International
Columbia Pictures begins development on ‘Bad Teacher’ sequel
MUMBAI: Columbia Pictures is developing Bad Teacher 2, to be directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Justin Malen, it was announced today by Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio. Jimmy Miller, Jake Kasdan, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky will produce the film, and Melvin Mar will be the executive producer. The project is being developed for Cameron Diaz to star in the film but no deal is yet set with the actress.
Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “Bad Teacher was a hit not just in North America, but throughout the world. We‘re excited that Jake will be returning to develop and helm the sequel. We love Justin‘s take on the material – it hits all the notes that made the first film such a breakthrough hit and also takes the characters in a new direction that is fresh and fun.”
When it was released in 2011, Bad Teacher was a global hit taking in $216 million. It was also recently announced that Bad Teacher will be coming to CBS television next season in a half-hour series starring Ari Graynor. The Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios co-production received a 13-episode midseason order.
Columbia Pictures senior VP production Jonathan Kadin will oversee development of the project for the studio along with Minghella.
Jake Kasdan is in pre-production on Sony Pictures‘ Sex Tape, also starring Cameron Diaz, with Jason Segel. He most recently directed and executive produced episodes of the hit series New Girl. Kasdan made his feature film debut as writer and director of Zero Effect and also directed the pilots for the television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared;returning to feature films, he directed Orange County, wrote, directed and produced The TV Set, co-wrote and directed Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and directed and executive produced Bad Teacher.
Justin Malen‘s feature film screenplay Bastards was named on The Black List of one of the best unproduced screenplays in 2011. He also completed a rewrite of the comedy project The Manny for Red Wagon and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Malen is represented by Verve and H2F, and Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are repped by Mosaic and WME. Kasdan is represented by WME.
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.
