International
Shawn Ryan’s Beverly Hills Cop is officially dead
MUMBAI: Shawn Ryan took to his Twitter page on Friday to announce that efforts to shop the pilot, which CBS passed on in May, have not been successful.
“Sad to report that efforts to land Beverly Hills Cop pilot at another network have failed. This iteration is dead for now,” he wrote. “Good news for fans of franchise is that the pilot tested so well, it has caused Paramount to put another #BHC movie into development.”
Additional details were not yet available about a potential Paramount movie.
He added that he “loved” working with stars Brandon T. Jackson, who played Axel Foley‘s (Eddie Murphy) son, and the rest of the cast, including Kevin Pollak, David Denman and Christine Lahti, among others.
CBS passed on the update, which would have followed Jackson‘s cop as he made a name for himself with the Beverly Hills Police Department.
The drama was considered a sure thing to land on CBS‘ schedule as the Sony Pictures Television entry came with built-in brand recognition and a top producer attached in The Shield‘s Ryan. Despite the wattage of the talent involved, CBS passed. Sony and Paramount then shopped the project to other networks.
CBS‘ decision is a blow to Paramount‘s effort to get back into television production. The studio has been out of that business since Paramount was split from CBS in 2005. Beverly Hills Cop was a logical starting point since it has been a successful movie franchise for Paramount for a decade starting in 1984. Paramount CEO Brad Grey announced in March that Paramount would partner with Sony Pictures Television to produce an existing pilot and potential series. The same day, Philippe Dauman, CEO of parent company Viacom, noted he would “get back, with very little investment, into the television production business.”
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.
