ALISON BOSHOFF: Harry Potter will get $2bn bonanza with TEN new sequence

That’s wizard, Harry! Britain is to get a $2 billion Harry Potter bonanza, as Warner Bros will movie TEN sequence — at its studios in Leavesden, Herts — of a brand new TV present about ‘the boy who lived’.

Production plans for the undertaking, which will probably be based mostly on the seven beloved books by J. Ok. Rowling, are but to be formally introduced. However, this week sources point out they absolutely count on the Potter reveals to be filmed within the UK, with British artistic and technical expertise entrance and centre.

The finances is alleged to be round $200 million per sequence, which brings it into line with House Of The Dragon, additionally filmed on the Warner Bros lot.

The firm confirmed plans for the sequence in April final yr and indicated it wish to be underway with filming later this yr or early subsequent, so long as it might choose scripts and casting pretty quickly.

The plan is to provide ten consecutive years of Harry Potter TV reveals.

At the second, there are a selection of writers in rivalry for the plum job. They have reportedly been requested to current their visions of the reimagined story of the boy wizard to executives, together with Rowling herself.

The front-runner is British Succession and Killing Eve author and producer Francesca Gardiner, who was additionally an government producer on the BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials.

Executive Casey Bloys guarantees that the brand new sequence will probably be a ‘devoted adaptation’ which can ‘dive deep into every of the enduring books that followers have continued to take pleasure in for all of those years’.

Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav — stung by a string of huge finances disappointments akin to The Flash, Blue Beetle and Black Adam — mentioned final yr: ‘We have not accomplished something with Harry Potter for greater than a decade,’ including that the Potter, Lord Of The Rings and DC Comics franchises might spark some magic on the field workplace. Zaslav mentioned: ‘When you place these franchises in, it is the best-performing studio on the earth. We must deploy our greatest capital with the very best artistic individuals on the earth.’

The movies of the Potter books had been, in fact, phenomenally profitable, grossing practically $8 billion worldwide and making stars of their younger leads — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — in addition to boosting the coffers of a bunch of established expertise together with Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Dame Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Richard Harris. The books have bought 600 million copies globally.

Rowling and agent Neil Blair will probably be government producers of the TV sequence through their Bronte Film and TV firm.

Casting will observe the appointment of a lead author, with Warner Bros TV saying the trickiest half will probably be discovering the kids to play the characters, aged 11 and 12, within the preliminary years.

It was introduced in September that the studios in Leavesden are to broaden, including 400,000 sq ft. There will probably be ten new sound levels, growing capability by 50 per cent. Work is predicted to be full in 2027 and the studios will probably be residence not simply to Potter, but additionally to additional iterations of the DC Universe and the much-anticipated sequel to The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, which matches into manufacturing quickly.

Beckham underneath the covers 

The Beckhams — or at the very least their attorneys — may have loads of studying to do that yr. Feared biographer Tom Bower has spent the previous yr toiling on what is seemingly an enchanting untold story behind the success of Brand Beckham. It will come out this summer time.

There may even be a e-book by Alan Edwards, who sorted all of the Spice Girls on the top of their success and was David’s publicist, too. Edwards’s e-book, titled I Was There, is being revealed by Simon & Schuster in June. In addition to the Beckhams, it can cowl his time working with David Bowie and The Who.

Edwards tells me that the title was given to him by legendary adman John Hegarty throughout a lunch on the Groucho Club. ‘John instructed me that if ever I used to be to write down a e-book then I ought to name it I Was There. I wrote it down on a serviette and put it in my pocket and he was proper — it’s the finest title.’

Cara’s ‘part-time’ Cabaret debut

Life is a part-time Cabaret for Cara Delevingne. The supermodel, who’s making her West End debut as Sally Bowles within the hit musical on the Playhouse Theatre, will miss 22 performances in her 12-week run between March 11 and June 1.

Theatre sources point out it’s commonplace for the principle performers (taking part in Bowles and the Emcee) to get one efficiency per week off. (There can also be no efficiency on a Sunday.) The different ten absences are ‘pre-contractual’, which means that Delevingne agreed them earlier than signing on the dotted line.

My man within the stalls says: ‘It’s not unparalleled for giant stars to be fairly selective about the place and once they carry out in a long-running present due to prior commitments; and typically they may even take a break if they should defend their voice.

‘However that’s loads of dates, so that they will need to have needed her fairly badly.’

Sources near the manufacturing say: ‘We at all times give our Sally Bowles one efficiency off per week. It is a demanding function. The different absences have been agreed prematurely.’ 

Delevingne has made quite a few movies, during which her performing has not at all times been well-received. Luc Besson’s Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets acquired a raspberry; as did 2016’s Suicide Squad during which she performed Enchantress.

Afterwards she complained: ‘The critics have been completely horrific; they’re actually, actually horrible. You know, I simply do not suppose they like superhero motion pictures.’

She is, nevertheless, an completed vocalist and stored up with Alanis Morissette in a duet of You Oughta Know on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke.

Will Snoop the canine be on the Oscars? 

Anatomy of a Fall is a rank outsider within the Oscars race (solely Scorsese’s lethally prolonged Killers Of The Flower Moon is much less fancied by the bookies to scoop Best Picture). However, the drama does have a secret weapon, Snoop the canine — a canine actor known as Messi — who’s being deployed in any respect the most important occasions.

This week border collie Messi was an enormous hit on the Nominees Lunch, assembly Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling and even taking part in useless (his trick within the movie) for Emma Stone. He wore a blue bow tie and was flown in by the Neon studio from his residence in France.

In Justine Triet’s French courtroom drama, writer Sandra Voyter faces trial for her husband’s dying. Her partially-sighted son Daniel and his canine show key to uncovering whether or not she did it or not. Messi is owned by veteran canine coach Laura Martin Contini, who says: ‘Messi is the very best canine on the earth, so clever and learns so rapidly, and I really feel very fortunate.’

Back in 2011, Uggie, the Parson Russell Terrier, had a triumphant Oscars marketing campaign with The Artist, which carried off the highest award. But sadly a re-run seems to be unlikely.

Florence takes off the Tiffany in favour of edgy London bling 

Fearless Florence Pugh cares little for conference. The actress, who is among the well-paid celeb ‘ambassadors’ for Tiffany, shocked some by sporting plenty of jewelry, by designer Shaun Leane, on the world premiere of Dune: Part Two in Mexico final week. And she did the identical at a photocall for the movie in London on Wednesday. 

Pugh, 28, wore a particular Shaun Leane Quill choker and matching bracelet in London, plus an assortment of Hook and Sabre earrings and Arc rings by the British designer. In Mexico, she wore Leane’s Sabre Fine earrings, a Triple Armis ring and Sabre Deco Twist bangle. 

Ambassadors are anticipated to put on loaned jewelry on purple carpets, significantly on highprofile events — and Pugh has actually accomplished loads of plugging for Tiffany in latest months on social media, together with posting a few journey she took to Toyko to open its new retailer there, and sporting Tiffany to the Golden Globes final month. 

Jeweller Leane was an awesome favorite of the late Alexander McQueen and famously created a chainmail yashmak and coiled steel corset for his reveals years in the past. 

Spokespersons for Tiffany, Leane and Pugh all declined to remark.

Travolta makes a tweet of himself 

Pity poor John Travolta, who was mocked by the world after being pressured to hitch within the Birdy Song dance on the Sanremo music pageant in Italy final weekend.

The following day, Oscar-winner Russell Crowe attended the pageant and mocked Travolta’s strikes earlier than mouthing the phrases ‘What the f***?’ and laughing.

The broadcaster Rai has eliminated all traces of Travolta’s dance from its official channels however you’ll be able to nonetheless discover it on social media, if you happen to’re .

Conde Nasties (as sharp-tongued fashionistas had been dubbed) are nonetheless agog about that Vogue cowl which noticed outgoing British Vogue editor Edward Enninful assemble 40 feminine icons — together with Kate Moss, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. Apparently Ms Campbell’s hair and make-up invoice alone was ‘over £15,000’. 

My supply with a powder puff says that one thing in that ballpark can be ‘commonplace’ for the enduring supermodel, who works solely with the easiest, and provides that no cash may have gone to her. ‘These individuals are on an enormous day price, after which you need to add in journey bills,’ I’m instructed. 

Love’s younger dream is over for Sir Ian McKellen, 84, and Oscar Conlon-Morrey, 30. They met when Oscar performed his son Jack within the Mother Goose panto in 2023. 

Sadly, they’ve parted methods, with Conlon-Morrey now regaling his social media followers with tales of disastrous dates with potential new companions. Friends of McKellen at all times doubted he would calm down. 

David Tennant was moderately greatly surprised when he regarded within the mirror whereas filming the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s racy novel Rivals.

The Dr Who star mentioned: ‘Rivals has a VERY 80s really feel to it, so I’ve shoulder pads and this huge mane of luxurious black hair, which I assumed was going to make me appear like the French actor Louis Jourdan. Imagine my shock after I truly regarded similar to Terry Wogan!’

Tennant, who performs Lord Tony Baddington within the eight-part sequence, due out later this yr, provides: ‘It’s an awesome present to be part of, an actual deal with — a smorgasbord of Nineteen Eighties delights.’

The Scottish star is the host of the EE BAFTAs which will probably be proven on BBC One this Sunday from 7pm. It’s a tricky gig, however there’s optimism that he will probably be calmer than Richard E. Grant final yr, and funnier than Rebel Wilson in 2022.

Yoko Ono was sadly absent on the preview of her new present at Tate Modern, Music Of The Mind. Friends say that artist Yoko, John Lennon’s widow, is now not travelling internationally on account of poor well being. 

She turns 91 on Sunday and can spend the day at her farmhouse in upstate New York, celebrating with household and buddies. Last yr this column revealed that she had stop the Dakota constructing within the metropolis (outdoors which John was murdered) and moved completely to the countryside.