Hollywood
‘The Jungle Book’ to premiere on three Star channels on 27 November
MUMBAI: Star Movies has been home to the biggest blockbusters that have enthralled audiences over the years. Star Movies and Star Movies Select HD are all set to bring the beloved childhood classic – Disney’s The Jungle Book to audiences in India.
Some stories leave a lasting impression on our minds while some fade away. Jungle Book is the former; a story that has kept us spellbound with every adaptation, be it TV or film. Academy Award winning director Jon Favreau brings to life Disney’s The Jungle Book as a benchmark of how CGI films have developed over the years. Disney’s The Jungle Book will premiere on Star Movies, Star Movies HD and Star Movies Select HD on 27 November (Sunday,) at 1pm and 9pm.
The film’s cast includes three Oscar winners: Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong’o and Christopher Walken; and an Oscar nominee: Bill Murray. Featuring Neel Sethi as Mowgli with voices from Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o and many more, the film rings true to Rudyard Kipling’s timeless tale. All the characters in the movie played an instrumental role in helping Mowgli make the jungle his home. Whether it was Raksha who took care of him as her own; Bagheera who protected him from the sinister Shere Khan or the free spirited Baloo- they formed a family like no other. Disney’s The Jungle Book is about values as much as it is about the grandeur of film-making.
With a worldwide gross of over US$ 963.7 million, the film is the year’s highest grossing Hollywood film in India and second biggest grossing film of 2016 (Hindi and English including).
Visually stunning, Jon Favreau’s re-telling of a classic pays tribute to the original adventure of one of your most beloved childhood stories.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
