International
Disney plans an extensive cast for the Broadway musical ‘Into the Woods’
MUMBAI: Disney seems to be successfully cashing out on its fairy tale adaptations. The latest in its list of offerings is a take on Cinderella, named Into the Woods. The Broadway musical which will be helmed by Rob Marshall has attracted a glamorous cast including Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Tracy Ullman and Christine Baranski, all of whom are in various stages of negotiations to be part of the production.
Disney is also in talks with Anna Kendrick to play the lead Cinderella which will bring the actress back into the screen singing spotlight after her last year‘s surprise hit Pitch Perfect. Disney‘s keen for Kendrick as she has been acting in Broadway musicals from a young age and won several awards.
The plot revolves around the classic fairy tale wherein a childless baker (Corden) and his wife (Blunt) attempt to lift a family curse by journeying into the woods to confront the witch that put the spell on them. Along the way, they encounter a group of fairy tale characters including Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.
In this mashup of the fairy tale, Cinderella will be married to a vain prince (Pine) and be described as a woman trying to find her place in the world.
Kendrick who is yet to affirm her involvement in the project is currently shooting Richard LaGravenese‘s musical adaptation The Last 5 Years.
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.
