Motion Picture: Will Smith Pushes It To The Limit In 'King Richard' Trailer, 'Breaking Bad' Star Saginaw Grant Dies At 85
Action: Lin-Manuel Miranda stretches his acting muscles as a kinkajou in the trailer for upcoming animated musical Vivo. The Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation collaboration follows the titular kinkajou, Vivo, and his partnership with a teenage girl to track down a superstar songstress (played by Gwen Stefani) and persuade her to write a song that can make two people fall in love again. Vivo features original songs by Miranda as well as cast appearances by Zoe Saldaña, Juan De Marcos, and Ynairaly Simo, among others. Directed by Kirk DeMicco and Brandon Jeffords from a script by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Vivo premieres on Netflix today, August 6.
Oscar-nominee LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish are set to star in the new Disney Haunted Mansion film, based on the popular theme park ride of the same name. Dear White People and Bad Hair director Justin Simien is attached to the project, along with Ghostbusters (2016) screenwriter Katie Dippold penning the most recent draft of the screenplay. Dan Lin and Jonathan Elrich, the producing duo behind Aladdin (2019), will be helming the project through their banner Rideback.
Drama: Will Smith gives his all in the recent trailer drop for Warner Bros’ King Richard, in which Smith portrays the coaching father of tennis all-stars Serena and Venus Williams and how he shaped their careers in the sport. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton portray the sisters, with Tony Goldwyn, Dylan McDermott, and Jon Bernthal also starring. King Richard is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green with a script by Zach Baylin and is set to hit HBO Max and theaters Nov 19.
New Regency has stepped in to co-finance Dev Patel’s upcoming Chippendales project with Bold Films. Long-time supporter of the project David Permut will produce, with Craig Gillespie attached to direct and duo Lauren Blum and Rebecca Angelo rewriting the latest script draft. Patel is set to star as Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee, whose rise to fortune and fame ultimately came crumbling down in a mess of FBI sting operations, racketeering charges, and suspected murder. If produced, Chippendales will see a theatrical release through Disney’s 20th Century Studios.
Jacob Latimore - Leon Bennett / Stringer
Comedy: The Chi star Jacob Latimore is set to star in the remake of 1990 hip-hop comedy House Party produced by New Line Cinema and SpringHill Entertainment. With a script written by Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori, House Party follows a group of people at a – well, house party – that goes “terribly, horribly wrong.” House Party will mark the feature debut of music video director Calmatic.
Alvin Ing - Jim Spellman / Contributor
Industry Updates: Octavia Spencer has been selected to receive the James Schamus Ally Award during the closing ceremony of this years’ Outfest, a film festival catered to LGBTQIA+ filmmakers and their stories. Spencer recently produced one of the festival’s short film selections Right to Try, directed by Zeberiah Newman. Spencer said of the award in a statement “I am proud to bring LGBTQIA+ stories to audiences all over the world and am thrilled that our own film, Right to Try, will be making its premiere at this important festival. It speaks to the kind of stories I want to see on-screen — celebrating everyday heroes with a true sense of hope.”
Alvin Ing, most well-known for his role in Broadway musicals Flower Drum Song and Pacific Overtures, has died at the age of 89. A Honolulu native, Ing was well known beyond his theatrical work as a fierce opponent of discrimination and worked extensively with the Theater for Asian American Performing Artists in the 1970’s. At the age of 84 Ing came out publicly as gay, hoping it would be an inspiration to those within the community.
Rap artist Travis Scott has inked a production deal with A24 via his recording label Cactus Jack. Scott and A24 hinted through social media posts earlier in the week that Scott’s upcoming album, UTOPIA, would be produced as a feature through A24. In his Instagram caption Scott wrote: “Life is a movie. So is this album. @cactusjack and @a24 set out to bring amazing content for the future. Thru film and media. Starting with this.”
Breaking Bad and The Lone Ranger star Saginaw Grant has died at the age of 85. A Native-American actor from Oklahoma, Grant’s career picked up steam with the 1988 film War Party. As the hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation, Grant split his time between work in L.A. and participating in gatherings for Native American veterans. A public memorial for Grant in Los Angeles is currently in the works with details to follow.
