News Analysis India

Tag: Netflix

  • Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili sues Netflix for ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ portrayal

    By AFP

    TBILISI: Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili has filed a $5 million defamation suit against Netflix, saying her depiction in the hit TV show “The Queen’s Gambit” was “sexist and belittling”. 

    A copy of the lawsuit filed Thursday with a California court accuses Netflix of distorting Gaprindashvili’s achievements in the fictional series. 

    It says the show falsely suggested that the former female world champion never played competitive chess with men, and states that Gaprindashvili, now 80, competed against dozens of top male players, beating 28 of them.

    “Netflix brazenly and deliberately lied about Gaprindashvili’s achievements,” the lawsuit says.

    “The allegation that Gaprindashvili ‘has never faced men’ is manifestly false, as well as being grossly sexist and belittling,” reads the lawsuit.

    “Piling on additional insult to injury, Netflix described Gaprindashvili as Russian, despite knowing that she was Georgian.”

    Netflix said in a statement that it has “only the utmost respect for Ms Gaprindashvili and her illustrious career, but we believe this claim has no merit and will vigorously defend the case.”

    Born in 1941 in Georgia’s western town of Zugdidi, Gaprindashvili has played chess since she was 13.

    She won the female World Championship aged 20 and defended her title successfully four times, before losing her crown to another Georgian, 17-year-old Maia Chiburdanidze, in 1978.

    That same year she became the first woman to be awarded the title of grandmaster by FIDE.

    Netflix says “The Queen’s Gambit” has become its “biggest limited scripted series ever” with 62 million households watching the miniseries in its first 28 days.

    As of July 2021, the California-headquartered streaming service provider had 209 million subscribers. 

  • Kevin Hart, Wesley Snipes’ Netflix series ‘True Story’ to debut in November

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Netflix’s upcoming limited series “True Story”, starring actors Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes, will premiere on November 24 in the US, the streamer has announced.

    The drama is written and executive produced by “Narcos” and “Narcos: Mexico” showrunner Eric Newman, as per Variety.

    The story focuses on a comedian named Kid (Hart), who reconnects with his wayward older brother Carlton (Snipes) during a tour stop in Philadelphia.

    The eight-episode show examines the fall-out of a lost evening the two share that threatens to destroy Kid’s career.

    The cast also includes Tawny Newsome, Will Catlett, Paul Adelstein, Ash Santos, John Ales, Chris Diamantopoulos, Lauren London and Billy Zane.

    Charles Murray serves as the showrunner and executive producer.

    Stephen Williams and Hanelle Culpepper have directed four episodes each of the series.

  • Emily Deschanel to headline Netflix series adaptation of ‘Devil In Ohio’

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Bones” star Emily Deschanel will feature in the series adaptation of Daria Polatin’s young adult suspense thriller novel “Devil in Ohio”.

    Billed as a limited series, the Netflix project will consist of eight episodes of 45-minutes each.

    Also part of the cast are Sam Jaeger, Gerardo Celasco, Madeleine Arthur, Xaria Dotson, Alisha Newton and Naomi Tan.

    The show revolves around psychiatrist Dr Suzanne Mathis (Deschanel), who shelters a mysterious cult escapee, Mae (Arthur).

    Her world is turned upside down as the strange girl’s arrival threatens to tear her own family apart.

    Author Polatin, who also has writing credits on series including “Jack Ryan” and “Heels”, will serve as showrunner and executive producer on “Devil In Ohio”.

    John Fawcett, Brad Anderson, Leslie Hope, and Steve Adelson are attached to direct the series.

    Rachel Miller of Haven Entertainment will also executive produce the show alongside Andrew Wilder.

    Ian Hay is credited as a producer.

    Production is underway in Vancouver.

  • Gwendoline Christie boards ‘Wednesday’ series at Netflix

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Game of Thrones” alum Gwendoline Christie is the latest actor to join the cast of the “Addams Family” spinoff series “Wednesday”.

    The live-action show, set up at Netflix, will focus on the character of Wednesday Addams, to be played by “You” star Jenna Ortega, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    It comes from filmmaker Tim Burton, known for films like “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands” and “Alice in Wonderland”.

    Billed as a coming-of-age comedy, “Wednesday” will be penned by “Smallville” creators Al Gough and Miles Millar.

    The series will follow Wednesday’s years as a student at Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability.

    She is also trying to foil a monstrous killing spree that has terrorised the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents — Gomez and Morticia — 25 years ago as she navigates new, complex relationships.

    Christie will play Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy who still has an axe to grind with her former classmate Morticia Addams.

    Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones will portray Morticia Addams, while Luis Guzman will play Gomez Addams.

    Besides Christies, actors Isaac Ordonez, Victor Dorobantu, George Burcea, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Iman Marson, William Houston, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Oliver Watson, Calum Ross and Johnna Dias Watson have also joined the cast.

    Gough and Millar will serve as showrunners and executive producers.

    Burton will double up as executive producer.

    Andrew Mittman, Kevin Miserocchi, Kayla Alpert, Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania and Gail Berman will serve as executive producers as well.

    The series hails from MGM/UA Television.

    Christie broke out with her role of Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series “Game of Thrones”.

    She also played Captain Phasma in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”.

    The British actor will next appear in Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman”.

  • Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis join ‘Luther’ movie for Netflix

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Actors Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis will star alongside Idris Elba in the Netflix feature film instalment of ‘Luther’, continuing the story of the acclaimed crime series.

    Netflix is making the feature in association with the BBC, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

    Neil Cross, who created and wrote the series, penned the script. Jamie Payne, who directed the last season that consisted of four episodes is helming the feature that begins shooting in November.

    ‘Luther’ centres on Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a brilliant London officer so obsessed with his work that he is willing to go down the darkest of paths and break the stringiest of rules.

    In the movie’s story, which is the continuation of the ‘Luther’ saga, Luther will have to contend with a double threat.

    Erivo is playing a detective who is also Luther’s nemesis while Serkis is the story’s criminal villain.

    Cross and Elba are producing along with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and David Ready of Chernin Entertainment.

    The latter has a deal with Netflix and the streamer released Chernin’s ‘Fear Street’ Trilogy this summer and next has the big-budget Jason Momoa fantasy, ‘Slumberland’.

  • Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot to star in Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood stars Dywane Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot will be seen headlining streaming giant Netflix’s new movie titled ‘Red Notice’.

    Netflix officially released the teaser of the upcoming film ‘Red Notice’, which is written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The film is slated to release on November 12.

    When an Interpol-issued Red Notice, the highest-level warrant to hunt and capture the world’s most wanted, goes out, the FBI’s top profiler John Hartley played by Dwayne Johnson is on the case.

    The film is produced by Beau Flynn for Flynn Picture Co, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia for Seven Bucks Productions and Rawson Marshall Thurber.

    The action comedy film marks the third collaboration between Johnson and Thurber after the 2016 film ‘Central Intelligence’ and ‘Skyscraper’.

  • Andrew Lincoln, Ben Barnes and others to star in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has roped in actors Andrew Lincoln, Ben Barnes, F. Murray Abraham and Essie Davis for his anthology series “Cabinet of Curiosities”.

    Set up at Netflix, the show will be directed by del Toro, the man behind hits such as “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Hellboy”, “The Shape of Water”.

    The ensemble cast also include actors Elpidia Carrillo, Hannah Galway, Crispin Glover, Demetrius Grosse, David Hewlett, Tim Blake Nelson, Luke Roberts, Sebastian Roché, Glynn Turman and Peter Weller.

    According to Variety, “Cabinet of Curiosities” is a curation of eight unprecedented and genre-defining sinister narratives meant to challenge traditional notions of horror, ranging from the macabre to magical, gothic to grotesque or classically creepy.

    Two of the eight tales are original works by del Toro.

    The show recently started production in Toronto, Canada.

    Besides del Toro, the show’s episodes will also be directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, Catherine Hardwicke, Guillermo Navarro, David Prior and Keith Thomas.

    The writing team includes Haley Z Boston, Regina Corrado, David S. Goyer, Lee Patterson, Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Mika Watkins.

    “Cabinet of Curiosities” is created by del Toro, who also serve as co-showrunner and executive producer with J Miles Dale.

  • Regina Hall joins Kevin Hart, Mark Wahlberg in Netflix’s ‘Me Time’

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: American actor and comedian Regina Hall has joined the cast of the Netflix comedy ‘Me Time’, which stars actors Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg.

    Hart announced the casting on his Instagram account. He also posted a picture with his “comedy partner in crime” Hall.

    He wrote, “Guess who I’m working with again….it’s been way to long since we have been on screen together….me & my comedy partner in crime are back ….God I love working with “Regina King” …..she’s a little blurred out in this picture ….it was kinda on purpose because she’s looking a little ruff today!!!! U are welcome Regina ….I got ya back “Me Time” coming to @netflix soon.”

    As per Deadline, Hart’s ‘Night School’ writer John Hamburg will write and direct the upcoming project, with Hamburg also producing through his Particular Pictures along with Hart and Bryan Smiley for HartBeat Productions.

    The film follows a stay-at-home dad (Hart) who finds himself with some “me time” for the first time in years while his wife and kids are away. He reconnects with his former best friend (Wahlberg) for a wild weekend that nearly upends his life.

    Lauren Hennessey will serve as an executive producer alongside Mark Moran and Patricia Braga of HartBeat. Joe Gatta will also executive produce the project.

    Hall can currently be seen in Hulu’s ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ and can also be seen in her Showtime comedy ‘Black Monday’. She will also star in and executive produce the occult drama ‘Master’ as well as the comedy ‘Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul’. 

  • Netflix renews missing plane drama ‘Manifest’ for fourth and final season

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: After “Manifest” fans ran a passionate campaign on social media to revive the show, Netflix has renewed the missing plane drama for a fourth and final season. The development comes 10 weeks after NBC cancelled the American series, reported Variety.

    Created by Jeff Rake, the show follows various passengers from fictional flight Montego Air 828 who experience a severe bout of turbulence while flying from Jamaica to New York City. Only when they land, they learn that five and a half years actually passed, and they have returned with the special ability to see glimpses of events to come.

    The final season will have 20 episodes. What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in his imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime, said Rake as he thanked the show’s fans for their unwavering support.

    “Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life. That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, to Warner Bros, and of course to the fans. You did this,” the creator added.

    Bela Bajaria, head of globe TV, Netflix said the streamer is thrilled that the “final super-sized season” will bring some closure to fans. “Since its premiere on Netflix in June, Manifest has proven very popular with our members. Jeff Rake and his team have crafted a beguiling mystery that has viewers around the world on the edge of their seats and believing again in second chances,” Bajaria said.

    Returning cast has not yet been confirmed, but thus far the show has starred Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J R Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long and Holly Taylor.

    Rake executive produces the series alongside Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine and Len Goldstein. The show comes from Jeff Rake Productions and Compari Entertainment in association with Warner Bros Television and Universal Television.

    “Manifest” first premiered on NBC in September 2018 and ran for three seasons on the broadcast network, with its most recent one airing its finale on June 10. Four days later, NBC pulled the plug on the series.

    The previous three seasons of the show are already available on Netflix domestically but will soon be added globally.

  • ‘Cobra Kai’ renewed for season five at Netflix

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Streamer Netflix has green lit popular show “Cobra Kai” for a fifth season.

    The renewal comes ahead of the premiere of the show’s fourth season in December this year.

    Netflix shared the news in a post on its official Twitter handle on Friday night.

    “‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5. It’s happening!!” the streaming platform tweeted alongside a teaser video.

    The dojo is about to be 5x as rad. Cobra Kai has been renewed for a 5th season. pic.twitter.com/8iz2M6Bzw5
    — Cobra Kai (@CobraKaiSeries) August 27, 2021
    “Cobra Kai” is a spin-off series connected to The Karate Kid franchise following the competitive world of martial arts in Southern California, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka.

    The story, set after 34 years, follows the reopening of the Cobra Kai karate dojo by Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) and the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio).

    The series has been created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.