समाचार

Far North is headed to Sundance Now and AMC+ next month. The new comedy-drama series will follow the (mostly) true how an ordinary couple stopped an international crime ring from stealing half a billion dollars worth of drugs.

Starring Robyn Malcolm, Temuera Morrison, Fay Tofilau, Mosa Alipate Latailakepa, Villa Junior Lemanu, Maaka Pohatu, John Paul (Jp) Foliaki, Albert Mateni, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Fei Li, Dennis Zhang, Xiao Hu, Xana Tang, Louise Jiang, and Nikita Tu-Bryant, the six-episode comedy-drama is written, directed and executive produced by David White.

Read More…...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This time round, we’re flying way down south (ironically) to explore Far North, a dramedy crime caper set in New Zealand about a normal couple who are caught up in a major drug smuggling operation led by the world’s most hopeless gang. Incredibly based on a true story, the show has met with critical acclaim and ratings across Australasia ahead of a U.S. debut on co-producer Sundance Now.

Name: Far North

Country: New Zealand

Producer: South Pacific Pictures, White Balance Pictures...

Bunny King just wants to throw a birthday party. She’s promised her five-year-old daughter Shannon (Amelia Baynes) that they’ll spend her birthday together, in their home – which sounds like an innocuous enough promise, except for the tenuous situation in which Bunny finds herself, as depicted in Gaysorn Thavat’s “The Justice of Bunny King.”

The unhoused Bunny is a self-described “homeless squeegee bandit.” She earns a meager keep washing windshields in traffic with a scrappy crew and does chores at her sister’s house in exchange for crashing on their couch. Her sister Grace (Toni Potter) is an overworked nurse; her brother-in-law Bevan is a user and a loser.

Bunny has highly supervised visits with her anxious teenage son Reuben (Angus Stevens) and loving young daughter, both of whom live with a foster family. Bunny has vowed to the vigilant social worker Ai Ling that she will get...

Production is underway in the lush and remote northern tip of New Zealand on “Far North,” a premium drama series for Sundance Now.

The fact-based series stars local acting legend, Temuera Morrison and award-winning actress, Robyn Malcolm (“Top of the Lake”) as an everyday couple who foil an international crime ring’s largest ever deal in the Pacific.

The series was researched and created and is being directed by David White. The screenplay was written by White, Suli Moa and Mingjian Cui.

Filming will take 14 weeks in total, with seven of those on location in Ahipara, where the real events took place. The completed show will be delivered as six one-hour episodes, with All3 Media International handling rights sales outside of the producer territories.

South Pacific Pictures and White Balance Pictures are producing for Sundance Now (U.S.), Paramount+ (Australia), Warner Bros. Discovery (New Zealand) and All3Media International. The show...

"Be good, listen to your dad." Nothing like a dark revenge tale to end the week. Munkie is a dark thriller short film made by a talented Chinese-Kiwi filmmaker named Steven Chow. It screened at numerous film festivals last year and is available to watch online in full now thanks to our friends at Short of the Week. Munkie follows a vengeful daughter whose violent plan of revenge against her domineering "tiger parents" spins out of control. All you need to know is this is a must watch short - running 15 minutes but worth every last minute. Starring Xana Tang as Rose, with Pak Wing Leung, Janet Tan, Daniel Lee, Benjamin Teh, Muhammad Nasir, Sam Liew, and Sara Stone. I'm seriously impressed by the filmmaking in this - definitely a film festival top quality short that is worth your time and attention. Chow has a few other short films made before this one,...

Rosalind Chao can tell a lot about people based on which of her roles they want to talk about. “If it’s ‘Star Trek,’ I know it will be an intelligent conversation. If they bring up ‘Joy Luck Club,’ I say something like, ‘You must love your mom!’ I get a lot of ‘What Dreams May Come’ and I know they’re open to different ways of thinking of the universe,” Chao notes, before adding, “Then there are people who just think I’m their gynecologist or their daughter’s teacher.”

Chao can add Mulan’s mother Hua Li to her long list of impressive credits; since the epic live-action adaptation of Disney’s beloved 1998 animated feature debuted on Disney Plus last week, it has already leapt to the number one movie on the service, despite an additional $30 price point. It’s also the second most popular of all content on the site,...

This article contains Major spoilers for Disney’s Mulan. You can read our spoiler-free review of the film here.

A recurring visual motif in Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan is the titular warrior staring at her own face, rendered unfamiliar by makeup and wondering at how to reconcile the image of that stranger with the truth of herself hiding inside. The film’s core “I Want” song, “Reflection,” articulates this ambivalence, this sense of carrying two selves, with lyrics like: who is that girl I see / staring straight back at me / why is my reflection someone I don’t know. The Mulan (Yifei Liu) of 2020, however, doesn’t have to peer at her own blurred reflection in a pond. Instead, those alternate selves are made flesh. She confronts her reflection in the faces of her sister Xiu (Xana Tang), and to a much greater extent the Rourans’ warrior-witch Xianniang (Gong Li...

The live-action remake of Disney’s “Mulan” is a story rooted in Chinese culture and a tale of forging one’s own path, said the film’s director and stars during the #GoldOpen Premium Access panel moderated by Variety‘s Audrey Cleo Yap on Friday evening, one of three panels with cast members airing throughout the weekend. Director Niki Caro and stars Yifei Liu, Yoson An, Rosalind Chao, Xana Tang, Jason Scott Lee, Ron Yuan and Tzi Ma shared their views on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a centuries-old folktale centered on a woman said to have disguised herself as a man in order to serve in the army, in the place of her father. They also discussed their grueling experiences preparing for scenes and the significance of the film’s representation and themes.

Liu, who plays the titular role said that though Mulan is often looked at as a hero,...

Eight young stars accepted the “Asian Stars: Up Next” award on Tuesday intended to recognize and promote Asian on-screen talent who have established themselves in their home market but have the potential to cross borders onto the global stage. The awards are issued by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao and Variety, and were presented on-stage at the festival’s closing ceremony.

This year’s honorees included Korea’s Lim Yoona, the singer-actress aka Yoona who shot to stardom in the K-pop group Girls’ Generation; Japan’s Ryota Katayose, singer-actor from J-pop boy band Generations from Exile Tribe; Indian actress Bhumi Pednekar; actress Bea Alonzo of the Philippines; Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail; Thailand’s Praewa Suthampong and Jennis Oprasert, both members of the Thai girl group BNK48, a sister group of the Japanese group AKB48; and Vietnamese actor Lien Binh Phat.

Last year, honorees included Xana Tang (New Zealand), Ann...

The Asian Stars: Up Next, showcased by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao and Variety, recognize and promote Asian on-screen talent – not necessarily young, but youngish – who we believe have the skills to become something much bigger in the entertainment industry.

Some of the talents selected are already established, well-known, and at the top of their game in their home territories. But that’s not the point. What these awards seek is to help Asia’s talent cross borders onto an international or global stage. That’s a question of ambition, and hard work to come.

In 2017 the talent selection included Celina Jade, Ludi Lin, Rajkummar Rao, Shioli Kutsuna, Piolo Pascual, And Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, better known as the star of “Bad Genius,” while Xana Tang (New Zealand), Ann Curtis (The Philippines), Zheng Kai (China), Zaira Wasim (India) and Iqbaal Ramadhan (Indonesia) represented the 2018 crop.

Yesterday we passed along the news that the trailer for Disney and director Niki Caro's live-action remake of the animated classic Mulan starring Liu Yifei and Donnie Yen would be hitting today. And low and behold, that's just what we have For you guys this evening. You can go ahead and check it out below!

I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to checking out this live-action take on Mulan. After all, while it seems like every classic Disney animated movie is getting the remake treatment these days, Mulan was the only Disney flick I watched growing up and actually thought, "This would make a great live-action movie!' For some reason, I never said that about The Lion King. Not sure why.

While it's sad that fan-favorite character Mushu (who was voiced by Eddie Murphy in the original movie) has been replaced with a phoenix this time around,...

It was just a day or so ago that we passed along the news that Disney's live-action remake of the animated classic Mulan is possibly ditching the Mushu character from the original film and replacing him with a phoenix. While that was some pretty weak news, we'll all be able to see if it works in the movie's favor sooner rather than later as today we have word that Fox has announced they will debut the trailer this Sunday.

I can only imagine Disney is finally unleashing the trailer for their Mulan remake because their other "live-action" animation remake of The Lion King will be hitting theaters in a few weeks on July 19, 2019. And considering that Iron Man and The Jungle Book director Jon Favreau's retelling of the classic tale is looking to snatch up All the money at the box-office, it makes sense that the trailer for...

‘Diary of an Uber Driver.’

Sally Riley is bemused when people use this line when they are pitching projects to her: “This is definitely an ABC show.”

The ABC’s head of scripted production, Riley usually replies: “What is that? What is an ABC show?”

Interviewed in her Ultimo office for a two-part story, she tells If: “If it’s a great show, we’ll do it. I don’t think it must fit in the parameters of what is supposed to be an ABC show.

“We want to not only hold our audiences but also bring in new and younger audiences and we have a broad slate to try to meet both. We will definitely take a calculated risk when we believe in a show.”

As an example of a program which she thinks most people would not expect to see on the public broadcaster, she points to Les Norton,...

Korean drama movie, “Clean Up” took the best film prize on Friday night at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao.

The jury, which comprised Chen Kaige, Danis Tanovic, Mabel Cheung, Paul Currie, and Tillotama Shome, said: “’Clean Up’ is a powerful, visceral film which is symbolic and naturalistic at the same time… The director unfolds a psychological drama with simmering intensity, and humanists the criminal without condoning the heinous crime in any way.”

The festival, completing its third edition, wrapped up with another breezy and efficient closing ceremony, kept largely on schedule thanks to its local live broadcast.

Celebrities on the red carpet included Phillip Noyce, Aaron Kwok and Ben Wheatley. Industry executives in attendance included Ellen Eliasoph, Michael J. Werner and Shekhar Kapur.

The closing ceremony was also the occasion for Variety and the festival to present awards to Asia’s next wave of talent.

The International Film Festival and Awards Macao and Variety combined forces for the second year running to put a spotlight on Asia’s acting talent.

A well-attended meet-the-stars press event on Friday afternoon in Macau was addressed by leading local official, Maria Helena Senna de Fernandes. She turned the microphone over the five actors from different corners of the region, who dazzled with poise and wisdom beyond their years.

In 2017 the talent selection included Celina Jade, Ludi Lin, Rajkummar Rao, Shioli Kutsuna, Piolo Pascual, And Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, better known as the star of “Bad Genius.”

The five in this year’s crop — Xana Tang (New Zealand), Ann Curtis (The Philippines), Zheng Kai (China), Zaira Wasim (India) and Iqbaal Ramadhan (Indonesia) – will be presented with trophies on stage this evening at the closing ceremony of the Iffam.

Xana Tang (New Zealand)

Best known in the role of an offbeat office assistant...

Disney's live-action Mulan has just added another villain, Jason Scott Lee, who is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent. He joins actor Gong Li, who was previously cast as one of the antagonists in the upcoming reimagining of the Disney animated classic. This offers further proof that the Mouse House is putting their money where their mouth is on this one, in terms of not whitewashing it.

Jason Scott Lee is set to portray a warrior by the name of Bori Khan. He's described as a leader dead set on avenging his father's death. Beyond that, his specific motivations and who exactly he wants to get revenge on remain a mystery.

This is an interesting bit of casting in the sense that Jason Scott Lee actually has a pre-established history with Disney. He portrayed Mowgli in his younger years in the studios' 1994 live-action version of The Jungle Book. He was...

Disney's live-action Mulan has just added another villain, Jason Scott Lee, who is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent. He joins actor Gong Li, who was previously cast as one of the antagonists in the upcoming reimagining of the Disney animated classic. This offers further proof that the Mouse House is putting their money where their mouth is on this one, in terms of not whitewashing it.

Jason Scott Lee is set to portray a warrior by the name of Bori Khan. He's described as a leader dead set on avenging his father's death. Beyond that, his specific motivations and who exactly he wants to get revenge on remain a mystery.

This is an interesting bit of casting in the sense that Jason Scott Lee actually has a pre-established history with Disney. He portrayed Mowgli in his younger years in the studios' 1994 live-action version of The Jungle Book. He was...

Jason Scott Lee is going from playing Bruce Lee to a villainous Khan, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

The American actor, who is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent, has joined Disney's live-action Mulan as Bori Khan, a warrior leader who is intent on avenging his father's death. He joins Gong Li on the antagonists' side, while the heroine's (Liu Yifei) team includes Donnie Yen, relative New Zealand newcomer Yoson An and Marco Polo's Ron Yuan. Jet Li, Pitch Perfect's Utkarsh Ambudkar, New Zealand actress Xana Tang and comic actor Chum Ehelepola round out the cast.

Jason Reed, Chris Bender,...

Jason Scott Lee is going from playing Bruce Lee to a villainous Khan, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

The American actor, who is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent, has joined Disney's live-action Mulan as Bori Khan, a warrior leader who is intent on avenging his father's death. He joins Gong Li on the antagonists' side, while the heroine's (Liu Yifei) team includes Donnie Yen, relative New Zealand newcomer Yoson An and Marco Polo's Ron Yuan. Jet Li, Pitch Perfect's Utkarsh Ambudkar, New Zealand actress Xana Tang and comic actor Chum Ehelepola round out the cast.

Jason Reed, Chris Bender,...

With production expected to begin soon on Disney's live-action remake of Mulan, and the cast coming together, a new report claims that the studio will be shelling out the big bucks for this project. While it has yet to be confirmed with the studio, a report claims that Disney has set aside close to $300 million for this adventure, making it one of the most expensive live-action movies of all time. If this report is accurate, it will also be the most expensive movie ever made by a female director, with Niki Caro taking the helm.

Pre-production is currently under way in New Zealand, with Disney using the same crew to build sets that were used on the Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure Thor: Ragnarok. The sets they are building are said to be massive and of "unprecedented scale." The sets are currently in the design phase, and it will take...

Disney's live-action remake of Mulan is finally starting to take shape. The movie will shoot this summer in New Zealand and China, while Jet Li and Gong Li have officially both joined Donnie Yen and Liu Yifei in the casting of the remake. It was announced earlier today that Yen will be portraying Commander Tung and it's been known for a while that Yifei will play the titular role. The new casting announcements come after it was revealed that Disney is pushing the movie back until 2020.

Jet Li is reportedly set to play the Emperor of China in this Disney live-action remake of Mulan. Pat Morita voiced the character in the original version of the movie. The Emperor orders the mobilization of troops through compulsory enrollment in the military, making one male from each household join to go fight. In the story, Mulan disguises herself as a man to...

Chinese stars Gong Li and Jet Li are joining Disney’s live-action version of “Mulan” opposite Donnie Yen and Liu Yifei.

The film is a remake of Disney’s 1998 animated film in which Fa Mulan, daughter of aging warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father’s place during a general conscription during the Han Dynasty.

Jet Li is in final talks to play the emperor of China, who orders the mobilization of troops. Gong Li will portray the villain as a powerful witch. Chinese-Vietnamese actress Xana Tang will play Mulan’s sister.

Niki Caro is directing the film, which also includes Donnie Yen as Mulan’s mentor, Commander Tung. Mulan will begin shooting in August in China and New Zealand.

Chris Bender, Jason Reed, and Jake Weiner are producing the movie. The film’s release was recently pushed back by more than a year to March 27, 2020.

Gong...

'The Letdown'..

The Letdown was one of six pilots aired last year on the ABC via the broadcaster's and Screen Australia.s Comedy Showroom initiative, and the episode went on to pick up an Aacta Award for Best Screenplay in Television.

Now production is underway on a full six-part series for the ABC and Netflix..

Netflix has international distribution rights, but will also make the series available on its Australian platform after it initially airs on Abctv and iview..

A Giant Dwarf production, created and written by Sarah Scheller and Alison Bell, The Letdown follows a mother.s group thrown together through the circumstance of timing..

"We are thrilled to be working with the ABC and Netflix on a full series of The Letdown. We've learned that making a TV show is actually not unlike motherhood... floods of tears, bursts of love and unhinged hormonal meltdowns - all in the name of comedy,...