Fans of big-screen action blockbusters have a new hero. Ram Charan is one of the most popular Indian movie stars working today, having been in the business for some 15 years. However, after his latest eye-popping blockbuster RRR become such a success in the UK, many local fans are discovering his work. The film recently opened and debuted at no. 2 at the UK and Ireland box office (second only to The Batman) and earned rave reviews as well.
Set in British colonial India in the 1920s, the story follows two revolutionaries (played by Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr) and the fictional events which pre-date the two men fighting for their country. Boasting amazing action, fight scenes, chases and stunts, it’s become a must-see hit on the big screen. Alongside the UK’s financial success of RRR, it has so far grossed over $132 million globally, making it the ninth highest-grossing film of 2022 and setting several other box office records for an Indian film. As one of the film’s lead stars, it continues Ram Charan’s trend as one of the most popular and iconic Indian actors.
Luckily, fans don’t need to wait long because he has other films on the way. Charan will next collaborate with acclaimed director Gowtam Tinnanuri for a brand new ‘multi-million dollar’ feature film with the production company, UV Creations, so we hope for more announcements on that soon. Charan is also shooting a film by legendary Indian director S. Shankar. Speaking of The Batman, superhero movies and Ram Charan in the same sentence, when audiences see him in RRR, you’ll know we have another kind of action hero on our hands! Take a look at the trailer below.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) is still showing in UK cinemas.
After an an endearing comedic turn as young Ryan Reynolds in Netflix’s The Adam Project, Walker Scobell has been tapped to star as demigod Percy Jackson in the new Disney+ series,Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
The series is the second attempt to adapt Rick Riordan’s best-selling novels, following two feature films starring Logan Lerman as the titular hero. Those adaptations were poorly received and criticised in part for making significant changes to the novels, though the Disney+ series promises to go back to the text by casting an age-appropriate Percy.
Announcing the casting news on his website, author Riordan – who executive produces the series and co-wrote the pilot – writes: “Walker Scobell is an incredibly talented young man who blew us away with his audition tapes for the role of Percy. Many of you recently discovered how great Walker is when you watched his movie The Adam Project, in which Walker lit up the screen as a younger version of Ryan Reynolds’ character. We were fortunate enough to audition Walker months before that movie came out, but the film only confirmed what we already knew about his talent. It was obvious to me and the rest of the team that Walker had the perfect mix of comedic timing, sweetness, rebelliousness, snark and heroism to embody our hero Percy Jackson.”
The books tell the story of Percy, a 12-year-old modern demigod who is coming to terms with his newfound, inexplicable abilities. When he is accused by Zeus of stealing his master lightning bolt, Percy must trek across the US to find the real thief and return the stolen item to Olympus.
Production on the Percy Jackson And The Olympians series is set to begin this summer.
A lot is happening over at Ironheart headquarters,the Marvel-Disney+ series featuring the titular, Iron Man-adjacent character.
Just as Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed, Wakanda Forever) and his production banner, Proximity Media, have joined the creative team on the series, news also comes that Sam Bailey (Dear White People) and Angela Barnes (Teenage Bounty Hunters) have been tapped to direct. Bailey will direct episodes one through three, while Barnes will helm episodes four through six.
Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk, Judas and the Black Messiah) is headlining the series as Riri Williams, a brilliant teenage inventor who (in the comics at least) builds her own version of the Iron Man suit in her MIT dorm room. Since the character’s introduction in 2016, certain points in the comics have even seen Williams take over for Tony Stark as Iron Man – given that the latter died in Endgame, Ironheart could be introducing Stark’s replacement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The series also stars Anthony Ramos (In TheHeights) and Lyric Ross (This Is Us), with Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer series) serving as head writer.
Williams is set to debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever later this year, before appearing in Ironheart.
Life in plastic is fantastic for Will Ferrell and Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, who are the latest stars to join Margot Robbie in the Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie at Warner Bros.
Sources report that Will Ferrell will be playing the CEO of a toy company – whether or not it might be Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie’s invention, remains a mystery. Nothing is known about Mackey’s role in the feature, but the young actress has previously been dubbed Robbie’s doppelganger, so could she also be portraying a take on the Barbie doll?
Though very little has been confirmed about the plot in the upcoming film, Barbie’s IMDb page sets the story as so: “A doll living in ‘Barbieland’ is expelled for not being perfect enough and sets off on an adventure in the real world.” It suggests a meta take on the toy line, though it also sounds like the plot to 2008’s TheHouse Bunny starring Anna Faris.
But hey, it’s all speculation for now! Stay tuned for the facts as we get them.
Not that we ever doubted Ahsoka was in good hands, but this ought to reassure even the most anxious of Star Wars fans: Peter Ramsey, the co-director of the incredibleSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, has been tapped to direct at least one episode of the upcoming Disney+ show. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news.
Shooting on the series begins later this month, though the number of episodes and any additional directors have not been revealed. As previously reported, the call-sheet includes Rosario Dawson as the fan-favourite Jedi knight, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. Hayden Christensen will also be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker (after his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Ray Stevenson as a yet-unknown villain.
Dave Filoni is writing and executive producing the series about Ahsoka Tano’s galaxy-spanning search for Grand Admiral Thrawn, a former commander in the Empire, alongside Star Wars collaborator Jon Favreau.
Ramsey’s upcoming projects also include executive producing the two back-to-back Spider-Verse sequels, a Netflix fantasy miniseries titled Lost Ollie, and a film noir social thriller about vampires in 1950s Los Angeles titledBlood Count.
The author of the acclaimed book England’s Screaming, Sean Hogan, is about to unleash more cinematic nightmares in text form.
From the press release:
Sean Hogan acts as your guide through the liminal spaces of North American horror, down Nightmare Alleys and across High Plains, following the Lost Highway all the way to the Bates Motel. At once fiction and criticism, Twilight’s Last Screaming masterfully examines how our experience of cinema takes on an imaginative life of its own. It deconstructs and reassembles genre film into unfamiliar but recognisable shapes, mapping the history of the American horror movie and, ultimately, the dark heart of America itself.
Paths cross.
What is the relationship between Senator Greg Stillson and murderous preacher Harry Powell?
How did sweet Alice Spages meet Roman and Minnie Castavet?
What happens when Laura Mars gets into Travis Bickle’s taxi?
Stories entwine.
What links Michael Myers to the strange town of Twin Peaks?
How is Clint Eastwood’s nameless Stranger connected to ‘Dirty’ Harry Callaghan?
What Paranormal Activity goes on in the shadows of Hill House?
Directed by Richard Donner, and showcasing a young Christopher Reeve, Superman (1978) features a star-studded cast including Margot Kidder as intrepid reporter Lois Lane, Gene Hackman as the villainous Lex Luthor, and the inimitable Marlon Brando as Jor-El.
Supermanin Concert will see the film played in high definition on the big screen, whilst John Williams’ triumphant original score is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra live to picture.
The show takes place on Saturday, June 25th at 7.30pm and promises to be a spectacle not to be missed.
For more information, and to book tickets, head over to the Royal Albert Hall website.
It does, and Lucasfilm is continuing to keep things simple, branding it with the name of its principal character. Hence, Star Wars: Ahsoka.
When will it be released?
While there’s no official premiere date locked in as yet, production official started on April 9th, 2022, following a long pre-production period since the project’s announcement on December 10th, 2020. All that considered, it’s safe to assume an early-to-mid 2023 release date for Ahsoka.
Where can I watch the show?
As with all Star Wars TV content going forward, this too will be available exclusively on Disney+.
What if I don’t have a Disney+ subscription?
Perhaps Disney+ will one day follow Netflix’s lead and release their original content on physical media a few years down the line, but with no word on a release for even Season 1 of The Mandalorian, we wouldn’t hold our breaths. Time to accept that we’re all locked into Disney+ for the rest of our lives, folks! Alternatively, find a nice friend with an existing sub and ask them to add you to their account. While Netflix is currently clamping down on password sharing, Disney+ seem to be turning a blind eye (for now), and multiple users can easily be added.
Who’s making it?
We’re in very good hands: running the show for Lucasfilm are Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the core driving Forces behind The Mandalorian itself. As we know, Filoni (who will pen the series) has been instrumental in the evolution of the fan favourite character since her then-controversial debut in The Clone Wars back in 2008, so this will very much be a passion project for him. Revealed to be directing at least one episode of the series is Peter Ramsey. If the name isn’t familiar, just know that Ramsey co-directed the spectacular 2018 animated epic Into the Spider-Verse and let any concerns melt away. We’re in good hands here! In front of the camera, actor Rosario Dawson will once again be bringing the former Jedi Padawan to life.
Who will be joining Dawson in the cast?
Hayden Christensen will be reprising Anakin Skywalker and/or Lord Vader. Anakin was Ahsoka’s master during the Clone Wars, and she was one of the few people in the galaxy to discover that he became Vader after crossing paths in Star Wars: Rebels.
Following Ahsoka in making the jump from animation to live-action will be Sabine Wren, the young Mandalorian warrior / galactic-Banksy. She’ll be brought to life by Australian actor Natasha Liu Bordizzo (below), who you might have seen in 2016’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, or more recently in 2019’s Guns Akimbo.
Most recognisable to us for her role in Pacific Rim: Uprising, Ukrainian actor Ivanna Sakhno (above) has also joined the cast , though the character she’ll be playing is currently unknown. Similarly, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ray Stevenson (below) have both signed on in other mystery roles (though it’s likely the latter will be portraying a villain). Winstead is no stranger to genre fare, having starred in a string of fantastic films such as Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Death Proof, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Birds of Prey, and most recently, the Netflix actioner Kate. Stevenson also has plenty of genre cred, with Punisher: War Zone, Black Sails, and Thor under his belt. He’s also familiar with the galaxy far, far away, having already voiced Gar Saxon in Star Wars RebelsandThe Clone Wars!
How many episodes will there be?
Too early to say, but Star Wars: Ahsoka is currently pitched as a ‘limited series’. Given how hard Dawson campaigned for the role since 2017, it’s easy to imagine that if the audience is big enough and the fan response is strong, all involved will certainly be up for more adventures. In short, at the very least, six.
When is it set?
With a tentative promise of the series crossing over with The Mandalorian down the line, it will likely take place around the same time as that show, i.e. roughly five or so years after the events seen in Return of the Jedi. However, we wouldn’t rule out some time-hopping…
Time-hopping? Please elaborate…
The official title card for the show (below) clearly hints at the World Between Worlds figuring in somehow. For fans who have seen Ahsoka’s full arc in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, they’ll be aware that she was introduced to the mysterious realm known as the World Between Worlds when Ezra Bridger plucked her out of time in a pivotal moment, saving her from death in a duel with her former master turned Sith Lord, Anakin Skywalker (better known as Darth Vader). After her brief flirtation with what essentially amounts to time travel, there’s a significant period in her life that has yet to be explored in canon before we ever saw her again.
Okay, putting mysterious netherworlds we know little about aside for now, what will the main thrust of the story actually be about?
Most likely the main thrust of the narrative will see her continuing the hunt across the galaxy for the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn (as set up in Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, entitled The Jedi). As Star Wars: Rebels fans know, Thrawn was last seen disappearing with Ahsoka’s aforementioned saviour, Ezra Bridger, and in the show’s poetic coda we saw her setting off on a personal mission into the Unkown Regions to find the young Jedi alongside fellow rebel, Sabine Wren.
So, is this show set after that Star Wars: Rebels epilogue? When we saw her on The Mandalorian was she already on this quest?
Asking for a friend, but what if one is not familiar with Ahsoka’s story so far and don’t have enough time to catch up on The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, is there anywhere online that you can point to that will bring me up to speed?
Funny you should ask – yes there is! Click HERE for our wonderful article on the character’s story so far.
And if my friend can’t be arsed to read all that, do you recommend any videos out there?
Fine. Yes, here’s a nifty vid courtesy of starwars.com that edits all of her Star Wars: Rebels appearances together into one 46-minute mini-movie. Skip ahead to 33-minutes in to see that duel with Darth Vader and all the timey-wimey gubbins we referenced before. It’s wild!
Wowser! Wouldn’t it be cool if we got to see some of that stuff in live-action! With Hayden Christensen confirmed to be reprising Anakin / Darth Vader in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, is it possible we might see any of this play out in flashbacks maybe?
It’s Star Wars. Anything’s possible.
Vague and noncommittal, but we appreciate your optimism. There clearly isn’t a lot of information out there yet, if we bookmark this page and check back regularly, will it always be updated with the latest information on the show?
This is the way.
For more details on all the other STAR WARS projects in development at Disney+, click here for our full rundown….
Writer Kris Heys is STARBURST’s long-serving Editor-at-Large and can be found wasting an inordinate amount of time talking about Star Wars on Twitter @KrisHeys. You can also get in touch by emailing [email protected]
Oscar-nominated acting legend Angela Bassett has joined Enola Holmes and Stranger Thingsstar Millie Bobby Brown in Netflix’s fantasy film Damsel.
From filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and writer Dan Mazeau (Wrath of theTitans),Damsel tells the story of Princess Elodie (Brown) as she anxiously awaits her arranged wedding to rival kingdom’s Prince Henry. She feels great pressure from her father, who is in great need of the money her marriage will secure, to be a good and obedient wife.
After her wedding however, Elodie discovers that she has been tricked into becoming a sacrificial offering for the kingdom’s sacred cave dragon, part of a tradition to ensure a bountiful harvest season. Elodie is soon forced to fight her way out of the beast’s lair and save herself by slaying the dragon. It’s not really any girl’s dream honeymoon.
Bassett will play Lady Bayford, the stepmother to Elodie. Deadline first broke the news of her casting. This marks the actress’ latest collaboration with the streaming giant, following last year’s action thriller film Gunpowder Milkshake.She is also working with Netflix on the upcoming stop-motion dark comedy film Wendell and Wild from comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
Damsel is expected to release in 2023, though no exact date has yet been announced.
Supernatural and The Walking Dead alum Jeffrey Dean Morgan is making his next project a horror!
Screen Daily has announced the actor will star in Felix opposite The Haunting of Bly Manorand Sandman‘s Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, with producer Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Boss Level) attached to produce the project from director John Kissack (horror-thriller Everfall) and writer Casey Giltner.
Felix is being billed asSuper 8 meets Child’s Play, and follows best friends Charlie and Jimmy on their quest to becoming big-time Hollywood directors. The pair are making a film when Charlie’s father finds an old ventriloquist’s doll named Felix among his late mother’s belongings – prompting the boys to cast the doll as the creepy antagonist (how could they not?).
Through a chain of increasingly sinister and disturbing events, the family discovers that Felix has a mind of his own, and it’s up to Charlie and Jimmy to rid their family of this ominous force. Hopefully Morgan’s time chasing ghosts, demons, and other monsters with the Winchester boys will have prepared him for this one.
Filming is scheduled to begin this spring in Winnipeg, Canada.
