Film Production
Applause gives Archer novels the reel deal with big screen plans
MUMBAI: India is flipping the page on adaptation history Jeffrey Archer’s bestsellers are finally getting their official real life adaptation close-up. Move over pirated plots and ‘inspired’ scripts Jeffrey Archer is getting a legitimate Indian makeover. In a landmark announcement, Applause Entertainment has acquired exclusive screen rights to six of the legendary author’s most iconic novels. And unlike decades of uncredited rip-offs, this one’s all above board legal, global, and ready to stream in style.
The acquisition includes The Clifton Chronicles, First Among Equals, Fourth Estate, Sons of Fortune, Heads You Win, and The Eleventh Commandment. Applause, known for high-impact Indian originals like Scam 1992 and Criminal Justice, is making its first foray into international fiction adaptations and they’re going big. Expect a slate of premium drama series and feature films spanning languages, formats, and platforms.
At a live conversation in Mumbai, author Jeffrey Archer and Applause MD Sameer Nair shared their vision and plenty of mutual admiration. “There isn’t a Cain, but there’s certainly an Abel in every Indian,” joked Archer, reflecting on how his stories of ambition, love, betrayal and revenge have found deep resonance here. The 85-year-old best-selling author, whose books have sold over 300 million copies across 115 countries and 49 languages, called the collaboration “a privilege,” but added with trademark candour, “I shall be watching and waiting for results!”
Sameer Nair was clear that this partnership signals a bold new direction. “This isn’t just a rights deal, it’s a creative call-out to India’s best storytellers,” he said. “We’re inviting screenwriters, directors, and regional creators to reimagine Archer’s worlds in contemporary Indian settings while staying true to the original narrative arc.” Nair cited First Among Equals as an example, saying its political premise translates beautifully into India’s high-stakes electoral landscape. “Just replace Westminster with the Vidhan Sabha, and you’ve got a blockbuster.”
Applause plans to adapt some novels as long-form series and others as films, possibly in multiple Indian languages. The idea, said Nair, is to retell global IP through a local lens and take it back to the world via global streaming platforms. “These are timeless stories, and the new generation deserves to hear them in a voice and context they understand.”
For Archer, the faith in adaptation lies in one word: screenwriting. “If the screenplay’s right, the show works. If it isn’t, nothing can save it,” he quipped, citing The West Wing as an example of sublime screenwriting. And he’s no stranger to the perils of poor adaptation either. “The BBC did Cain and Abel brilliantly. But Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less? Terrible. It’s not easy but when it works, it’s magic.”
In an industry where copyright infringement once passed for creativity, this deal is also a statement. “Indians are done with jugaad. We want to do it the right way,” said Nair. “It’s time Indian content gets a global reputation for originality and excellence.”
So what’s next? The creative process has begun, with teams now deciding which titles will go where, in what language, and on which platform. Archer’s only golden rule to filmmakers? “Stick to the story. Don’t think you can write your own half of Kane and Abel. Just don’t.”
From the pirated paperbacks sold at Indian traffic signals to a sprawling screen universe led by some of the country’s sharpest creators Archer’s tales are finally getting the adaptation they deserve. With Applause calling the shots, this is one literary remix that promises to be worth the wait.
Film Production
Disney to cut 1,000 jobs under new chief executive
The entertainment giant’s freshly installed boss inherits a restructuring already in motion, with marketing and corporate roles bearing the brunt
CALIFORNIA: Walt Disney is preparing to slash up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, as the entertainment giant’s freshly installed chief executive moves swiftly to trim fat and tighten the ship.
The cuts, less than 1 per cent of Disney’s global workforce of 231,000, will fall hardest on marketing and corporate roles. The planning, notably, began before D’Amaro formally took the top job in March, suggesting the new boss inherited a restructuring already in motion rather than one of his own making.
Driving the push is Asad Ayaz, Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, who in January assumed command of a unified, company-wide marketing operation spanning film, television and streaming. His consolidation drive has been given a suitably cinematic internal name: Project Imagine.
The move is modest by Disney’s recent standards. Between 2023 and 2025, under former chief executive Bob Iger, the company eliminated roughly 8,000 positions across several brutal rounds of cuts, saving $7.5 billion, comfortably exceeding its own targets. As recently as June 2025, several hundred more jobs were axed across Disney Entertainment, hitting film and television marketing, publicity, casting, development and corporate finance.
Disney’s structural headaches are well-documented: shrinking streaming margins, a weakened box office, and fierce competition from Amazon and YouTube gnawing at its flanks. The company is merging its Disney+ and Hulu teams into a single app, has brought in consultants from Bain & Co to guide its broader cost strategy, and is betting heavily on digital growth.
The wider entertainment industry offers little comfort. Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have all taken the knife to their workforces in recent years, and further cuts loom if Paramount’s acquisition of Warner goes through.
For D’Amaro, the message is clear: there will be no honeymoon period. The magic kingdom still has some cost-cutting spells left to cast.
