LION

Marva Hicks, a singer and actress known for Broadway roles in The Lion King and Motown: The Musical and for television credits that included Star Trek: Voyager, has died. She was 66. Hicks passed away Friday in New York City, her representative Tanya Young Williams confirmed in a statement. Her cause of death was not shared. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our dear Marva Hicks Taha. Our beloved wife, family member and friend will be greatly missed and remain…

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Laura Poitras’ epic documentary about photographer Nan Goldin and her activism against the Sackler family and their art connections, has been awarded the Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice international film festival.Poitras, the American film-maker behind the Oscar-winning Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, thanked the festival for recognising that “documentary is cinema” at the ceremony on Saturday evening in Venice. Neon is expected to release the film in cinemas this…

‘Lion King’ prequel titled ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ ( Photo Credit – Lion King Poster ) Filmmaker Barry Jenkins appeared on stage at the global Disney fan event D23 Expo to officially announce ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, a new prequel to the 2019 ‘Lion King’ film. Originally announced in 2020 as a sequel to the 2019 film, ‘Mufasa’ tells the origin story of the iconic Disney father, exploring his childhood growing up with his brother Scar. The film will feature the voice of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison…

D23 Expo, Disney's annual event for showcasing all future projects, kicked off on Saturday. The assembly, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, was live streamed across multiple online platforms, with announcements from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel. D23 is scheduled to run for three days, until September 11, during which in-person fans get to experience iconic sets from various Disney media. Meanwhile, those at home have more trailers coming up. Key attractions include The Little Mermaid, the Amy Adams-led Disenchanted, and…

The logo for Mufasa, coming 2024.Image: DisneyTwo years ago, news that Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins was making a prequel to The Lion King made everyone scratch their heads. What the heck would that be and who asked for that? Well, finally, at the D23 Expo, Jenkins showed up to explain what it was about Mufasa: The Lion King that makes it unique.Yes, Mufasa is the origin of the older king we see perish in The Lion King—but what we’ll learn is, he wasn’t born into royalty like his son Simba. Mufasa was an orphaned…

The world is an unfair place if you are a lion. Even when they kill your whole family and you decide go John Wick on their asses, it is still Idris Elba that gets to be the hero? You are painted as the bloodthirsty villain out on a rampage, while the gun-totting Keanu Reeves in his slick black suit gets a hit sequel? Mm mm not fair.All jokes aside, the likelihood of Beast getting a sequel seems low. A generic survivalist drama, Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur's film relies mostly on the dread of jump scares to bring…

A Lion King actor and friend of Nelson Mandela says he is “baffled” after Meghan Markle claimed she was told people in South Africa “rejoiced in the streets” over her marriage to the Duke of Sussex. In a recent interview, the Duchess of Sussex told The Cut magazine that an unnamed South African actor from the cast of the 2019 film of The Lion King made the surprise proclamation during the London premiere. “He looked at me, and he’s just like light,” Meghan recalled. “‘I just need you to know: When you married into , we…

The Duchess of Sussex has recalled being “scared to go out” during the 2019 London premiere of The Lion King.Meghan has spoken before about the alleged racism she experienced while pregnant with her and the Duke of Sussex’s son, Archie. In a 2021 interview with Oprah, she explained that a big part of their decision to leave the UK was the tabloid racism that created a “toxic environment” of “control and fear”.Now, in a new interview with The Cut, Meghan described the period of time just after giving birth.“I just had…

There’s a reason why most rogue animal attack movies tend to dress their peril in scales and fins. Faced with the sawblade jaws of a crocodile (Lake Placid) or a dead-eyed shark (Jaws, The Meg), we instinctively side with the humans. But throw fur into the mix and an element of empathy for the beast creeps in. The rabid St Bernard in Cujo is both victim and threat. And the male lion that terrorises Nate (Idris Elba) and his teenage daughters during their South African safari trip in Baltasar Kormákur’s highly enjoyable…

Dir: Baltasar Kormákur. Starring: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, Sharlto Copley. 15, 93 minutes.A shot of Idris Elba socking a lion in the face isn’t just the dramatic denouement of Beast – it’s the film’s entire raison d’etre. No one’s here for the scenes of Elba’s well-intentioned patriarch attempting to heal his fractured family, or the vague sentiments about nature’s karmic vengeance. Audiences will turn up because a trailer promised to show them one of our most charismatic A-listers in a boxing match…