International
‘Hot Wheels’ director search nearing finish line
MUMBAI: Hot Wheels is about to get into gear. The Legendary project is based on the classic Mattel toy car line and has been seeking a director to put in the driver‘s seat.
Simon Crane, the veteran second-unit director who is coming off of World War Z, and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, best known for directing 28 Weeks Later, are the front-runners for the high-octane gig states The Hollywood Reporter.
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway wrote the script for the project, which is intended to be more on the lines of a Mission: Impossible than Fast & Furious.
Legendary is hoping to get the movie revving in the first quarter of 2014. It is intended to be part of Legendary‘s second wave of movies that counts Spectral, Godzilla and As Above So Below among them. (The first wave includes 42, Pacific Rim and Seventh Son.) And it is likely to end up at Universal, the company‘s new home starting in 2014, after its term deal with Warner Bros expires.
Crane is considered one the premiere second-unit directors in the business, with credits including Salt, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Troy. He is also one of Hollywood‘s top stunt coordinators. He has been attached to make his directorial debut on several projects, but none has reached the starting line.
Fresnadillo just came on board to direct Villain, a psychological thriller that has Shia LaBeouf attached to star. The project is in development at Start Motion Pictures.
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.
