News Analysis India

Tag: Netflix

  • ‘The Umbrella Academy’ final season to only have 6 episodes

    By Express News Service

    The fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy will reportedly have only six episodes as opposed to the ten episodes in the previous season.

    The news is confirmed by the series showrunner and executive producer Steve Blackman. He had recently shared the cover page of the final season’s finished script on his Instagram page.

    The image was shared with a caption that reads, “And so it begins… one last time.”

    The Netflix original series, which started premiering in 2019, follows a group of foster siblings who deal with the aftermath of fighting crime at a young age.

    The series also deals with the repercussions of time travel. The last season ended with the siblings losing their powers and trying to live as normal people.

    The fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy will reportedly have only six episodes as opposed to the ten episodes in the previous season.

    The news is confirmed by the series showrunner and executive producer Steve Blackman. He had recently shared the cover page of the final season’s finished script on his Instagram page.

    The image was shared with a caption that reads, “And so it begins… one last time.”

    The Netflix original series, which started premiering in 2019, follows a group of foster siblings who deal with the aftermath of fighting crime at a young age.

    The series also deals with the repercussions of time travel. The last season ended with the siblings losing their powers and trying to live as normal people.

  • Catherine Zeta-Jones regrets not playing James Bond

    By Express News Service

    Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones reveals that her biggest regret in her acting career is not getting to play the female James Bond. The Oscar-winner claimed that the former 007 star, Sean Connery backed her as a replacement for him as the spy after they became close during the filming of the 1999 crime caper Entrapment together, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    “I would have loved to have played Bond. I had such a wonderful relationship with Sean Connery—we did a movie called Entrapment years ago – and he was like my elder brother, my dad, my support,” she told The Sun on Sunday.

    “I really loved him. I am a Bond fanatic and he said to me once, ‘You would have made a great Bond, girl’. I asked, ‘A Bond girl or Bond?’ He went, ‘Bond – girl.’ I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would have loved to have played Bond!’ But I think that time has passed.”

    Despite recent calls for the first female Bond, the film franchise’s producer Barbara Broccoli has insisted the role will remain played by a man. Catherine was recently seen as Morticia in the new Netflix TV series Wednesday. Speaking about the show, she said, “It was a real treat because it’s an iconic show and characters like Fester and Morticia are indelible, they’re in our subconscious.”

    Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones reveals that her biggest regret in her acting career is not getting to play the female James Bond. The Oscar-winner claimed that the former 007 star, Sean Connery backed her as a replacement for him as the spy after they became close during the filming of the 1999 crime caper Entrapment together, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    “I would have loved to have played Bond. I had such a wonderful relationship with Sean Connery—we did a movie called Entrapment years ago – and he was like my elder brother, my dad, my support,” she told The Sun on Sunday.

    “I really loved him. I am a Bond fanatic and he said to me once, ‘You would have made a great Bond, girl’. I asked, ‘A Bond girl or Bond?’ He went, ‘Bond – girl.’ I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would have loved to have played Bond!’ But I think that time has passed.”

    Despite recent calls for the first female Bond, the film franchise’s producer Barbara Broccoli has insisted the role will remain played by a man. Catherine was recently seen as Morticia in the new Netflix TV series Wednesday. Speaking about the show, she said, “It was a real treat because it’s an iconic show and characters like Fester and Morticia are indelible, they’re in our subconscious.”

  • ‘Pinocchio’ movie review: A heartwarming tale about finding beauty in the ephemerality of existence

    Express News Service

    There is something poetic about a story where a puppet trying to become a real boy is being made with stop-motion animation, which is essentially puppets coming to life through the magic of cinema. I’m not going to spoil things by telling you if the puppet boy became a real boy, but the film, with all its masterful animation, did come alive in myriad ways.

    Pinocchio is Guillermo Del Toro’s take on the classic children’s tale written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi in 1883. The themes of the story, as well as its cultural impact, have been explored in length for well over a century but Del Toro’s take on it—while once again proving to us the timelessness of the story—provides fresh warmth by rekindling an old ember.

    Del Toro has a distinct visual language, a beautiful confluence of baroque aesthetics, and a moody ambiance pervading his frames. Such a precise, Del Toro-Esque visual tone is often accentuated the most whenever the filmmaker touches upon modern fairytales. You could see it in some of his best works like Pan’s Labyrinth, Nightmare Alley, and to an unmissable extent in Pinocchio. Some of the most imaginative displays of visual design in this film can be seen with two supernatural beings; one is the Wood Sprite who brings the wooden puppet to life and the second one is her sister Death who meets Pinocchio at pivotal moments to impart wisdom about relationships, sacrifice, and immortality. The design of the Wood Sprite and Death, with their multiple eyes and wings, seems to have drawn their inspiration straight from the imagery of angels as originally described in the Bible. At times, such allusions to Biblical imagery become a commentary on religion itself, like in the scene when after Pinocchio gets verbally attacked by a mob startled by a talking puppet, he asks his father Geppetto why they seem to love the man on the cross and hate him while they are both made of wood. 

    While on a surface level Pinocchio might be a classic adventure about a boy growing up and a father learning to love again, the film unravels the multiple layers it holds with a pace backed by confidence in every frame, every line of dialogue, and every moment of silence in between. On a level right beneath its surface, Pinocchio is a poignant concoction of themes like horrors of war, fascism, existentialism, death, sacrifice, learning to let go, and learning to value the things we love.

    Perhaps bogged down by expectations from previous interpretations of the story, the film rather half-heartedly attempts musical numbers during the first half of the story. None of the songs stick to your memory and the film’s pace could have easily benefitted from their omission. On the other hand, one of the most ingenious reinterpretations that the film does is the idea of having the ‘talking cricket’ as a sophisticated, world-weary writer who hangs pictures of Arthur Schopenhauer on his walls and who literally lives inside the wooden boy’s heart and serves as his inner voice. While Sebastian J Cricket gets his own character arc, his journey through the story and his philosophical musings struggle to blend in with the central narrative of the story. His conversations with Pinocchio don’t incite the kind of character-changing evolution brought forth by Pinocchio’s epiphanic interactions with Death or the Wood Sprite. While his presence was greatly appreciated, the film could have still worked in his absence.

    With the story being set in Fascist Italy, we get brilliant patches of messages about military propaganda, the ill effects of nationalism, and fathers crushing their children’s spirits by imposing upon them their own will and expectations. These are shown through the tension between Podesta and his son Candlewick, the on-the-nose anti-war message expounded through Pinocchio’s debasement of Volpe’s play, the sequence where we see young boys being sent to military training camps, and we even get to see a perpetually miffed Mussolini. While these sequences serve as entertaining moments in the film and they do help Pinocchio’s character evolution, our attention shatters from an overload and deliberate overindulgence in such themes.

    Despite its heavily loaded thematic flesh—at its core—Pinocchio is a heartwarming tale about a wide-eyed boy learning what it means to grow up and what it takes to protect those we love. It is hard to not get swept up with the emotional crescendo of the film’s climax but if Pinocchio never tugs at your heart at any moment, I hope you learn to live with a longer nose.

    Director: Guillermo Del Toro & Mark GustafsonCast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Christoph WaltzStreaming platform: NetflixRating: 4/5 stars

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

    There is something poetic about a story where a puppet trying to become a real boy is being made with stop-motion animation, which is essentially puppets coming to life through the magic of cinema. I’m not going to spoil things by telling you if the puppet boy became a real boy, but the film, with all its masterful animation, did come alive in myriad ways.

    Pinocchio is Guillermo Del Toro’s take on the classic children’s tale written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi in 1883. The themes of the story, as well as its cultural impact, have been explored in length for well over a century but Del Toro’s take on it—while once again proving to us the timelessness of the story—provides fresh warmth by rekindling an old ember.

    Del Toro has a distinct visual language, a beautiful confluence of baroque aesthetics, and a moody ambiance pervading his frames. Such a precise, Del Toro-Esque visual tone is often accentuated the most whenever the filmmaker touches upon modern fairytales. You could see it in some of his best works like Pan’s Labyrinth, Nightmare Alley, and to an unmissable extent in Pinocchio. Some of the most imaginative displays of visual design in this film can be seen with two supernatural beings; one is the Wood Sprite who brings the wooden puppet to life and the second one is her sister Death who meets Pinocchio at pivotal moments to impart wisdom about relationships, sacrifice, and immortality. The design of the Wood Sprite and Death, with their multiple eyes and wings, seems to have drawn their inspiration straight from the imagery of angels as originally described in the Bible. At times, such allusions to Biblical imagery become a commentary on religion itself, like in the scene when after Pinocchio gets verbally attacked by a mob startled by a talking puppet, he asks his father Geppetto why they seem to love the man on the cross and hate him while they are both made of wood. 

    While on a surface level Pinocchio might be a classic adventure about a boy growing up and a father learning to love again, the film unravels the multiple layers it holds with a pace backed by confidence in every frame, every line of dialogue, and every moment of silence in between. On a level right beneath its surface, Pinocchio is a poignant concoction of themes like horrors of war, fascism, existentialism, death, sacrifice, learning to let go, and learning to value the things we love.

    Perhaps bogged down by expectations from previous interpretations of the story, the film rather half-heartedly attempts musical numbers during the first half of the story. None of the songs stick to your memory and the film’s pace could have easily benefitted from their omission. On the other hand, one of the most ingenious reinterpretations that the film does is the idea of having the ‘talking cricket’ as a sophisticated, world-weary writer who hangs pictures of Arthur Schopenhauer on his walls and who literally lives inside the wooden boy’s heart and serves as his inner voice. While Sebastian J Cricket gets his own character arc, his journey through the story and his philosophical musings struggle to blend in with the central narrative of the story. His conversations with Pinocchio don’t incite the kind of character-changing evolution brought forth by Pinocchio’s epiphanic interactions with Death or the Wood Sprite. While his presence was greatly appreciated, the film could have still worked in his absence.

    With the story being set in Fascist Italy, we get brilliant patches of messages about military propaganda, the ill effects of nationalism, and fathers crushing their children’s spirits by imposing upon them their own will and expectations. These are shown through the tension between Podesta and his son Candlewick, the on-the-nose anti-war message expounded through Pinocchio’s debasement of Volpe’s play, the sequence where we see young boys being sent to military training camps, and we even get to see a perpetually miffed Mussolini. While these sequences serve as entertaining moments in the film and they do help Pinocchio’s character evolution, our attention shatters from an overload and deliberate overindulgence in such themes.

    Despite its heavily loaded thematic flesh—at its core—Pinocchio is a heartwarming tale about a wide-eyed boy learning what it means to grow up and what it takes to protect those we love. It is hard to not get swept up with the emotional crescendo of the film’s climax but if Pinocchio never tugs at your heart at any moment, I hope you learn to live with a longer nose.

    Director: Guillermo Del Toro & Mark Gustafson
    Cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Christoph Waltz
    Streaming platform: Netflix
    Rating: 4/5 stars

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

  • Tyler Perry to helm Netflix period drama ‘Six Triple Eight’

    By Express News Service

    Tyler Perry, the American writer, filmmaker and comedian, will be helming a project for Netflix, which will be a period drama titled Six Triple Eight. He will write, direct and produce the feature film, which will be set against the backdrop of World War 2.

    Six Triple Eight will revolve around the 6888th battalion which was the only all-black, all-female battalion during the WW2 effort. The film will be based on an article by Kevin M Hymel, which was published in the WW2 History Magazine by Sovereign Media.

    The film will be backed by Tyler Perry, Nicole Avant under Her Excellency Productions, Keri Selig for Intuition Productions, Carlota Espinosa, Angi Bones and Tony Strickland for Tyler Perry Studios banner. It will be executive produced by Peter Guber.

    As per Netflix’s note, Six Triple Eight will tell an “inspiring true story of incredible and brave women” of the battalion. “These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. 

    A herculean task, that most thought to be impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home.” 

    Tyler Perry, the American writer, filmmaker and comedian, will be helming a project for Netflix, which will be a period drama titled Six Triple Eight. He will write, direct and produce the feature film, which will be set against the backdrop of World War 2.

    Six Triple Eight will revolve around the 6888th battalion which was the only all-black, all-female battalion during the WW2 effort. The film will be based on an article by Kevin M Hymel, which was published in the WW2 History Magazine by Sovereign Media.

    The film will be backed by Tyler Perry, Nicole Avant under Her Excellency Productions, Keri Selig for Intuition Productions, Carlota Espinosa, Angi Bones and Tony Strickland for Tyler Perry Studios banner. It will be executive produced by Peter Guber.

    As per Netflix’s note, Six Triple Eight will tell an “inspiring true story of incredible and brave women” of the battalion. “These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. 

    A herculean task, that most thought to be impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home.” 

  • Neil Gaiman shuts down rumours of ‘The Sandman’ cancellation

    Express News Service

    Amid multiple cancellations at Warner Bros and their recent issues with Netflix, writer/showrunner Neil Gaiman has come out assuring the fans that they are still going ahead with the second season of The Sandman. The series is based on the graphic novel of the same name written by Neil Gaiman.

    It was earlier reported that Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav was disappointed with Netflix’s payment structure and as a result, has halted his studio from “selling finished shows to Netflix.” The streaming giant apparently takes around 18 to 24 months to pay their producers. 

    According to sources, Zaslav’s discontent with Netflix happened after they renewed The Sandman for a second season. The fantasy series premiered on 5 August 2022 and became a critical and commercial success, with around 200 million hours of viewership within the first 10 days of its release.

    Despite its success, Netflix took more than three months to renew the series for a second season. This led to speculation that the series was cancelled. However, The Sandman was renewed for a second season in November. 

    Neil Gaiman recently confirmed that the fan-favourite character Delirium from the graphic novel would make an appearance in the second season. Although the makers are yet to confirm a release date, the second season is expected to drop anytime between September to December of 2023.

    Amid multiple cancellations at Warner Bros and their recent issues with Netflix, writer/showrunner Neil Gaiman has come out assuring the fans that they are still going ahead with the second season of The Sandman. The series is based on the graphic novel of the same name written by Neil Gaiman.

    It was earlier reported that Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav was disappointed with Netflix’s payment structure and as a result, has halted his studio from “selling finished shows to Netflix.” The streaming giant apparently takes around 18 to 24 months to pay their producers. 

    According to sources, Zaslav’s discontent with Netflix happened after they renewed The Sandman for a second season. The fantasy series premiered on 5 August 2022 and became a critical and commercial success, with around 200 million hours of viewership within the first 10 days of its release.

    Despite its success, Netflix took more than three months to renew the series for a second season. This led to speculation that the series was cancelled. However, The Sandman was renewed for a second season in November. 

    Neil Gaiman recently confirmed that the fan-favourite character Delirium from the graphic novel would make an appearance in the second season. Although the makers are yet to confirm a release date, the second season is expected to drop anytime between September to December of 2023.

  • ‘Shadow & Bone’ S2 to stream in March 2023

    By Express News Service

    The first looks from the second season of Shadow and Bone was released by Netflix on social media.The second season will premiere on the streaming platform on March 16 and will consist of eight episodes. Each episode will be one hour long.

    The first season premiered in April 2021 and is based on two books, Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. The series follows orphaned cartographer Alina Starkov as she must fight against dark forces in the war-torn world.

    Helmed by Eric Heisserer, who also served as showrunner for the first season, the second season will have Daegan Fryklind as the showrunner. The second season will feature Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Danielle Galligan, among others, in addition to new characters.

    Speaking about adapting the novel, Bardugo was quoted as saying as per Collider, “This season I was able to step back and put the show more firmly in their hands. Readers are not only going to be surprised by the way that these storylines crash into each other, they’re never going to know where the next move is coming from.” 

    The first looks from the second season of Shadow and Bone was released by Netflix on social media.
    The second season will premiere on the streaming platform on March 16 and will consist of eight episodes. Each episode will be one hour long.

    The first season premiered in April 2021 and is based on two books, Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. The series follows orphaned cartographer Alina Starkov as she must fight against dark forces in the war-torn world.

    Helmed by Eric Heisserer, who also served as showrunner for the first season, the second season will have Daegan Fryklind as the showrunner. The second season will feature Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Danielle Galligan, among others, in addition to new characters.

    Speaking about adapting the novel, Bardugo was quoted as saying as per Collider, “This season I was able to step back and put the show more firmly in their hands. Readers are not only going to be surprised by the way that these storylines crash into each other, they’re never going to know where the next move is coming from.” 

  • UK royals brace as Harry-Meghan documentary hints at racism, promises ‘full truth’

    By Associated Press

    LONDON: Britain’s monarchy braced for more bombshells to be lobbed over the palace gates Thursday as Netflix released the first three episodes of a series that promises to tell the “full truth” about Prince Harry and Meghan’s estrangement from the royal family.

    Promoted with two dramatically edited trailers that hint at racism and a “war against Meghan,” the series “Harry & Meghan” is the couple’s latest effort to tell the world why they walked away from royal life and moved to Southern California almost three years ago. It is expected to expand on criticism of the royal family and British media delivered in a series of interviews over the past 18 months.

    Netflix released the first three hour-long episodes on Thursday, with three more due Dec. 15. The documentary includes video diaries recorded by Meghan and Harry — apparently on their phones — in March 2020, amid the couple’s acrimonious split from the royal family and move to the United States.

    Harry says in the footage that it’s “my duty to uncover the exploitation and bribery” that happens in British media.

    “No one knows the full truth,” Harry adds. “We know the full truth.”

    A title at the beginning of the series says the royal family declined to comment.

    The series comes at a crucial moment for the monarchy as King Charles III tries to show that the institution still has a role to play after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose personal popularity dampened criticism of the crown during her 70-year reign. Charles is making the case that the House of Windsor can help unite an increasingly diverse nation by using the early days of his reign to meet with many of the ethnic groups and faiths that make up modern Britain.

    Harry’s 2018 marriage to the former Meghan Markle, a biracial American and onetime actress, was once seen as boosting the royal family’s effort to move into the 21st century, making it more representative of a multicultural nation. But the fairy tale, which began with a star-studded ceremony at Windsor Castle, soon soured amid stories that Meghan was self-centered and bullied her staff.

    ALSO READ | UK’s Sunak urges confrontation of racism amid new royal race row

    Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties and moved to California, alleging racist attacks by Britain’s tabloid media. Harry’s criticism of the media was tinged with anger over the way the press treated his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997 while being followed by photographers. The couple’s new life in America has been funded by lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

    Race became a central issue for the monarchy following Harry and Meghan’s interview with American talk show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Meghan alleged that before their first child was born, a member of the royal family commented on how dark the baby’s skin might be.

    Prince William, the heir to the throne and Harry’s older brother, defended the royal family after the interview, telling reporters, “We’re very much not a racist family.”

    But Buckingham Palace faced renewed allegations of racism only last week when a Black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse said a senior member of the royal household interrogated her about her origins during a reception at the palace. Coverage of the issue filled British media, overshadowing William and his wife Kate’s much-anticipated visit to Boston, which the palace had hoped would highlight their environmental credentials.

    Media attention was also diverted by Netflix’s decision to release the first trailer for “Harry & Meghan” in the middle of the trip.

    ALSO READ | Deepika talks mental health on podcast with Meghan Markle

    The streaming giant has promised an “unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” in which Harry and Meghan “share the other side of their high-profile love story.”

    The program will be watched carefully in the U.K., where even the teasers were criticized for offering misleading images to back up the emotive narration alleging misogyny, unfair media treatment and racism.

    In one section of the footage, clips of paparazzi are spliced together with old footage of Princess Diana being followed by the media as Harry says in a voiceover: “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy. … I was terrified, I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”

    However, one of the clips used to illustrate his words appears to show reporters and photographers waiting for TV star Katie Price arriving outside Crawley Magistrates Court, Sky News reported.

    The second trailer also includes an indictment of the way palace officials use the press, which Harry described as a “dirty game.″

    “There’s a hierarchy of the family,” Harry says, over an image of the royal family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. “You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.″

    That is followed by a picture of a photographer perched on another balcony as Harry and Meghan walk with their young son Archie down below. While the scene suggests the photographer was covertly snapping pictures of a private moment, the photo actually shows an accredited press photographer who was covering the couple’s meeting with Desmond Tutu in 2019.

    READ HERE | Meghan Markle’s half-sister sues her over 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview

    Whatever the series reveals, palace officials hope to deflect the storm by portraying William and Kate as forward-looking young royals who are tackling difficult issues such as climate change and early childhood education, in contrast to Harry and Meghan, who are described by critics as merely celebrities selling their story to the media.

    The BBC and the Daily Telegraph, one of Britain’s most influential newspapers, picked up on this theme in their coverage of William and Kate’s three-day trip to Boston, where they handed out environmental prizes, met with anti-violence campaigners and went to a basketball game.

    “While Prince Harry and Meghan continued to paint themselves as victims, heads in hands, tearing their hair out at the unfairness of it all, the Prince and Princess were simply getting on with the job,” the Telegraph wrote.

    LONDON: Britain’s monarchy braced for more bombshells to be lobbed over the palace gates Thursday as Netflix released the first three episodes of a series that promises to tell the “full truth” about Prince Harry and Meghan’s estrangement from the royal family.

    Promoted with two dramatically edited trailers that hint at racism and a “war against Meghan,” the series “Harry & Meghan” is the couple’s latest effort to tell the world why they walked away from royal life and moved to Southern California almost three years ago. It is expected to expand on criticism of the royal family and British media delivered in a series of interviews over the past 18 months.

    Netflix released the first three hour-long episodes on Thursday, with three more due Dec. 15. The documentary includes video diaries recorded by Meghan and Harry — apparently on their phones — in March 2020, amid the couple’s acrimonious split from the royal family and move to the United States.

    Harry says in the footage that it’s “my duty to uncover the exploitation and bribery” that happens in British media.

    “No one knows the full truth,” Harry adds. “We know the full truth.”

    A title at the beginning of the series says the royal family declined to comment.

    The series comes at a crucial moment for the monarchy as King Charles III tries to show that the institution still has a role to play after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose personal popularity dampened criticism of the crown during her 70-year reign. Charles is making the case that the House of Windsor can help unite an increasingly diverse nation by using the early days of his reign to meet with many of the ethnic groups and faiths that make up modern Britain.

    Harry’s 2018 marriage to the former Meghan Markle, a biracial American and onetime actress, was once seen as boosting the royal family’s effort to move into the 21st century, making it more representative of a multicultural nation. But the fairy tale, which began with a star-studded ceremony at Windsor Castle, soon soured amid stories that Meghan was self-centered and bullied her staff.

    ALSO READ | UK’s Sunak urges confrontation of racism amid new royal race row

    Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties and moved to California, alleging racist attacks by Britain’s tabloid media. Harry’s criticism of the media was tinged with anger over the way the press treated his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997 while being followed by photographers. The couple’s new life in America has been funded by lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

    Race became a central issue for the monarchy following Harry and Meghan’s interview with American talk show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Meghan alleged that before their first child was born, a member of the royal family commented on how dark the baby’s skin might be.

    Prince William, the heir to the throne and Harry’s older brother, defended the royal family after the interview, telling reporters, “We’re very much not a racist family.”

    But Buckingham Palace faced renewed allegations of racism only last week when a Black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse said a senior member of the royal household interrogated her about her origins during a reception at the palace. Coverage of the issue filled British media, overshadowing William and his wife Kate’s much-anticipated visit to Boston, which the palace had hoped would highlight their environmental credentials.

    Media attention was also diverted by Netflix’s decision to release the first trailer for “Harry & Meghan” in the middle of the trip.

    ALSO READ | Deepika talks mental health on podcast with Meghan Markle

    The streaming giant has promised an “unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” in which Harry and Meghan “share the other side of their high-profile love story.”

    The program will be watched carefully in the U.K., where even the teasers were criticized for offering misleading images to back up the emotive narration alleging misogyny, unfair media treatment and racism.

    In one section of the footage, clips of paparazzi are spliced together with old footage of Princess Diana being followed by the media as Harry says in a voiceover: “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy. … I was terrified, I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”

    However, one of the clips used to illustrate his words appears to show reporters and photographers waiting for TV star Katie Price arriving outside Crawley Magistrates Court, Sky News reported.

    The second trailer also includes an indictment of the way palace officials use the press, which Harry described as a “dirty game.″

    “There’s a hierarchy of the family,” Harry says, over an image of the royal family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. “You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.″

    That is followed by a picture of a photographer perched on another balcony as Harry and Meghan walk with their young son Archie down below. While the scene suggests the photographer was covertly snapping pictures of a private moment, the photo actually shows an accredited press photographer who was covering the couple’s meeting with Desmond Tutu in 2019.

    READ HERE | Meghan Markle’s half-sister sues her over 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview

    Whatever the series reveals, palace officials hope to deflect the storm by portraying William and Kate as forward-looking young royals who are tackling difficult issues such as climate change and early childhood education, in contrast to Harry and Meghan, who are described by critics as merely celebrities selling their story to the media.

    The BBC and the Daily Telegraph, one of Britain’s most influential newspapers, picked up on this theme in their coverage of William and Kate’s three-day trip to Boston, where they handed out environmental prizes, met with anti-violence campaigners and went to a basketball game.

    “While Prince Harry and Meghan continued to paint themselves as victims, heads in hands, tearing their hair out at the unfairness of it all, the Prince and Princess were simply getting on with the job,” the Telegraph wrote.

  • Neil Gaiman confirms Delirium for The Sandman second season

    By Express News Service

    Author Neil Gaiman has confirmed that The Sandman character Delirium from the graphic novel will debut in the upcoming second season. Gaiman confirmed the news at the recently wrapped-up Brazil comic con. Delirium is one of the siblings of the Endless and is the youngest of the seven.

    After months of speculation that Netflix had axed the show, the streaming giant recently confirmed that the series is renewed for a second season. The release date for the upcoming season has not been released yet.

    Referencing Delirium’s fan favourite moments from the graphic novel, Gaiman said, “There will be butterflies, there will be balloons, there will be magic, there will be chicken and telephone flavored ice cream.”

    The series, based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel series, follows the anthropomorphization of Dream and his seven siblings Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, Destruction, and Delirium.

    The story begins as Dream/Morpheus comes out of captivity after being locked up by human sorcerers for over a century and starts regaining his powers and rebuilding his empire. The makers are yet to confirm an actor to play the role of Delirium.

    Author Neil Gaiman has confirmed that The Sandman character Delirium from the graphic novel will debut in the upcoming second season. Gaiman confirmed the news at the recently wrapped-up Brazil comic con. Delirium is one of the siblings of the Endless and is the youngest of the seven.

    After months of speculation that Netflix had axed the show, the streaming giant recently confirmed that the series is renewed for a second season. The release date for the upcoming season has not been released yet.

    Referencing Delirium’s fan favourite moments from the graphic novel, Gaiman said, “There will be butterflies, there will be balloons, there will be magic, there will be chicken and telephone flavored ice cream.”

    The series, based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel series, follows the anthropomorphization of Dream and his seven siblings Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, Destruction, and Delirium.

    The story begins as Dream/Morpheus comes out of captivity after being locked up by human sorcerers for over a century and starts regaining his powers and rebuilding his empire. The makers are yet to confirm an actor to play the role of Delirium.

  • Netflix to release documentary series ‘Harry and Meghan’ in two parts

    By Express News Service

    Netflix dropped a new trailer for its upcoming documentary series Harry & Meghan, on social media on Monday. The series will be made available in two parts. While the first part will release on December 8, the second part will be out on December 15.

    The trailer shows glimpses of the royal couple, who now reside in the US. It throws light on the other side of the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they try to navigate the public eye and Meghan’s trials and tribulations of being married to the royal household. The trailer shows how the couple faces the spotlight thrown by the paparazzi.

    The documentary series will be of six parts and explore the history of their relationship, right from their early days to getting married and deciding to step back from the royal family. It will include exclusive interviews with friends and family, along with journalists and historians who throw light on how media played a role in the couple’s life.

    Netflix dropped a new trailer for its upcoming documentary series Harry & Meghan, on social media on Monday. The series will be made available in two parts. While the first part will release on December 8, the second part will be out on December 15.

    The trailer shows glimpses of the royal couple, who now reside in the US. It throws light on the other side of the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they try to navigate the public eye and Meghan’s trials and tribulations of being married to the royal household. The trailer shows how the couple faces the spotlight thrown by the paparazzi.

    The documentary series will be of six parts and explore the history of their relationship, right from their early days to getting married and deciding to step back from the royal family. It will include exclusive interviews with friends and family, along with journalists and historians who throw light on how media played a role in the couple’s life.

  • Mike Flanagan reveals all ‘The Midnight Club’ 2 spoilers following series cancellation by Netflix

    Express News Service

    We had previously reported that Netflix cancelled the horror series The Midnight Club after the first season premiered in October. Addressing the move, the series creator, Mike Flanagan took to Twitter to express his disappointment. The creator, further, shared his blog, which gave away what would happen in the second season.

    The ten-part series premiered on October 7 and received generally favourable reviews. The Midnight Club follows a group of terminally ill youngsters who meet up every night to share scary stories. With each episode following the narrative of each person’s story, the series also features an overarching plotline. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, with several plot lines hanging loose.

    Addressing the cancellation, Mike tweeted, “I’m very disappointed that Netflix has decided not to pursue a second season of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, but as promised, here are the answers to the unresolved mysteries of season 1 (along with our plans for season 2).”

    Further in his blog, Mike expressed how his “biggest disappointment” is how the creators left many story threads open for the “hypothetical second season”. Mike also wrote the events that would unfold in the second season, including the character arcs, the plot twists and the conclusion, and hence tying a knot for all the loose story threads.

    “Well, that’s it… that was what we had in mind. It’s a shame we won’t get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending. I loved making this show, and I am so proud of the cast and crew. Particularly our cast, who attacked this story with incredible spirit and bravery each and every day.  But for now, we’ll put the fire out, and leave the library dark and quiet,” Mike wrote on his blog.

    We had previously reported that Netflix cancelled the horror series The Midnight Club after the first season premiered in October. Addressing the move, the series creator, Mike Flanagan took to Twitter to express his disappointment. The creator, further, shared his blog, which gave away what would happen in the second season.

    The ten-part series premiered on October 7 and received generally favourable reviews. The Midnight Club follows a group of terminally ill youngsters who meet up every night to share scary stories. With each episode following the narrative of each person’s story, the series also features an overarching plotline. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, with several plot lines hanging loose.

    Addressing the cancellation, Mike tweeted, “I’m very disappointed that Netflix has decided not to pursue a second season of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, but as promised, here are the answers to the unresolved mysteries of season 1 (along with our plans for season 2).”

    Further in his blog, Mike expressed how his “biggest disappointment” is how the creators left many story threads open for the “hypothetical second season”. Mike also wrote the events that would unfold in the second season, including the character arcs, the plot twists and the conclusion, and hence tying a knot for all the loose story threads.

    “Well, that’s it… that was what we had in mind. It’s a shame we won’t get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending. I loved making this show, and I am so proud of the cast and crew. Particularly our cast, who attacked this story with incredible spirit and bravery each and every day.  But for now, we’ll put the fire out, and leave the library dark and quiet,” Mike wrote on his blog.