Hollywood
‘The Sadhu’ to soon turn in to a Hollywood film
NEW DELHI: The Indian comic book series – The Sadhu – is now being converted into a Hollywood film with producer Mark Canton’s Atmosphere Entertainment teaming up with a Los Angeles-based entertainment company.
Canton will develop the live-action film Warrior: Revenge of The Sadhu — the journey of one man who barters his soul’s deliverance for his family’s honour based on Graphic India’s superhero comic book series.
A Graphic India spokesperson said the story centres on James Jenson, a British soldier whose family is brutally murdered by a corrupt superior officer in the Indian colony of Bengal in 1858. Jenson escapes in the remote forests of India where he seeks refuge with the mysterious Indian mystics – sadhus.
Graphic India co-founders are Sharad Deverajan and Gotham Chopra, son of the new-age author Deepak Chopra.
After years of being trained in their supernatural arts, Jenson must decide whether to use his newfound powers for inner peace and enlightenment as they are intended, or for justice against the people who murdered his family.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Graphic India also co-wrote the screenplay for Warrior: Revenge of The Sadhu based on a new mobile comic series on the character to be launched later this year across India.
Canton’s long list of blockbuster motion pictures include the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, The Immortals and the recently released 300: Rise of an Empire which opened March 7.
“In the same way Greek myths have captivated the imagination of audiences around the world, the screenplay by Gotham Chopra and Sharad Devarajan for ‘Warrior’ taps into the mystical traditions and mythologies of India through an accessible action-packed adventure that I am confident will make a spectacular blockbuster film and will mark the birth of a new franchise,” Canton said in a press release.
With 300 and Immortals, Mark Canton has produced some of the most successful films in Hollywood based on epic myths and legends.
“We are incredibly honoured that he will now be working with us to take the story of The Sadhu to the big screen,” Deverajan said.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
