Will Smith will portray the role of the Genie in Disney remake of Aladdin

It is confirmed by Disney that Will Smith will portray the Genie in their upcoming live-action Aladdin remake and it will be directed by Guy Ritchie. Will Smith will take over the role from the late Robin Williams, who had played the part in the original animated film. Canadian actor newcomer Mena Massoud will be with Smith and will be seen in the role of the titular street urchin. British actress and Power Rangers star Naomi Scott will be Princess Jasmine.
This has been reported in skynews.com dated 16 July 2017.

The original 1992 production was the highest grossing film of the year and won two Academy Awards for best score and best song for A Whole New World. The script is written by John August, who wrote Big Fish, and will be produced by Sherlock Holmes producer Dan Lin. Work on its filming is expected to start in London this August.
The Aladdin cast was announced at Disney's fan exo D23, which is taking place in California and is one of several live action remakes in the pipeline The Lion King.


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Jharkhand to become plastic free, ban on polybags less than 50 micron thick

Conflict between man and elephants on the rise in Odisha

Gurgaon to get environment friendly electric buses


He was a Chinese and his assistant was a Muslim

He was framed for a crime he did not commit

He was my first boss and be taught me the basics


Clint Eastwood's upcoming film "The 15:17 to Paris"

Work on superhero film "Deadpool 2" begins

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' brings back the teenage crime fighter


Two Americans gored by bulls in the San Fermin bull running festival

At least 15 killed in shootout in Mexico between police and drug gangs

Suicide bomber kills at least 15 in Mosul

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' brings back the teenage crime fighter

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' is the latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of films, which have dominated the global box office for years. British actor Tom Holland plays the role of the web-slinging hero. The film is the first time that Spider-Man, one of Disney-owned Marvel’s most popular characters, is the lead in a film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The president of Marvel Studios had fought to get Spider-Man into the Disney-run sphere.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 29 June 2017.

The film also features Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr, in a co-starring role alongside Holland. Downey is another staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has been seen in several of the series’ films. 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' is set to release in European cinemas next week on July 5, and on July 7 in the United States.


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East Coast Railway to run 186 special trains during Rath Yatra

Tax on the 326-year-old Jagannathpur Mela waived

Pollution in Subarnarekha river a matter of concern


He loved model planes and aero modeling

He practices homeopathy with a smile

My friends who used to sell saris


The Big Sick is Anupam Kher’s 500th film

Suicide Squad 2 - the sequel - to start shooting in 2018

Shooting started in Paris for Tom Cruise starrer 'Mission Impossible 6'


900 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya by coast guards

Death toll in the London Tower fire rises to 30, could go up to 100

ISIS carries out its first attack on Iran - at least 12 dead

Hackers demand ransom for Disney’s latest Pirates film

Hacking is the latest profession and hackers are having a field day demanding ransoms. The latest victim is Disney's Pirates of Caribbean 5 - and hackers have threatened to expose the film and leak it online unless a ransom is paid. Disney is working with the FBI and examining possibilities of surviving the threat.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 17 May 2017.

The hackers have demanded an enormous amount of money via online currency Bitcoin and have threatened to release five minutes of the film at the first time followed by 20-minute chunks until their demands are met. This is a new evil that film makers have to cope up with, the first being online piracy.
The fifth instalment of the highly-profitable Pirates franchise has Javier Bardem as the villain opposite Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Others who are set to return include Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Swann and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa.


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New outlets for fresh fish from Chilika

The Great Indian Bustard makes a comeback

Trekking options open up in Uttarakhand


Another boss who understood my feelings

My boss rode a scooter and wore a wig

The man who loved his work


Airstrikes kill at least 27 ISIS militants in Iraq

US police arrest serial killer of Phoenix who had killed at least nine people

Gunmen disguised as doctors shoot dead 38 persons in a Kabul hospital


Mumbai will get to see Justin Bieber in action on May 10

Kangana Ranaut is 'fearless Julia' in Rangoon

Shakti Kapoor holds his audience spellbound in the Khandagiri Yatra

Finding Dory sets a record on debut with $136.2m collection in US in opening weekend

Finding Dory, Pixar's sequel which comes 13 years after Finding Nemo, has had the highest-grossing debut for an animated film ever. It raked in $136.2m in US cinemas during its opening weekend and beats previous record holder Shrek The Third - it had earned $121.6m on opening in 2007.
Finding Dory is also the second-largest June opening of all time, behind Jurassic World.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 20 June 2016.

The story of Finding Dory revolves around the blue tang fish, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, who suffers from short-term memory loss. The plot is about her quest to be reunited with her long-lost parents. Others who lend their voice are Diane Keaton, Albert Brooks and Idris Elba.
AS indicated by Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president of distribution, Finding Dory is a picture for everyone - not just for families.


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HTT-40, India's homegrown basic trainer aircraft, to debut in Aero India 2017

Maithon Dam to be venue for kayaking and canoeing national championships

KVIC brings out Yogasutra, clothes made of khadi for yoga exercises


Moody’s whirlwind trip - five countries in six days (satire)

Didi’s Delhi dreams – from telebhaja to aloo chat (satire)

All about chest size and happy days (satire)


Christina Grimmie shot dead by unidentified gunman in Florida

TE3N first day box office collection of Rs 2.61 crores in India fails to impress

Sonu Nigam opens up on technology and modern day music


Suicide bomb attacks by Taliban kill more than 20 in Afghanistan

Two brothers arrested from Long Island - another possible massacre prevented

Delhi police unearths a kidney transplant racket - arrests kingpin from Kolkata

'The Jungle Book' inches towards the Rs 200 crore mark - Disney contemplates a sequel

'The Jungle Book' is inching closer to the Rs 200 crore mark and Disney contemplates a sequel. A film by Hollywood filmmaker Jon Favreau, 'The Jungle Book' has Indian-American actor Neel Sethi in the lead role of Mowgli and has gelled well with the Indian audiences. It was released on 8 April and in the 50 days since its release in India it has minted over Rs 180 crores. The movie brings an enchanting story of a boy straight from an Indian jungle.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 27 May 2016.

It has been confirmed by Disney that 'The Jungle Book' had amassed Rs.2.56 crore in its seventh week, taking the cumulative total to Rs.183.94 crore (nett box office collection). Mowgli has made India one of the top four internationally performing markets for the movie.
Incidentally, while most Hindi films struggle to complete three or four weeks, ‘The Jungle Book’ has enters week eight. It was released in India in four languages — English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Bollywood stars Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar, Shefali Shah and Om Puri have lent their voices for the Hindi version of the movie.


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Some more interesting links -

World's smallest porpoise of Mexico is on the verge of extinction

Coca-Cola to stop production of its beverage in Venezuela because of sugar shortage

Melting of Totten Glacier due to global warming could raise sea levels by three meters


Moody’s mind flits from Black Money to White House (satire)

Lord Shiva and Durga on home delivery and drones (satire)

Didi plans new conquests via Rabindrasangeet (satire)


Daniel Craig is through with James Bond - turns down £68 million offer from MGM

Snoop Dogg and Lucy Liu will be seen together in thriller 'Future World'

Kavita Kaushik to play the role of an Army doctor in TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”


Was the EgyptAir crash an act of terrorism by the ISIS?

Suicide bombings in Baghdad kill 43 - brings total death in 7 days to more than 145

One more Chibok girl rescued - she was kidnapped along with 275 others in April 2014

Disney plans live action fairytales for 2017, 2018 and 2019 - specific films not disclosed

Disney has drawn up plans to release live-action fairy tales in December 2017, April 2018 and December 2019 but, it has not disclosed which film has been allocated which slot. It also will release live-action movies in August and December 2018. It has returned to the classic fairy tales in recent years because they are money-spinners - films like Alice In Wonderland, Cinderella and Maleficent have made a combined $2.5bn. Now, movies like Alice Through The Looking Glass and Beauty And The Beast, with Emma Watson, will fill the cinemas.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 26 April 2016.

Moreover, Disney has confirmed that Emily Blunt will star in a Mary Poppins sequel and Emma Stone will be seen in Cruella which is supposed to be a 101 Dalmations spin-off. Disney has also announced nine new live-action films and most of these are inspired by its animated back catalogue.
Incidentally, Emily Blunt had been linked to the Poppins sequel in September - it would be a new tale set around 20 years after the original and would be based on the books by creator PL Travers.
Disney has also indicated that Angelina Jolie will reprise her role as Maleficent in a sequel to 2014's hit Sleeping Beauty spin-off and, considering the huge popularity of The Jungle Book, director Jon Favreau has confirmed that Mowgli would be back in a second film.


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Didi wants to move around fast and wants a solution (satire)

Lord Shiva intrigued by the writing on the walls (satire)

Moody hates hotels and feels more at home in his aircraft (satire)


Taj Mumbai welcomes Prince William and Kate, the fourth generation of British monarchy

Huge 26ft python found in Penang - could become a new a Guinness Record holder

Lok Sabha ethics committee probing Narada sting feels the videos are genuine


ISIS still holding 30 workers out of 300 kidnapped from cement factory in Dumeir

Another Bangladeshi blogger killed in Dhaka because of his views on religion

Florida hunters bag a 15-foot 800-pound massive alligator


James Cameron, writer director of Avatar, promises his fans four sequels

'Deadpool' sequel planned and in the pipeline with Ryan Reynolds

Indonesian pop star dies after being bitten by a cobra on stage