Expresso Hollywood News Update at 7:30 pm on 14 February 2023

Let's begin with our top story. Zia Mohyeddin, the first Pakistani ever to work in Hollywood, passed away on Monday, Feb 13th, after a brief illness. He was 91. The veteran actor, director, and TV host was admitted to a hospital in Karachi after complaining of abdominal pain and fever. He breathed his last at 6:30 am, according to his family. The funeral prayer would be offered in the Defence area of Karachi. Moheyddin appeared in both Pakistani cinema and television apart from appearances in British cinema and television. His memorable performances include Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by director David Lean, followed by Behold the Pale Horsein (1964) by director Fred Zinnemann, and Immaculate Conception (1992) by director Jamil Dehlavi.

Meanwhile, several promos were released during the Super Bowl game held on Sunday, Feb 12th. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3, the James Gunn directorial is finally seeing the light of day, and is slated for a May 5 release. Ezra Miller is back as the superhero Flash aka Barry in DC’s hyped and delayed The Flash, which releases on June 16. The new Transformers TV Spot sees a new Transformer called Mirage. Released in collaboration with Porsche, and helmed by Steven Caple Jr, the film releases on June 9. The new promo of the Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge film Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny sees Ford back in action. The movie will release in cinemas on June 30.

After MCU won over fans with its multiverse collision, DC is attempting to do something similar by taking inspiration from its Flashpoint storyline, where we see superfast superhero Flash aka Barry go back in time. With a three-minute glimpse into the 10-year-in-the-making film, Flash reverses time to the point where we see him undertake a quest to save his mother from dying. As Barry goes back in time, he gets help from fellow superheroes like Girl of Steel (played by Sasha Calle) as Superman doesn’t exist in this universe and two versions of Batman — played by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck. Helmed by Andrés Muschietti, The Flash will release on June 16 this year.

In other news, Iran has released an award-winning filmmaker more than six months after arresting him for criticizing the government, a pro-reform newspaper reported Monday, Feb 13th. Mohammad Rasoulof's 2020 film, There is No Evil, won the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. He was arrested in July for criticizing the government’s crackdown on protests in the southwestern city of Abadan over a deadly building collapse. Earlier this month, Iran released famed director Jafar Panahi, who was arrested in July after inquiring about the detention of Rasoulof and another colleague. Authorities also released Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti on bail, after she was detained for criticizing the crackdown on the latest protests.

Rihanna was pregnant with her second child as she performed her Super Bowl halftime show Sunday, Feb 13th. The singer’s representative confirmed the pregnancy shortly after she ended her 13-minute set at Super Bowl 57. She hovered high at times as she performed several hits including “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Work” during a halftime break between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. During her media preview Thursday, Rihanna said she was initially unsure about taking on the challenge of performing during a time when she was three months postpartum and wondered “should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.”

Up next, Megan Fox deleted her Instagram account on Sunday, Feb 13th, hours after she shared a post hinting at a possible breakup with Machine Gun Kelly. Fox had uploaded a series of photos of herself and a video of an envelope being burned in a fire pit. She captioned it with the lyrics, “You can taste the dishonesty/ it’s all over your breath.” She also wiped all photographs and videos of herself and Kelly, including a post announcing their engagement in January 2022. In the comments section of Fox’s last post, before she deleted the account, one fan suggested that Kelly was unfaithful in the couple’s relationship, writing, “He probably got with Sophie.”

The third instalment in the Magic Mike series danced its way to the top of the box office charts over the weekend. The movie earned $8.2 million in its first weekend in North American theatres, according to studio estimates on Sunday, Feb 12th. Magic Mike’s Last Dance, which brought Steven Soderbergh back to the director’s chair, was given a modest theatrical release in only 1,500 theatres. The film starring Tatum as the lovable male stripper and introducing a wealthy benefactor played by Salma Hayek was made to go straight to HBO Max. But Warner Bros. pivoted and decided to go theatrical first, in a company effort to refocus on the theatrical experience and give fresh fare to exhibitors.

Lastly, the tenth film in the Fast and Furious saga, Fast X, is all set to enthral the fans of the franchise. The trailer released on Friday, Feb 10th, 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.

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