Expresso Hollywood News Update at 7:30 pm on 13 February 2023

Let's begin with our top story. The tenth film in the Fast and Furious saga, Fast X, is all set to enthral the fans of the franchise. The trailer was released on Friday, Feb 10th, and from the look of it, the film has everything peculiar to the franchise – flying cars, over-the-top action sequences, and love for family. The trailer begins with Jason Momoa’s Dante announcing how Toretto is “about to learn everything about fear”. Brie Larson, the new addition to the cast, is seen packing a few punches too. The clip also promises street racing. Dom Toretto is back on the street for a car race but this time to “stop a bloodbath”. Fast and Furious 10 will hit theatres on May 19.

Up next, Air, an upcoming movie from Ben Affleck about the game-changing partnership between Michael Jordan and Nike’s basketball division, will be available in India on Amazon Prime Video. The movie is about Nike’s longshot attempt to sign the basketball legend in the mid-’80s, an endorsement that seemed impossible at the time but would go on to become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and an athlete, launching the multibillion-dollar contemporary sneaker industry. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck’s close friend and frequent collaborator, stars in the movie and also serves as a producer. He plays the role of Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sneaker salesman who signed Michael Jordan to his first sneaker deal in the initial days of Nike.

Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli got to meet the ‘God’ of filmmaking Steven Spielberg in the US while he was busy promoting his magnum RRR, and Spielberg shared his review of RRR. He said, “I thought your movie was outstanding. I didn’t see it when we met but I saw it last week and it was just amazing. I couldn’t believe my eyes, for me, it was like eye candy. I have questions about how you made the movie and a lot of other questions that I need to ask.” Rajamouli said he would make sure to “beg, borrow and steal time” from Spielberg’s office the next time he is in the US so that the two can discuss the movie.

Steven Spielberg recently sat down for a conversation with RRR fame SS Rajamouli. During their interaction, Rajamouli asked Spielberg what according to him is the right way for young filmmakers to move ahead in their careers. The celebrated director shared, “If using phones as cameras, I would say tell stories you are familiar with, do what you know. Find this much of yourself to put into that film even if that film is science-fiction or an adventure or something that is fantasy or not realistic. There is still a lot of truth about who the filmmaker is. If you’re in touch with that truth, you put too much of your personality into those different stories.”

Moving on, Paul Rudd says he finds it “boring” when actors complain about being famous as there are some things that are “kind of nice” about it. Rudd started his acting career in 1991, featuring in some of the iconic titles of the era such as Clueless, Romeo + Juliet, and the popular sitcom Friends. He started playing Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015. The fame he attained after his MCU debut also made him “nervous”, he said, adding he was concerned about the effects it would have on his children. But, in the grand scheme of things, the actor said being a public figure has turned him into a bit of a recluse over the years.

In other news, Hollywood veteran Tim Allen has confirmed his return as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5. Allen has been the voice of the popular animated character Buzz Lightyear since the 1995 debut of the franchise. Last year’s Lightyear, which was billed as the original story of the character, had Chris Evans voicing the titular hero. The film had a dull run and many fans felt Allen’s absence. Allen announced his participation in the upcoming movie on Twitter. “See ya soon Woody, you are a sad strange little man and you have my pity. And off we go to number 5! To infinity and beyond!” he tweeted alongside a photo of Buzz Lightyear.

The Guardians are back for one last ride. In the new trailer for James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, the video begins with Star-Lord recounting his love story, and how Gamora is just not the same anymore. For the unversed, Gamora was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. However, she returned, but from a different timeline, and isn’t the same Gamora who had befriended the Guardians. Guardians Vol. 3 also sees a new enemy in the form of High Evolutionary, more threats, and also Rocket’s backstory, much to the joy of fans. The film will be the second feature in Marvel’s Phase 5, after Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania.

Lastly, Filmmaker Carlos Saura, who led the awakening of Spain’s art cinema after decades of fascist dictatorship under Francisco Franco and captivated international audiences with passionate flamenco choreography dramas, died on Friday, Feb 10th. He was 91. The Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences said Saura died at home surrounded by loved ones. He had been due to receive the academy’s Honorary Goya Award at the annual awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb 11th. Although critics likened him to Sweden’s Ingmar Bergman for a similar concern with dreams, symbolism, and death, Saura dealt with intrinsically Spanish themes, often evoking the 1936-39 Civil War and the subsequent rule of Franco that ended in 1975.