Motion Picture: Camilla Cabello Sings in New ‘Cinderella’ Trailer, Steven Yeun Among 2021 Academy Invitees
Action: Dwayne Johnson is set to star in Amazon Studios’ Red One with a script penned by Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Chris Morgan. Based on an original story by Hiram Garcia, Red One is described as a “globe-trotting” action-adventure comedy centered around the holiday season. Garcia will produce on behalf of Seven Bucks Production, a collaborator on several of Johnson’s previous projects such as Jungle Cruise and the 2010’s Jumanji duology. Plot details and production schedule are kept tightly under wraps at this time.
Popstar Camila Cabello sings her heart out in the first trailer for Amazon Studios’ Cinderella released earlier this month. Originally set for release through Sony Pictures, Cinderella is slated to drop on Amazon Prime on September 3rd, with original music written by Cabello and her co-star Idina Menzel. The film will also star Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan, and Billy Porter as Cabello’s “Fab G” in a twist on the fairy godmother role. Cinderella is written and directed by Kay Cannon and produced by James Corden, Leo Pearlman, Jonathan Kadin, and Shannon McIntosh.
Bowen Yang - Frazer Harrison
Comedy: Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang and comedian Joel Kim Booster have been tapped to star in the Andrew Ahn-directed romantic comedy Fire Island for Searchlight Pictures. With a screenplay written by Booster, Fire Island takes an Austenian approach to this modern romance as two best friends spend a week-long vacation at the “gay mecca” that is “Fire Island.” The film will be released on Hulu in the U.S. and internationally through Star on Disney+, with JAX Media overseeing production.
Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival
Industry Update: Hidden Figures actress Taraji P. Henson hosted the 2021 BET Awards this past week, with a program-themed “The Year of the Black Woman.” In many ways, this rang true, as Andra Day took home Best Actress for her portrayal of the titular character in The United States vs. Billie Holiday and Queen Latifah the Lifetime Achievement BET Award. Late Black Panther and 42 star Chadwick Boseman were posthumously awarded Best Actor for his work in August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
The American Film Market has confirmed plans to return to holding their annual Santa Monica event in-person as usual, running from November 2 – 7. AFM managing director Jonathan Wolf stated in an email to industry executives “California has fully reopened, and we are optimistic that the travel restrictions still in place will be lifted soon.” This decision follows the Cannes Marché du Film returning to in-person business during the event’s run from July 6 – 15.
Leslie Odom Jr., Steven Yeun, and Lavern Cox are among the 395 actors and industry professionals invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences voting body this year. According to the Academy, the class of 2020 is composed of film professionals from 49 different countries, with 46% of members female and 39% from underrepresented racial communities. Other invitees this year include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andra Day, Lee Isaac Chung, and Issa Rae, among others.
Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival has been pushed back from its original November run to December in an effort to line the festival up more closely to the calendar slot once held by the now-closed Dubai Film Festival. Envisioned by Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh (Barakah Meets Barakah), the Red Sea Film Festival was originally set to debut in March 2020, pushing back its release as one of the many festival casualties resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The festival has also announced the creation of a $10 million dollar Red Sea Fund made to support directors from Africa and the Arab world, already set to back 100 feature projects within its first year.
