Matrix 4 titled Resurrections; Gopichand's Seetimaar to release in theatres on 3 September: Film & TV updates

Warner Bros reveals Matrix 4 title, first trailer at CinemaCon The fourth chapter in the popular sci-fi film franchise The Matrix is titled Resurrections, studio Warner Bros has announced. The studio also unveiled the first footage of the film, fronted by Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, at a downsized CinemaCon, billed as “the largest gathering of movie theater owners from around the world” in Las Vegas.

Lana Wachowski, one half of the Wachowskis who directed all the three films in the franchise with sister Lilly, has penned and directed the new project. Besides Reeves, original trilogy star Carrie-Anne Moss also returns for the fourth instalment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trailer was played for the CinemaCon audiences but not released online. The trailer began with Reeves’ character Thomas Anderson, not Neo – his name in the original trilogy – in therapy, telling his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris), “I had dreams that weren’t just dreams. Am I crazy?” He senses something is off with the world, but has no memory of what The Matrix is. Later, he runs into a woman (Moss) at a coffee shop. They shake hands but neither one remembers the other. Meanwhile, Thomas spends his days taking prescription blue pills, and wondering why everyone is glued to their phones, him being the odd one out. Thomas later runs into a mysterious man (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is reminiscent of Morpheus, the freedom fighter played by Laurence Fishburne in the original trilogy. The man hands Thomas a red pill, synonymous with the franchise’s premise, and soon the footage of him with powers, seeing The Matrix for the fake reality that it is, plays out. Gopichand’s sports drama, Seetimaar, to release on 3 September

GOPICHAND: SPORTS DRAMA GETS A RELEASE DATE... #Telugu film #Seetimaarr - a sports drama starring #Gopichand and #Tamannaah - to release in *cinemas* on 3 Sept 2021... Directed by Sampath Nandi... Produced by Srinivasaa Chhitturi. #SeetimaarrOnSept3 pic.twitter.com/onVMZdBGMi

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) August 24, 2021

Telugu sports drama Seetimaar, starring Gopichand and Tamannaah, will release in cinemas on 3 September. The film is directed by Sampath Nandi and produced by Srinivasaa Chhitturi. According to The News Minute, Seetimaar will focus on the homegrown game of kabaddi. While Gopichand will play coach to the Andhra Pradesh team, Tamannaah will be seen as Jwala Reddy, the coach of the Telangana team. The cast also includes Digangana Suryavanshi, Bhumika Chawala, Apsara Rani, Rao Ramesh and Posani Krishna Murali. Feels like a moment in culture: Shang-Chi star Simu Liu on playing Marvel’s first Asian superhero [caption id=“attachment_9908281” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Simu Liu as Shang-Chi. Marvel Studios[/caption] Chinese-Canadian star Simu Liu says he is aware that being the first Asian to headline a Marvel film comes with a huge responsibility but hopes that his work in Shang-Chi will speak to an audience that has rarely found “aspirational” representation on screen. Liu has headlined Marvel Studios’ martial arts superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, scheduled to be released in the country on 3 September. In an interview with PTI over Zoom call, the 32-year-old actor said he realises that his work in the film isn’’t just any “role” as it comes with the responsibility of representation. “It feels like an incredible honour, like we are giving the world something that I never had as a kid, which is the ability to see myself reflected on screen, in a meaningful, aspirational, heroic way. There is a certain responsibility that comes with that as well. “I don’’t want to call it pressure, but there is a sense that this is more than just a role that you take, go to work, say lines and go home. This is a moment in culture, a moment in history and hopefully, it will be followed by many more just like it.” For the China-born actor, who migrated to Canada at the age of five, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings serves as a testimony that dreams come true, especially for those who may have struggled to see themselves represented in pop culture. But as much as Liu tries not to take any pressure, there are days when he feels anxious about people’’s expectations from him. “Sometimes it gives me a little bit of anxiety knowing that there is this kind of stuff resting on my shoulders. Other times, it feels incredibly empowering because I would have given anything to have had somebody, when I was younger, to look up to and show me what was possible. “My hope is that it doesn’t matter if you are six years old or 16 or 26… Shang-Chi will be a movie that people will be able to watch and understand that anything is possible for them,” he said. Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, the film is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019) and follows Shang-Chi who is drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings organisation, and is forced to confront the past he thought he left behind. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Liu’s first major feature film, after his work as an extra in filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’’s 2013 sci-fi actioner Pacific Rim and later his lead role in popular Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience. In a crucial scene in the superhero movie, which will be released in India in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada, Liu’s character is told that the trajectory of his life is just about to change. The actor said that statement holds true even for him, as everything will turn around once the film is seen by the world. “We don’t want to give too much away for our viewers but it meant a lot to me to film that (sequence). It was a very momentous day not only because of what was being said but also who was saying it. I felt that, as that person was speaking to me in character, those words sent a chill down my spine because they not only spoke to Shang Chi but also to Simu. “Recently, I walked the red carpet at Hollywood boulevard. As we premiered the movie to the world, it really just felt like, ‘‘Oh my goodness, life is never going to be the same after this moment.” Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also stars Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh. Hong Kong star Tony Leung, known for his collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, is playing Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s father and the main villain in the movie. Mani Ratnam, Shankar reportedly launch production house According to a Times of India report, Mani Ratnam and Shankar have launched a production house Rain on Films Private Limited. The report states that other prominent Tamil filmmakers likeVetrimaran, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Lingusamy, Mishkin, Poo Sasi, Vasanthabalan, Lokesh Kanagaraj, Balaji Sakthivel, and AR Murugadoss are also stakeholders. Rain on Films will produce streaming content and feature films, and will promote young talent, the report further adds. (With inputs from agencies)