New Series Alert: Revenge, Wild Wild Revenge Coming Soon To Novela E Plus

Novelas E Plus, a general entertainment channel home to various English dubbed telenovelas from Turkey, Phillipines and Mexico will soon be launching a brand new drama titled Revenge, Wild Wild Revenge (La Vida Lena).

Despite being the subject of bullying and discrimination because of the big scar on her face, Magda refuses to let criticisms get to her and strives hard to secure a comfortable life for her family. Using her skills and intelligence, she hits the jackpot when the soap she created quickly gains popularity in the town of Salvacion. However, the young lady's success does not sit well with the Narciso family, the owners of Royal Wellness, the biggest surgical and cosmetic company in the country. When Magda refuses to sell her formula to the Narcisos due to their contrasting views, a string of bad luck comes her way. Losing everything dear to her, Magda returns with a new face, armed with determination to retaliate against the powerful clan who ruined her life.

Revenge, Wild Wild Revenge stars Erich Gonzales as Magdalena "Magda / Lena" Mendoza Narciso-Cabrera, Carlo Aquino as Jordan A. Cabrera, JC de Vera as Adrian R. Narciso /Adrian R. Suarez, Kit Thompson as Miguel Villaricaz, Agot Isidro as Vanessa Rubio-Narciso, Raymond Bagatsing as Lukas Narciso and Janice de Belen as Ramona Joaquin.

The series was produced by Dreamscape Entertainment home to various Phillipine dramas already viewed in South Africa such as Doble Kara, Asintado, The Blood Sisters, Love Thy Woman, Walang Hanggang Paalam, The General's Daughter and Parasite Island.

La Vida Lena is scheduled to be released in the coming months on Novelas E Plus.

The Amazing World Of Gumball: The Movie, Batman: Caped Crusader, Steve Urkel Revival And More Not Moving Forward On Cartoon Network And HBO Max

As reported by sources, six animated projects have been dropped by HBO Max, among them an animated movie based on the Cartoon Network series The Amazing World of Gumball from series creator Ben Bocquelet and Shane Mack and a holiday movie about a young Damian Wayne directed by Mike Roth and written by Morgan Evans. While the projects, most of them from Warner Bros. Animation, will no longer stream on HBO Max, all six of them are being shopped to other outlets.

Based on the original Cartoon Network series of the same name, The Amazing World of Gumball Movie was announced in February 2021. The film is intended to serve as a bridge between the original series, which ran for six seasons on Cartoon Network between 2011 and 2016, and a new series for HBO Max titled Amazing World of Gumball: The Series. At the time of writing, the new series is still intended to premiere on HBO Max.

The other projects dropped by HBO Max include
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, written by Kevin Costello; Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical , with screenplay and lyrics from Ariel Dumas; Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story, an animated musical holiday special from Wyatt Cenec with Jaleel White reprising his Family Matters role; and Batman: Caped Crusader from Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm.

This is another development in a long line of cuts on HBO Max, which recently removed 36 titles from its streaming catalog. According to a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery, this decision was a result of the plans to merge HBO Max and Discovery+. "As we work toward bringing our content catalogs together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and discovery+...That will include the removal of some content from both platforms," HBO Max wrote in a statement.

The merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery in April has resulted in several changes to the company, including layoffs, the removal of Warner Bros. titles from the streaming service and the cancelation of upcoming HBO Max exclusives like Batgirl. However, Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav has revealed plans to expand HBO Max's content library overall, with a focus on increased "content" and overall "quality."

"Quality is what [Chief Content Officer] Casey [Bloys] and that team is delivering," Zaslav said. "It’s the best team in the business. We’re doubling down on that HBO team. They’re all committed under contract and we’re going to spend dramatically more this year and next year than we spent last year in the year before."

 

Adult Swim Unleashes Global Rick And Morty Fan Experience: #Wormageddon!

Leading into the season six premiere of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, fans around the world are invited to participate in an immersive adventure that brings to life the two-time Emmy® Award-winning animated hit comedy series. #WORMAGEDDON is a global ‘living episode’ and treasure hunt that features 14 unique and immersive scenes that bridge the events from the season five finale episode with the recently announced season six premiere.

The first activation was unveiled on Saturday, 20 August, in Mexico City, with a global treasure hunt to find more #WORMAGEDDON scenes kicking off today. Reaching every continent except Antarctica, spectacular new custom scenes will unfold nearly every day until #WORMAGEDDON concludes with the season six global premiere of Rick and Morty starting on Sunday, 4 September at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim.

Facing a threat of complete global destruction, the heroes and anti-heroes of Rick and Morty will team up against #WORMAGEDDON.  Between the destruction of the Citadel of Ricks at the end of season five and the beginning of season six, a new threat lands on Earth in the form of a mysterious alien worm that aims to take over the planet.

Featuring 14 custom scenes that showcase the worm’s destructive path and featuring fan-favourite Rick and Morty characters, starting on Monday, 22 August, fans are invited to join the hunt and unlock clues to discover the nine hidden locations in countries around the world. The first fan to find each hidden location in person will be rewarded on the spot with a life-size golden ‘Rick’ head.  Fans can get details and rules on how to participate in the global treasure hunt here.

Today marks the debut of the first custom scene in Casa de Cultura Jesús Reyes Heroles, Coyoacán in Mexico City. This massive build stands 13 feet tall, 12 feet wide, and 14 feet long and depicts Rick and Morty characters, Beth Smith and Supernova, in the fight of their lives to save Earth.

“To celebrate the new season, we are inviting fans around the globe to take part in an immersive experience that allows them to go on a real-life Rick and Morty adventure,” said Tricia Melton, Chief Marketing Officer for Warner Bros. Discovery Kids, Young Adults and Classics group. “Our world is being invaded by alien space worms so menacing that #WORMAGEDDON has been declared on nearly every continent. The first fan to find the hidden battle scenes around the world will nab a golden Rick head, clearly one of the most collectable items in the universe.”

To set the stage for this new adventure, Adult Swim debuted a series of custom animated shorts about the origins of this dangerous alien invasion. Beginning with A Citadel Secret revealed at the Rick and Morty panel at the Adult Swim Festival  Block Party on 6 August, followed by A Journey to Earth released on August 17, Saturday marked the debut of Threat Level: Wormageddon in which Rick is alerted about #WORMAGEDDON and enlists others to join him in the battle against the massive alien monster.

Fans can follow along as the beloved characters from Rick and Morty battle to save Earth from #WORMAGEDDON by visiting the show’s official social channels and on RickandMorty.com.

Rick and Morty was the #1 comedy across all US cable in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Since its launch, Rick and Morty has ranked as one of the top series for HBO Max, both domestically and globally. Lifetime to date, Rick and Morty has been viewed over 10B times globally across linear, digital, and streaming platforms.

Details of where Rick and Morty enthusiasts across southern Africa can catch the new season of the Emmy-winning animated comedy series will be announced shortly – watch this space!

Notes:
·        #WORMAGEDDON is a global ‘living episode’ and treasure hunt that bridges the events from the season five finale episode to the season six premiere
·        Story: Between the destruction of the Citadel of Ricks at the end of season five and the beginning of season six, a new threat lands on planet Earth in the form of a mysterious alien worm that aims to take over. Facing a threat of complete global destruction, the heroes and anti-heroes of Rick and Morty will team up against #WORMAGEDDON. 
·        #WORMAGEDDON features 14 unique and immersive scenes that showcase the worm’s destructive path and feature Rick and Morty characters.
·        Nine locations are hidden in countries around the world, and fans are invited to find them via a social treasure hunt.
·        #WORMAGEDDON scenes will reach every continent except Antarctica.
·        The first activation was unveiled on Saturday, 20 August, in Casa de Cultura Jesús Reyes Heroles, Coyoacán in Mexico City and features Beth Smith and Supernova fighting the alien worm.
·        A global treasure hunt to find more #WORMAGEDDON scenes kicks off today, Monday, 22 August.
·        The first fan to discover these ‘hidden’ scenes will receive a life-size golden ‘Rick’ head.
·        Adult Swim is debuting a series of custom animated shorts about the origins of this dangerous alien invasion.
·        Fans can follow along as the beloved characters from Rick and Morty battle to save Earth from #WORMAGEDDON by visiting the show’s official social channels and on RickandMorty.com.

 

The Umbrella Men To Be Screened In Toronto International Film Festival Next Month

The cast of John Barker's 'The Umbrella Men', a South African crime comedy that will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

The cast of John Barker's 'The Umbrella Men', a South African crime comedy that will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

John Barker’s 15-year labour of love is heading to the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada next month.

The film, The Umbrella Men, is the director’s fifth feature film. It premiered on eTV’s streaming platform Evod in June.

“Toronto was such a long shot, but we submitted it anyway and I’m so happy that it’s been selected. This is great for South Africa, I’m so proud and honoured that we got in,” Barker said.

The comedy heist film is about a group of musicians who are forced to rob a bank during the annual Cape Town Minstrel Carnival to save their nightclub.

After returning to the city for his estranged father’s funeral, musician Jerome Adams, played by Jaques de Silva, finds out that his father bequeathed him his “Ghoema Club” and minstrel troupe, The Umbrella Men.

A dodgy deal engineered by family rival Tariq Cupido, played by Abduraghman Adams, means Jerome has two weeks to repay the club’s bank debt or risk repossession. Using the carnival as a cover when thousands of people take to the streets, Jerome decides to rob the bank.

The Umbrella Men was filmed in Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, regarded as the home of the Kaapse Klopse or Cape minstrels. Through the film Barker shares his fascination with the culture and authentically depicts a marginalised, often misrepresented people.

For many who find themselves in the city during the end-of-year holiday, attending the Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year) or Cape Town Minstrel Carnival is quite the event. The parade takes place every year on January 2 and sees thousands of “klopse” take to the streets in colourful and extravagant attire.

With faces painted, they march through the streets singing and dancing to the ghoema (hand drum) and instruments such as tambourines, trumpets and banjos.

For Barker, the international exposure is validation for a project dear to his heart and an opportunity to share this unique culture.

“This is a huge international festival and the eyeballs on the film will be great exposure for the film and the actors. I’m also excited for the Bo-Kaap community and the minstrels to be seen around the world,” he said.

The film festival runs from September 8 to 18 and attracts more than 400,000 people annually. The Umbrella Men is scheduled for two press and four public screenings.

Credits: Leonie Wagner, Timeslive

New Series Alert: Eureka Coming Soon To Disney Junior Africa Alongside A Brand New Season Of Raven's Home On Disney Channel Africa - September 2022 Highlights (Drafted Version)

Disney Channel:

Amphibia
Weekdays from 5 September at 17:50
In the final season, Anne and the Plantars are transported to Anne's home in the suburbs of East Los Angeles. Anne must now help the frog family adjust to the human world and keep their identities a secret while searching for a way to return to Amphibia and stop Andrias's invasion of the Multiverse.

Raven's Home S5
Weekdays from 13 September at 17:00
In the fifth season, Raven and Booker temporarily relocate to Raven's hometown of San Francisco to care for Raven's father Victor after he suffers a mild heart attack. While Raven tries to get her father back in shape, Booker must navigate his mother's old school with the help of some new friends and his younger cousin Alice.

Disney Junior:

PJ Masks
Weekdays from 5 September at 10:00
Amaya, Greg, and Connor become the superhero team PJ Masks when night falls in order to fight enemies and rivals such as Romeo, Luna Girl, Night Ninja, The Wolfy Kids, Motsuki, Octobella, Pharaoh Boy, Munki-gu, Orticia, Pirate Robot, and The Speedy Twins to keep them from ruining people's days. Amaya becomes Owlette (an owl), Greg becomes Gekko (a lizard), and Connor becomes Catboy (a cat).

Eureka
Weekends from 10 September at 12:00
Set in the Stone Age within the location of Rocky Falls, the series follows the eponymous girl Eureka who enjoys going on adventures and building gadgets.