News Analysis India

Tag: Hollywood

  • ‘Be water, my friend’: Bruce Lee fans fondly remember his life philosophy 50 years after his death 

    By Associated Press

    HONG KONG: Fans of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who broke negative stereotypes around Asian men in films, gathered in Hong Kong this week to commemorate their idol’s death half a century ago, remembering his legacy and his life philosophy on persistence.

    Lee, who was born in San Francisco but raised in the Asian financial hub, was famous for his martial arts talent and his fight against racist portrayals of Asians on big and small screens in the 1960s and 70s.

    He died at the height of his fame due to an allergic reaction to painkillers when he was 32.

    The 50th anniversary of Lee’s death on Thursday drew fans to exhibitions in Hong Kong on his life and career.

    They also laid flowers at his statue at the Avenue of Stars, a tourist attraction modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the Kowloon shore of Victoria Harbour.

    A government-run museum organized a camp for students to learn about Lee’s legacy by introducing them to Jeet Kune Do, the martial arts style that Lee invented and practised.

    The museum also screened his films.

    Many of Lee’s supporters said his philosophy inspired them since they were young, even though many only learned about him and his works after his death.

    Sophie Uekawa, a translator, said she was initially attracted to Lee’s muscular body and smooth moves on TV.

    But she was later impressed by his words, including about how unhappy circumstances eventually pass.

    When Uekawa was bullied by schoolmates in secondary school, Lee’s quotes helped her endure feelings of helplessness.

    “It can be said that he is my saviour,” Uekawa said.

    Lee began his career as a child actor in the 1940s and started learning Chinese kung fu when he was 13.

    He moved back to the US in 1959 and studied philosophy at the University of Washington.

    The superstar fought hard against racist stereotypes in the US entertainment industry where Asian men were often portrayed as servants, unskilled workers or evil geniuses in Hollywood.

    Lee eventually went back to Hong Kong and made hits like “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury.”

    His last film, “Enter the Dragon”, was released six days after his death and became his most popular movie.

    He was one of the first Asian actors to attain Hollywood megastardom and fanned a kung fu craze that swept the world.

    W Wong, the chairperson of a Bruce Lee fan club established nearly three decades ago in Hong Kong, said the group’s demographics are changing as members grow older and that it has only one member in his 20s.

    “We face problems in passing on our work,” Wong said, although the group still has some 600 members.

    An instructor at a martial arts institute in Hong Kong’s Jordan district says more than half of the studio’s Jeet Kune Do students came to learn the martial arts style because of Lee.

    Teacher Ricky Fong said adaptability is important in Jeet Kune Do and life and pointed to one of Lee’s most famous sayings: “Be water, my friend.”

    The phrase was frequently used by protesters in Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy movement to describe their guerrilla strategy of moving fluidly across the city.

    One of Fong’s students, Adrian Li, said he admired Lee’s martial arts skills and philosophy.

    He added that Lee’s eagerness to keep learning has influenced him deeply.

    “Not be bounded by anything. One can learn a lot,” he said.

    HONG KONG: Fans of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who broke negative stereotypes around Asian men in films, gathered in Hong Kong this week to commemorate their idol’s death half a century ago, remembering his legacy and his life philosophy on persistence.

    Lee, who was born in San Francisco but raised in the Asian financial hub, was famous for his martial arts talent and his fight against racist portrayals of Asians on big and small screens in the 1960s and 70s.

    He died at the height of his fame due to an allergic reaction to painkillers when he was 32.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The 50th anniversary of Lee’s death on Thursday drew fans to exhibitions in Hong Kong on his life and career.

    They also laid flowers at his statue at the Avenue of Stars, a tourist attraction modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the Kowloon shore of Victoria Harbour.

    A government-run museum organized a camp for students to learn about Lee’s legacy by introducing them to Jeet Kune Do, the martial arts style that Lee invented and practised.

    The museum also screened his films.

    Many of Lee’s supporters said his philosophy inspired them since they were young, even though many only learned about him and his works after his death.

    Sophie Uekawa, a translator, said she was initially attracted to Lee’s muscular body and smooth moves on TV.

    But she was later impressed by his words, including about how unhappy circumstances eventually pass.

    When Uekawa was bullied by schoolmates in secondary school, Lee’s quotes helped her endure feelings of helplessness.

    “It can be said that he is my saviour,” Uekawa said.

    Lee began his career as a child actor in the 1940s and started learning Chinese kung fu when he was 13.

    He moved back to the US in 1959 and studied philosophy at the University of Washington.

    The superstar fought hard against racist stereotypes in the US entertainment industry where Asian men were often portrayed as servants, unskilled workers or evil geniuses in Hollywood.

    Lee eventually went back to Hong Kong and made hits like “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury.”

    His last film, “Enter the Dragon”, was released six days after his death and became his most popular movie.

    He was one of the first Asian actors to attain Hollywood megastardom and fanned a kung fu craze that swept the world.

    W Wong, the chairperson of a Bruce Lee fan club established nearly three decades ago in Hong Kong, said the group’s demographics are changing as members grow older and that it has only one member in his 20s.

    “We face problems in passing on our work,” Wong said, although the group still has some 600 members.

    An instructor at a martial arts institute in Hong Kong’s Jordan district says more than half of the studio’s Jeet Kune Do students came to learn the martial arts style because of Lee.

    Teacher Ricky Fong said adaptability is important in Jeet Kune Do and life and pointed to one of Lee’s most famous sayings: “Be water, my friend.”

    The phrase was frequently used by protesters in Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy movement to describe their guerrilla strategy of moving fluidly across the city.

    One of Fong’s students, Adrian Li, said he admired Lee’s martial arts skills and philosophy.

    He added that Lee’s eagerness to keep learning has influenced him deeply.

    “Not be bounded by anything. One can learn a lot,” he said.

  • Movie, TV stars join picket lines in fight over future of Hollywood

    Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, Rosario Dawson and other top movie and TV actors joined picket lines alongside screenwriters Friday on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood’s biggest labour fight in decades.

    A day after the dispute brought production to a standstill across the entertainment industry, Sudeikis was among the picketers outside NBC in New York pressing for progress following the breakdown of contract talks with studios and streaming services. Dawson, star of the film “Rent” and the “Star Wars” TV series “Ahsoka,” joined picketers outside Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.

    “Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin marched with chanting protesters outside Netflix’s offices in Hollywood. Also present at Netflix were “Titanic” and “Unforgiven” actor Frances Fisher and “The Nanny” star Fran Drescher, who is president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

    The actors’ arrival energized the picket lines outside Netflix, where music blared and the sidewalks were packed with demonstrators.

    Elsewhere, “Once Upon a Time” actor Ginnifer Goodwin stood with protesters at Paramount Pictures.

    The famous faces of Oscar and Emmy winners will likely be seen with some regularity on picket lines in New York and Los Angeles, adding star power to the demonstrations outside studios and corporate offices.

    The walkout is the first double-barreled strike by actors and screenwriters in more than six decades.

    In recent weeks, many actors made a show of solidarity with the 11,500 writers, who walked out in May. On Thursday, 65,000 members of the actors’ union formally joined them on strike.

    The two guilds have similar issues with studios and streaming services. They are concerned about contracts keeping up with inflation and about residual payments, which compensate creators and actors for the use of their material beyond the original airing, such as in reruns or on streaming services. The unions also want to put up guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence mimicking their work on film and television.

    Many on the picket lines took aim at Disney chief executive Bob Iger, who said Wednesday that the damage the strikes will do to the entertainment economy is “a shame.”

    “I think that when Bob Iger talks about what a shame it is, he needs to remember that in 1980, CEOs like him made 30 times what their lowest worker was making,” actor Sean Gunn, who starred in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” said outside Netflix.

    Now Iger “makes 400 times what his lowest worker is. And I think that’s a shame, Bob. And maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Why is that?’”

    No talks are planned, and no end is in sight for the work stoppage. It is the first time both guilds have walked off sets since 1960, when then-actor Ronald Reagan was SAG’s leader.

    “What we won in 1960 was our health and pension plans and the existence of residuals. That was the most important strike in LA union history, and now we’re on strike together again, and honestly, this strike is even bigger,” Adam Conover, host of the TV series “Adam Ruins Everything” and member of the Writers Guild negotiating committee, said outside Netflix. “We’re going to win. If you are gaining momentum like we are, 70-odd days into a strike, you are going to win.”

    Conover was one of many picketers, including Sudeikis, who are members of both unions.

    The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents employers including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others, has lamented the walkout, saying it will hurt thousands of workers in industries that support film and television production.

    The actors’ strike will affect more than filming. Stars will no longer be allowed to promote their work through red-carpet premieres or personal appearances. They cannot campaign for Emmy awards or take part in auditions or rehearsals.

    The strike triggered cancellations of red carpet events scheduled for next week for “Special Ops: Lioness,” starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman, and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

    A “Haunted Mansion” premiere event at Disneyland on Saturday was set to go on as planned, but with no actors in attendance to promote the film.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was clear that the entertainment industry “is at a historic inflection point.” She urged all parties to work around the clock until an agreement is reached.

    “This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy,” Bass said in a statement.

    The writers’ strike had already stopped much of television production, and the actors joining them immediately led to a shooting shutdown for many major films, including “Deadpool 3,” “Gladiator 2” and the eighth instalment of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” series. All are scheduled for release next year.

    The writers’ strike also shut down late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as several scripted shows that have either had their writers’ rooms or production paused, including “Stranger Things” on Netflix, “Hacks” on Max and “Family Guy” on Fox. Many more are sure to follow them now that performers also have been pulled.

    LOS ANGELES: “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, Rosario Dawson and other top movie and TV actors joined picket lines alongside screenwriters Friday on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood’s biggest labour fight in decades.

    A day after the dispute brought production to a standstill across the entertainment industry, Sudeikis was among the picketers outside NBC in New York pressing for progress following the breakdown of contract talks with studios and streaming services. Dawson, star of the film “Rent” and the “Star Wars” TV series “Ahsoka,” joined picketers outside Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.

    “Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin marched with chanting protesters outside Netflix’s offices in Hollywood. Also present at Netflix were “Titanic” and “Unforgiven” actor Frances Fisher and “The Nanny” star Fran Drescher, who is president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The actors’ arrival energized the picket lines outside Netflix, where music blared and the sidewalks were packed with demonstrators.

    Elsewhere, “Once Upon a Time” actor Ginnifer Goodwin stood with protesters at Paramount Pictures.

    The famous faces of Oscar and Emmy winners will likely be seen with some regularity on picket lines in New York and Los Angeles, adding star power to the demonstrations outside studios and corporate offices.

    The walkout is the first double-barreled strike by actors and screenwriters in more than six decades.

    In recent weeks, many actors made a show of solidarity with the 11,500 writers, who walked out in May. On Thursday, 65,000 members of the actors’ union formally joined them on strike.

    The two guilds have similar issues with studios and streaming services. They are concerned about contracts keeping up with inflation and about residual payments, which compensate creators and actors for the use of their material beyond the original airing, such as in reruns or on streaming services. The unions also want to put up guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence mimicking their work on film and television.

    Many on the picket lines took aim at Disney chief executive Bob Iger, who said Wednesday that the damage the strikes will do to the entertainment economy is “a shame.”

    “I think that when Bob Iger talks about what a shame it is, he needs to remember that in 1980, CEOs like him made 30 times what their lowest worker was making,” actor Sean Gunn, who starred in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” said outside Netflix.

    Now Iger “makes 400 times what his lowest worker is. And I think that’s a shame, Bob. And maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Why is that?’”

    No talks are planned, and no end is in sight for the work stoppage. It is the first time both guilds have walked off sets since 1960, when then-actor Ronald Reagan was SAG’s leader.

    “What we won in 1960 was our health and pension plans and the existence of residuals. That was the most important strike in LA union history, and now we’re on strike together again, and honestly, this strike is even bigger,” Adam Conover, host of the TV series “Adam Ruins Everything” and member of the Writers Guild negotiating committee, said outside Netflix. “We’re going to win. If you are gaining momentum like we are, 70-odd days into a strike, you are going to win.”

    Conover was one of many picketers, including Sudeikis, who are members of both unions.

    The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents employers including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others, has lamented the walkout, saying it will hurt thousands of workers in industries that support film and television production.

    The actors’ strike will affect more than filming. Stars will no longer be allowed to promote their work through red-carpet premieres or personal appearances. They cannot campaign for Emmy awards or take part in auditions or rehearsals.

    The strike triggered cancellations of red carpet events scheduled for next week for “Special Ops: Lioness,” starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman, and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

    A “Haunted Mansion” premiere event at Disneyland on Saturday was set to go on as planned, but with no actors in attendance to promote the film.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was clear that the entertainment industry “is at a historic inflection point.” She urged all parties to work around the clock until an agreement is reached.

    “This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy,” Bass said in a statement.

    The writers’ strike had already stopped much of television production, and the actors joining them immediately led to a shooting shutdown for many major films, including “Deadpool 3,” “Gladiator 2” and the eighth instalment of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” series. All are scheduled for release next year.

    The writers’ strike also shut down late-night talk shows and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as several scripted shows that have either had their writers’ rooms or production paused, including “Stranger Things” on Netflix, “Hacks” on Max and “Family Guy” on Fox. Many more are sure to follow them now that performers also have been pulled.

  • Hollywood set for first shutdown strike since 1960

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood actors were poised to go on strike Thursday, joining writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years after last-ditch talks failed, with nearly all film and television production likely to grind to a halt.

    The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said negotiations late Wednesday had ended without a deal on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.

    Its negotiators have unanimously recommended a strike to its national committee, which is expected to vote on Thursday morning.

    The vote opens the door to a “double strike” with writers, who have already spent 11 weeks on the picket line — which would trigger the first Hollywood shutdown since 1960.

    Popular series set to return to television this year would face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, future blockbuster films would be postponed too.

    Actors, like writers, are demanding better pay, and protections against the future use of AI in television and films.

    “As you know, over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem. Furthermore, artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions,” a SAG-AFRTA statement said after the talks fell through.

    Industry executives have “refused to acknowledge that enormous shifts in the industry and economy have had a detrimental impact on those who perform labour for the studios,” it continued.

    We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said early Thursday.

    Hollywood studios had called in federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock — a move described by SAG-AFTRA as a “cynical ploy.”

    SAG-AFTRA represents A-list stars such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Glenn Close. All members have pre-approved industrial action if a deal was not struck. The last time the union went on strike, in 1980, it lasted more than three months.

    Premieres and parties

    A strike would immediately prevent stars from promoting some of the year’s biggest releases, right at the peak of the movie industry’s summer blockbuster season.

    In London, a premiere Wednesday night for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was brought forward by an hour, so that cast including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Emily Blunt could attend without breaking union rules, Variety reported.

    But a strike would derail the much-hyped film’s US premiere, due to take place in New York on Monday, as well as a red-carpet launch this weekend at Disneyland for the new “Haunted Mansion” movie.

    And the annual Comic-Con pop culture gathering in San Diego next week could be stripped of its stars.

    Even the Emmy Awards, television’s version of the Oscars, which is due to take place on September 18, is reportedly mulling a delay to November or even next year.

    Swift solution

    While the writers’ strike has already dramatically reduced the number of movies and shows in production, an actors’ walkout would shutter almost everything.

    Some reality TV, animation and talk shows could continue.

    On Wednesday, Hollywood unions representing directors, behind-the-scenes film workers and writers issued a statement of “unwavering support and solidarity” with the actors.

    “While the studios have a collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios,” it said.

    Workers “across all crafts and departments” stand together “to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve.”

    Actors and writers are demanding higher pay to counteract inflation, and guarantees for their future livelihoods.

    In addition to salaries when they are actively working, actors earn payments called “residuals” every time a film or show they starred in is aired on network or cable — helpful when performers are between projects.

    But today, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ do not disclose viewing figures for their shows, and offer the same flat rate for everything on their platforms, regardless of its popularity.

    Muddying the waters further is the issue of AI. Both actors and writers want guarantees to regulate its future use, but studios have so far refused to budge.

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood actors were poised to go on strike Thursday, joining writers in the first industry-wide shutdown in 63 years after last-ditch talks failed, with nearly all film and television production likely to grind to a halt.

    The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 performers including A-list stars, said negotiations late Wednesday had ended without a deal on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence.

    Its negotiators have unanimously recommended a strike to its national committee, which is expected to vote on Thursday morning.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The vote opens the door to a “double strike” with writers, who have already spent 11 weeks on the picket line — which would trigger the first Hollywood shutdown since 1960.

    Popular series set to return to television this year would face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, future blockbuster films would be postponed too.

    Actors, like writers, are demanding better pay, and protections against the future use of AI in television and films.

    “As you know, over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem. Furthermore, artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions,” a SAG-AFRTA statement said after the talks fell through.

    Industry executives have “refused to acknowledge that enormous shifts in the industry and economy have had a detrimental impact on those who perform labour for the studios,” it continued.

    We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said early Thursday.

    Hollywood studios had called in federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock — a move described by SAG-AFTRA as a “cynical ploy.”

    SAG-AFTRA represents A-list stars such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Glenn Close. All members have pre-approved industrial action if a deal was not struck. The last time the union went on strike, in 1980, it lasted more than three months.

    Premieres and parties

    A strike would immediately prevent stars from promoting some of the year’s biggest releases, right at the peak of the movie industry’s summer blockbuster season.

    In London, a premiere Wednesday night for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was brought forward by an hour, so that cast including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Emily Blunt could attend without breaking union rules, Variety reported.

    But a strike would derail the much-hyped film’s US premiere, due to take place in New York on Monday, as well as a red-carpet launch this weekend at Disneyland for the new “Haunted Mansion” movie.

    And the annual Comic-Con pop culture gathering in San Diego next week could be stripped of its stars.

    Even the Emmy Awards, television’s version of the Oscars, which is due to take place on September 18, is reportedly mulling a delay to November or even next year.

    Swift solution

    While the writers’ strike has already dramatically reduced the number of movies and shows in production, an actors’ walkout would shutter almost everything.

    Some reality TV, animation and talk shows could continue.

    On Wednesday, Hollywood unions representing directors, behind-the-scenes film workers and writers issued a statement of “unwavering support and solidarity” with the actors.

    “While the studios have a collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios,” it said.

    Workers “across all crafts and departments” stand together “to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve.”

    Actors and writers are demanding higher pay to counteract inflation, and guarantees for their future livelihoods.

    In addition to salaries when they are actively working, actors earn payments called “residuals” every time a film or show they starred in is aired on network or cable — helpful when performers are between projects.

    But today, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ do not disclose viewing figures for their shows, and offer the same flat rate for everything on their platforms, regardless of its popularity.

    Muddying the waters further is the issue of AI. Both actors and writers want guarantees to regulate its future use, but studios have so far refused to budge.

  • Hollywood actors agree to mediation, but strike may be unavoidable

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday.

    “We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however, we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,” the Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Radio and Television Artists said in a statement Tuesday night.

    The actors could join the already striking Writers Guild of America and grind the already slowed production process to a halt if no agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sides agreed to an extension before the original contract expiration date on June 30, resetting it to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.

    Growing pessimism surrounding the talks seemed to turn to open hostility when SAG-AFTRA released a statement Tuesday night.

    It came in response to a report in Variety that a group of Hollywood CEOs had been the force behind the request for mediation, which the union said was leaked before its negotiators were informed of the request.

    The AMPTP declined to comment through a representative. It’s not clear whether federal mediators have agreed to take part, but such an intervention would presumably require more time than the hours left on the contract.

    “The AMPTP has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,” the SAG-AFTRA statement said. “We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.”

    Issues on the table in the talks include residual pay and the threat of unregulated use of artificial intelligence.

    LOS ANGELES: Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday.

    “We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however, we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,” the Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Radio and Television Artists said in a statement Tuesday night.

    The actors could join the already striking Writers Guild of America and grind the already slowed production process to a halt if no agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sides agreed to an extension before the original contract expiration date on June 30, resetting it to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Growing pessimism surrounding the talks seemed to turn to open hostility when SAG-AFTRA released a statement Tuesday night.

    It came in response to a report in Variety that a group of Hollywood CEOs had been the force behind the request for mediation, which the union said was leaked before its negotiators were informed of the request.

    The AMPTP declined to comment through a representative. It’s not clear whether federal mediators have agreed to take part, but such an intervention would presumably require more time than the hours left on the contract.

    “The AMPTP has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,” the SAG-AFTRA statement said. “We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.”

    Issues on the table in the talks include residual pay and the threat of unregulated use of artificial intelligence.

  • Hollywood writers, slamming ‘gig economy,’ to go on strike

    By Associated Press

    NEW YORK: Television and movie writers declared late Monday that they will launch a strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era.

    The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters will head to the picket lines on Tuesday. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers’ current deal expired just after midnight, at 12:01 a.m. PDT Tuesday. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members.

    The board of directors for the WGA, which includes both a West and an East branch, voted unanimously to call for a strike, effective at the stroke of midnight. Writers, they said, are facing an “existential crisis.”

    “The companies’ behaviour has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement.

    “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labour force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”

    The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the trade association that bargains on behalf of studios and production companies, signalled late Monday that negotiations fell short of an agreement before the current contract expired. The AMPTP said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”

    In a statement, the AMPTP said that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon.”

    The labour dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike persists. But a shutdown has been widely forecast for months due to the scope of the discord. The writers last month voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with 98% of the membership in support.

    At issue is how writers are compensated in an industry where streaming has changed the rules of Hollywood economics. Writers say they aren’t being paid enough, TV writer rooms have shrunk too much and the old calculus for how residuals are paid out needs to be redrawn.

    “The survival of our profession is at stake,” the guild has said.

    Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are annually made, meaning more jobs for writers. But WGA members say they’re making much less money and working under more strained conditions. Showrunners on streaming series receive just 46% of the pay that showrunners on broadcast series receive, the WGA claims. Content is booming, but the pay is down.

    The guild is seeking more compensation on the front-end of deals. Many of the back-end payments writers have historically profited by – like syndication and international licensing – have been largely phased out by the onset of streaming. More writers — roughly half — are being paid minimum rates, an increase of 16% over the last decade. The use of so-called mini-writers rooms has soared.

    The AMPTP said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around those mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and duration of employment restrictions. The guild has said more flexibility for writers is needed when they’re contracted for series that have tended to be more limited and short-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season.

    At the same time, studios are under increased pressure from Wall Street to turn a profit with their streaming services. Many studios and production companies are slashing spending. The Walt Disney Co. is eliminating 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting costs to lessen its debt. Netflix has pumped the breaks on spending growth.

    When Hollywood writers have gone on strike, it’s often been lengthy. In 1988, a WGA strike lasted 153 days. The last WGA strike went for 100 days, beginning in 2007 and ending in 2008.

    The most immediate effect of the strike viewers are likely to notice will be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All are expected to immediately go dark. During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to the air and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership.

    On Friday’s episode of “Late Night,” Seth Meyers, a WGA member who said he supported the union’s demands, prepared viewers for re-runs while lamenting the hardship a strike entails.

    “It doesn’t just affect the writers, it affects all the incredible non-writing staff on these shows,” Meyers said. “And it would really be a miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we’re on the heels of that awful pandemic that affected, not just show business, but all of us.”

    Scripted series and films will take longer to be affected. But if a strike persisted through the summer, fall schedules could be upended. And in the meantime, not having writers available for rewrites can have a dramatic effect on quality.

    The James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” was one of many films rushed into production during the 2007-2008 strike with what Daniel Craig called “the bare bones of a script.”

    “Then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do,” Craig later recounted. “We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes — and a writer I am not.”

    With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term.

    “We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.”

    Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April.

    Yet the WGA strike may only be the beginning. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming will factor into those bargaining sessions. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10.

    The cost of the WGA’s last strike cost Southern California $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute. How painful this strike is remains to be seen. But as of late Monday evening, laptops were being closed and shut all over Hollywood.

    “Pencils down,” said “Halt and Catch Fire” showrunner and co-creator Christopher Cantwell on Twitter shortly after the strike announcement. “Don’t even type in the document.”

    NEW YORK: Television and movie writers declared late Monday that they will launch a strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era.

    The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters will head to the picket lines on Tuesday. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers’ current deal expired just after midnight, at 12:01 a.m. PDT Tuesday. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members.

    The board of directors for the WGA, which includes both a West and an East branch, voted unanimously to call for a strike, effective at the stroke of midnight. Writers, they said, are facing an “existential crisis.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    “The companies’ behaviour has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement.

    “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labour force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”

    The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the trade association that bargains on behalf of studios and production companies, signalled late Monday that negotiations fell short of an agreement before the current contract expired. The AMPTP said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”

    In a statement, the AMPTP said that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon.”

    The labour dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike persists. But a shutdown has been widely forecast for months due to the scope of the discord. The writers last month voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with 98% of the membership in support.

    At issue is how writers are compensated in an industry where streaming has changed the rules of Hollywood economics. Writers say they aren’t being paid enough, TV writer rooms have shrunk too much and the old calculus for how residuals are paid out needs to be redrawn.

    “The survival of our profession is at stake,” the guild has said.

    Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are annually made, meaning more jobs for writers. But WGA members say they’re making much less money and working under more strained conditions. Showrunners on streaming series receive just 46% of the pay that showrunners on broadcast series receive, the WGA claims. Content is booming, but the pay is down.

    The guild is seeking more compensation on the front-end of deals. Many of the back-end payments writers have historically profited by – like syndication and international licensing – have been largely phased out by the onset of streaming. More writers — roughly half — are being paid minimum rates, an increase of 16% over the last decade. The use of so-called mini-writers rooms has soared.

    The AMPTP said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around those mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and duration of employment restrictions. The guild has said more flexibility for writers is needed when they’re contracted for series that have tended to be more limited and short-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season.

    At the same time, studios are under increased pressure from Wall Street to turn a profit with their streaming services. Many studios and production companies are slashing spending. The Walt Disney Co. is eliminating 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting costs to lessen its debt. Netflix has pumped the breaks on spending growth.

    When Hollywood writers have gone on strike, it’s often been lengthy. In 1988, a WGA strike lasted 153 days. The last WGA strike went for 100 days, beginning in 2007 and ending in 2008.

    The most immediate effect of the strike viewers are likely to notice will be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All are expected to immediately go dark. During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to the air and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership.

    On Friday’s episode of “Late Night,” Seth Meyers, a WGA member who said he supported the union’s demands, prepared viewers for re-runs while lamenting the hardship a strike entails.

    “It doesn’t just affect the writers, it affects all the incredible non-writing staff on these shows,” Meyers said. “And it would really be a miserable thing for people to have to go through, especially considering we’re on the heels of that awful pandemic that affected, not just show business, but all of us.”

    Scripted series and films will take longer to be affected. But if a strike persisted through the summer, fall schedules could be upended. And in the meantime, not having writers available for rewrites can have a dramatic effect on quality.

    The James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” was one of many films rushed into production during the 2007-2008 strike with what Daniel Craig called “the bare bones of a script.”

    “Then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do,” Craig later recounted. “We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes — and a writer I am not.”

    With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term.

    “We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.”

    Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April.

    Yet the WGA strike may only be the beginning. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming will factor into those bargaining sessions. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10.

    The cost of the WGA’s last strike cost Southern California $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute. How painful this strike is remains to be seen. But as of late Monday evening, laptops were being closed and shut all over Hollywood.

    “Pencils down,” said “Halt and Catch Fire” showrunner and co-creator Christopher Cantwell on Twitter shortly after the strike announcement. “Don’t even type in the document.”

  • Scarlett Johansson has no plans to return to Marvel

    By Express News Service

    Scarlett Johansson, who first appeared as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) before moving on to star in The Avengers films and Black Widow in 2021, has stated that she has no plans to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

    Speaking at The Goop Podcast to Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett said, “Yeah, it was awesome. It was like the best time ever. I mean, doing Avengers was so much fun. I was 26 years old, I was single, and it was fun! You know, I didn’t have any responsibility to anybody but to just enjoy yourself.” Further, she said, “And then every couple of years, we would go back, and do it again, and all be in different places in our lives. Like, somebody would have a kid or be getting married, or divorced, or remarried, or whatever. And it was like, I don’t know, an adult summer camp thing. And it was cool. It was really, really some of the best experiences.”

    Lastly, she confirmed, “I’m done. Yes, I’m done. The chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also, coming back and playing a character again and again like that, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience.”

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

    Scarlett Johansson, who first appeared as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) before moving on to star in The Avengers films and Black Widow in 2021, has stated that she has no plans to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

    Speaking at The Goop Podcast to Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett said, “Yeah, it was awesome. It was like the best time ever. I mean, doing Avengers was so much fun. I was 26 years old, I was single, and it was fun! You know, I didn’t have any responsibility to anybody but to just enjoy yourself.”
     
    Further, she said, “And then every couple of years, we would go back, and do it again, and all be in different places in our lives. Like, somebody would have a kid or be getting married, or divorced, or remarried, or whatever. And it was like, I don’t know, an adult summer camp thing. And it was cool. It was really, really some of the best experiences.”

    Lastly, she confirmed, “I’m done. Yes, I’m done. The chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also, coming back and playing a character again and again like that, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas to star with Idris Elba, John Cena in ‘Heads of State’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Priyanka Chopra Jonas is set to share screen space with Hollywood stars Idris Elba and John Cena in the upcoming movie “Heads of State”.

    The film comes from Amazon Studios, the banner behind Chopra’s upcoming action series “Citadel”, reported entertainment news outlet Deadline.

    Ilya Naishuller, best known for directing the 2021 movie “Nobody”, will helm the project from a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec.

    Harrison Query wrote the initial draft based on his idea.

    Though the plot details have been kept under wraps, the film is touted as “Air Force One” meets “Midnight Run”. It will be produced by the Safran Company’s Peter Safran and John Rickard.

    ALSO READ | I can’t work anymore with people I don’t like: Priyanka Chopra

    Cena, who will also executive the film, welcomed Chopra on board the project in a post on Twitter.

    “THANK YOU @AmazonStudios for assembling such a dream team.

    Excited to get to work on #HeadsOfState with @idriselba and welcome the newest cast member, the world renowned @priyankachopra!” the “F9” star tweeted.

    Replying to Cena’s post, Chopra wrote, “Thank you for the warm welcome @JohnCena I can’t wait to get to set! let’s gooooo” Chopra’s latest project, “Citadel”, which also stars Richard Madden, is set for premiere on Prime Video later this month.

    ALSO READ |  ‘I was lightened up in many films; fairness commercials are damaging’

    The actor will also feature in Sony’s “Love Again”, co-starring Sam Heughan.

    LOS ANGELES: Priyanka Chopra Jonas is set to share screen space with Hollywood stars Idris Elba and John Cena in the upcoming movie “Heads of State”.

    The film comes from Amazon Studios, the banner behind Chopra’s upcoming action series “Citadel”, reported entertainment news outlet Deadline.

    Ilya Naishuller, best known for directing the 2021 movie “Nobody”, will helm the project from a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Harrison Query wrote the initial draft based on his idea.

    Though the plot details have been kept under wraps, the film is touted as “Air Force One” meets “Midnight Run”. It will be produced by the Safran Company’s Peter Safran and John Rickard.

    ALSO READ | I can’t work anymore with people I don’t like: Priyanka Chopra

    Cena, who will also executive the film, welcomed Chopra on board the project in a post on Twitter.

    “THANK YOU @AmazonStudios for assembling such a dream team.

    Excited to get to work on #HeadsOfState with @idriselba and welcome the newest cast member, the world renowned @priyankachopra!” the “F9” star tweeted.

    Replying to Cena’s post, Chopra wrote, “Thank you for the warm welcome @JohnCena I can’t wait to get to set! let’s gooooo” Chopra’s latest project, “Citadel”, which also stars Richard Madden, is set for premiere on Prime Video later this month.

    ALSO READ |  ‘I was lightened up in many films; fairness commercials are damaging’

    The actor will also feature in Sony’s “Love Again”, co-starring Sam Heughan.

  • Quentin Tarantino to direct his last film based on Pauline Kael

    By Express News Service

    In what may be the last film of Quentin Tarantino, the veteran filmmaker is in the process to direct The Movie Critic, which he wrote and will be directing this fall.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming film will have a period setting of 1970 Los Angeles and feature a woman as the protagonist. It is also speculated that the film will focus on one of the known and influential film critics, and novelists Pauline Kael.

    While a studio is yet to be attached to The Movie Critic, reports suggest that Sony, which also distributed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, would be associated with the project.

    The cast and technical crew of the upcoming film are also yet to come in place. It is to be noted that Tarantino had mentioned earlier that he wanted to direct 10 films or retire by 60. The filmmaker has so far helmed nine films, including two Kill Bill films. 

    In what may be the last film of Quentin Tarantino, the veteran filmmaker is in the process to direct The Movie Critic, which he wrote and will be directing this fall.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming film will have a period setting of 1970 Los Angeles and feature a woman as the protagonist. It is also speculated that the film will focus on one of the known and influential film critics, and novelists Pauline Kael.

    While a studio is yet to be attached to The Movie Critic, reports suggest that Sony, which also distributed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, would be associated with the project.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The cast and technical crew of the upcoming film are also yet to come in place. It is to be noted that Tarantino had mentioned earlier that he wanted to direct 10 films or retire by 60. The filmmaker has so far helmed nine films, including two Kill Bill films.
     

  • Jamie Lee Curtis says ‘Freaky Friday’ sequel is ‘going to happen’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis has confirmed that a sequel to her and Lindsay Lohan’s much-loved comedy “Freaky Friday” will happen.

    According to entertainment website Variety, Curtis teased the project on the sidelines of the Producers Guild Awards over the weekend.

    “It’s going to happen. Without saying there’s anything officially happening, I’m looking at you in this moment and saying, ‘Of course it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen,” the actor said.

    On Valentine’s Day, Curtis had shared a photograph of her and Lohan on Instagram with the caption, “It’s Friday.

    I’m just sayin! Freaky fingers crossed!” Lohan responded to the post with emojis of crossed fingers.

    Based on Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name, “Freaky Friday” released in 2003.

    It featured Curtis and Lohan as a mother and daughter, respectively, whose bodies are switched by a mysterious and magical Chinese fortune cookie.

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis has confirmed that a sequel to her and Lindsay Lohan’s much-loved comedy “Freaky Friday” will happen.

    According to entertainment website Variety, Curtis teased the project on the sidelines of the Producers Guild Awards over the weekend.

    “It’s going to happen. Without saying there’s anything officially happening, I’m looking at you in this moment and saying, ‘Of course it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen,” the actor said.

    On Valentine’s Day, Curtis had shared a photograph of her and Lohan on Instagram with the caption, “It’s Friday.

    I’m just sayin! Freaky fingers crossed!” Lohan responded to the post with emojis of crossed fingers.

    Based on Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name, “Freaky Friday” released in 2003.

    It featured Curtis and Lohan as a mother and daughter, respectively, whose bodies are switched by a mysterious and magical Chinese fortune cookie.

  • Does ‘Asterix’ have the magic potion to save French cinema?

    By AFP

    PARIS: “Asterix” returns to the big screen Wednesday as France tries to match Hollywood by weaponising nostalgia in the battle for box office success.

    Critics may bemoan the crushing lack of originality in Hollywood in recent years, as risk-averse studios fall back on their catalogue of familiar superhero and sci-fi franchises.

    But there is no doubt that it works: the top 10 of almost every country’s box office last year comprised nothing but Hollywood sequels, reboots and video game adaptations.

    That is particularly frustrating for France, where ministers wonder whether they are getting a return on vast state subsidies lavished on the film industry.

    Roselyne Bachelot, culture minister from 2020 to 2022, was scathing about her country’s filmmakers in a recent book.

    “Direct subsidies, advances on receipts, tax exemptions… have created a protected industry which not only doesn’t care much about audiences’ tastes but even expresses contempt for ‘mainstream’ and profitable films,” she wrote.

    Paris-based Pathe wants to be an exception, not least because it also runs a large chain of cinemas.

    Borrowing from the Hollywood playbook, it has thrown large budgets at “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom”, and “The Three Musketeers” which follows in its wake.

    A reworking of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and a Charles de Gaulle biopic are also in the pipeline.

    Pathe president Ardavan Safaee told AFP last year that the French system of producing hundreds of small, arty films “isn’t viable in the long-term” and that France needs “more spectacular” fare to compete with Hollywood blockbusters and streaming platforms.

    ‘The joy, the celebration’

    The strategy will likely work at home: the four previous live-action Asterix movies (between 1999 and 2012) sold some 35 million tickets in France and almost the same again around Europe.

    The latest takes no chances, with popular stars (including Marion Cotillard and Vincent Cassel as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar) alongside cameos from rappers, YouTubers and even footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic designed to tempt younger viewers back to cinemas.

    “Big films like this represent the joy, the celebration of making cinema in a very free and very broad way,” said Gilles Lellouche, who inherits the large britches of Obelix from previous star Gerard Depardieu.

    Outside Europe, the prospects are less clear.

    The makers had hoped for success in China, where the film is set. Director Guillaume Canet (who also stars as Asterix) travelled with President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing in 2019 to win the right to film on the Great Wall. But the pandemic ultimately scuppered the plan, and the film has yet to find a Chinese distributor.

    Britain and the United States are also tricky markets since audiences are unaccustomed to dubbed or subtitled family fare.

    It has been more than a decade since “The Artist” and “The Intouchables” broke records abroad. But despite occasional blockbusters like “Lucy” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” from Luc Besson, overseas ticket sales have been on a downward trend.

    That could change. It’s no surprise that “Asterix” is being released on Netflix in the US — the streamer has done much to overcome traditional American aversion to subtitles with hit foreign shows, including France’s “Lupin” and “Call My Agent”.

    “The time is right for updates of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Asterix’ to find success in America where fans are hungry for movies and shows with diverse and exciting points of view,” said Paul Dergarabedian, of US media analysts Comscore.

    PARIS: “Asterix” returns to the big screen Wednesday as France tries to match Hollywood by weaponising nostalgia in the battle for box office success.

    Critics may bemoan the crushing lack of originality in Hollywood in recent years, as risk-averse studios fall back on their catalogue of familiar superhero and sci-fi franchises.

    But there is no doubt that it works: the top 10 of almost every country’s box office last year comprised nothing but Hollywood sequels, reboots and video game adaptations.

    That is particularly frustrating for France, where ministers wonder whether they are getting a return on vast state subsidies lavished on the film industry.

    Roselyne Bachelot, culture minister from 2020 to 2022, was scathing about her country’s filmmakers in a recent book.

    “Direct subsidies, advances on receipts, tax exemptions… have created a protected industry which not only doesn’t care much about audiences’ tastes but even expresses contempt for ‘mainstream’ and profitable films,” she wrote.

    Paris-based Pathe wants to be an exception, not least because it also runs a large chain of cinemas.

    Borrowing from the Hollywood playbook, it has thrown large budgets at “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom”, and “The Three Musketeers” which follows in its wake.

    A reworking of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and a Charles de Gaulle biopic are also in the pipeline.

    Pathe president Ardavan Safaee told AFP last year that the French system of producing hundreds of small, arty films “isn’t viable in the long-term” and that France needs “more spectacular” fare to compete with Hollywood blockbusters and streaming platforms.

    ‘The joy, the celebration’

    The strategy will likely work at home: the four previous live-action Asterix movies (between 1999 and 2012) sold some 35 million tickets in France and almost the same again around Europe.

    The latest takes no chances, with popular stars (including Marion Cotillard and Vincent Cassel as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar) alongside cameos from rappers, YouTubers and even footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic designed to tempt younger viewers back to cinemas.

    “Big films like this represent the joy, the celebration of making cinema in a very free and very broad way,” said Gilles Lellouche, who inherits the large britches of Obelix from previous star Gerard Depardieu.

    Outside Europe, the prospects are less clear.

    The makers had hoped for success in China, where the film is set. Director Guillaume Canet (who also stars as Asterix) travelled with President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing in 2019 to win the right to film on the Great Wall. But the pandemic ultimately scuppered the plan, and the film has yet to find a Chinese distributor.

    Britain and the United States are also tricky markets since audiences are unaccustomed to dubbed or subtitled family fare.

    It has been more than a decade since “The Artist” and “The Intouchables” broke records abroad. But despite occasional blockbusters like “Lucy” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” from Luc Besson, overseas ticket sales have been on a downward trend.

    That could change. It’s no surprise that “Asterix” is being released on Netflix in the US — the streamer has done much to overcome traditional American aversion to subtitles with hit foreign shows, including France’s “Lupin” and “Call My Agent”.

    “The time is right for updates of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Asterix’ to find success in America where fans are hungry for movies and shows with diverse and exciting points of view,” said Paul Dergarabedian, of US media analysts Comscore.