Angelina Jolie not lecturing at Georgetown
Georgetown University students looking forward to learning from a celebrity lecturer were disappointed to learn that media rumours of Angelina Jolie becoming a visiting professor at the school, in Washington, are false. The story, originally reported by US Weekly, followed the announcement that Jolie will be a visiting professor at the London School of Economics this autumn, where she will give guest lectures to students on the one-year master's degree programme called "Women, Peace and Security". This is a "sister programme" to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, spokeswoman Rachel Pugh confirmed, but she added that "there are no current plans for Angelina Jolie to teach at Georgetown". – The National staff
Ranveer Singh unveils poster for new project
Following much speculation about Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and director Rohit Shetty's upcoming collaborative project, the Bajirao Mastani actor has finally revealed some of the details. He took to Twitter to unveil a teaser poster for the project, which is an Indo-Chinese production. According to entertainment website Bollywoodlife.com, the project is not a movie but a commercial the duo filmed a few months ago and will be released in several languages. More details about the upcoming project will be revealed at a screening for the winners of a contest on August 19. – Sonali Kokra
Bollywood avoids big issues, says Irrfan Khan
Commercial Hindi films lack focus when it comes to dealing with important issues, according to actor Irrfan Khan. He said Bollywood risks losing younger audiences to Hollywood because of a lack of more intelligent entertainment from the Indian film industry. He said commercial filmmaking generalises issues and does not resonate with younger audiences. Khan's latest film is Madaari, which is about an ordinary man's ordeal after losing his son in a tragic incident. The actor, who has also worked in international movies including Life of Pi and Jurassic World, said India could have many more quality writers if they were paid better and had better job security. – IANS
Suicide Squad’s Joker inspired by David Bowie
Actor-musician Jared Leto has revealed that his portrayal of the Joker in the new DC Comics film Suicide Squad, was partly inspired by iconic British singer David Bowie, who died in January. Leto, who is also the frontman of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, told NME magazine that Bowie can be a creative inspiration for anything he does. In developing his take on the iconic DC Comics villain, Leto said he discussed Bowie, not necessarily the music, but his class, elegance and timelessness. Leto also said he would love to see the Joker get his own stand-alone movie as part of DC's growing cinematic universe. – The National staff
Rakeysh Mehra plans new film about slum kids
Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says he intends to make a movie about the struggle of slum children to gain access to the basic amenity of a toilet. Mehra was speaking at an event for Yuva Unstoppable, a non-profit organisation with which he has been associated for two years, which works to provide toilets in schools in various parts of India. The filmmaker said that he felt it was important to raise awareness of the issue and he would like to tackle it in a film. Mehra said he was inspired by an incident in a slum, when children showed him the poor sanitary conditions they had to put up with and told him how they wished for a better life. Mehra's next film Mirzya is due out in India on October 7. – IANS
Film to focus on serial-killer hunt in Boston
A new movie will revisit one of America's most notorious serial-killer cases, and the bizarre involvement of a man who claimed he had psychic powers that could help the police. Stranglehold will tell the story of the Boston Strangler Task Force, a special unit assembled to capture the man behind nearly a dozen unsolved murders of women between 1962 and 1964. Writer-director Barry L Levy, who grew up hearing about Strangler, said a news article about Peter Hurkos, an enigmatic Dutch-born psychic who helped investigators search for clues, rekindled his interest. The film will be the latest in a string of film projects focusing on high-profile Boston crimes and criminals. Last year's Black Mass told the story of notorious gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, while Mark Wahlberg's Patriots Day, about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, will open in December in Boston and nationwide in January. Stronger, in which Jake Gyllenhaal plays marathon-bombing victim Jeff Bauman, is also due out next year. – AP
