Disney’s focus on live-action updates of its animated classics continues apace, with the news that I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie is in talks with the studio to take over the reins on Cruella.

The film will focus on the villain of 1961’s 101 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil, presumably in much the same way as the Sleeping Beauty-inspired Maleficent. Oscar-winner Emma Stone is set to take on the leading role as the fur-loving fashion queen who strikes fear into the heart of doggies everywhere.

This version is being pitched as an 80s-set origin story with punk-rock stylings, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Risky? Sure. But since Glenn Close has already played de Vil in 1996’s live-action 101 Dalmatians and its sequel (the imaginatively titled 102 Dalmatians), a radical new take on the character is probably a good idea. Probably.

The project has been on Disney’s slate for a while but recently hit a snag when original director Alex Timbers (a Broadway stalwart and one of the creators of Amazon series Mozart In The Jungle) had to drop out because of scheduling issues. It figures that Disney wants to build on the momentum for its big-screen reimaginings, though. The Angelina Jolie-starring Maleficent raked in over $750 million worldwide; next year, shiny new updates of Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King look set to do the same.

There’s no current release date for Cruella, but if Disney can lock in Gillespie, the production could move quickly. As well as his critically acclaimed ice-skater biopic I, Tonya, the Aussie director has also helmed the 2011 Fright Night remake and Disney’s sporting drama Million Dollar Arm, so it’s a safe bet he’s up to the task.

Of all the ways to spend half an hour on Christmas Day (dancing an impromptu quickstep with the dog as you remove the turkey from the oven, taking a breather in the loft under the guise of ‘looking for the big tray’, constructing a gravy-retaining wall around your dinner plate perimeter using mashed swede… all the classics) watching Zogon BBC One will be the loveliest.

Zog is an already lovely story, made lovelier here by Magic Light’s lovely animation. Yes, there is a broader range of descriptive vocabulary available, but Zog is a thing of perfectly spherical loveliness; it is lovely from every conceivable angle. 

Zog is the sixth BBC Christmas adaptation of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, followingThe Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room On The Broom, Stick Man and last year’s The Highway Rat, all made by the same team. This one comes directed by The Gruffalo and Room On The Broom’s Max Lang.

It’s the story of a young dragon—the biggest, if not the most capable in his class—who is eager to do well in his dragon studies and dreams of earning a gold star from his teacher. His frustrated attempts to achieve things that he hasn’t quite mastered (flying, roaring, breathing fire) are wholly relatable. Zog’s travails are as endearing on screen as they are on the page. 

We’re introduced to young Zog playing make-believe. In handsome CG animation, he imagines himself fully grown and achieving heroic draconic feats. Fighting a stick instead of a knight, Zog dreams of castles, princesses and deadly battles. When he chomps down on his stick opponent and ends up with a mouthful of splinters, it’s our first clue that heroic draconic feats might not quite be where Zog is heading. 

Elsewhere in the kingdom, a young girl is growing up also frustrated by her limitations. Unlike Zog, these aren’t related to age, but to class and gender. As a royal princess, Pearl is expected to spend her days flower arranging and embroidering cushions. What she wants to do is heal the sick as a doctor. 

Accident-prone Zog gives Pearl her first—and later, several further—opportunities to do just that. He gets into multiple slapstick scrapes that she kindly heals. A tentative friendship grows, and when Zog and his classmates are tasked with kidnapping their own princesses, Pearl jumps at the opportunity to escape her life of restriction and be his willing ‘captive’. (Zog breaks the bars from the tower door at the first opportunity. This fairy tale was written in 2010, so there’s no dodgy Beauty And The Beast stuff to be skated over here.) 

What follows is a story about overturning expectations, taking charge of your destiny and striking out on your own path instead of following the herd. (Is it a herd of dragons? A smaug? A flap?) 

Zog follows in the fairy tale-subverting footsteps of Shrekand Princess Smartypants by turning established convention on its head to tell a heart-warming modern story. Why should knights and dragons and princesses fit into the same dull niches? There must be a way for everybody to be fulfilled.

There is, and toppling stereotypes isn’t the only message here. There’s also a pacifist lesson about how generations-learned conflict is a big waste of energy. There’s plenty of it already in the world, and collaboration and tolerance gets more done. It’s a year-round message that always bears repeating.

The animation, CG styled endearingly to look like stop-motion, is a treat, as are the 3D versions of Axel Scheffler’s characters. The dragons are cosier, cuter and more colourful versions of Maurice Sendak’s wild things—there shouldn’t be any nightmares after this airs—and feel as though they have real weight. Pearl (voiced by Patsy Ferran) is less distinctive in both movement and design, but the overall impression is one of bouncing colour and dynamism. 

Sir Lenny Henry leads the voice cast as the narrator speaking in comforting rhyme, with help from W1Aand Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’s Hugh Skinner as Zog, with Tracey Ullman as Madame Dragon, and—in a cheeky bit of stunt casting—Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harington as dragon-fighting knight Sir Gadabout. 

With only half an hour to fill, there clearly wasn’t a need to develop more of the background characters, or expand the story to include a real villain or home lives. Zog’s classmates are mostly silent and we’re shown none of Pearl’s family, just her stern governess. It’s plenty for what’s required, and ensures that the story is kept streamlined and simple for very young audiences. 

Overall, it’s a delight. This recent BBC tradition of showing a Donaldson/Scheffler animation every Christmas? To quote Zog, what a good idea!

Next year’s Oscars ceremony finally has a host. Yep, the man bringing the funny to the 91st Academy Awards will be actor and comedian Kevin Hart.

Taking over from TV chat-show host Jimmy Kimmel, the Ride Along and Jumanji star will be presenting the awards for the first time – and will no doubt already be formulating some good-natured gags about Hollywood’s A-list attendees.

Hart announced the news via his Instagram account (see below). “I am so happy to say the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars,” he wrote in a clearly heartfelt post. “I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time.”

“I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now,” he added. Aw, bless.

After ditching the controversially mooted “best popular film” category, the Academy will be hoping Hart’s mass appeal can nudge the Oscars’ TV ratings back onto an upward trajectory. Viewing figures for last year’s event – which was criticised for “playing it safe” – dropped to an all-time low of 26.5 million.

View this post on Instagram

For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same…I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s suppose to. I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars. I am blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time….To be able to join the legendary list of host that have graced that stage is unbelievable. I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now. I want to thank my family/friends/fans for supporting me & riding with me all this time….I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one. I appreciate the @TheAcademy for the opportunity ….now it’s time to rise to the occasion #Oscars

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Dec 4, 2018 at 5:01pm PST

No pressure, then. Luckily, Hart seems up for the challenge. “I will be sure to make this year’s Oscars a special one,” he wrote. “Now it’s time to rise to the occasion.”

We’ll find out what Hart has in store when the event takes place on 24 February 2019. And as for the potential victims that are likely to become the butt of his jokes on the night, the nominations for the awards will be announced on 22 January.

When it comes time to buy something for a geek at Christmas, you can rarely go wrong with some high-quality merch pertaining to one of their favourite fandoms. Whether it’s an action figure, something buildable or a totally random product that’s been geeked up for no clear reason, nerdy collectibles are always a top choice throughout the festive season.

To give you a bit of inspiration, we’ve selected some of our favourite merch from around the web and plonked it into a Christmas gift guide for you. Read on to discover our picks, and feel free to click away at any point if you fancy making a purchase…

Legends Series Infinity Gauntlet

The ultimate gift for any Marvel fan, especially one that loved this year’s Avengers: Infinity War movie, this replica Infinity Gauntlet stands tall at 49-and-a-bit centimetres. It also has pulsating glow light effects and movie-inspired sound effects, and detailing so impressive that it would probably even trick Thanos. For extra fun, knock this gauntlet off its perch from time to time and shout “FAKE!” just like Hela from Thor: Ragnarok. 

Buy now from Amazon (£99)

R2-D2 measuring cups

If you’re after a handy set of measuring cups, this is the droid you’re looking for. This cute little R2-D2 figure breaks down into four cups (1/4, 1/2, 1/3 and 1 cup), making him the perfect pressie for a Star Wars fan that’s also into baking. His legs even come off and turn into spoons! Just don’t make any cakes that resemble an overweight glob of grease.

Buy now from Amazon (£18.99)

New nerd-friendly LEGO for 2018

2018 was a huge year for geeky LEGO sets: the new Hogwarts Castle set blew us away with its massiveness, the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon wowed us with its cool, James Bond’s Aston Martin became brick-based for the first time, and even Voltron got a LEGO adaptation (thanks to the fan-voted LEGO Ideas initiative). You can click any of those links, or this next one, to find out more.

Visit the LEGO Shop

Doctor Who merch aplenty

Doctor Who made its big return this year, and lots of snazzy merch has cropped up to mark Jodie Whittaker’s arrival in the TARDIS: there’s a replica Sonic Screwdriver, a cutesy Little Miss book, an impressive action figure, a detailed book about the show’s female characters, and even a Funko Pop Vinyl figure.

Buy the Sonic Screwdriver (£14.99)

Fab new Funkos for 2018

Speaking of Funkos, the purveyors of big-headed figures didn’t exactly slow down their output in 2018: the topless Jeff Goldblum Jurassic Park Funko has become something of a collector’s item, while Jurassic World 2’s Indoraptor and Chris Pratt figures are a bit more affordable; and the Infinity War range includes a smirking Thanos, Spidey in his Iron Spider costume, Bearded Captain America an awesome Hulkbuster figure.

Buy the Iron Spider Funko (£9.99)

All the Nifflers

If the Fantastic Beasts franchise floats your boat, you’ll be pleased to hear that a whole magic suitcase’s worth of Niffler merchandise is currently available to buy: there’s a collectors edition Niffler plush, a Funko Niffler keychain, a Newt’s Magical Case LEGO kit (featuring a tiny Niffler), a build-your-own Niffler book set, and even a Niffler coin purse which has a zip across its belly.

Buy the Niffler plush (£44.64)

Cool geeky clothing (and some Christmas clobber!)

We’ve always got our eyes peeled for awesome apparel, and there’s plenty to choose from at the moment: Merchoid has a whole range of knitted Christmas jumpers, including the beautiful Spider-Man one in the picture just there; Film Jackets has a shed load of movie-inspired overwear, including a gorgeous replica of Han Solo’s jacket from The Empire Strikes Back; and we’re always impressed by Last Exit To Nowhere’s designs, stuffed with logos and iconography from the movies, such as their touching tribute to the Nakatomi Plaza hostage situation from the festive favourite Die Hard.

Buy the Spider-Man Christmas jumper (£36.99)

Superb superhero figurines

If you can spare the shelf space, there are some excellent figurines and toys in the superhero realm right now. Ranging from the collectible (the DC Comics Designer Series Batman Statue, pictured, was designed by comics artist Andy Kubert) to the play-worthy (there are Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen figures ready for when audiences inevitably fall in love with Into The Spider-Verse), there is something for everyone on the market right now.

Buy the Batman Statue (£80.62)

Looking for something a bit more gamey? Well, we’ve got a whole other gift guide about the best gaming gifts!

Mission: Impossible – Fallout duo Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie posted an urgent message on Twitter last night from the set of Top Gun 2. Some late casting news, perhaps? Had a wild-eyed Kenny Loggins turned up to set with a fishing rod and a chicken? No, something far more urgent needed to be addressed: motion smoothing. The default setting on your telly that makes everything look like an episode of Eastenders needs to chuff off for good, and Cruise and McQuarrie want to play their part.

“If you own a modern high-definition television, there’s a good chance you’re not watching movies the way the filmmakers intended, and the ability for you to do so is not simple to access,” Cruise explained in the Public Service Announcement, before McQuarrie suggested ways that motion smoothing could be turned off.

Motion smoothing, occasionally referred to as ‘interpolation’ is supposed to be a cool option, according to manufacturers. It prevents blurring! Which is all well and good if you’re watching the footie, but not so great when you’re watching a film on an evening. Adding frames to the picture usually just ends up making you feel like you’re in a room with the actors, and not in a good way.

You can watch the full video below…

Cruise and McQuarrie aren’t the first people in the business we call show to long for the demise of motion smoothing – Christopher Nolan, Rian Johnson and Paul Thomas Anderson have all publicly wailed on the HDTV function in the past.

Twitter has already had a lot of fun responding to Cruise and McQuarrie’s plea, naturally…

As filming kicks off in Angoulême, more details on Wes Anderson’s next project are arriving. The director’s follow up to this year’s well received Isle Of Dogs will see him return to live action for a post-WWII tale with three central story strands.

Anderson is said to have settled on The French Dispatch as a title for his next offering, “a love letter to journalists set at an outpost of an American newspaper in 20th-century Paris”, with the main cast being Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, and busy boy Timothée Chalamet. Additionally, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, and Léa Seydoux are said to have roles, but their casting is rather more in the ‘rumours’ stage at the moment.

Meanwhile, Isle Of Dogs has made the first cut of films in the running for Best Visual Effects at the 91st Oscars, where it will have to contend with the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Incredibles 2 before 17th December, when the 20 films currently being considered for nomination will be stripped down to 10.

Source: IndieWire