Expresso Hollywood News Update at 7:30 pm on 5 March 2024

In our latest news: When Hayao Miyazaki was contemplating whether he would come out of retirement in 2016, he put together a curiously self-critical proposal. He wrote, “There’s nothing more pathetic than telling the world you’ll retire because of your age, then making yet another comeback. Doesn’t an elderly person deluding themself that they’re still capable, despite their geriatric forgetfulness, prove that they’re past their best?" Miyazaki said We may be living in the golden age of older filmmakers. Old age may be debated as a liability on the presidential campaign trail, but not at this year’s Oscars. Miyazaki, who fought through his concerns to make The Boy and the Heron, is the oldest director ever nominated for best animated film.

Priyanka Chopra has announced her next international project, The Bluff, which will be directed by filmmaker Frank E Flowers. Taking to Instagram, Priyanka shared a screenshot of the Deadline article and shared, “Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. -Mark Twain.” Priyanka will reportedly share the screen space with Hollywood actor Karl Urban who is known for his web series The Boys. Her Citadel partners, Russo brothers, are producing the film. The Bluff will be Flowers’ directorial outing after he rose to fame after co-writing this year’s hit film Bob Marley: One Love.

Next up: Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic film Dune: Part Two stormed the North American box office this weekend earning $81.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday, 3rd March. Internationally, it earned $97 million, bringing its global debut to $178.5 million. Mary Parent, a producer on both Dune films and chairman of worldwide production at Legendary said, "Denis made a really extraordinary and special film and it’s been really exciting to see people respond. It was made for the big screen and it feels like it’s being received as a cinematic event." Dune 2 rode a wave of great reviews (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) into a marketplace that was essentially free of competition.

In Dune Part Two India box office collection day 2: Dune Part Two is gaining momentum at the Indian box office, with the Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya-starrer recording good numbers in two days. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film netted Rs 3.66 crore on Saturday, after an opening day haul of Rs 2.75 crore in India. The film’s total is likely to cross the double-digit mark by the opening weekend. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film is a sequel to the 2021 Dune, and is the second installment of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Dune Part Two has emerged as the first major blockbuster of 2024.

Indian-American actor Avantika who played Karen Shetty in the new iteration of the popular teen comedy Mean Girls said that South Asian women, especially of Indian origin, taking centre-stage in global titles like Bridgerton and One Day was long overdue. Avantika in an interview with PTI said, “It has been a long time coming considering we are a large population with so many incredibly, beautiful, and talented women. It’s amazing that Indian women have kind of been able to shine their light in Hollywood… I feel honoured to be a part of this legacy.” Avantika made her debut with 2016’s Brahmotsavam, a film in her mother tongue Telugu.

In some tragic news: Canadian actor Kenneth Mitchell, known for his roles on Star Trek: Discovery and Captain Marvel, passed away on Saturday, 24th February following ALS complications. The actor’s family took to his official Instagram page and posted an obituary, detailing how for five and a half years, Mitchell faced a “series of awful challenges from ALS” and how the actor managed to “rise above each one with grace and commitment, to living a full and joyous life in each moment.” A part of the obituary read, “He lived by the principles that each day is a gift, and we never walk alone.

The real-life story of Olfa Hamrouni and her children is the focus of Four Daughters, an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film. There are many layers to Kaouther Ben Hania’s film: On camera, It’s about the radicalization of two teenage girls; an intimate portrait of a chaotic, and often dysfunctional, family life; and reflections on generational trauma, patriarchy, motherhood, and adolescence. Off camera, it’s more than just one family’s tale. Ben Hania said, “We’re trying hard to push the Tunisian government. A country is responsible for its citizens." In the film and the family’s telling, the daughters grew up with little in a tumultuous home. Hamrouni, in the film, was fixated on preserving her daughters’ sexual purity for marriage.

Lastly: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars) announced the first set of presenters for its 96th edition, on Tuesday morning, 27th February. The upcoming Oscars ceremony boasts a star-studded lineup of presenters. Last year’s big acting winners are all coming back to present at the show, including Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Other celebrities set to grace the Dolby stage include Zendaya, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Lange, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Sam Rockwell and Luptia Nyong’o. Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted last year’s ceremony, will emcee for the fourth time.

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