project, the cops-vs-magical-creatures action saga Bright, The Outsider is actually worse than that Will Smith trainwreck, which was widely derided by critics as one of the worst movies of last year. (Audiences seemed to enjoy it more: Bright 2 is currently in the works.) Where Bright at least had a meat-headed sense of humor to go with its unearned sense of self-importance, The Outsider is needlessly cruel, dour, and slow. No amount of brooding from a handsome leading man can save it.’ IndieWire: ‘You probably don’t need a critic to tell you that The Outsider, a tragically real crime drama in which Jared Leto plays a silent but violent enforcer for the Yakuza in post-war Japan, is 100% horrendous. After all, when was the last time you saw a good Yakuza movie starring Jared Leto?’ Variety: ‘Dull, flavourless, and fundamentally incurious, The Outsider is a clueless misfire, the cinematic equivalent of a study-abroad student showing off the kanji forearm tattoo whose meaning he never bothered to learn.’ As it is, the film is beautifully shot – that much people can agree on – and the locations and cinematography are a certainly a treat. Whether or not you enjoy it is another question altogether.

While the second installment of the Wonder Woman series won't hit theaters for a while (like, a really long time), the latest developments surrounding the sequel have anticipation at an all-time high. Here's what we know so far about Wonder Woman 2. The release date has already been set. We've got a long way to go before Wonder Woman 2 arrives. The forthcoming film was initially slated for release in December 2019, although it has been pushed up to November 2019, Deadline reports. Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins will return. After a stellar breakout role in the first film, Gadot has signed on to reprise the role of the titular character. Patty Jenkins will also return to direct, produce, and co-write the film. The film's villain has been cast, too. Very few details about the film have been released but Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins confirmed today (March 9) that comedy star Kristen Wiig has signed on to play the film's newest villain, Cheetah. "So excited to confirm the most thrilling news. Yes! It’s true! So incredibly lucky to welcome the sensationally talented Kristen Wiig to our Wonder Woman family. Can't wait to finally work with one of my favorites. And SO excited by what we have planned," Jenkins announced on Twitter after rumors of Wiig's involvement began to circulate last week. Who is Cheetah? Well, there are actually a few Cheetahs in DC Comic history, including Priscilla Rich, the original Cheetah, who appeared in the 1943 version of Wonder Woman; she was an associate of Diana's until she became jealous of Wonder Woman and turned into an enemy. There's also Barbara Minerva, a British archeologist and a more mainstream adaptation of the character, who debuted in 1987. Chris Pine probably won't be in it. Patty Jenkins told ELLE.com that Pine's character Steve Trevor definitely didn't absorb any magical powers in Themyscira—so it looks like he really is dead. He also seemed to be dead in Justice League. The likelihood of Steve Trevor returning is slim to none (unless he returns for flashbacks), and there aren't any signs pointing to his resurrection in the upcoming film, either. Wonder Woman 2 will take place in a new setting. Wonder Woman was set in the World War I era, with characters landing in European locations across England, Germany, and Belgium, but for this upcoming film, Jenkins has plans to take Diana to a whole new setting. In a profile with The Hollywood Reporter, Jenkins said she's "more than ready to return to the character for a contemporary-set Wonder Woman sequel" and later told EW, "The story will take place in the U.S., which I think is right.” What other characters will appear? Jenkins has teased a "great love story," so if Wonder Woman herself is involved, there's probably going to be someone new on the scene. She also said there would be "a couple new unbelievable characters who I’m so excited about," so watch this space.

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) already produced enough content in 2017 for people to rack up 50 billion viewing hours Opens a New Window. for the January-to-December period. But the company wants to release even more content in 2018. To be exact, Netflix plans to release 700 TV, film, and stand-up comedy projects this year. That's according to comments made by Netflix CFO David Wells on Feb. 27 during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Content rules when it comes to subscribers, because they naturally gravitate toward the streamers with the best content. With Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple, and (soon) Disney (NYSE: DIS) on its heels, Netflix is smart to ramp up its content game, as a way to keep its current subscribers interested while luring in new subscribers. Netflix's $8 billion content budget expected to drive subs In 2018, Netflix expects to spend between $7.5 billion and $8 billion on content, Wells said on the latest earnings call. That impressive budget will go toward funding 700 projects Wells later revealed at the Morgan Stanley conference in February. Of those 700 projects, Wells revealed, 80 will be non-English-language original content geared toward international markets. This will help Netflix continue to expand in the less-saturated markets outside of its home country. In the last quarter, Netflix added 6.36 million international subscribers and 1.98 million U.S. subscribers Opens a New Window. . Netflix is willing to allocate billions for its content budget each year because that's directly leading Opens a New Window. to more subscribers. "Let's continue to add content -- it's working, it's driving growth," Wells said to the audience at the conference. Netflix stunned some investors back in 2016 when it spent $5 billion on content and estimated it would raise that to $6 billion in 2017. However, with the continued growth in subscribers, investors have become less stingy about the company's content budget. In fact, last quarter's figure of 8.33 million subscriber additions was a new record Opens a New Window. for Netflix. The company ended 2017 with 117.6 million global subscribers, but Wells said there are still more non-Netflix subscribers in the world than there are subscribers. He noted that there are an estimated 700 million broadband users across the world (excluding China), implying that the company has a long runway when it comes to subscriber growth. Netflix has also found that marketing spend is essential to promote the high-quality content that it's paying billions for each year. The company said in its note to investors last quarter that it's increasing the marketing budget from about $1.3 billion in 2017 to approximately $2 billion for 2018. Netflix's content formula requires pricey talent In addition to sizable content and marketing budgets, Netflix's golden formula also includes pricey talent. The company has discovered that hiring the best production talent makes its job easy. "Hire great people, give them the resources to make great content and get out of their way," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said about the company's content strategy on the last earnings call. Most recently, Netflix signed a multiyear contract Opens a New Window. with creator Ryan Murphy, who was previously at Twenty-First Century Fox and is behind hit shows like Feud and American Horror Story. Murphy is getting paid a stunning $300 million for his five-year contract with Netflix, because he "has been a very successful and prolific producer of television that has been very commercially successful," Wells said. Such a lucrative deal isn't the new norm. Wells said Murphy is an exception, because he has the track record to prove that he knows how to make content that appeals to large audiences. "We were pleased with the type of content he creates in terms of being popular globally, not just in the U.S. He creates a lot of customer joy, as we like to say," Wells explained. Prior to Murphy, Netflix had signed a deal with Shonda Rhimes that's said to be worth $100 million. The former ABC Studios creator is known for global hits like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Wells said Netflix was willing to do a big deal with Rhimes for the same reason: She has the track record to prove that she knows how to create content that appeals to global audiences. Netflix also has multiyear deals with Orange is the New Black creator and GLOW executive producer Jenji Kohan, and with Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy. There has also been some talent poaching. In September, Netflix hired Melissa Cobb, head of studio at Oriental DreamWorks (a joint venture of DreamWorks, a subsidiary of Comcast), to be in charge of its series and films for children and families. While spending $8 billion on content or $300 million on a three-year contract might seem excessive now, it won't be a year from now, when Disney is set to pull its content from Netflix and launch its own competing streaming site. Netflix already has a number of competitors, but Disney may be its biggest one yet, with its blockbuster movie business, extensive intellectual property, and pending acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox. Netflix is taking some big steps to stay ahead of the increasing competition. That's a good thing, because as we learned when Amazon bought Whole Foods last June, sometimes it just takes one overnight move for an underdog to suddenly come out on top in a market.

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The Shape of Water is about so much more than the fish sex everyone’s been talking about since the film’s release. Don’t get me wrong. The scene is incredibly moving and gorgeous – so much that you briefly forget about the fact that Elisa (Sally Hawkins) floods her bathroom to make this happen. Sure, the movie is up for 13 Oscars this year (including Best Picture and Best Director), but let’s give some love to the man behind the fish guy! Fox Searchlight Pictures | Getty Officially billed as “Amphibian Man/The Asset” in the movie, the fish guy is played by Doug Jones, a name you’ve probably never heard of until now. His face, however, is one you should be familiar with if you’ve seen any of the following: Batman Returns (he played the Thin Clown), Pan’s Labyrinth (he played the Faun and the Pale Man), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (he was the Silver Surfer), and Hellboy (he played Abe Sapien), just to name a few. Over three decades, Jones has appeared in more than 150 movies and TV shows, often playing characters that require a ton of makeup and latex. Fox Searchlight Pictures | Getty Speaking to NPR, Jones recently said of his unique line of work, “The further you get from human, the harder it's going to be. When you're trying to survive a day, and you hear the word 'action,' you have to forget that you're in pain, forget that you're sweating into your own eyeballs behind your mask and just click into 'This is a natural beast that came from whatever fantasy or nature. It's not a guy in a suit.’” Of The Shape of Water, he said, "For me, this movie is about love being possible no matter how flawed and ugly we think we are… When you're a kid going through those awkward monster years, when you feel like you are the creature in the room that nobody understands and you look different from anyone else and love will not be possible for you, when you feel that way, you also feel like you're the only one who has ever felt that way. But I'm glad. I'm thankful that I had the experience of feeling like a monster because when I play monsters now, I understand them. I can relate to them."

J.K. Rowling has commented on Johnny Depp’s casting in the Harry Potter prequel series of Fantastic Beasts movies today, defending it as “the right thing” for the upcoming sequel. Spoilers for 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them below Rowling’s comments mark the latest in an ongoing controversy that dates back to the original release of the first film in the new series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The end of that movie reveals that the film’s antagonist, Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) is actually the infamous dark wizard Grindelwald in disguise. When his identity is revealed, he’s played in a short sequence by actor Johnny Depp. The reveal provoked some backlash online, given that only a few months before Fantastic Beasts’ release, Depp had been accused of verbal and physical abuse by his wife, Amber Heard, who filed for divorce and filed a restraining order against Depp. The two later reached a settlement and released a joint statement, saying “there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm” in their relationship, which marked the matter as closed for some. Depp’s casting has become a public issue The issue was moved to the back burner for a while, but with the recent reveal that Grindelwald has a title role in the upcoming film — and the growing social movement for perpetrators of sexual and physical misconduct to be held accountable, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein accusations — Depp’s casting has become a public issue. Fans have been petitioning to have the role recast in the upcoming sequel. Earlier this week, director David Yates defended the decision to keep Depp on board in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Yates dismissed Heard’s claims as “one person who took a pop at him and claimed something,” and said “Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with.” Yates has previously explained Depp’s casting in an interview with The Leaky Cauldron as someone the production team thought “would do something fun and special” with the character. At a premiere in New York, Yates reportedly dismissed Heard’s statement because of his respect for Depp: “What you have to remember about Johnny is that extraordinary talent, and that talent never goes away.” Rowling’s follow-up comments feel like damage control Yates’ statements haven’t been received well. He’s been accused of a “truly gross” dismissal of Heard, and of suggesting that talent excuses physical abuse. Rowling’s follow-up comments feel like damage control after the negative response to Yates’ comments, but she also mostly sidesteps the issues. According to Rowling, the production team was concerned when stories first broke regarding Depp, and did consider recasting. But Rowling implies that fans may not have the full story, and due to circumstances of “agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people” — presumably Depp and Heard — “both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives,” she can’t openly address the concerns. However, she adds that “based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.” Warner Bros. also released a statement today (via Deadline) that’s in line with Rowling’s: “We are of course aware of reports that surfaced around the end of Johnny Depp’s marriage, and take seriously the complexity of the issues involved… Based on the circumstances and the information available to us, we, along with the filmmakers, continue to support the decision to proceed with Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald in this and future films.” These statements aren’t likely to shut down the controversy over Depp’s casting. But like it or not, fans have been answered — and Depp seems guaranteed to play Grindelwald for the next Fantastic Beasts movie.

With Aardman Animation’s Early Man now playing in North American theaters, a few days ago I got on the phone with Eddie Redmayne to talk about voicing a character in the stop-motion film directed by Nick Park. During the exclusive interview he talked about how he got involved in the project, what people would be surprised to learn about the recording process, how things changed during production, his earliest memories of Aardman Animation, and so much more. In addition, he talked about his early work in Robert De Niro’s The Good Shepherd and how that project changed in the editing room, how making Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald compared to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, when he starts shooting Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts with Felicity Jones and if they’re trying to be the British Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, why he recently took some time off from acting, and so much more. If you’re not familiar with Early Man, the film takes place during the crossroads between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age and follows a young caveman named Dug (Eddie Redmayne) who gets whisked away to a Bronze Age city ruled by Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston). Dug then takes part in a soccer tournament where the future of his cavepeople is on the line. Maisie Williams plays a local soccer player recruited to help Dug’s team. For more on Early Man, read Matt Goldberg’s review. Image via Lionsgate Check out what Eddie Redmayne had to say below. Collider: You doing a lot of press today? EDDIE REDMAYNE: It’s one of those days, but it’s all good. You really can’t go wrong promoting an Aardman movie. REDMAYNE: No, you know what- it’s one of those dreams to be a part of. I would imagine. What’s your earliest memory of Aardman? REDMAYNE: I think it was Creature Comforts. Do you know those Steve? I do. REDMAYNE: They went and recorded the voices of people across the country and then animated them with creatures and I just found them hilariously funny. I think that’s when my love for them started. I love those ones in the zoo. REDMAYNE: Yeah. They’re fantastic. REDMAYNE: Well, I don’t know if you’ve seen the one with the seals in the foreground being interviewed with a penguin in the background doing a sort of full swallow dive from the diving board and he’s getting stuck in the ice. It’s all happening so small in the background and it’s one of the great moments of comedy. I completely agree. Talk a little bit about how you got involved in Early Man. REDMAYNE: I was genuinely just asked if I wanted to do it and I have had some slightly shoddy experiences with voiceover work before, where people hire you because you’re an actor and then when you find yourself in the booth, you sort of open your mouth and you see their look of frights and shock- where, perhaps, they don’t love your voice as much as they thought. So, because I had so much love for Nick Park I didn’t want to be the one to butcher it. When I was offered it, I asked him if there was any chance we could have a session in which we mess around with it, so he could just check that he wanted to hire me. So, we had the most amazing couple of hours trying hundreds of different voices, and him showing me some early animation with Doug and all this and it was great. Image via Lionsgate That’s actually a pretty smart move. REDMAYNE: Yeah, so I didn’t get fired. Totally. What was it about the story and script that really excited you? REDMAYNE: I come from an incredibly sporty family and I am incredibly useless at sport, particularly soccer. So, Nick describes it as: he always wanted to make an underdog sports movie, being the least sporty person in the world. It was also my opportunity to make an underdog sports movie by having a severe lack of talent. That was one thing. The other thing was I just love the heart of these films. They have such a joy, and warmth, and humor to them that, yeah, I felt like it would be a lovely thing to get to swim in. One of the things I appreciate about Nick and Aardman movies is that they don’t really go for the cheap joke. It’s not playing to the lowest common denominator. REDMAYNE: Yeah. I think Tom Hiddleston put it like, “the distance you’ll go for that joke is quite extraordinary and extreme.” You sort of pursue the joke relentlessly and it’s quite brilliant. What do you think would surprise people to learn about the recording process on Early Man? REDMAYNE: I would say they’d be surprised by how many times you say the same line. Nick is ridiculous- he’s like the most generous spirited man in the world, but you can do one line hundreds of times and you can tell because he has always got a smile on his face but you begin to read when he’s super happy and when he is just sort of okay. So you’ll do it for 5 minutes or 10 minutes on the same line and eventually you’ll go, “Nick, when you say the line,” or whenever he says it his voice sort of explodes into Wallace and Gromit and every single one of his characters he has ever played, and he does it so perfectly that you then try and copy that, basically. Completely. I would imagine that this is probably the most important question I’ll ask today: did you ask him to record anything for an answering machine message? Image via Lionsgate REDMAYNE: Oh, gosh! What a wasted opportunity! I did get him to- he signed my script and did quite an amazing drawing of Doug and Hognob and that made me very happy. That’s one of those things I’ll probably frame. Without a doubt. I can’t believe it’s not already framed. REDMAYNE: I can’t believe I didn’t make him do my answering machine message! [laughs] Guess what you’ll be thinking about the next time you see him. REDMAYNE: Seriously. If this isn’t the perk of being an actor- getting to meet these people and work with them and get little perks like that, what’s the point of being an actor? REDMAYNE: I know, you’re absolutely right. I should think more about that. Anyway, enough of my joking around. [laughs] Often time with animated movies, a lot can change along the way. I’ve spoken to people that have worked on Pixar movies or Walt Disney movies, and it’s a dramatic change from when you first started to what people see on screen. How much of Early Man changed from when you were talking about it to what people see? REDMAYNE: That’s a good question. The answer is the script was endlessly being fanoodled- I think I just invented a word. As you say, that world of animation- we would record once every two months and record for a day and then two months later you come back and they would have animated some of the stuff you recorded last time. You would go and re-record other bits where they’ve refined the script. It was a massively organic process. What was weird was that you never read the script from start to finish. So it was really, more than any film I’ve ever done, when you saw it, the final cut of it, it was super surprising. It was wonderful to watch because you didn’t really know what you were making as you went along. I’m going to switch to a different subject real quick. When this movie comes on cable- I’m talking about The Good Shepherd- which I think is criminally underrated. When that movie comes on HBO or some cable channel at night I’m hooked from beginning to end, and it is a long movie. That’s an early film for you. What do you remember about making that one? Image via Lionsgate REDMAYNE: Well, that’s an amazing question. Firstly, I just remember hearing that Robert De Niro’s initial cut of it was even longer. I think there was a time where they were considering- I don’t know if this is true actually, splitting the film. My character had another actor playing the middle version, a teenage version of him. My memory of making that film was- it was pretty overwhelming. It was one of the earliest films I had ever done. I remember the sets were huge, the actors were astonishing, and I remember being pretty terrified if I’m honest. Everyone around made you feel secure, but I still came with a lot of fear. It was also interesting because De Niro had this wonderful way of working, and it was shot on film, which is incredibly expensive. He would keep running the takes and he would finish the take and the second you would finish that you would go back into the beginning of the scene and really take that energy that you got at the end of the take back into the head of the next take. That was a process that, certainly Felicity Jones and I used quite a lot on The Theory of Everything and on The Danish Girl. I learned so much and I was just trying to pick up as much as I could by osmosis. I think it’s a criminally underrated film. I think it’s a really good spy thriller. Everything about it is just well done. REDMAYNE: Yeah. We’ll I’ve always dreamt of seeing the full cut. I think it would be a long, but intriguing thing. Yeah now, of course, I’m a big fan of the movie and now you tell me there’s a longer cut- or could be a longer cut. I want to see that one. REDMAYNE: If you write that people will be like, “no there’s not!,” but all I heard was the original cut was- that they really had to cut it down for running time. It plays in that slow burn, doesn’t it? Matt is so wonderful in that film Absolutely. I think that, it’s interesting- I don’t even know if that movie could be made now because of the slow burn. You know, audiences now are expecting a little more action, if you will. REDMAYNE: Yeah, but I think, actually it would have made an extraordinary mini-series. Without a doubt. Image via Lionsgate Redmayne: Pitch that. [laughs] Although, maybe, they did do a mini-series many years back with Alfred Molina and Michael Keaton that was about the start of the…I can’t remember what it’s called. It would be an interesting story. I can’t say enough about how great television is right now. I’m sure, just like me and everyone else, I’m sure you’re binging TV shows and watching stuff because of the quality of the small screen. REDMAYNE: Yeah, absolutely. In fact- this wasn’t on my list- but I’ll ask you, what’s the last thing you binge-watched that you would like to recommend? REDMAYNE: The last thing that I binge-watched. Well, I’m normally about 6 years behind everyone else. [laughs] My wife and I have just watched Big Little Lies. I did think the performances in that were pretty extraordinary. Also, the directors take on it- that’s what is so riveting, watching television become fully the director’s medium. It felt so- you really felt his thumb prints all over that, in a really stunning way. That, and, obviously we’re British, so obviously we watch The Crown. [laughs] I can’t give you any revelations, I’m always such a sheep. I’m such a follower, rather than a groundbreaking new series finder. Listen, there’s a reason why these shows are popular. It’s because they’re really well done. Which brings me to the popularity of a certain person you’re working with, with Fantastic Beasts. The fact is, Jo is incredibly- there’s a reason everyone loves these movies. She’s such a great writer. I definitely have to ask you what was the production like on the sequel. Was it a similar shoot to the first one? Was it a little longer? REDMAYNE: I think it may have been ever so slightly longer. It’s a most intricate script and she’s woven these extraordinary threads that pull you back into the world of Potter and collect the beasts lore, the sort of Potter lore. I’ve been so lucky in the past 4 years to work with Jo and to work with Nick Park, who I think are two of the great storytellers. What is amazing about working with Jo is that she does it because of how passionate she is about her characters. It oozes from every pore of her and you feel so inspired, basically, working on one of her pieces because you know how much she cares about every single character. That’s a wonderful thing. I know that the studio and Jo have talked about it possibly being a five film series. How much has she told you about where this whole journey is going to go? Image via Warner Bros. REDMAYNE: Well, the truth is, to be honest with you, whenever Jo comes to set, which was quite a lot more on Beasts on the second one than on the first film, you will always see a crowd of actors surrounding her, desperately trying to eek out information about information about the characters. One of the wonderful things is that she responds to what she’s seeing in the rushes and her sense of where the story is going, or what her interpretation of what the characters are. She will then respond to how actors are performing it, and that is a lovely thing. The answer is you get snip-its, but always with the sort of caveat that it could change. It’s pretty exciting. Can you tease any of the new beasts? REDMAYNE: Any of the new beasts? Mate, I would so love to tease lots of things. No, can we tease any new beasts? [pause] No, sorry. [laughs] You’ll have to wait. [laughs] There’s like a sniper on you. It’s like no. Two other questions about other projects. You were in talks to play Frank Baum in a biopic Road to Oz. Whatever ended up happening with that one? REDMAYNE: That was never actually- that was a sort of rumour. That was never sort of a reality. Ok. Well we can put that one to bed then. There’s also talk that you might do The Aeronauts with Tom Harper and Felicity Jones. Is there any truth to that? Could that be on the horizon? REDMAYNE: That is actually true. We start shooting in the summer and it was a script that came out of the blue that just completely floored me. I found it incredibly moving, incredibly original, and a film of wonder. When I heard that Felicity was being offered the other part, I thought it would be an amazing opportunity because I just adore working with her, and we challenge each other. It was a no brainer really. Basically, I’m deducing that you guys want to be the British Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. REDMAYNE: [laughs] I don’t know about that. I’m a huge fan- I do go and see every film with Ryan and Emma. No, it’s just interesting. You work the lots of different people over your career and lots of people have different processes, and some processes are quite different to yours and challenge you in different ways. That can be easy or complicated or difficult, and great things can arise from all of those, but when you find someone who has the same way of approaching material, it’s a really lovely thing. Also, knowing that when we worked together last time it went well, we want to try and push ourselves to super succeed that and who knows if we will, but it also comes with- the stakes are higher. That makes you work harder. Totally. I would imagine, though, that you are offered a number of scripts and a number of opportunities. Obviously, Fantastic Beasts takes up a lot of time, but what is it- when do you know when you’re reading a script that, man, I gotta play this character? How do you know that that’s the thing you want to make? REDMAYNE: Normally, because there is a slightly sick feeling that comes over your stomach when you go from reading the piece as an objective piece to trying to work out how you’re going to do it. That’s the sort of slight sick feeling- when you’re like, “oh, I’d love to see someone else do this!” and then you’re like, “oh, maybe I should.” It really tends to be a slight thing of nausea because you’re trying to work out how you’re going to go about it, what that means for your life, where you’re going to have to travel to. It all comes in this huge rush. Normally, it doesn’t tend to be, for me, a moment of great excitement, it tends to be a moment of nausea. [laughs] It’s interesting. I spoke to Andrew Garfield and he talked about how he has a really tough time leaving the character on set and that he almost puts too much of himself into his roles. Whether that is a play, or in a movie- that it really puts a toll on him. I’m curious, you’ve played some roles that really cause you to push yourself. How much are you able to, when you leave set at the end of the day, flip the light switch and just shut off and go back to being you? How much does it go with you at night? Image via Warner Bros. REDMAYNE: Good question. It’s interesting you said that about Andrew. It’s interesting when you spend time with him…you definitely see his physicality sort of parallels the character, and sometimes the action and voice. I saw him in Angels in America recently, he’s extraordinary in it. You can see that happening. I think I leave my characters on set. My wife may disagree ever so slightly. [laughs] I think, what I do know, for example: between the past two Fantastic Beasts, we had a little girl, so I decided not to work. So it’s a weird thing the work that I was doing was Early Man, bits of that, and then I workshopped some other things. It was really important for me to take myself- even if it was just workshopping stuff- to take yourself away from the character you just played so that you can come and reinvent that person or refind that person fresh, rather than just playing the same character to the next character. I think it’s a sort of mixed bag- I like to think I leave the character at work but maybe more traits remain. It’s interesting that you chose to stop working. Even though you have had such tremendous success the last few years, I’m sure in the back of your brain there must still be that little bit of a voice saying, “Am I going to work again if I take a break from acting?” There has to be that neurosis. Everyone has that, I would imagine. REDMAYNE: I think so, I think everyone has that. What happened to me was when I was promoting Theory of Everything, promoting Danish Girl, those were intense experiences because they were long promotional times. When I was making The Danish Girl, I was promoting Theory of Everything, and when I was making Fantastic Beasts, the weekend I was promoting The Danish Girl, and you realize your life is so consuming with your work that you probably haven’t had enough time to live in order to that to feed back into your work. So it was important for me to- but you’re right there’s neurosis singing in your ear daily, but you try and take a step back and go, “well I think, it’s more important for the work that I do actually have a moment of time off.” I actually think it probably does help to recharge your soul rather than constantly working. I’m sure that helps. Either way, thank you so much for getting on the phone with me today. Congrats on Early Man and thank you so much for giving me your time. REDMAYNE: See you later.

We've got quite a while before the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters and there's tons of mystery surrounding what exactly is going to go down in the movie (considering we don't have books written by J.K. Rowling to spoil the plot, sadly). Luckily, some sneaky deets have been shared about the movie here and there and we gathered up all the most important bits right here! Here's everything you need to know! What is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them called? The sequel is called Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Is there a Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer? Not yet, but here's a super cool moving picture teaser featuring the cast. When will Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald be released? Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters on Friday, November 16th, 2018. What is Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald about? Although the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured by the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) with the help of Newt Scamander at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, he escaped. When the story picks up, he's busy gathering followers, who are unaware that he's raising up pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, a young Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander to stop Grindelwald. Will the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them characters be returning? Apart from Colin Farrell, who played Percival Graves, the head of MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement (but turned out to be Grindelwald in disguise at the end of the movie), all of your faves from the original movie will be back for Crimes of Grindelwald. WB Newton "Newt" Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne): The eccentric and introverted Magizoologist is now famous across the wizarding world for his textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In Crimes of Grindelwald, a young Albus Dumbledore will call on Newt to help thwart Grindelwald once again. Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein (played by Katherine Waterston): After helping Newt bring down Gindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Tina has been reinstated as an auror for The Magical Congress of the United States of America. Jacob Kowalski (played by Dan Fogler): Although the New York-based baker had his memories wiped at the end of the first movie before he was finally able to open his dream bakery, somehow, he'll be back in Crimes of Grindelwald as the only No-Maj in Newt's gang of magical crime fighters. Queenie Goldstein (played by Alison Sudol): Queenie, Tina's younger sister and roommate, will be back with her legilimens (mind-reading) abilities! Credence (played by Ezra Miller): Although Credence was revealed to be an Obscurial (a Witch or Wizard who developed a parasitical force known as an Obscurus through the repression of his or her magic) before his apparent death at the end of the first movie, it seems he didn't die at all, because he'll definitely be back in Crimes of Grindelwald and the nature of his return has been described as "mysterious." Gellert Grindelwald (played by Johnny Depp): It was revealed at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that the powerful dark wizard Grindelwald was carrying out his master plan for world domination by infiltrating MACUSA by masquerading as Percival Graves. While we only got a glimpse of Grindelwald in his true form, he'll be wreaking havoc in The Crimes of Grindelwald from the very start, gathering followers to help raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. Are there new characters in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald? Yes, there are quite a few! Albus Dumbledore (played by Jude Law): As mentioned above, after being mentioned in the first movie over and over again, a young Dumbledore will make his debut in Crimes of Grindelwald as Grindelwald's former close friend and the only wizard powerful enough to lead the charge in bringing him down. Leta Lestrange (played by Zoe Kravitz): Leta Lestrange was mentioned a ton in the first movie as well and it was made abundantly clear that she has some seemingly romantic history with Newt and things definitely didn't end well between them. Well, she's going to be making her debut in Crimes of Grindelwald and she's engaged... TO NEWT'S BROTHER! Theseus Scamander (played by Callum Turner): Newt's older brother Theseus is a celebrated war hero and he's the head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic. He doesn't quite see eye-to-eye with his beloved little brother Newt, and the fact that he's engaged to his former flame Leta Lestrange probably doesn't help. Unnamed Maledictus (played by Claudia Kim): Claudia plays a new character that is a Maledictus, a carrier of a blood curse that means she will ultimately transform into a beast. Where will Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald take place? Although a tweet from the official Fantastic Beasts twitter account revealed that Newt's request for a travel permit was denied, he's not going to be letting that get in his way! The movie will take place in New York, London, and Paris Will there be a time jump in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald? Yes. Albeit, a tiny one. The sequel will pick up in 1927, just a few months after the events that went down in the first film! Will Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald explore Dumbledore's sexuality and his relationship with Grindelwald? J.K. Rowling revealed years ago that Dumbledore is gay and that he loved Grindelwald. But despite the Fantastic Beasts sequel focusing largely on young versions of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the movie will not explore Dumbledore's sexuality — to fan's disappointment. The movie's director, David Yates, shut down that hope in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. When asked if the movie would delve into Dumbledore's sexuality, David told EW, “Not explicitly." David suggested that the famous wizard's love story already occured before The Crimes of Grindelwald and that's why it's okay not to address it explicitly in the movie — because fans already know. “I think all the fans are aware of that," he said. "He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other’s ideas, and ideology and each other.” David did hint that we will see Dumbledore and Grindelwald interact on screen, though. “He’s a maverick and a rebel and he’s an inspiring teacher at Hogwarts,” he said about Dumbledore, who will be played by Jude Law. “He’s witty and has a bit of edge. He’s not this elder statesman. He’s a really kinetic guy. And opposite Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, they make an incredible pairing.” Following controversy over David Yates' comments on the exploration of Dumbledore's sexuality (or lack thereof), J.K. rowling suggested that fans are jumping the gun and making false assumptions based on a series of films that isn't even halfway complete. Are there any pictures from Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald? Yes, there are a ton! Here's Newt and Jacob inexplicably reunited in Paris! Here's a young Albus Dumbledore in his 1920s era office. WB That spark of chemistry between Newt and Tina will definitely be back in full force! Check them out looking like the badass, unstoppable team they are in front of some mysterious file cabinets. WB And here's Newt looking quite distressed in some sort of wet, dark dungeon... which definitely can't be good.

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most popular brands of the Hindi film industry and the superstar has been in the industry for a career spanning over two decades. SRK, who is popularly known as King Khan, like all other stars, has been a part of several good films, several average films and several not so good films. Khan has experimented with several genres, and more often than not succeeded with flying colours. The best phase of his career lasted for a span of 10 years from 1999 to 2009, wherein most of his films were successful at the Box-Office. Khan has been a part of approximately 28 hit films and a lot of them saw the amalgamation of content with commercial elements. The list of Best Shah Rukh Khan films: Baazigar: Although Shah Rukh Khan made his first appearance in Deewana, the movie which announced his arrival in the industry was Baazigar. A crisp edge of the seat thriller, which saw Shah Rukh Khan in a negative role is one of the most iconic characters portrayed by the superstar in his entire career. Be it the screenplay, music or SRK’s performance, everything is recalled by the audience even today. The film was successful at the Box-Office with approximate collections of Rs 7.75 crore. Darr: After Baazigar, Shah Rukh Khan cemented his place in the industry with yet another powerful performance in Yash Chopra’s Darr. Although Sunny Deol, a much bigger star at that point of time, was the male lead, it was Shah Rukh Khan who walked away with the audience sympathy and credit for the film. Darr is in-fact a textbook in acting for the young actors in the industry to portray a negative role. The movie was a super-hit at the Box-Office and raked in Rs 10.75 crore. Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa: After a string of negative roles, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa saw Shah Rukh Khan in a romantic avatar and tried to establish him as the boy next door. The film, till date, is one of the finest coming of age romantic film in Bollywood and in my opinion the best romantic film starring Shah Rukh Khan in lead. The movie, though not a huge hit, did find enough appreciation to be termed a success. It raked in approximately Rs 4 crore at the Box-Office. Karan Arjun: The film, which marked the teaming up of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan for the first time was a humongous hit at the box office as it raked in approximately 33 crores in India. Karan Arjun was a quintessential Hindi film with a reincarnation angle and served the audience with everything that the like i.e. action, romance, drama and music. Karan Arjun was among the first films that gave a glimpse into the intense side of Shah Rukh Khan. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge: One of the longest-running films in the history of Indian Cinema, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, has obtained the status of being one of the most iconic romantic films of Bollywood. The film, which starred Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead, became the second biggest grosser of all time after Hum Aapke Hai Kaun upon its release and redefined the romantic comedy genre in the industry. The movie enjoys a cult status today, and is a must watch for all the lovers of Indian cinema. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: After getting accepted as a lover boy in films like DDLJ and DTPH, Shah Rukh Khan was a college student in Karan Johar’s directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The film, which was a different take on love, was accepted by audience across the country and is Karan Johar’s biggest hit till date, in terms of return on investment. The superstar looked believable as a college student and even better as a father on the big screen. Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham: The big multi-starrer saw Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Kajol in lead. Without second thoughts, the movie was a humongous success at the Box-Office. In terms of content, it was a family drama, a genre which Indian audience loves to watch. The film had the right dose of comedy, romance and emotions, which struck chord with the audience. Shah Rukh Khan as Rahul stood tall in the ensemble film. Trending Kal Ho Na Ho: Despite being a romantic film, Kal Ho Na Ho was diametrically different from all the films that Shah Rukh Khan had done till the release of that film. It was a modern day and a much commercial rendition of Anand. Just like all other romantic films starring the superstar, this one too had a blend of comedy and romance, however, the surprise element in the climax is something that made the audience cry. The music, as well as dialogues of Kal Ho Na Ho, stays relevant even today, which speaks about the legacy of the film. Main Hoon Na: Main Hoon Na was a quintessential Bollywood entertainer, that saw Shah Rukh Khan in a larger than life avatar for the first time in his career. In Main Hoon Na, Farah Khan presented Shah Rukh Khan like one big larger than life superstar, and his introductory sequence was greeted with “Seeti’s and Taali’s” from the audience. The movie was based on Manmohan Desai’s famous lost and found formula and was a huge success at the ticket window. Veer Zaara: An epic love story set against the backdrop of India-Pakistan rivalry is one sentence that captures the essence of Veer Zara. Although on face of it, the film looks like another love story, it is the screenplay that made a lot of difference. The emotional quotient, a complex screenplay and Shah Rukh Khan’s performance as Veer Pratap Singh played a major role in the success of the film. Chak De India: Chak De India is undoubtedly not just Shah Rukh Khan’s career best performance, but also the best film of his career till date. The film, set against the backdrop of hockey, saw Shah Rukh Khan as coach Kabir Khan. The movie is one of the most patriotic films made in India, without making excessive attempts to appease the audience. Chak De India finds a place in the prestigious list of best films made in the history of Bollywood and commands a terrific repeat value. The film addressed several social issues in a very subtle manner and spoke about women empowerment when not many were even aware of such a term. It was a successful film at the Box-Office. Om Shanti Om: After Main Hoon Na, Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan teamed up yet again for an out and out commercial entertainer, Om Shanti Om. Inspired by Rishi Kapoor’s super-hit film, Karzz, the film was a reincarnation drama with ample of action, romance, comedy and drama. It is one of those well-made commercial films, which paid homage to the old school Indian film-makers. My Name Is Khan: Although the film had a lot of flaws, one thing that would make you overlook of them would be Shah Rukh Khan’s effortless performance in the film. As Rizwan Khan, the superstar looked extremely believable as a person suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. The movie had some wonderful moments wherein the lead character fights for his pride, however, the screenplay does go for a toss for a considerable amount of time in the second half. But, like mentioned above, it is Shah Rukh Khan’s performance that makes this film a must watch. Other Under-Rated Films: While the above-mentioned films were hugely successful at the Box-Office, the films which failed to strike gold despite the good content includes: Dil Se, Baadshah, Swades and Paheli. The four films saw Shah Rukh Khan in an avatar, which the audience was not used to see him in back then.

Anushka Sharma’s horror film Pari has been getting rave reviews from the critics. The film is able to pull the crowd to the theatres because of its genre. The movie has been doig decent at the box office. Pari is Anushka Sharma’s third film as a producer, after NH10 and Phillauri. She co-owns Clean Slate Films with her brother Karnesh.The movie will face competition from this week because of the new movies like 3 Storeys, Hate Story 4 and Dil Juunglee. Pari marks the debut of director Prosit Roy. Along with Anushka, it also stars Parambrata Chatterjee, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor and Mansi Multani in prominent roles. On it’s 2 Friday the movie earned 60 lakhs* and now stands with a total of 23.35 crores at the Box Office. Co-producer Prernaa Arora of KriArj Entertainment gave a statement saying ‘Evil has no religion’ after the Bollywood horror film was banned in Pakistan for being against religious ethos. According to Pakistan Censor Board chief Mobashir Hasan, Pari was declared unfit for public exhibition by a panel followed by Central Board of Film Censors’ (CBFC) full board review as it louts various sections of the existing rules and code of CBFC and innumerable dialogues and scenes are against the established religious, social and moral ethos. Arora, who has produced the movie with the film’s lead actress Anushka Sharma’s banner Clean Slate Films, said: “They (the Pakistan censor board) seem to be taking random decisions. How do we explain why they would think of Pari as anti-Islamic? Evil, which the film portrays, has no religion. “We as a responsible production feel very strongly about causing offence to any community. Earlier, our co-production Pad Man was banned in Pakistan for being anti-Islamic. Now ‘Pari’ is also anti-Islamic. Can they please define anti-Islamic? I have no doubt Pakistan will find my next release Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran also anti-Islamic.” Anushka, who tied the knot to star cricketer Virat Kohli in December 2017 in an intimate wedding in Tuscany, is busy shooting for Sui Dhaaga with Varun Dhawan and Aanand L. Rai’s Zero starring Shah Rukh Khan.

Dil Juunglee Movie Review Rating: 1/5 Star (One Star) Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Saqib Saleem, Nidhi Singh. Director: Aleya Sen Dil Juunglee Movie Review What’s Good: Taapsee and Saqib’s fresh pair & the way they portray it, Nidhi Singh’s outrageous yet entertaining presence. What’s Bad: Everything apart from what’s mentioned in ‘What’s Good’. Loo Break: That’s the best thing about this film, you can leave it anytime midway, all you’ll miss will be just some another uncalled for sequences. Watch or Not?: Watch only if you’ve haven’t seen a bad rom-com since long time, this could be the one. User Rating: 21 Votes Dil Juunglee is a confused and cliched love story of a girl who has this fear of staying single forever. Her name is as strange as her thoughts, Koroli (Taapsee Pannu) and she is the underwritten desi version of Ginnifer Goodwin from He’s Just Not That Into You. She meets Sumit Uppal (Saqib Saleem) who is an aspiring writer struggling his way to get into Bollywood. They both plan to get married rescuing away from their parents as the girl is Manglik (Story writer, was that even necessary?). They face an uninvited trekking trip on the way where differences start brewing between them. When Koroli thinks everything is a fairy tale between them, her love story takes a u-turn. Rest of the story is all about whether or not they’ll come back and if yes, what will bring them together. (How many times we’ve been through this route?) Dil Juunglee Movie Review Dil Juunglee Movie Review: Script Analysis The script is penned by the director herself and is the biggest reason why this movie will remain a trashy rom-com for me. First of all, many sequences are half-baked and are never explained properly. For example, we never got to know the reason why Taapsee is so disdained by her father and because of this you never feel for the characters. The love track between them, though cute, never gets fully utilized as both get on and off from each other for the entire film. The second half of the film takes a leap of 7 years and gets shifted to London all of a sudden. Though the movie is of just 2 hours, after a point of time I got so bored I was listening songs with my earphones on. If you watch the movie, please tell me did I miss something important, I’ll revise my rating if I did (Caution: I’m not advising anyone to watch the movie). Also, honestly, this also is one of those movies which you try hard to like but it breaks your heart in the end. Dil Juunglee Movie Review: Star Performance Saqib Saleem as an aspiring actor come in as too loud and tumultuous. He surely is charming and makes a great pair with Taapsee but his character is very lousily written. His comic timing is good at times but unfortunately because of the script he never gets any chance to shine. Taapsee Pannu, though looked cute in her glasses, also fails to rise over the abysmal script. She plays the role of a loner and still did not evoke any emotion in any single scene. You know the film is really bad when you waste a talent like Taapsee Pannu. Nidhi Singh surprises with her little-extended appearance. She’s loud and entertaining and has worked a lot on her accent. The only silver lining of this dark could. Dil Juunglee Movie Review: Direction, Music Coincidentally two of three movies this week have two debutante directors and both are from ad background – Arjun Mukherjee (3 Storeys) and Aleya Sen (Dil Juunglee). The direction is average and could’ve been better with a good story but the damage was already done. Apart from Dil Jaane Naa, Bandeya not a single song leaves any impact. Background score is passable too and doesn’t help in many anything better for the film. Dil Juunglee Movie Review: The Last Word All said and done, Dil Juunglee is one of those films you give someone a dare to watch. Sad for Saqib Saleem, Taapsee Pannu, and Nidhi Singh – they could’ve done so much better. Skip this one and thank me later! One Star!

Hate Story IV has taken a fair opening at the Box Office, what with 3.76 crore coming in. The numbers are actually fine for this genre which has seen diminishing audience, especially during last one year. Since the budget of the film is controlled, even sustained collections during the weekend would be reasonable enough to take it past the safety mark. Outside of the Hate Story franchise, director Vishal Pandya’s last release Wajah Tum Ho had collected 2.86 crore on its opening day and Hate Story IV numbers are better than that. Box Office – Hate Story IV, Dil Juunglee and 3 Storeys – First day collections Dil Juunglee was much lower and the collections were under the 50 lacs* mark. Romcoms have traditionally not been collecting much at the Box Office and the multiplex audience for the genre has reduced as well. While the film does feature Taapsee Pannu in the lead who had managed to pull off much better numbers with Naam Shabana and Pink (albeit with support from Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan), one now waits to see how the film sees a turn for the better over the weekend. 3 Storeys was always meant to be a low affair as far as its opening was concerned and word of mouth was meant to play a major role in the footfalls registered. The film’s promo did give an impression of being an intriguing drama but still the look and feel was on the lines of festival cinema. The opening day numbers have stayed under the 50 lacs mark as well and though there hasn’t been much visibility around the film, it would now boil down to critical acclaim and audience feedback to better its prospects.

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety has been ruling the box office since it’s release. The movie has been unstoppable at the box office because of its amazing reviews and word of mouth promotions. The movie is in its 3rd week now and it stands with a total of 77.98 crores at the box office.The film starring Nushrat Bharucha, Kartik Aaryan, and Sunny Singh is flying high at the box office. By looking at the success of the film, we can definitely say that these actors have worked hard for this one. Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety Box Office Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety is Luv Ranjan’s fourth film with Kartik Aaryan and Nusrat Bharucha, after Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Akaash Vani and Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, which also starred Sunny Singh. Let’s take a look at the overall collections of the movie: Week 1: 45.94 Cr Week 2: 29.77 Cr Week 3 (Friday): 02.27 Cr Total: 77.98 Cr

BBC One is teaming up with New Line and former Doctor Who producers, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, to make an initial eight-part series adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, perhaps better known by The Golden Compass (Northern Lights, in the U.K.), The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass. The latest news? According to Deadline, Logan star Dafne Keen has been cast as Lyra in the TV adaptation, with Lin-Manuel Miranda cast as Lee Scoresby. This is... excellent casting. The article also reports that Les Miserables director Tom Hooper has signed on to direct the series. His Dark Materials TV Show Cast The repetition of Dafne Keen as Lyra and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lyra and Lee, respectively, seems to bear repeating. What about the original Lyra? When the His Dark Materials TV show was announced back in 2015, Dakota Blue Richards, the actress who played Lyra in the 2007 film The Golden Compass, announced via Twitter that she "would so love to be part of" the new adaptation. In January, she spoke with Digital Spy, to elaborate on what that might mean... In some ways, I wish I'd never said anything about it. I'm wary of what I say about it, because I don't want to give the impression that I am [in it] and then I'm not ... There's been talk, but it's out of my hands, really. I'd love it, but I'm not holding out for it. If it does happen great and if it doesn't happen, I've got my own stuff going on ... I can't imagine that they'd actually want me involved. I think they want very much to do their own thing, which is understandable. If I was in their position, I would probably feel that way too. That being said, it was a very long time ago and I don't feel like I'm the same person now — so personally, I don't see any reason why I couldn't be at least considered for any of those roles, just in my own right as an actor. But also know that a lot of people see me as 'the girl from The Golden Compass' and as great an experience as that was, that's always something that will be hanging over me throughout my career. Richards is very gracious about the whole thing. It seems worth noting that Richards had a starring role on Skins as Franky in the third generation, though Jack Thorne, who is penning the His Dark Materials TV show, wasn't on the writing staff at that time. His Dark Materials TV Show Release Date Producer Jane Tranter plans for pre-production on the series to start this autumn, but there is no current start date for the show. His Dark Materials writer Jack Thorne spoke to Radio Times last month about where the TV show is currently at, saying: "It’s at an exciting point where we’re just throwing things at the page and trying to work out what works and what doesn’t." Thorne also said that whether or not there will be major changes from the book is "not something I can tell you about yet," though the narrative room a TV show gives the story as compared to the feature film would allow more of the source material to be presented. (Notably, the feature film changed the ending of the first book. It was a terrible decision, completely gutting the thematic power of the book.) Thorne elaborated: I mean, the most important thing is being loyal to the books, and trying to tell those books as well as we possibly can,” he said ... The advantage of television is we can slow down. In the film and on stage they had so much plot to get through, so much plot to churn through, whereas we’ve got the luxury of having time to get to know [lead character] Lyra, and spend time in her world. His Dark Materials TV Show Writers Last November, Variety reported that the new His Dark Materials series will be produced in Wales, and marks the first commission from Gardner and Tranter's production company, Bad Wolf, as well as New Line's first foray into UK television. The adaptation will be penned by Jack Thorne, the man behind the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX script, as well as The Fades, The Last Panthers, and the This is England TV series. (Learn more about Thorne's previous work, here.) Sufficed to say, Thorne has experience successfully adapting other people's work in original and satisfying ways. Thorne released a statement on what drew him to the adaptation that certainly gives fans of the book hope that the trilogy will be adapted in a way that capture the imagination and darkness of the stories better than the 2007 New Line effort did: It is such an honor and a privilege to be given this opportunity to delve into Philip Pullman's world. What I always loved about Bad Wolf's intentions with this project was the notion of sounding every note. The His Dark Materials trilogy are vast and glorious books full of beautiful characters and I'm going to work as hard as I can to try and do justice to them. Pullman's trilogy, comprising The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, takes place in a universe of "daemons," polar-bear warriors, witches, magical instruments, and theological philosophy. It's previously been adapted for film, radio and theatre, but this will be the first TV version of the world of its singular hero, Lyra Belacqua. Philip Pullman had this to say: In recent years we've seen how long stories on television, whether adaptations (Game of Thrones) or original (The Sopranos, The Wire), can reach depths of characterization and heights of suspense by taking the time for events to make their proper impact and for consequences to unravel. And the sheer talent now working in the world of long-form television is formidable. For all those reasons I'm delighted at the prospect of a television version of His Dark Materials. I’m especially pleased at the involvement of Jane Tranter, whose experience, imagination, and drive are second to none. As for the BBC, it has no stronger supporter than me. I couldn't be more pleased with this news. His Dark Materials TV Show Episode Guide The first series will comprise eight episodes, with the expectation to continue into further series. In fact, a report from Walesonline states that: "The deal will see forty episodes shot across five series." This suggests that a multi-series deal has been reached to tell the entirety of Pullman's story. Sounds great to us. His Dark Materials Synopsis Here's the official His Dark Materials synopsis from the BBC... His Dark Materials is one of the supreme works of imaginative fiction for both children and adults published in the 20th century. Northern Lights [The Golden Compass, in the U.S.] introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.