Washington:&nbsp;Chris Hemsworth had already hyped up the fans for the trailer launch of his latest superhero movie 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' and within an hour of dropping the trailer, it garnered more than two million views on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube page alone. Marvel announced the title for Love and Thunder back in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con, where studio boss Kevin Feige revealed that Natalie Portman would be returning to the franchise for the first since 'Thor: The Dark World,' as per The Hollywood Reporter.Besides Portman, other stars include Tessa Thompson, returning as Valkyrie, and franchise debutants Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista also come back from the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' franchise. Filmmaker Taika Waititi is returning to direction after 'Thor: Ragnarok' in 2017. Ever since its release, Waititi has won an Oscar and become a key member of the Disney family, acting in and directing episodes of the Disney+ series 'The Mandalorian' and developing a 'Star Wars' feature for the studio. Hemsworth's ' Love and Thunder' makes him the first Marvel actor to topline a fourth solo film. The film is to open in theatres on July 8.—ANI

Chris Hemsworth had already hyped up the fans for the trailer launch of his latest superhero movie 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' and within an hour of dropping the trailer, it garnered more than two million views on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube page alone.

'Thor: Love and Thunder' new trailer released

Hollywood

Mumbai: Actor Dhanush, who will be soon making his Hollywood debut with 'The Grey Man', dropped the poster of the movie on his social media account on Monday. The 'Raanjhanaa' actor took to his twitter handle and shared the poster of the film, whose trailer will be out today. "The gray man trailer from Tom," he wrote.Fans and admirers are waiting so eagerly for the release, as the comment section was full of heart and fire emoticons.A social media user commented, "Waiting". Another said "YESSS MY MAN " Talking about the movie, it's a Netflix/AGBO thriller directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, starring Ana de Armas, Rege Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Wagner Moura, Alfre Woodard, Ryan Gosling, and Chris Evans.Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely wrote the script based on Mark Greaney's novel 'Gray Man'. Joe Roth, Jeffery Kirschenbaum, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, and Chris Castaldi are the producers. Patrick Newall, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Jake Aust, Angela Russo-Otstot, Geoff Haley, Zack Roth, and Palak Patel serve as executive producers. The movie will have a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2022, followed by a Netflix release on July 22, 2022.—ANI

Actor Dhanush, who will be soon making his Hollywood debut with 'The Grey Man', dropped the poster of the movie on his social media account on Monday. The 'Raanjhanaa' actor took to his twitter handle and shared the poster of the film, whose trailer will be out today. "The gray man trailer from Tom," he wrote.

Dhanush’s Hollywood debut ‘The Gray Man’ trailer to release today

Los Angeles: A gritty drama about a real-life Iranian serial killer titled 'Holy Spider', stunned the Cannes Film Festival, earning a thunderous seven-minute standing ovation and bringing a jolt of electricity to what's been a sleepy festival so far. The film, from Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi, chronicles a killing spree in the streets of the religious city of Mashhad, where 16 prostitutes were found dead from 2000 to 2001.A local journalist, Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), is trying to crack the case as she grows frustrated by the police's apathy toward finding the murderer. But in one of many twists in this drama, the identity of the serial killer is revealed early on -- he's a war veteran named Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani), a seemingly normal family man who spends his nights picking up women on his motorcycle and brutally strangling them in his home as a religious cleansing ritual. 'Holy Spider' will surely be one of the most talked about movies at this year's Cannes.While the movie's violence led to a handful of walkouts, it drew comparisons from attendees to David Finchera's 'Zodiac', as it sparked buzz that it could be an early frontrunner for the Palme d'Or, reports 'Variety'. The film, which was shot in Jordan, will certainly provoke a response from the Iranian government for its depiction of a bare-breasted woman in an opening scene as well as featuring multiple sex scenes.In Iran, movies are not allowed to feature such images, which Abbasi alluded to in brief remarks at the premiere. "This means a lot for us," the director said. "This means a lot to my fantastic team, my crew, my actors. But it's also a great day for Iranian cinema. There's finally at least one movie where women actually have bodies, where they don't sleep with their headscarves on." To loud applause from inside the Palais, he referenced how so many Iranians at the time sided with the serial killer in the case."And in the past 20 years, I always thought of a huge injustice that has been against the real victims of this story," Abbasi said. "And how even when people condemn this, they never mentioned those women. I feel that there is a little piece of justice here being played out tonight." The film is seeking US distribution out of Cannes, and it will likely spark a bidding war from indie distributors looking for prestige offerings. 'Holy Spider' is one of two Iranian movies playing in competition in Cannes. The other is Saeed Roustaee's 'Leila's Brothers'. Neither film has been cleared by local authorities to screen in Iran. Cannes 2022 seems to be a year that could mark the passing of the torch in Iranian cinema -- Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi is part of the jury.With 'Holy Spider', Abbasi makes the case for why he could be the next great Iranian director to make a name for himself at the world's biggest stage for international cinema.—IANS

A gritty drama about a real-life Iranian serial killer titled 'Holy Spider', stunned the Cannes Film Festival, earning a thunderous seven-minute standing ovation and bringing a jolt of electricity to what's been a sleepy festival so far.

'Holy Spider' stuns Cannes by showing nudity, sex strangling scenes

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Tom Cruise says landing the role of Navy pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 'Top Gun' was "life-changing." The Hollywood star had always dreamt of being either a pilot or an actor growing up, and when he could combine both careers in one film, it was a big thrill for him, reports aceshowbiz.com. The 59-year-old actor told HELLO! magazine: "All I ever wanted to be was a pilot or an actor, so 'Top Gun' was a huge moment in so many respects, including my passion for aviation."He further gushed, "It was life-changing for me." "I got to actually fly in an F-14 jet which was a dream come true, and play a character I loved in Maverick," Cruise shared. For the latest movie in the blockbuster series, 'Top Gun: Maverick', he got to do more plane stunts than ever before. Cruise said, "The P-51 Mustang you see in the movie is actually my plane, so I got to pilot in those sequences." He continued, "I also got to be in the jet fighter a lot more this time, which was thrilling. It was something I had been working up to."The sequel to the 1986 action-drama comes with an epic soundtrack by Oscar winner Lady GaGa in 'Hold My Hand'. On how the pop megastar came to record the song, he said: "I had seen one of Lady GaGa's shows in Las Vegas and been amazed, so I called her to ask if she could help us." He added, "She sent the song over and it was perfect. It really is the heartbeat of the score."—IANS

Hollywood star Tom Cruise says landing the role of Navy pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 'Top Gun' was "life-changing."

Tom Cruise reveals 'life-changing' role in 'Top Gun'

Los Angeles: &nbsp;Marvel Studios and Stan Lee Universe have entered into a 20-year agreement to license the name and likeness of Stan Lee so that the late comic legend will continue to be part of pop culture. Lee, the beloved co-creator of&nbsp;Marvel characters Spider-Man, Avengers and Hulk who died in 2018 at the age of 95, became a fan favourite of new-age fans who would recognise him through his funny cameos in Fox’s X-Men and Sony’s Spider-Man franchises and later in the several Marvel Cinematic Universe films.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the deal will allow the studio to use Lee’s name and likeness in future feature films and television productions, as well as Disney theme parks, various “experiences” and merchandising. “It really ensures that Stan, through digital technology and archival footage and other forms, will live in the most important venues, the Marvel movies, and Disney theme parks. It’s a broad deal,” said Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands. “The audience revered Stan, and if it’s done with taste and class, and respectful of who he was, (uses of his likeness) will be welcomed. He is a beloved personality, and long after you and I are gone, he will remain the essence of Marvel,” he added. However, this new deal does not necessarily spell the return of Lee cameos in movies, at least not in the way fans traditionally knew them. Lee’s last cameos were for Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame which released just months apart from each other in 2019. Apart from his name and likeness, the agreement allows Marvel to use Lee’s voice and signature in movies and television projects, as well as to use images, existing footage and existing audio recordings featuring him.The rights to use Lee’s name, voice, likeness and signature exclusively in theme parks, cruise lines and in-park merchandise were also included in the deal. Audiences and park goers could see Lee turn up as figures and toys, and on apparel and stationery. Stan Lee Universe is a venture between global kids media company Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment, a media company co-founded by Lee along with Gill Champion and Arthur Lieberman, in July 2020. Lee filed a USD 1 billion lawsuit against POW! Entertainment in 2001 for allegedly forging his signature on legal documents, but later dropped the claim.—PTI

Marvel Studios and Stan Lee Universe have entered into a 20-year agreement to license the name and likeness of Stan Lee so that the late comic legend will continue to be part of pop culture.