Just when we thought that the shoot of Kedarnath has resumed smoothly, the trouble has nowhere ended for the film. In a nightmare of sorts, now yet again disputes started brewing on the sets to the extent that Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara Ali Khan has been dragged to court over date issues.
Filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor was all set to launch Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara Ali Khan with Kedarnath. According to an agreement that was signed in last September, the actress had agreed to play the female lead. Furthermore, she had even allotted a chunk of dates for shoot. But the Guy In The Sky Productions Pvt Ltd, which belongs to Abhishek Kapoor, has now dragged Sara to the court after her agent revealed that she doesn’t have enough dates.
The matter ensued when Sara Ali Khan was informed that the shoot of Kedarnath would continue throughout May until July 5. But the actress’ agent informed the film’s team that Sara wouldn’t be available in June as she is supposed to shoot another film during the same time period. This has miffed the makers of Kedarnath who are now demanding Rs. 5 crores as damages after the actress’ sudden back out from the dates allotted.
The makers of Kedarnath have been arguing in the court about whether an actor can change the dates allotted to a film and lend it for another film.
As for the film itself, it will star Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead. After the exit of KriArj from the producers list, Kedarnath is taken over by Ronnie Screwvala, who is now the sole producer of the film.
With Earth Day 2018 celebrations happening all around the globe, Disney is celebrating in its own way, by releasing the first trailer and announcing the release date for its new DisneyNature film, Penguins. Disney has announced an April 19, 2019 release date for Penguins, which arrives just three days before Earth Day 2019, with the film actually landing in quite the crowded weekend. This will be the eighth feature film released under the Disneynature banner, which was launched a decade ago in April 2008
Penguins will follow previous DisneyNature films such as Earth, Oceans, African Cats, Chimpanzee, Bears, Monkey Kingdom and Born in China. There was another DisneyNature movie entitled Dolphins that was originally set for release this weekend, but there are currently no release plans for Dolphins at this time. The film is directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, and there is no indication yet as to when this DisneyNature film may be released in theaters. While none of the DisneyNature movies are massive hits at the box office, they all help highlight important issues.
Disneynature launched in April 2008. Its mission is to bring the world's top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire and educate theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards. Disneynature's first seven films, Earth, Oceans, African Cats, Chimpanzee, Bears, Monkey Kingdom and Born in China, are seven of the top eight highest grossing feature-length nature films to date, with Chimpanzee garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Disneynature's commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make a difference, with each film driving significant conservation outcomes, supporting wildlife featured in the films.
It hasn't been announced yet who wrote and directed Disneynature's Penguins, but it's possible that Alastair Fothergill is involved, since he directed five of the seven films thus far, Earth, African Cats, Chimpanzee, Bears and Monkey Kingdom. Penguins is now part of what is shaping up to be one of the busiest box office weekends of 2019, with five new films opening in wide release on April 19, 2019, including Paramount's Pet Sematary remake, Global Road's Playmobil, 20th Century Fox's Spies in Disguise and an untitled horror film from New Line Cinema. Take a look at the trailer below, courtesy of Disney Movie Trailers YouTube, as we wait for more details on Penguins.
WB delays Godzilla 2 & Six Billion Dollar Man, sets date for Doctor Sleep
Warner Bros. has announced some major shifts to their upcoming release schedule as they’ve delayed the adaptation of The Six Billion Dollar Man by a full year, pushed Godzilla: King of Monsters back two months to replace Billion‘s slot, moved up the release of Crazy Rich Asians and officially announced the release of their adaptation of The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep.
The Six Billion Dollar Man has been in the works for over 20 years now, but now has Mark Wahlberg (Patriots Day) attached to star in the lead role. It’s been a tough few weeks for the adaptation of the hit 70’s sci-fi series, first losing its director at the beginning of the month and now the film has been pushed back a year from May 31, 2019 to June 5, 2020.
Because its release date is considered prime real estate, Warner Bros. has chosen to move its long-awaited sequel to the 2014 adaptation of Godzilla to the empty slot. The next entry in the Monster-verse will now debut May 31, 2019 instead of March 22. Michael Dougherty of Trick ‘r Treat and Krampus directs.
Furthermore, Doctor Sleep, their adaptation of the novel sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining has been set for a January 24, 2020 release date. The film was fast-tracked by Warner Bros. following the success of It with Mike Flanagan set to direct, making it his second King adaptation after the acclaimed Gerald’s Game.
Finally, Crazy Rich Asians’ release date has been bumped up two days from August 17 to August 15. Jon M. Chu directs the adaptation of the worldwide bestseller which stars Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, and Awkwafina, with Ken Jeong and Michelle Yeoh.
Fox 2000 has confirmed The Hate U Give release date, revealing that their feature film adaptation of the popular novel will arrive in theaters on October 19. The adaptation has stiff competition on its release date however, going up against Andy Serkis’ dark take on “The Jungle Book” from Warner Bros., Mowgli; and the next entry in the Halloween franchise, hailing from Blumhouse and Universal.
The Hate U Give is a timely, powerful and thought-provoking story of race and identity, told from the perspective of Starr Carter, played by Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, As You Are). Starr is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. What Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Directed by George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Men of Honor, Notorious) from a screenplay by Tina Mabry (Insecure, Queen Sugar, Mississippi Damned) and Audrey Wells (Under the Tuscan Sun), The Hate U Give also stars Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby as Starr’s parents Lisa and Maverick and features Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, Anthony Mackie, K.J. Apa, and Common.
The Hate U Give by Angela Thomas has to date spent 63 weeks on The New York Times young adult best-seller list after debuting at No.1. The film rights were picked up by Fox 2000, with Temple Hill and State Street Pictures on board as production partners. The film’s producers are Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Bob Teitel.
Paramount sets release date for Elton John biopic, Rocketman
Your regularly scheduled game of Release Date Shuffle continues, after WB moved some films around and Fox 2000 set a date for The Hate U Give, and now it’s Paramount’s turn. The studio has announced that they’ve set, shifted, and outright removed some films from their upcoming release schedule.
Up first is their in-development biopic of Elton John. Titled Rocketman and set to star Taron Egerton, who co-starred with the musician in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the film will be released on May 17, 2019. Rocketman will open against John Wick: Chapter 3, A Dog’s Journey, and The Sun is Also a Star on that date. Dexter Fletcher will be directing the film from a script by Lee Hall. Matthew Vaughn and his Marv Films will be producing alongside Elton John with his Rocket Pictures partner David Furnish. Production is set to start this summer.
Next up is the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, which is actually moving ahead by two weeks from April 19, 2019 to April 5, 2019. Directed by Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch (Starry Eyes), the film is written by Jeff Buhler and is set to star John Lithgow in the role of Jud Crandall, previously played by the late Fred Gwynne in the 1989 adaptation of the book.
Furthermore, Paramount has announced that the previously announced, albeit untitled, Transformers 6 has been removed from their schedule entirely. The film was rumored to be scrapped after the series was said to be taking a different turn with the upcoming Bumblebee solo movie.
Finally, in the wake of Transformers 6’s cancellation, Paramount has slotted the Tiffany Hadish vehicle Limited Partners in the original release date for the robots in disguise. The comedy will debut June 28, 2019.
