Entertainment
Marvel teases new Avengers movies, ‘Black Panther’ sequel
Marvel Studios unveiled the first trailer for “ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ” — set to “No Woman No Cry” — to fans at Comic-Con on Saturday in San Diego.
It was just one part of the massive Hall H presentation, which also included first-looks at “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and new information about Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will conclude with two Avengers movies in 2025: “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
“ Black Panther: Wakanda Foreve r” director Ryan Coogler was on site in San Diego to preview the highly anticipated film, which is due to arrive in theaters on Nov. 11 and serve as the conclusion to Phase 4. Coogler paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020.
“The impact that he made on this industry will be felt forever,” Coogler said.
After the massive success of “Black Panther” in 2018, plans for a sequel were quickly set into motion. But those were altered after Boseman’s unexpected death from colon cancer. The studio said it would not recast Boseman’s role of T’Challa. but very little has come out about the film in the years since. Production wrapped in March after several delays, one of which was due to an injury sustained by Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s brainy sister Shuri. Also returning are Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett, but not Daniel Kaluuya, whose “Nope” schedule conflicted.
Phase 5, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said, will kick off in February with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and conclude with “Thunderbolts” in July 2024. The new “Blade,” starring Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, also got a release date of Nov. 3, 2023, and “Captain America and the New World Order,” featuring Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, will hit theaters on May 3, 2024.
Read: 'Black Panther' makes Oscar history with best picture nod
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” will also come to an end in the midst of Phase 5 in May. Director James Gunn showed up in San Diego to confirm that “Vol. 3” would be the last for the space rogues. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillian and Dave Bautista are all returning for the film. New cast members include Will Poulter, as Guardians adversary Adam Warlock, and Maria Bakalova.
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors and director Peyton Reed made the trip to San Diego to show some footage from “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Phase 6 will launch with a new “Fantastic Four” movie on Nov. 8, 2024, and finish with “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” set for May 2, 2025, followed by “Avengers: Secret Wars,” on Nov. 7, 2025.
Marvel also showed trailers for Disney+ series such as “Secret Invasion,” with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, due in the spring, and the half-hour comedy “ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” starring Tatiana Maslany, debuting in August. The second season of “Loki” is also expected next summer.
Purnima ties the knot once again
Popular actress Dilara Hanif Purnima has walked down the aisle once again.
The Dhaliwood star tied the knot to Ashfaqur Rahman Robin on May 27, a senior official in the marketing department of a multinational company.
"We met each other through work and soon became friends. After three years of friendship, we decided to get married," the actress told the media recently.
Read: SI Tutul ties the knot once again
The couple plans to celebrate their marriage with their friends and family at the end of this year.
Purnima remarried three years after his divorce from Ahmed Jamal Fahad. They got married in 2007 and share a daughter, who was born in 2014.
Heard to appeal $10M judgment in Depp defamation case
Amber Heard notified a Virginia court Thursday that she will appeal the $10.35 million judgment she was ordered to pay ex-husband Johnny Depp during a high-profile defamation trial that exposed the inner workings of their troubled marriage.
Heard's lawyers filed a notice of appeal in Fairfax County Circuit Court, where a six-week trial featured riveting testimony from both Heard and Depp. The document notifies the Virginia Court of Appeals that Heard intends to appeal the judgment, as well as rulings the judge made after the verdict, including rejecting Heard's request to set aside the verdict and dismiss the lawsuit or order a new trial.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict,” a spokesperson for Heard said in a statement. “While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
Depp sued Heard for libel over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp’s lawyers alleged he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned him by name. Heard filed counterclaims, alleging that Depp's former lawyer defamed her by publicly characterizing her abuse allegations as a hoax.
Also read: Heard faces high legal hurdles seeking to reverse Depp win
The jury ordered Heard to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The punitive damages were reduced to $350,000 under a state cap. The jury awarded Heard $2 million on her counterclaim.
Much of the testimony during the six-week trial focused on Heard’s claims that she had been physically and sexually abused by Depp at least a dozen times. Depp insisted that he never hit Heard and that she was the abuser.
“The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp in multiple instances," a spokesperson for Depp said in a statement. "We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand."
Also read: Amber Heard says she doesn't blame jury in Depp libel case
Batighar stages 'Radcliffe Line' at BSA
Theatre group Batighar staged the 28th show of its famous play "Radcliffe Line" at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Wednesday.
The play, written and directed by Sanjoy Sarker Muktonil, depicts how a political barrier divides individuals and dehumanises them.
The plot revolves around an incident between two troops from Border Guard Bangladesh and Border Security Force of India, which portrays Jamal, a soldier of BGB and Hiralal, a BSF soldier, pursuing a cow grazing on no man's land.
Hiralal discovers a tunnel beneath the border barrier while following the cow from separate sides of the Radcliffe Line. Inside, Jamal and Hiralal confront each other and soon start fighting.
After hours of combat, the exhausted soldiers engage in a conversation and realise how similar their lives are. They discuss their history, their feelings for their families, and other topics.
Through the conversation, the soldiers become aware that they have been dehumanised by a phantom line that has robbed them of their humanity. However, just before the two soldiers are about to dissolve their illogical animosity, an unknown assailant kills them both with long-range shots.
The lead characters of the play were performed by Khalid Hasan Rumi, Sharan Biswas, Shishir Sarkar, and Sanjay Halder.
Despite being staged on a regular working day, the hall was full of theatre enthusiast audiences who lauded the frequent, witty conversations between the characters, as well as their skilled acting.
Radcliffe Line was first staged on July 27, 2018, at the Studio Theatre Hall of the BSA.
Bongo brings Bangla dubbed 'Beauty and the Beast'
Video streaming platform Bongo has released the Bangla dubbed version of romance-fantasy film "Beauty and the Beast."
In the French-German co-production, Léa Seydoux performed as Beauty and Vincent Cassel as the Beast. Christophe Gans directs the film. The film first premiered in France on February 12, 2014, and was later released in Berlin, Germany, on February 14 that year.
Beauty and the Beast originates from the original Grimm fairytale of Beauty and the Beast, which is taken from classic French folktales.
The story starts when a widowed merchant shipwrecks on the sea and becomes bankrupt. He has to move countryside from the lavishing city with his six children. Despite this sudden change, nobody except the merchant's younger daughter Belle seems happy.
Read: Bongo brings 'Harsh Times' as 'Bondhu Amar' Friday
One day the merchant gets the news that one of his ships safely reached the shore. With a surge of happiness, he asked his children what they wanted as a return gift. When everyone has a choice on their list, Belle only wishes to bring her father back safely with a rose for her.
With luck, the merchant takes refuge in a magical castle with a broken heart because he had to pay his debt with the ship's findings. But in the magical castle, all merchants' wishes came true until he took the liberty to take a mystical rose for her dear daughter Belle against the permission of the castle owner, The Beast. The merchant now needs to live with the Beast in his castle. Learning his father's fate, Belle took her father's place and went to the magical castle alone.
The film earned $49.1 million internationally. In Japan, it topped the box office on its release, making it the first non-English-language foreign film to top the Japanese box office since Red Cliff II in 2009 and the first French film to top the Japanese box office since Mathieu Kassovitz's The Crimson Rivers in 2001.
SI Tutul ties the knot once again
Popular singer and composer SI Tutul has walked down the aisle once again.
Tutul tied the knot to television presenter Sharmina Siraj Sonia. The couple got married on July 4 in the US, music director and writer Tanveer Tarek told UNB.
The musician remarried a year after his divorce from actress Tania Ahmed.
Also read: Tisha finally reveals her daughter’s picture
"Tania and I were separated for five years. We officially got divorced last year," Tutul told the media.
"Since then, I have been travelling to New York for different purposes, including for performing in concerts. I met Sonia through the reality show "Bangla Gayen" on RTV."
Sonia said: "I have been single for 12 years. I was looking for a life partner. So, when Tutul asked for my hand in marriage, I couldn't say no."
"We will celebrate our marriage with our friends and family in the US and Bangladesh very soon," she added.
Also read: Pop legend Ferdous Wahid hospitalised
Sonia worked as a presenter in several Bangladeshi media outlets. After that, she moved to the US and settled there.
Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck wed in Las Vegas drive-through
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were wed Saturday in a late-night Las Vegas drive-through chapel, culminating a relationship that stretched over two decades in two separate romances and headlined countless tabloid covers.
Lopez announced their marriage Sunday in her newsletter for fans with the heading “We did it.” Lopez initially made their engagement public in April on the same newsletter, “On the J Lo.”
“Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient,” wrote Lopez in a message signed Jennifer Lynn Affleck.
Read: Indian pop singer Daler Mehndi jailed
Lopez wrote that the couple flew to Las Vegas on Saturday, stood in line for their license with four other couples and were wed just after midnight at A Little White Wedding Chapel, a chapel boasting a drive-through “tunnel of love.” Lopez said a Bluetooth speaker played their brief march down the aisle. She called it the best night of their lives.
“Stick around long enough and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive through in Las Vegas at 12:30 in the morning in the tunnel of love drive through with your kids and the one you’ll spend forever with,” said Lopez.
News of their nuptials first spread Sunday after the Clark County clerk’s office in Nevada showed that the pair obtained a marriage license that was processed Saturday. The marriage license filing showed that Lopez plans to take the name Jennifer Affleck.
Representatives for Lopez and Affleck declined to comment.
Lopez, 52, and Affleck, 49, famously dated in the early 2000s, spawning the nickname “Bennifer,” before rekindling their romance last year. They earlier starred together in 2003′s “Gigli” and 2004′s “Jersey Girl.” Around that time, they became engaged but never wed.
Read: ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ vying for Emmy nominations
Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005, with whom he shares three children. They divorced in 2018.
Lopez has been married three times before. She was briefly married to Ojani Noa from 1997-1998 and to Cris Judd from 2001-2003. She and singer Marc Anthony were married for a decade after wedding in 2004 and share 14-year-old twins together.
Tisha finally reveals her daughter’s picture
National Award-winning actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha and renowned film-maker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki are celebrating their 12th marriage anniversary on Saturday.On this occasion, Tisha posted three pictures of their daughter, Ilham Nusrat Farooki, on her verified Facebook page.
Pop legend Ferdous Wahid hospitalised
Legendary pop singer Ferdous Wahid was admitted to a Dhaka hospital Friday after he suffered a heart attack in the morning.
The 69-year-old musician is now undergoing treatment at Birdem General Hospital, said his cousin Tayeba Nabi Tannu while confirming the news.
Ferdous has heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Earlier, he also tested positive for Covid-19.
The music icon, also the father of popular musician Habib Wahid, rose to stardom in the 70s with his sonorous voice and melodious tunes. His most popular songs include "Mamooniya," "Agey Jodi Jantam,""Emon Ekta Ma Dena," and "Ami Ek Paharadar."
Also known as an actor and film director, Ferdous made his directorial debut with the film "Kusumpurer Golpo" (The Story of Kusumpur) in 2013.
Eid-ul-Azha films: Fortune favours hall owners after two deadly years
With the release of three much-anticipated films (Poran, Din - The Day and Psycho) on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha this year, multiplex and single screen owners are enthralled to observe the audience response of the moviegoers after two devastating business years.
Although several hall owners are not satisfied with the absence of Dhallywood megastar Shakib Khan’s new films which always brought profit in the previous years, many are surprised to see the line of the audience for the tickets of the three mentioned films.
Among the releases, Raihan Rafi-directed film ‘Poran’ which is based on the infamous Rifat murder case from Barguna in 2019, has been leading the race in terms of audience response and ticket sales.
On Friday, this correspondent visited several branches of Star Cineplex in the city and observed the crisis of tickets for the Eid films. Interested moviegoers pilled up in front of the ticket counters to grab the tickets for the same-day shows, however, failed to manage due to the crisis.
Even the cast and crews of these films are not getting the tickets, which is a rare scenario in the industry. Many audiences have been looking for the next-day schedules, to be entertained with these Eid releases.
Read:Three films to enthral moviegoers on Eid-ul-Adha
“This is utterly surprising and at the same time a very much satisfactory scenario that our audiences are showing this much interest to watch our Bangladeshi films,” Star Cineplex Media and Marketing Department's Senior Manager Mesbah Uddin Ahmed told UNB.
He informed UNB that due to audience demand, Star Cineplex had to increase the shows of ‘Poran’ which previously had less number of screens. Ananta Jalil’s ‘Din - The Day’ is also getting good responses, he said.
The cast and crew members of these three films are also moving from one district to another in order to promote their films, namely ‘Poran’ and ‘Psycho’. These two films are getting very good responses in the first week, while ‘Din - The Day’ also is getting a dominant response across 115 screens all over Bangladesh, which secured the highest screens amongst these three films.
“After the massive loss we suffered due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, these incredible crowd responses are again making us hopeful. These films are boosting the industry and we hope that the filmmakers will continue the practice of better filmmaking so that the audience response remains positive, not only for the festive occasions but throughout the years,” Mesbah told UNB.