Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional during a visit to an Adivasi family in Odisha, recalling birthday visits to his late mother. He interacted with ‘PM Awas Yojana’ beneficiaries and initiated projects worth ₹3,800 crore. Political leaders extended their well-wishes on his 74th birthday.
Hansal Mehta started his filmmaking journey with a popular cooking show and eventually became a National Award-winning director. While he also has some iconic movies to his credit, Mehta isn’t looking at going with the current trend and re-releasing his films. During an interview, the Shahid maker stated that the lack of funds is holding him from bringing his movies back to cinema halls.
Ace filmmaker, known for directing projects like Dus Kahaniyaan, CityLights, Aligarh, Omerta, Scam 1992, Scoop, and more shared his two cents on the re-releasing of movies. While talking to India Today, Hansal Mehta admitted that even though he would love to have them re-released “but re-releasing also is very expensive.” The Bollywood director further added that a lot of money has been spent on the films that have been re-released recently.
A couple of days ago, Mehta’s crime-thriller film, The Buckingham Murders, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan was released in cinemas. Incidentally, Tumbbad was also re-released in theatres on Friday on popular demand. During the same chat, the Scoop maker spoke about the huge amount of money that has been spent on actor-producer Sohum Shah’s movie. He claimed, “They’ve more hoardings than Buckingham Murders” adding that the marketing budget that has been used for the film is “phenomenal”. Having said that, he also lauded the Shah for putting his money where his heart is.
But Mehta doesn’t have that kind of money to bring back his movies no matter how iconic they have become over the years. “I’m a filmmaker who has no other business. So, I survive on what I earn. I run my house with what I earn from my labor,” he set the record straight. When questioned if the box office business of The Buckingham Murders has been affected by the re-release of Tumbbad, the maker said that his producers’ investment should be safe and they knew this even before starting the film. Luckily, most of the money was already recovered when the movie premiered at the 67th BFI London Film Festival in October 2023 last year. The theatrical release has been a bonus, he stated.
ALSO READ: Is Kareena Kapoor’s The Buckingham Murders eyeing a prequel? Director Hansal Mehta drops MAJOR hint, ‘I already have…’
Get ready to revisit the Cybertron as Paramount dropped the final trailer of Transformers One featuring Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron. The trailer gave a better glimpse into the origin story of the brothers-at-arms Orion Pax and D-16, who eventually become mortal enemies known as Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Yet, the trailer hints at the brewing conflict between the once inseparable friends. “You need to move out of my way before I move you myself,” Megatron warns Optimus, setting the stage for an intense showdown. The film, directed by Josh Cooley, known for his work on Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, and with a screenplay from Eric Pearson, promises to take the beloved animated franchise in a bold new direction.
Cooley and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who’s back as the franchise’s producers, chatted with Screen Rant about their vision, potential sequel, and more. When asked whether Transformers One is a prequel film to the recently released Bumblebee and Rise of the Beast or something entirely new, they clarified that it is a standalone film that delves into the origins of the iconic characters.
Bonaventura confirmed it’s definitely a prequel, as the source material has existed for a long time. “But we’re really following the lore about where it starts,” he added. “The origin, yes, but literally the beginning of the thing that we’ve all come to appreciate.”
Cooley, on the other hand, hinted at a unique storytelling approach in the upcoming film, promising to showcase ‘different versions’ of the beloved Transformers. He expressed his fascination with the surprisingly intimate backstory of these characters, which he thoroughly enjoyed exploring for the film. ‘It’s the most human story we’ve ever told with these characters, which is what I loved the opportunity to take advantage of,’ he added.
Bonaventura, in his turn, hinted at a potential crossover with G.I. Joe, a move that could change the entire perception of the Transformers universe. He shared that if this film is successful, they plan to expand the universe and potentially have a crossover with G.I. Joe. ‘We already have, I think, the beginnings of a really interesting story for the second one, which is also character based, the way the first [is],’ he said.
Mark your calendars, as Transformers One is set to hit theaters on September 20.