Film Bird bites: Dev Patel, Sir Ben Kingsley, Humayun Saeed, and Sidney Poitier doc…

By Mamie Colfox

Sir Ben Kingsley and Dev Patel to star in Wes Anderson’s next film

STARS Dev Patel and Sir Ben Kingsley (pictured below left to right respectively) are set to feature in a new screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s collection of stories, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More’.
The book is based around the character of Henry Sugar and the adventures that commence when the book he steals shows him how to see through objects and predict the future.
Other actors starring in the movie include Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes. It is unclear which role Patel will play, but it has been confirmed that Cumberbatch will play Sugar as well as multiple roles throughout the film that link the stories.

Written by Wes Anderson and set to be directed him, shooting will begin this month. In 2021, Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company, meaning they have access to the writer’s entire catalogue, with Anderson previously adapting another Dahl favourite, ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ as animation feature in 2009.
Patel’s last big film ‘The Green Knight’, was released in July 2021 and was based around the poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’, a well-known King Arthur legend. Patel received rave reviews and some critics thought it was among the best releases of last year. Sarita Choudhury, who can currently be seen in episodes of the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot, ‘And Just Like That’ on Sky Comedy in the UK, plays Patel’s mother in the Green Knight film. This film is available to rent online. Patel memorably starred in ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ by Armando Iannucci in 2019 and for which acv interviewed him ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Sir Ben recently reprised his character as Trevor Slattery in the Marvel film ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, which was released in September 2021.

Pakistan thrill to actor who will play Dr Hasnat Khan in Netflix smash

THERE have been warm reactions to the news that Pakistani star Humayun Saeed has been cast as Dr Hasnat Khan in Netflix global smash,‘The Crown’. He will play the debonair doctor who won the heart of Princess Diana – who will be played by Hollywood star Elizabeth Debicki – and worked in the Royal Brompton Hospital in London at the time. Dr Khan and Diana were reported to have been in a relationship between 1995-97. There was much media speculation at that time about how close the pair were. It was said that Princess Di was considering marriage and settling with Dr Khan in Pakistan.
Mahira Khan, who is one of Pakistan’s best known actors and whom acv interviewed in Cannes when she debuted there as an ambassador for cosmetics brand, L’Oreal in 2018, was among those who took to Twitter to congratulate Saeed. He is understood to be the first Pakistani actor to star in a major Netflix series.
Saeed made his big screen debut in 1999, and later produced two television series ‘Moorat’ and ‘Riyasat’. From 2010 onwards he focussed on films, appearing in such titles as the widely acclaimed ‘Bin Roye’ in 2015 and ‘Loafer’ in 2020, before receiving a prestigious Pride of Performance Award from the President of Pakistan.

Sidney Poitier documentary work to continue

APPLE TV and Oprah Winfrey are set to produce a documentary about Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier, after his death was announced late on Thursday, January 6, aged 94.
He had been part of the programme but the producers said they would complete the documentary despite the tragedy.
Of Bahamian American descent, Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor in 1964, for ‘Guess, Who’s Coming to Dinner’ and the documentary will look at his life both in front of and away from the camera. It is set to be released in either 2022/2023, with Oprah Winfrey executive producing it and Reggie Hudlin directing.
As well as being an actor, Poitier was politically active, helping underrepresented groups and did much to raise awareness about discrimination and disadvantage, both on screen and away from it. His 1967 film, ‘To Sir, with Love’ which recounted the tale of one of the first black teachers to work in a London school was shot in the UK and was based on the story of ER Braithwaite and the original book was turned into a stage play in 2013 by East is East writer, Ayub Khan Din.