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Subhash K Jha revisits Namastey London , which starred Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif to celebrate its release in 2007 in another fabulous installment of This Day That Year.

Vipul Shah’s Namastey London is a neatly-written film about a maladjusted British-Asian family in London grappling with the vagaries of a socio-cultural system that makes children of Indians and Pakistanis more Britons than the British. Or so believes Katrina Kaif, whose character is similar to that of Saira Banu in Manoj Kumar’s Purab Aur Paschim. Katrina brings into play all the uncertainties of a generation that’s caught between Indian tradition and the pubs of Britain.

Vipul Shah keeps his story of a British Indian girl’s journey into the heart of Punjab and a Punjabi lover-boy tightly reined in. It highlights the cultural conflicts that Britain throws up for migrants.

London is captured not as an exotic city but the...

Did Keira Knightley think Pirates of the Caribbean was a mistake? (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Keira Knightley didn’t have an effortless road to fame. Before playing Elizabeth Swann, she was just another young actor pursuing success. She had some films, like Bend It Like Beckham, but wasn’t well-known yet. Then Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl altered that.

But Knightley wasn’t persuaded it was a suitable idea. In fact, she thought it might be a total disaster. Yes, even though it was one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history, and she almost passed on it. Of course, she had her reasons. Back then, pirate movies weren’t exactly a guaranteed hit, and this one had a massive budget riding on a concept that could have flopped. But as we all know now, it did the exact opposite.

Before Pirates, Knightley was already on the industry’s radar,...

Despite working together, not all actors have the same experience when working on a project and this couldn’t be more true for Orlando Bloom and one actress with whom he worked together in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Of course, we are talking about Keira Knightley, who recently expressed how tumultuous her experience was shooting for the films and the aftermath.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean | Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

In a recent interview, while Bloom acknowledged her perspective, he shared the striking contrast of an experience he had while working in the beloved, swashbuckling franchise.

Orlando Bloom opens up about working in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Orlando Bloom in a still from Pirates of the Caribbean | Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

The Johnny Depp-starrer Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is among the biggest cinematic franchises of all time. A true cinematic treasure that blends adventure,...

Directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, “Speak.” is the type of documentary one can easily imagine being adapted into a dramatic feature down the road. It has a linear and easily digestible narrative, vivid and empathetic protagonists and a format that unspools like a sports film, depicting the triumph and disappointment of competition. Following a year in the life of five American teenagers as they prepare and perform to win a national oratory contest, “Speak.” is so rousing and audience-friendly, it plays like the nonfiction equivalent of “Bend It Like Beckham” or “A League of Their Own.”

The five orators are juniors and seniors in high schools across several U.S. states. The child of a pastor of Nigerian heritage, Esther has already won this national competition twice. Noor, who’s from Texas, is sweetly falling in love while taking care of her special needs brother. Sam is a...

1497 Returns to Sundance Film Festival with South Asian Lodge Programming Nonprofit 1497 will continue as an Official Partner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with the return of their 1497 South Asian Lodge, a dynamic space designed to celebrate inclusivity, creativity, and community. With programming scheduled for Friday, January 24th, and Sunday, January 26th, 1497 promises a unique blend of events and partnerships, reinforcing their commitment to uplifting South Asian voices in the entertainment industry. ShivHans Pictures, who have Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet” at this year’s festival, is lending its support as a sponsor, reaffirming their alignment with 1497’s mission to uplift South Asian talent in the industry.

This year, 1497 is teaming up with Onyx Collective to highlight their forthcoming show “Deli Boys,” premiering March 6 on Hulu, in a panel featuring creator Abdullah Saeed, showrunner Michelle Nader, stars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan, Vice President of Scripted Series for Onyx Collective Anil Kurian,...

As January wraps up, Hulu is keeping the momentum going with an impressive lineup of new titles next month. Whether you’re into movies, TV shows, or both, there’s plenty to keep you entertained throughout February.

Hulu is starting strong with over 60 new titles arriving on February 1 alone. Some standout additions include Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2, as well as all four seasons of the classic ’90s drama New York Undercover.

Reality TV fans will also have something to look forward to with the season six premiere of The Kardashians.

But as exciting as the new arrivals are, there’s always the bittersweet reality that some beloved titles are leaving. In February, Hulu will only be removing movies, so TV lovers can breathe easy. However, the list of departing films includes some good titles, like Titane (2021) and Spencer (2021), which earned Kristen Stewart an Oscar nomination.

Say goodbye to those New Year greetings and memes, because February is almost here. Time to really sink our teeth into 2025 and how it’ll look, and of course that means beefing up your watchlist. As always the libraries of Hulu and Disney+ (and multiple available bundles) are here to help, with new shows and movies (both family friendly and… a little unfriendly) available to stream.

Along with ongoing episodes of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” Disney+ will debut all of “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” Season 2 and plenty of other great titles for young viewers. “The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl” special will recapture the magic of a live performance, and “Harlem Ice” follows a girls’ figure skating team through their competitive season.

Hulu will feature ongoing episodes of the new drama “Paradise,” and if you want more White House action there’s Viacom’s “The Oval,...

Keira Knightley is widely considered one of the most beautiful actresses working today (in addition to being immensely talented). She's been working steadily since she was 17 years old, first skyrocketing to international fame for her performance in the film Bend It Like Beckham. Knightly became a bona fide star only a year after appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and later in a few of its sequels. She's gone on to star in numerous big-name movies and TV series, most recently in the well-received Netflix spy thriller Black Doves.

And yet, one of Knightley's most enduring and beloved roles almost didn't happen. In 2005, the actress starred as Elizabeth Bennet in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Her performance in the film garnered significant critical praise and earned Knightley Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress, among several other accolades. Working with the film's director,...

Hallmark Channel movies can have quite a bit in common with indie movies: Small budgets and tight shooting schedules averaging two weeks. In terms of cinematic values, though, these highly watchable festive gems can also share quite a bit with indies: They’re character-driven, they’re script-driven, and they’re usually about the smaller but more important things in life — meeting someone new, seizing an unexpected opportunity, reviving a long-forgotten passion. They’re about connection and fulfillment. They’re about intimacy rather than production value and spectacle.

By no means are all of the new Hallmark holiday movies each year good. Far from it. Some very much are, though, and cut through the noise. They’re often the ones that end up being re-aired again and again year after year. And, yes, Hallmark movies may have certain repeated tropes. But don’t a good number of Sundance movies, also?

They...

Netflix recently released a new thriller series starring Keira Knightley called Black Doves, and this project has quickly proven that the British actress needs to appear in more action movies. Knightley's career began at a very young age, when she took on a small part in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. From there, the actress earned her breakout role in 2002's Bend it Like Beckham, and soon after, she earned her iconic role as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Carribean franchise. Knightley has long impressed Hollywood, but Black Doves shows she has even more to offer.

Released in early December 2024, Black Doves is a thriller that centers on Helen, the wife of the Secretary of State for Defense who is also part of a spy organization called the Black Doves. When Helen's husband is killed by London's underground criminals, she is in danger of being discovered,...

To me, you are…creepy. It’s one thing to show up at a woman’s house unannounced while her husband is inside. But it’s another thing entirely to do so with hand-written cue cards declaring your love for her. To think, this was once considered one of the most romantic scenes in any Christmas movie. But today, that moment in Love Actually stands as peak creep, as its target, Keira Knightley, has no problem pointing out.

As the holidays near, Love Actually will be on many-a Christmas movie advent calendar, what with the romance of the season hitting everybody from love-struck kids to adulterous husbands. But its most famous scene still remains its most eyebrow-raising for multiple reasons. As Knightley – who played Juliet, the object of Andrew Lincoln’s affection – told The Los Angeles Times, “The slightly stalkerish aspect of it — I do remember that. My memory is...

Keira Knightley’s spy thriller Black Doves is already a hit on Netflix, providing the leading, action-packed, comical, and heartfelt role that’s been missing since her last starring Pirates of the Caribbean movie. After making notable appearances in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Bend it Like Beckham (2002), and Love Actually (2003), Knightley skyrocketed to fame at 18 years old upon starring in the main female role in the swashbuckler hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). As Elizabeth Swann, Knightley proved she was highly skilled at playing quick-witted, action-adept romantic lead characters.

Knightley would appear as Elizabeth Swann in four Pirates of the Caribbean movies; her last starring role in 2007’s At World’s End, followed by a cameo in 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales. During this time, Knightley also expanded her filmography through a notable string of period romances and wartime dramas,...

Keira Knightley became famous worldwide for playing Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl when she was 17. Though her experience was not always easy, she returned to the role in four more films.

Knightley, who started acting young, faced abuse, and in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, she talked about what that meant for her and whether she would let her own children start acting so young.

She said she wouldn’t allow her kids to act publicly until they were older to protect their privacy. Knightley also shared that her early acting experiences were mostly positive, and her career really took off after Bend It Like Beckham at age 16.

They haven’t expressed an interest, but I wouldn’t allow them to do anything public until they were grown up. I think their privacy is very important.

I was very lucky.

Keira Knightley rose to worldwide prominence with her role as Elizabeth Swann in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.’ Knightley was 17 years old when she was cast in the first movie, and in the past opened up regarding some of the aspects of the role that marked her acting career.

Despite her experience not always being pleasant, the actress reprised her role in 4 installments. Considering that she started acting really young, Knightley was often targeted by abuse and exploitation. In her latest interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actress opened up regarding what the meant to her and whether she would allow her children to start acting That young.

Knightley said she wouldn’t let her kids act publicly until they were older, as she values their privacy. She also shared that her early acting experiences were positive, with her career only gaining major attention...

English actress Keira Knightley has received several accolades for her participation in blockbuster movies, especially in the period drama genre. At a very young age, the actress began working in commercials and small roles but soon transitioned to acting with projects like A Village Affair, The Treasure Seekers, Princess of Thieves, and Bend It Like Beckham to name a few.

Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in a still from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Credits: Walt Disney Studios

While she had established her name in the industry, her participation in Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl further solidified her status. This was obviously an excellent opportunity for the young actress, however, it also posed great concerns for her safety.

Keira Knightley on the Dark Side of Fame Especially After Her Role in Pirates of the Caribbean

Keira Knightley...

Keira Knightley is grateful for all the success she’s seen, particularly early on in her career — but she said it came at a significant cost.

In a conversation with the Los Angeles Times about her upcoming Netflix series “Black Doves,” Knightley looked back at her time as a rising star, revealing how it changed her life for better and for worse.

“It’s very brutal to have your privacy taken away in your teenage years, early 20s, and to be put under that scrutiny at a point when you are still growing,” she shared. “Having said that, I wouldn’t have the financial stability or the career that I do now without that period. I had a five-year period between the age of 17 and 21-ish, and I’m never going to have that kind of success again. It totally set me up for life.”

Knightley continued, “Did it come at a cost?...

“Black Doves,” Netflix’s latest thriller series, has it all. The dialogue is both clever and funny. There’s lots of political intrigue and Keira Knightley hasn’t been this action star since “Domino.” The award-winning actor Ben Whishaw is awesome as usual and there is one (literally) bloody shocking twist after another.

The setting is London during the Christmas holidays where Helen (Knightley) is married to UK Secretary of Defense Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), the mother of adorable fraternal twins and unbeknownst to Wallace, a spy feeding much of what goes on at 10 Downing Street to secret intel group, Black Doves. Helen’s information has been “lucrative” according to her handler. As is the case with these types of plots, when something goes very wrong and threatens to expose Helen, her long-time ‘Dove’ conspirator Sam (Whishaw) is sent in to help.

Up until this upset, life on the surface...

Keira Knightley trades the Black Pearl for the Black Doves in her new Netflix series, turning from pirate to spy.

The new series, now streaming on Netflix, is a thriller centered on Helen, a mother and devoted wife — who just so happens to also be a professional spy who’s been passing on secrets about her politician husband to her bosses. So, maybe not super devoted.

When her secret lover is assassinated, her spymaster, Helen’s old friend Sam — who is an assassin — is called in to keep her safe.

You’ll definitely recognize a lot of faces in this series, so we’ve rounded them up for you. Here’s a handy guide to the “Black Doves” cast.

Netflix Helen Webb (Keira Knightley)

Helen is a spy known as a Black Dove, who steals secrets from her husband and passing them on to her employers. She’s played by...

Netflix's spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, Black Doves, boasts an impressive cast of deeply talented British actors. Black Doves follows Helen Webb (Knightley), a member of the eponymous spy group based in London. Helen sells secrets she steals from her husband, Wallace (Andrew Buchan), but after her secret lover is killed, she goes on a quest for revenge. It's far from a typical holiday movie, but Black Doves used its star-studded cast to tremendous effect.

Black Doves debuted to a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a large part of its critical success is due to its cast. Reviews for Black Doves have praised Keira Knightley in particular, but also stars like Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw. Even the supporting cast of Black Doves contributed some stellar performances, and they all combined to create one of the best action shows on Netflix. The cast is filled with Oscar, Emmy, and Olivier nominees and winners,...

Keira Knightley's new Netflix spy series debuts with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of its premiere. The English actress is known for both independent films and blockbuster movies, particularly period dramas. After a small role as Sabé in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Knightley broke through with her performances in 2002's Bend It Like Beckham and Love Actually the following year. However, Knightley rose to stardom for her role as Elizabeth Swan in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies from 2003 to 2007.

During the 2000s, Knightley explored other roles outside the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, including her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in 2005's Pride & Prejudice, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She continued to appear in period dramas, such as Atonement and The Imitation Game, the latter earning her another Oscar nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actress. At the age of six,...

When we meet Helen Webb in the first episode of the new Netflix miniseries Black Doves, she seems a picture-perfect example of a politician’s wife: impeccably styled, cheerful, tending to home and children while her husband, Wallace, works as Great Britain’s defense secretary. She has it all, and makes it look easy. Because no one could be that perfect, though, we soon find out that Helen, played by Keira Knightley, is in fact a freelance spy who has spent the past decade of her life getting close to...

Keira Knightley has been in the film industry for a long time, but her role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise opposite Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom propelled her to success and worldwide acclaim. However, the actress has not been happy about the experience but would rather not work on any franchise again due to the films.

Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean | Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

While it is true that the Pirates of the Caribbean films have been Knightley’s highest-grossing films, they aren’t in the top 5 best movies of her career according to critical ratings.

Keira Knightley Gets Candid About Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush in Pirates of the Caribbean | Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Keira Knightley has often spoken about her experience in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, revealing that despite the fun time it was an incredibly arduous experience for her.

While she had her first breakout role in “Bend It Like Beckham,” Keira Knightley first really became a household name thanks to her role in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise. But now, years later, she has mixed feelings about ‘Pirates’ and is likely never going to do another big franchise again.

Read More: Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch

Speaking in a new interview with the Times, while promoting her new TV series, “Black Doves,” Keira Knightley talked about what happened when she started to appear in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films.

Continue reading Keira Knightley Says She Was “Seen As Sh*t” During ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ & Now Rules Out Franchises at The Playlist.

Although Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a promising rising star in the late 90s and early aughts, his screen appearance has diminished over the years, making it hard not to wonder what happened to him. Today, Meyers may only be associated with his recent recurring role in Vikings. However, long before Jonathan Rhys Meyers became Bishop Heahmund in the historical drama, he was known for starring in several popular films and series like The Tudors and Match Point. Despite building a strong portfolio for himself, Meyers somehow faced a downturn in his Hollywood career.

Some might even remember him for his earlier years in Hollywood, where he played a diverse set of roles in movies like Vanity Fair, August Rush, and Bend it Like Beckham. However, regardless of how audiences remember him, he seems to have gone relatively silent in recent years, with fewer mainstream movie and TV projects showing up in his acting resume.

Having been in the limelight since she was 17 with the Pirates of the Caribbean films, two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley said she has since ruled out returning to the franchise world.

“It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time,” Knightley — whose fame was cemented at the height of the noughties with the initial trilogy and other fare like Atonement and Pride & Prejudice later on — told The Times of London in a new profile.

“I was seen as sh– because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for [Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game],” the Bend It Like Beckham star said. “They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly.

The new Culture, Media and Sport Committee (Cmsc) is to continue the work of the previous one in attempting to revamp British film and high-end TV via what it has described as a “sequel” to the previous inquiry.

The previous inquiry was responsible for pushing for the new 40% indie film tax relief along with tax relief for VFX, the latter of which the Labour government rubberstamped in yesterday’s budget and brought forward by three months.

While the newly-assembled Cmsc didn’t have to carry on this work under a new government, the committee has the same chair in Caroline Dinenage and she confirmed today that work will continue under the new committee, which features a new set of lawmakers, mostly from the ruling Labour Party.

“The predecessor committee’s work in the last Parliament featured some blockbuster successes, securing tax incentives from the Treasury to support independent film and...

Keira Knightley is a spy now.

The actress will lead Netflix’s “Black Doves,” created by Joe Barton, opposite Ben Whishaw. It marks the actress’ first live-action TV role since she first rose to fame in “Bend It Like Beckham” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” as a teenager. Whishaw was last seen on TV screens on the BBC/AMC 2022 hit “This Is Going to Hurt.”

“‘Black Doves’ is a very exciting spy thriller set at Christmas in London,” Knightley said at a Netflix event earlier this year. The first season will contain six episodes, and Netflix has already renewed it for a second season (so: It sure feels like a cliffhanger is coming).

Per a press release, “Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, ‘Black Doves’ is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

The last five years have been transformative for cinema, between the impact of Covid, the streaming revolution, and the rise of AI technology. Which is exactly why Empire decided to poll an array of top filmmakers in Hollywood – and beyond – on what exactly is going on in the industry, and what it all means for the movies. The result is a major new article – available to read in full in our Mickey 17 issue (order here).

One of the hottest topics is the encroachment of AI, with the industry still figuring out how it could, should – or should not – be used in moviemaking. “It is not creative,” says Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of The Woman King. “It just takes from others’ creativity.” Sofia Coppola – director of Priscilla and Lost In Translation – questions its capabilities beyond creating mere imagery: “It can be helpful, but I think you need a heart and soul to make art.

Academy Award-nominated actress Keira Knightley is set to star in a new Netflix spy thriller series titled Black Doves. If you’re just as excited as us to see this show, you must continue reading to find out all there is to know about it, including the December 2024 release date.

On Oct. 14, Netflix officially announced that Black Doves will make its long-awaited premiere on Thursday, Dec. 5. All six episodes of the series will release on Dec. 5. Along with the release date announcement, the streamer released a teaser clip featuring cast members Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire. It's a chilling clip, with Knightley and Whishaw face's both covered in blood.

Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire as you've never seen them before.

Black Doves, a six-episode spy thriller, premieres December 5. pic.twitter.com/mwJVdpLXyJ

— Netflix (@netflix) October 14, 2024

Before the series was released or even had a release date, Netflix announced...

Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike will make her debut at London’s National Theatre in 2025, and they’ve given her the starring role in the world premiere of a new work by Suzie Miller, the playwright who created Prima Facie, the legal drama that catapulted Jodie Comer to Olivier and Tony Award trophies.

Pike has been cast in Miller’s Inter Alia, in which she’ll play a British High Court judge forced to reckon with conflict in her private and professional life. The production will reunite Miller with director Justin Martin, who also directed Comer in Prima Facie in the West End and on Broadway.

Inter Alia will be part of the final season of National Theatre director and co-chief executive Rufus Norris, who steps down from his post on March 31, 2025 after a decade at the helm of the UK’s flagship theatrical institution. Norris...

The new season of Doctor Who has already cast plenty of new faces, from Varada Sethu to Nicola Coughlan — but these are both companions of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor. The latest casting sees Under the Bridge and The Good Wife star Archie Panjabi enter the Whoniverse as a villain!

After a mixed debut season on Disney+, Doctor Who will return for its second season on the platform in 2025, although its future beyond that remains uncertain. Season 1 ranged from fantastic episodes, like 73 Yards and Boom, to more disappointing entries like Space Babies and The Devil's Chord. In terms of viewership, it wasn't a resounding success, but it exceeded in its target demographic. What's more, 2025 will also see an all-new spinoff premiere, titled The War Between the Land and the Sea.

The casting of Archie Panjabi has been widely celebrated across the fandom. The Emmy-winning British actress first made waves on...

Exclusive: Emmy Award winner Archie Panjabi will star as a villain in Season 2 of Doctor Who, sources tell Deadline. The BBC and Disney+ series is set to return in 2025.

Details regarding her character remain under wraps. BBC and Disney+ declined to comment for this story.

Panjabi joins Ncuti Gatwa, who currently stars as the titular Time Lord; Millie Gibson, who plays his companion Ruby Sunday; and Varada Sethu, who will serve as the fifteenth Doctor co-companion Belinda Chandra.

In Season 1 starring Gatwa, The Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday travel across time and space, with adventures all the way from the Regency era in England, to war-torn future worlds. Throughout their adventures in the Tardis – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – they encounter incredible friends and dangerous foes, including a terrifying bogeyman, and the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet.

The long-running British series,...

What popular retro toy, now with its own Dreamworks animated movie franchise, topped the Geller Cup touch football trophy in Friends?Troll DollMy Little PonyTransformersGI JoeMadonna played 'All the Way' Mae Mordabito in which 1990s US sports movie?A League of Their OwnJerry MaguireHappy GilmoreCool RunningsFX American sports documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, following Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny’s soccer team, is set in which country of the United Kingdom?WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandEnglandReportedly the only breed of dog mentioned in the Bible, what is the team nickname of AFC Richmond in Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso?GreyhoundsHuskiesBeaglesBulldogsThe title of which US sports TV drama was followed by the subtitle “A Town, a Team and a Dream” in the 1990 non-fiction book on which it was based?Friday Night LightsOne Tree HillEastbound & DownAll American2014 biopic Unbroken, about the life of US Olympic distance runner Louis Zamperini, who survived a plane crash and a PoW camp,...

Keira Knightley has been captivating her audience ever since she played a small role in the Star Wars franchise. She went on to find her breakthrough role in Bend It Like Beckham and soon became the actress on top of everyone’s favorites list. Keira Knightley’s most recent performance was in Matt Ruskin’s Boston Strangler where she starred as Loretta McLaughlin, the reporter who broke the news about the serial killer murdering thirteen women in the 1960s.

Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham (2002) | Kintop Pictures

As for her personal life, the actress is married to musician James Righton with whom she tied the knot back in 2013. Just like any other good husband, James Righton is happy with his wife’s success and does not feel undermined by her popularity. However, the same couldn’t be said for Keira Knightley’s ex, Jamie Dornan.

Did Keira Knightley’s Success Overwhelm Jamie Dornan?...

After first being noticed and appreciated in Bend It Like Beckham, Keira Knightley has cemented her place as one of the most talented and desirable stars in Hollywood. While the British beauty has done a wide range of films from romantic dramas to period films, her marquee role in the action-adventure series Pirates of the Caribbean established her as a commercial star.

Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice (image credit: Universal Pictures)

Being a pivotal part of a large-scale franchise, Knightley has had her share of memorable and harrowing experiences on set by the actor’s own admission. In the first film, the Atonement star got a bit too close to her character’s predicament in the film when she understood what it meant to be shipwrecked in reality.

Keira Knightley Had An Unforgettable Ordeal On The Sets Of Pirates Of The Caribbean

In 2003, British actor Keira Knightley landed a...

British royal family news divulges that retired soccer star David Beckham and King Charles have a very buzzy hobby in common, one that they have bonded over. What in the world do the regent and Beckham do that has made them fast friends? Keep reading to find out!

Royal News – The King And David Beckham Enjoy Beekeeping

David Beckham is a legendary, loyal royalist. So it makes sense that Charles made him the ambassador of his sustainability-focused charity, The King’s Foundation.

The appointment was made recently but prior to this important event, Charles and David discovered that they have beekeeping in common.

Beckham retired as a player in 2013 and inspired the popular movie Bend it Like Beckham. He is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and through the years he has been quite vocal about his support for the monarchy. His Instagram account also shows that he’s a dedicated beekeeper,...

The Death Of Robin Hood, starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, has secured a UK distributor following A24’s acquisition of the film’s US rights.

When we recently learned of the plans to make a Robin Hood movie featuring the twin talents of Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, it raised an eyebrow or two. A couple of weeks ago at Cannes, the project was unveiled and US rights for the film were quickly snapped up by A24.

At the same time, it was also revealed that Pig director Michael Sarnoski is making the film. Sarnoski knows how to do brooding drama, and the filmmaker also has the horror prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, on the horizon.

Here’s a synopsis for the new Robin Hood movie:

‘The story is described as a grounded, visceral and darker reimagining of the classic Robin Hood tale. Set of its time, the...

The number of movies about gifted youngsters sacrificing the traditional teen experience in favor of artistic perfection or academic excellence is immeasurable. "Stick It" peered into the world of Olympic hopeful gymnastics, "Whiplash" pulled back the curtain of elite musicianship, and "Bring It On" turned the world of competitive cheerleading into one of the greatest teen films ever made. This is all to say, coming-of-age stories in this territory are well-tread, so finding a way to stand out among so many all-time greats is a massive undertaking. Fortunately, for D.W. Waterson's directorial feature film debut, "Backspot," this stylish, unapologetically queer look at the world of All-Star Cheerleading (not to be confused with high school cheerleading) is a soaring breath of fresh air.

Written by Joanne Sarazen, "Reservation Dogs" star Devery Jacobs commands the tale as star cheerleader Riley, who is given the opportunity to audition for the elite competitive squad,...

Fears over the future of the UK’s film and high-end TV inquiry have emerged due to the upcoming general election.

Culture, Media & Sport Committee (Cmsc) chair Caroline Dinenage has written today to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer urging the Cmsc’s “successor committee” to keep up its work exploring the issues impacting the industry.

When a general election is called, committees such as the Cms are dissolved. Once a new government is in place, a different chair and group of cross-party MPs will be appointed to the new committee but it is under no obligation to continue the work of the previous one.

“We hope that the next government will continue to champion and support all facets of our screen industries,” wrote Dinenage. “Given the huge value that film and Hetv contributes, and the deep questions that remain about its resilience, we strongly urge our successor committee to revisit the...

“Throwing money” at the “workforce crisis” in UK film and TV will “exacerbate the problem” rather than solving it, according to the former boss of Amazon in Europe.

Georgia Brown, who now chairs the UK’s Screen Sectors Skills Task Force, delivered a passionate plea for the industry to take a holistic approach to resolving the “crisis” during an appearance in front of the UK’s British Film & High-End TV Inquiry this morning, which was titled “How can the UK film industry combat its workforce crisis?”

According to Brown, the industry is now comfortably meeting a BFI-set demand to spend 1% of production budgets, or £100M ($127M), on training, but that this spending is far too fragmented.

“We know we are collectively spending more than 1% but I will keep coming back to the fact that it’s not a money question,” she added. “Throwing more money won’t solve this, it will exacerbate the problem.

Amazon UK MD Chris Bird was among the latest group of industry execs to appear in front of the UK’s British Film & High-End TV Inquiry this afternoon, during which he revealed how much cash the streamer has invested in content from UK broadcasters for the first time.

“We have spent more than $400 million licensing, co-producing, and co-commissioning content from the UK Public Service Broadcasters,” Bird said. “Not only to make bigger and better shows but we’ve also helped produce everything from Steve McQueen’s Small Axe and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag to the recently announced second and third seasons of The Night Manager with the BBC.”

Deadline was first to break news of The Night Manager returning with Tom Hiddleston signed on to star.

Prime Video doesn’t only help produce these hits but also distributes them to territories across the globe, Bird added. “Outside of America, British...

The Star Wars film series is still expanding and has grown in recognition over the years. Innumerable actors have contributed to the property as the galaxy far, far away continues to grow through projects for both small and large screens. Some of them even lose track of how they came to be cast in the first place. Take Keira Knightley, for example.

Known for her acclaimed performances in Pride and Prejudice and The Imitation Game, the actress, 39, also had a role in the Star Wars film franchise that was a long-kept secret.

Keira Knightley in Love Actually

Surprisingly, Knightley’s involvement in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) wasn’t a big deal at the time, as she was not a known face playing a bit part in the background. Even more intriguingly, she was cast for the role because of how much she resembled Natalie Portman when...

‘The Big Bang Theory’ star Kunal Nayyar has joined the cast of Gurnder Chadha’s festive offering ‘Christmas Karma’ from True Brit Entertainment, Bend It Films, Maven Screen Media and Civic Studios.

Inspired by Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol, Nayyar will lead the cast as Scrooge with a further cast including Eva Longoria, Boy George, Billy Porter, Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Bilal Hasna, Allan Corduner, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve, Nitin Ganatra.

On his casting Nayyar stated; “To explore a beloved holiday tale through the eyes of an immigrant story (much like my own) is exactly the kind of movie that I believe will resonate with so many of us who are searching for the meaning of home. It takes a visionary like Gurinder to take a chance on a story like this, and I am humbled to be a part of it.”

Also in...

‘Bend It Like Beckham’ helmer Gurinder Chadha is all set to start shooting for her next production, ‘Christmas Karma’, a Bollywood musical set in contemporary London and inspired by Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Kunal Nayyar, who is best known for his role in the popular sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’, is the lead actor in a star-studded global cast, which includes Eva Longoria, Boy George, Billy Porter, Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Allan Corduner, Bilal Hasna, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve and Nitin Ganatra.

Chadha, a BAFTA-nominated director, is also the producer and writer, and the music is by the six-time Ivor Novello award-winning singer and songwriter Gary Barlow, apart from Shaznay Lewis and Nitin Sawhney. Shooting for the film will start on April 22.

‘Christmas Karma’ sees Chadha’s return to the big screen following her time working on the Indian historical television...

BAFTA Circles Calendar

The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.

As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards — arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. — takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with there likely to be a spike in industry professionals flying back to London on the morning of Feb. 16.

The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy’s global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.

The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw “Oppenheimer” dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were watched...

Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) is pushing forward with Christmas Karma, a contemporary Bollywood musical set in London and inspired by Charles Dickens’ seminal A Christmas Carol, with Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) signed on to lead an ensemble cast.

Nayyar will star as Scrooge in pic alongside an expansive cast, including Eva Longoria, Boy George, Billy Porter, Hugh Bonneville, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Bilal Hasna, Allan Corduner, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Rufus Jones, Eve, and Nitin Ganatra.

Chadha wrote the pic and is producing alongside directing, with music by Take That alum Gary Barlow alongside Shaznay Lewis and Nitin Sawhney. Financing for Christmas Karma is from Civic Studios. Gurinder Chadha, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, and Amory Leader will produce. Zygi Kamasa, Anushka Shah, Paul Mayeda Berges, Sophia Pedlow, and Hannah Leader will serve as executive producers.

Christmas Karma is the fifth scripted project from British distributor True Brit Entertainment,...

Kunal Nayyar, Eva Longoria, Hugh Bonneville and Danny Dyer head the ensemble cast of Gurinder Chadha’s Christmas Karma for which Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has UK and Ireland rights.

Filming is set to start on April 22. It is being produced by Chadha’s Bend It Films, Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler for Maven Screen Media and Amory Leader. Executive producers are Kamasa, Paul Mayeda Berges, Sophia Pedlow and Hannah Leader.

Further financing is coming from Anushka Shah’s Mumbai and London-based Civic Studios.

The Bollywood musical retelling of A Christmas Carol will also star musicians Boy George,...

Tilda Swinton, Ken Loach and Brian Cox are among the British film and TV VIPs contributing to an online auction to raise money for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza.

Among the auction lots to bid on are an online bedtime story read by Swinton; tickets to Cox’s London stage performance of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, including a meet and greet with the Succession star; and a walk-on part in the new film from Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.

Directors Mike Leigh, Asif Kapadia and Joanna Hogg, and actors including Harris Dickinson (The Iron Claw), Alison Oliver (Saltburn) and Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), are also taking part in the auction, which will raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians (Map), a U.K.-based nonprofit that provides medical and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

The auction was set up by Cinema for Gaza,...

Box office success isn't always determined by the opening weekend, as films can gain traction over time internationally. Movies like 'Avatar: The Way of the Water' capitalize on wide appeal for blockbuster success compared to standalone films. Films like 'Birdman' can overcome slow starts at the box office with critical acclaim and award nominations.

Box office numbers for a movie's opening weekend can often indicate how successful the theatrical release will be, but films can bounce back from poor openings, going on to make millions. These types of films are referred to as having "legs," meaning that public interest and awareness of the movie grows over time. For smaller releases or films with unknown actors and filmmakers, they often rely on the legs, hoping that the quality of the content will spread through word-of-mouth and media exposure.

Sometimes, domestic markets remain uninterested in certain films. However, when they hit international theaters,...

Simone Ashley (Bridgerton, Sex Education) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After) will star in the new U.K. original romantic comedy Picture This for Amazon’s Prime Video.

The movie’s cast also includes Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso), Nikesh Patel (London Has Fallen), Adil Ray (Citizen Khan), Sindhu Vee (Matilda: The Musical), Anoushka Chadha (You), Kulvinder Ghir (Bend It Like Beckham) and Luke Fetherston (Still Up).

Amazon said that Picture This will premiere on Prime Video in the U.K. “and internationally,” which for the company typically means it plans to make the content available in all or nearly all 240-plus countries and territories. The film doesn’t yet have a release date.

“Single and without a man on the horizon, Pia (Ashley) runs a failing photography studio in London with her best friend Jay (Fetherston),” according to a plot description. “As her sister Sonal (Chadha) prepares to get married and...