International
Oscar-winning producer Richard Zanuck dies at 77
MUMBAI: Oscar-Winning producer Richard D. Zanuck, whose distinguished career as a producer included The Sting and Driving Miss Daisy, Jaws and other well-received films as The Verdict and Cocoon, died on Friday of a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 77.
In recent times , Zanuck produced Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. He worked on six films with the director.
Regarded as one of the more progressive producers in Hollywood, Zanuck was partnered by his wife, Lili Fini Zanuck, in their company called Zanuck Co. Their first production was Driving Miss Daisy(1992). Winner of four Oscars, the film captured several other top honors: a Golden Globe award, the National Board of Review Award and Producer of the Year honours from the Producers Guild of America.
In 1999, Zanuck and his partner, David Brown, received the Irving G. Thalberg award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.The occasion marked the first time that an honoree was a second-generation recipient – Zanuck’s father, former 20th Century Fox head of production, and chairman Darryl F. Zanuck, were given the award in 1938, 1945 and 1951. They also happen to be the only father and son producers to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars.
In 1962, Zanuck became the youngest studio chief in history in1965 when he was appointed by his father as head of Fox at the age of 28. During his five years at the helm, the studio earned an impressive 159 Oscar nominations. Three of the films — The Sound of Music (1965), Patton (1970) and The French Connection (1971) — won best picture.
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.
