International
Marc Webb to direct next Spider-Man
MUMBAI: Director Marc Webb, known for his Golden Globe best picture nominee 500 Days Of Summer, will direct the next instalment of Spider-Man.
The film having screenplay by James Vanderbilt will start shooting later this year and will have a 2012 release, Columbia and Marvel Studios announced.
Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal said, “At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify film-makers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker‘s life… We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey.”
“Marc Webb will do for the new direction of the films what so many visionary storytellers have done with the comic books,” Arad and Ziskin added in a joint statement. “He is an incredibly talented film-maker and we look forward to working closely with him on this new adventure,” Pascal added.
Last week Raimi and Tobey Maguire exited the franchise after Raimi expressed concern that the script would not be ready in time for a May 2011 release. Not to be outdone, Columbia had the Vanderbilt screenplay ready and moved on.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
