‘Rainbow Brite’ Movie and TV Show Reboot in the Works

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

As the beloved character celebrates its 40th anniversary, Rainbow Brite is preparing for a comeback through a collaborative effort between Crayola Studios and Hallmark. The partnership aims to “bring Rainbow Brite’s themes to a new audience of kids while still retaining the brand’s values and elements” while “empowering and inspiring its next generation of fans to make the world a more caring, colorful and hopeful place,” per License Global.

The ambitious revival brings together industry powerhouses, with Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher, the creative forces behind blockbuster franchises like Fast & Furious and Sonic the Hedgehog, spearheading the theatrical production. Meanwhile, CAKE Entertainment has taken the helm of the television series development, promising to infuse the property with “contemporary appeal.”

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For those unfamiliar with the original property, Rainbow Brite first emerged from Hallmark Cards in 1984. The animated series chronicled the adventures of “a young girl named Wisp who is transported into a dull and desolate land and must bring color to the fictional world.

After she locates the Color Belt and rescues the Color Kids from the King of Shadows, Wisp is renamed Rainbow Brite as she embarks on her vibrant adventure,” according to Variety. The franchise’s initial success led to a theatrical release, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, distributed by Warner Bros. in 1985. A brief revival occurred in 2014 with a three-part miniseries on Hallmark‘s streaming platform, Feeln.

The new television adaptation promises to transport viewers to an enchanted realm while emphasizing timeless themes. According to the official series description, “Rainbow Brite, a friend, hero, role model and creative inspiration who brings all the colors of the rainbow to the universe, is transported to a dark and gloomy place with a mission to bring color, light and happiness to the world.” The reimagined series will emphasize “themes of friendship, teamwork and the power of color and optimism to overcome darkness and negativity,” via License Global.

Victoria Lozano, executive vice president of Crayola, expressed enthusiasm about the project’s scope: “Working alongside Hallmark, Original Film and CAKE, our large-scale plans for Rainbow Brite across film, TV and beyond demonstrates Crayola Studios’ broad ambitions. The reimagining of this iconic brand through the Crayola lens of color and creativity is aligned with our mission to develop joyful and inspiring family entertainment content that helps develop lifelong creative mindsets.”

The collaboration leverages Crayola Studio’s expertise in “creating content that explores the limitless possibilities of children’s creativity by leveraging color as an intrinsic element of the story” combined with “Hallmark’s strength as a leading producer of feel-good family entertainment content.”

Sabrina Wiewe, executive vice president and chief culture and strategy officer at Hallmark, highlighted the timing of this renaissance: “In this milestone year for Rainbow Brite, we are thrilled to be working with Crayola Studios, CAKE and Original Film on this vivid reimagining of the beloved brand. It has proved its appeal over the past 40 years, and we can’t wait to strengthen connections with loyal fans and introduce a new generation to the dazzling world of color and imagination,” per License Global.

Producer Neal H. Moritz shared his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “We’re so excited to partner with Crayola Studios and Hallmark on Rainbow Brite and can’t wait to bring an exciting new franchise to audiences worldwide.”

CAKE’s CEO Ed Galton expressed similar sentiment about the collaboration: “We’re thrilled to once again collaborate with Crayola Studios and Hallmark, to breathe new life into Rainbow Brite. The opportunity to reimagine such a beloved and iconic brand is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to bring its color, magic, and optimism to a new generation of fans around the world.”

The revival extends beyond screen adaptations, as Crayola Properties will oversee licensing and merchandising for the reimagined franchise. According to License Global, the negotiations with Original Film and CAKE were led by Crayola Studios in partnership with “leading brand builder and children’s entertainment executive Rick Glankler from Goatfish.”

BRICS exploring creation of new currency by leveraging blockchain technology

Technology

The combined image shows a Bitcoin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. — Reuters/FileThe BRICS nations, originally comprising  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are exploring the options to establish a new reserve currency, leveraging blockchain technology to store and transfer digital tokens, supported by a basket of their respective currencies.Russia is seeking to convince BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions when it hosts the group’s leaders at a summit next week, Reuters reported.
This, in turn, would then allow those currencies to be easily and securely exchanged, bypassing the need for dollar transactions. Russia sees it as a way to resolve increasing problems in settling trade payments, even with friendly countries such as China, where local banks fear they could be hit by secondary sanctions by the United States.According to Nasdaq.com, some experts believe BRICS currency is not feasible, as it would unite countries with very different economies. There are also concerns that non-Chinese members might increase their dependence on China’s yuan instead, it added.It is also worth noting that the bloc has discussed the potential launch of a Yuan-backed stablecoin as well, which will further streamline cross-border transactions.This switch is part of BRICS’ broader strategy, which seeks to reduce dependence on the US dollar in international trade as well as bolster economic cooperation among emerging markets. Additionally, Putin highlighted that new economic opportunities will be created by integrating digital currencies not only for BRICS nations but also for other developing economies. This will position the initiative as a catalyst for global growth, according to the Russian president.The influence of the bloc continues to grow, with recent expansions including countries like Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). BRICS is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of global finance with over 30 other nations showing interest in closer ties.

BRICS exploring creation of new currency by leveraging blockchain technology

Technology

The combined image shows a Bitcoin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. — Reuters/FileThe BRICS nations, originally comprising  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are exploring the options to establish a new reserve currency, leveraging blockchain technology to store and transfer digital tokens, supported by a basket of their respective currencies.Russia is seeking to convince BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions when it hosts the group’s leaders at a summit next week, Reuters reported.
This, in turn, would then allow those currencies to be easily and securely exchanged, bypassing the need for dollar transactions. Russia sees it as a way to resolve increasing problems in settling trade payments, even with friendly countries such as China, where local banks fear they could be hit by secondary sanctions by the United States.According to Nasdaq.com, some experts believe BRICS currency is not feasible, as it would unite countries with very different economies. There are also concerns that non-Chinese members might increase their dependence on China’s yuan instead, it added.It is also worth noting that the bloc has discussed the potential launch of a Yuan-backed stablecoin as well, which will further streamline cross-border transactions.This switch is part of BRICS’ broader strategy, which seeks to reduce dependence on the US dollar in international trade as well as bolster economic cooperation among emerging markets. Additionally, Putin highlighted that new economic opportunities will be created by integrating digital currencies not only for BRICS nations but also for other developing economies. This will position the initiative as a catalyst for global growth, according to the Russian president.The influence of the bloc continues to grow, with recent expansions including countries like Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). BRICS is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of global finance with over 30 other nations showing interest in closer ties.

India’s most expensive film had 3 superstars, 2 crew members died, producer was arrested, still became highest-grosser

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Madhuri Dixit, Devdas was the most expensive Indian film when it was made in 2002. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial went on to become the highest-grossing Indian movie of the year.The 2002 period romantic drama Devdas featured three superstars Shah Rukh Khan as a young man Devdas from a wealthy Bengali family, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as his childhood love Paro, and Madhuri Dixit as a courtesan named Chandramukhi. It is the third Bollywood remake of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 Bengali novel of the same name. While the first Devdas adaptation was released in 1936 and starred KL Saigal, Jamuna Barua, and Rajkumari, the second one hit theatres in 1955 and featured Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, and Vyjayanthimala.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial was made with a massive budget of Rs 50 crore, which made Devdas the most expensive Indian film ever made at that time. Devdas began production in November 1999. During its making, the film was delayed several times due to different reasons. First, the producer Bharat Shah was arrested by the Mumbai police when it was alleged that he had taken money from the underworld to finance the film. Then, its huge set got burnt set thrice, and in two seprate accidents, two crew members also died on the sets. Finally, after more than two and a half years, Devdas was premiere at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival on May 23, and had its worldwide release on July 12.

Devdas, which also starred Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, Manoj Joshi, and Vijayendra Ghatge in supporting roles, received rave reviews from the audiences and critics for its brilliant direction, powerful performances, stunning cinematography, mesmerising music, and amazing choregraphy. It went on to become a massive blockbuster earning Rs 168 crore at the global box office, and became the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.

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Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit-starrer also won five National Film Awards for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Female Playback Singer to Shreya Ghoshal for Bairi Piya, Best Production Design to Nitin Chandrakant Desai, Best Costume Deign to Neeta Lulla, Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Reza Shariffi, and Best Choreography to Saroj Khan for Dola Re Dola. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial was also sent to the Oscars as India’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, but failed to be nominated among the final five. READ | Meet Saira Ali who did semi-nude scenes in debut film, gave hits with Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, her screen name is…The DNA app is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Please download the app and share your feedback with us.

Mimecast Welcomes Tech Executive to its Board of Directors

Technology

Amol Kulkarni has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Mimecast, with effect from October 1, 2024
Kulkarni is a seasoned technology leader and advisor who has spent more than 20 years with Microsoft and, most recently, CrowdStrike, where he served as chief product and engineering officer. During Kulkarni’s tenure, the organization’s yearly recurring revenue increased from less than $10 million to $3 billion. In addition to his nomination to the Mimecast board, Kulkarni is a senior advisor at Permira and a director at Dynatrace and JumpCloud.
“Amol’s expertise and leadership have driven the explosive growth of many global technology organizations. His counsel will be invaluable to Mimecast, and I couldn’t be prouder to count him among our board members,” said Mimecast CEO Marc van Zadelhoff. “We’ve entered a new era at Mimecast and Amol’s experience leading product innovation and implementation will make an indelible impact on our strategy to forge the future of Human Risk Management.”
Amol Kulkarni
“I join the Mimecast Board of Directors with tremendous enthusiasm,” said Kulkarni. “The company has a history of innovation in cybersecurity and has made incredible strides at a rapid pace toward preventing the vulnerabilities that occur at the intersection of humans and technology. Between the launch of its connected Human Risk Management platform and three strategic acquisitions, Elevate, Code42, and Aware, Mimecast is helping to solve complex problems and setting standards of excellence in its approach to innovation in critical areas like artificial intelligence. I’m excited to work with the executive team to build on the company’s strong foundation, adding critical capabilities to its platform and further increasing its leadership position.”
Kulkarni earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pune, a Master of Technology in Energy Systems Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Greenland to open a new international airport aimed at attracting more tourists

Travel

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreGreenland is set to open a new international airport next month, aiming to entice more adventure tourists and visitors to the ice-capped territory by making it more accessible.From 28 November, visitors to Greenland’s capital Nuuk will be able to get a direct flight to the city for the very first time, via jetplane from Copenhagen, Denmark.The new airport marks the beginning of a series of openings, with two other airports in Ilulissat and Qaqortoq, in South Greenland, opening by 2026 which will allow visitors to reach either side of the country within an hour and a half.Routes have already been scheduled from Nuuk to Copenhagen this winter, with five weekly flights available, which will increase to six during the holiday season and peaking at eight in the summer.Visit Greenland, the territory’s tourist board says the new airports will be more frequent and cost-effective than its current routes, as well as making the country increasingly accessible for adventure tourists and explorers to their dramatic natural landscapes.A Dash 8 airplane from Air Greenland on the tarmac of new runway in Nuuk, Greenland