See what else is happening in film & TV industries around the world.
‘Django Unchained’ pulled from Chinese cinemas Quentin Tarantino’s ode to the spaghetti western genre, ‘Django Unchained’, was pulled from Chinese cinemas yesterday. It is reported that the film was to be shown on approximately 6,000 screens in China, but it is not immediately clear how many theatres had shown the film before it was pulled. According to reports, in many theatres the film had begun to roll for a few minutes before it ceased playing, with theatre-owners citing ‘technical problems’ as the reason the film stopped playing. The suspension order was reportedly issued by China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). Film censorship in China is run by a notoriously unpredictable regulatory system, and Hollywood films have had great difficulty with Chinese censorship committees in the past. Tarantino himself had re-edited the film to appease Chinese authorities, toning down the violence and blood spatter. But it now seems that his efforts were in vain, as the film has now been officially pulled from Chinese cinemas.
Former ‘The Walking Dead’ showrunner to write a prequel to ‘The Shining’ Stephen King’s horror novel ‘The Shining’ seems to be garnering plenty of attention in recent times; King himself is set to release the sequel novel ‘Doctor Sleep’ later this year, and ‘Room 237’, the documentary that explores numerous theories on Stanley Kubrick’s big-screen adaptation of ‘The Shining’, recently hit theatres. Now it seems that a prequel to ‘The Shining’ story is in the making for the big screen, with Glen Mazarra in talks with Warner Bros. to pen the script. Mazarra previously ran the writer’s room for AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ series, and reportedly left over a difference of opinion with executives. No details as of yet have been released about the film, except that it will be called ‘The Overlook Hotel’ and will be produced by Mythology Entertainment. ‘The Shining’ was published in 1977 and Kubrick’s adaptation came three years later in 1980, with Jack Nicholson as the man suffering from writer’s block, Jack Torrance.
Watch the trailer for ‘The Way, Way Back’ Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are known for scooping the adapted screenplay Oscar alongside director Alexander Payne for ‘The Descendants’, and now the duo have taken to the director’s chair for their latest project, ‘The Way, Way Back’. Garnering plenty of attention at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the comedy comes from Fox Searchlight, who made hits out of Sundance-favourites ‘500 Days of Summer’ and ‘Juno’, so this film could end up being the next indie hit at the box office. The film stars veteran comedy actor Steve Carrell, Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, and newcomer Liam James and is set to be released in America on July 5th, with a UK and Irish release date to be announced soon after.
