Kelly Marie Tran to lead Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon 

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be voicing the lead character in Disney’s animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. Tran has replaced actor Cassie Steele on the project, becoming the first Southeast Asian to lead a Disney animated film, reported Entertainment Weekly. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra, the film is about Raya, a warrior who teams with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world. “I didn’t know that I was yearning just to see someone who looks like me. She is someone who is technically a princess, but I think that what’s really cool about this project, about this character specifically, is that everyone’s trying to flip the narrative on what it means to be a princess,” Tran told the outlet about her character. The Farewell star Awkawafina plays a dragon in human form named Sisu. Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada are directing the feature with Paul Briggs and John Ripa serving as co-directors. Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim are working on the film’s script. “Raya and the Last Dragon” was originally scheduled to debut in theatres in November this, but amid the coronavirus pandemic, its release was shifted back to March 12, 2021. (PTI)

Parasite star Song Kang-ho  to play lead role in Broker Korean actor Song Kang-ho, star of Oscar winner

Parasite, is set to play the lead role in Shoplifters  director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s next project Broker. The film also marks Korean directing debut of the celebrated Japanese filmmaker. According to Deadline, the movie also features actors Gang Dong-won and Bae Doona in pivotal roles. The film focuses on individuals whose lives become intertwined around a mysterious ‘Baby Box’, which is designed to allow people, who are unable to raise children, to deposit their babies anonymously. The project hails from Zip Cinema, a subsidiary of Spackman Entertainment Group. Korean film industry giant CJ ENM is producing the movie and will distribute it nationally. Production is set to start next year. (PTI)

Kangana Ranaut-starrer Tejas to go on floors in December
Film producer Ronnie Screwvala on Friday said his upcoming project Tejas, featuring actor Kangana
Ranaut, will go on floors in December. In the film, produced by Screwala’s RSVP Movies, Ranaut will play the role of an Air Force Pilot. “#Tejas starring @KanganaTeam to take-off this December! This film is our ode to the brave Air Force Pilots of India! Jai Hind #FridaysWithRSVP @sarveshmewara1 @RSVPMovies @nonabains,” the producer announced on Twitter. Tejas, directed by Sarvesh Mewara, was reportedly scheduled to go on floors in July. The shoot was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first look poster of the film was unveiled in February. (PTI)

Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen to produce Lionsgate’s new horror movie

Lionsgate has acquired horror speculative screen play Mother Land with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen  producing the film through their 21 Laps banner. Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby have penned the screenplay, reported Variety. The story revolves around a family who has been haunted by an evil spirit for years. “Their safety and surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real,” the plotline reads. Coughlin and Grassby are best known for writing 2016 movie, Mean Dreams, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and featured Bill Paxton. Through their banner 21 Laps, Levy and Cohen have backed Netflix’s popular show Stranger Things and revival of true crime series Unsolved Mysteries. (PTI)