Sizzling Samachar: Ajay Devgn and Mohanlal to simultaneously film the Hindi and Malayalam versions of Drishyam 3; DreamWorks Animation announces ‘Orion and the Dark’ adaptation; Disney announces its slate of new upcoming releases

Welcome to your daily dose of entertainment news on OTTplay, I'm your host Nikhil. Top stories first.

Ajay Devgn and Mohanlal to simultaneously film the Hindi and Malayalam versions of Drishyam 3

Malayalam filmmaker Jeethu Joseph’s highly-anticipated thriller Drishyam 3 starring Mohanlal will commence filming soon as reported by an entertainment portal. The report also added that the Hindi version of the film starring Ajay Devgn will also be filmed simultaneously. Abhishek Pathak and his team behind the Hindi version submitted an outline for the plot for Drishyam 3 which has been approved by Jeethu Joseph. Both films are expected to release on the same date across India. Now, this is going to be one clash of the titans we’re stoked about.

DreamWorks Animation announces ‘Orion and the Dark’ adaptation

Orion and the Dark, the popular novel by Emma Yarlett is set to be adapted into an animated feature by DreamWorks Animation. The film will premiere on Netflix in 2024 and revolves around a boy named Orion who is afraid of the dark. The film was announced during the Annecy Animation Festival with Jacob Tremblay cast as Orion and Paul Walter Hauser as the Dark – who is the personification of Orion’s worst fears. Charlie Kaufman, who is best known for stellar cinematic gems such as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will pen the script for the project.

Disney announces its slate of new upcoming releases

The writer’s strike in the US has forced Disney to reschedule some of its biggest releases. Fortunately for Deadpool fans, the release date for Deadpool 3 has been moved up from November 8th, 2024, to May 4th 2024. However, Captain America: Brave New World, has been pushed from May 3rd 2024, to July 26, 2024. Other MCU releases in 2024 have also been delayed with Thunderbolts being moved to Dec 24th, and Blade and Fantastic Four being pushed back to 14th February 2025 and 2nd May 2025 respectively. Whereas Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is being delayed by a year and will now release on May 1st 2026, thereby delaying its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars also by a year to May 7, 2027.

James Cameron’s Avatar 3 will now release on 19th December 2025, instead of its December 2024 release. Avatar 4 has also been shifted to 21 December 2029 and its sequel Avatar 5 will not hit theatres until 19 December 2031 – a delay of nearly three years from its initial release date. So, now you know exactly what to look forward to…and in which year.

Fede Álvarez's 'Alien' announces release date

The highly-anticipated latest instalment of the Alien franchise, helmed by Fede Álvarez has announced its release date. The sequel to 2017’s Alien: Covenant will release on August 16 next year. The film will star Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, and Archie Renaux among others in prominent roles, The film will revolve around a group of young individuals from a distant world who come face to face with one of the most terrifying creatures in the universe.

'Bambi' live-action in development

Academy Award-winner Sarah Polley, the director of the critically-acclaimed film Women Talking, has been roped in to helm the live-action adaptation of the classic animated film Bambi. The iconic 1942 Disney film is a heartwarming tale that revolves around a young deer named Bambi who becomes vulnerable to the dangers of the forest after losing his mother. Further details regarding the upcoming adaptation have been kept under wraps.

'The Little Mermaid' animated series announced for Disney Junior

The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid found immense success at the box office despite backlash from certain sections of the audience. Disney has now announced that an animated series titled Ariel is in the works for Disney Junior. The series will revolve around a young Ariel and will feature several of the fan-favourite characters from the film. The series is scheduled to release next year on Disney platforms.

Well that's all the time we got for this episode, until the next one it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez