Actress Natalie Portman is set to star in and direct a drama based on real-life competing advice-columnist sisters, Esther and Pauline Friedman. The twins, born in 1918 in Iowa, lived a relatively collaborative life until Esther was hired by The Chicago Sun-Times as an advice columnist, sparking jealousy in Pauline. Pauline later got her own competing column. They used the pen names Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers for their respective columns that used to feature in many newspapers across North America. Portman, 37, will play both the sisters in the film with Katie Robbins penning the script, reported Variety. The actress, who made her directorial debut with the 2015 Israeli drama A Tale of Love and Darkness, will next be seen in the musical drama Vox Lux and Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.
Ajay Devgn-fronted De De Pyaar De is set to hit screens on February 22, 2019. Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Ankur Garg and Luv Ranjan, the film marks the directorial debut of Akiv Ali, a press release stated. The film also stars Tabu and Rakul Preet. Devgn is also attached to work in Luv’s next directorial feature, starring Ranbir Kapoor, which will release on December 25, 2020.
Oscar winner Chris Cooper has joined the cast of Tom Hanks-starrer You Are My Friend. The film will be helmed by Diary of a Teenage Girl director Marielle Heller from a script by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, reported Variety. It is inspired by a real-life friendship between American television personality Fred Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod. Cooper, 67, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Spike Jonze’s Adaptation, will play the father of Junod, who will be portrayed by The Americans star Matthew Rhys in the new film. The story follows a journalist who hesitantly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life changed. The film, being produced by Big Beach Films, is scheduled to release on October 18, 2019.
Director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK were earlier supposed to helm Rajkummar Rao-starrer horror comedy Stree but due to time constraints they had to let go of their pet project. Raj and DK, who have directed Go Goa Gone, say the script was originally written for them to direct from. “When we wrote it (Stree) and developed it, we were thinking to direct it... But we couldn’t fit it into the timeline and we did not have much window to push it. To do it next year would have been too late for a unique film like this. We found Amar Kaushik (director) for doing this film. We have worked with him earlier. Stree was a great experience,” the duo told PTI.
Estranged Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reportedly agreed to continue their interim child custody agreement. A source confirms to People magazine that a planned custody hearing was cancelled after the divorced stars went ahead with continuing the temporary agreement. “Nothing has changed since the judge made an interim custody agreement a few months ago in which he said Angelina must let Brad see the children,” the insider says.
