Sizzling Samachar : Rami Malek will star in James Hawes’ thriller Amateur; Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with untreatable dementia; Ted Field will back the female-focused racing thriller Breakneck; Ralph Fiennes joins the cast of The Return;

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

Rami Malek is set to lead James Hawes’ thriller Amateur

BAFTA-nominated director James Hawes is back with a new project after the success of the Apple TV+ Original series Slow Horses. He will be helming a thriller film titled Amateur starring Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek. Malek will essay on the role of a CIA cryptographer who lost his wife to a terrorist attack in London. He is dead set on jumping the case, but his superiors are understandably not too keen on the prospect. So he decides to pursue the terrorists himself after resorting to blackmail to gain the required training. Backed by 20th Century Studios, the film is still in the early development stages.

Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with untreatable dementia

Hollywood veteran and Die Hard star Bruce Willis announced his retirement last year after a career spanning several decades. The news came just after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects one’s ability to communicate. His family recently announced that the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with a rare form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia (FTD) which impacts cognitive abilities and causes difficulty with speech. The statement was posted on the website of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration and signed by Willis'family members including his wife Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children.

The female-focused racing thriller Breakneck will be backed by Jumanji producer Ted Field

With the recent boom of Motorsports with the popular Fast & Furious franchise and Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive, many filmmakers are trying to jump on that wagon. Jumanji producer Ted Field is joining hands with James Leon's 8th Gear Entertainment to produce a female-centric racing-action thriller titled Breakneck. The film revolves around a young female racer who rises to prominence as a Formula E driver despite being a destitute orphan. But she is removed after her first ePrix race and is forced to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a part-time gateway driver for a gang based in Miami. Further details about the film are yet to be disclosed.

Zoe Saldaña is set to star in Russo Brothers' survival film The Bluff

Zoe Saldaña is extending her professional relationship with the Russo brothers beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She will be part of Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s upcoming action survival film titled The Bluff. Set in the 19th century on a Caribbean island, the film follows an epic face-off between pirates and buccaneers. Saldaña will embody the role of a retired pirate named Ercell, who is forced into her old ways to defend her land and people from vicious invaders.

Ralph Fiennes joins the cast of The Return as Odysseus

After the success of The Menu, Ralph Fiennes will be next seen in The Return as the lead. Helmed by Academy-nominated filmmaker Uberto Pasolini, the film is based on the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey by Homer. Fiennes will portray the role of King Odysseus, who washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognisable. Queen Penelope, Odysseus’ wife will be played by the French actress Juliette Binoche. Charlie Plummer will take up the role of Telemachus, their son. The film is set to have a theatrical release in 2024.

Vera Farmiga and Tim Blake Nelson join the cast of The Leader

The passing of the Comet Hale-Bopp was a historic event but unfortunately, it's also a reminder of the infamous event of mass suicide by the members of the Heaven’s Gate cult who believed that the once-in-a-lifetime cosmic body was their one-way ticket to a paradise in the afterlife. Michael Gallagher will be helming the project titled The Leader which tells the story of the Heaven’s Gate cult and its founders. Dune 2 star Tim Blake Nelson and The Conjuring franchise star Vera Farmiga will play the lead roles in the film.

Barry Pepper is cast in the Yellowstone spin-off series Bass Reeves

Barry Pepper is the newest addition to the Yellowstone spin-off series Bass Reeves. David Oyelowo will play the titular role of Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy U.S. Marshall in the American West. Whereas Pepper will essay the role of Esau Pierce who has been described as "the leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles and a battle-tested warrior himself." The series has already commenced filming in Texas.

Well that's the Sizzling news for today's episode , until the next time it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Sneha Singh