Lawyers for Porsche say Paul Walker was to blame for own death

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Lawyers for German automaker Porsche said actor Paul Walker was responsible for his own death in a crash of a Porsche sports car. The announcement came in response to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the former Fast and the Furious star's daughter, Meadow Walker.

In November 2013, Walker was a passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by friend Roger Rodas when the vehicle crashed into trees in Santa Clarita, north-west of Los Angeles, killing both men.

After a four-month investigation, Los Angeles officials said the crash was caused by excessive speed and not mechanical failure.

Lawyers for Porsche said Walker had “knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils and danger” of the 2005 Carrera GT, and that the car, owned by Rodas, had been “abused and altered,” and “was misused and improperly maintained. That abuse and alteration proximately caused or contributed to the incident and to Mr. Walker’s death.” – Reuters

Fast and the Furious spin-offs in the works

The makers of the Fast and the Furious movies are planning spin-offs and prequels for the car-racing series.

Development is still in the early stages, but star Vin Diesel says producers are keen to extend the action-thrillers beyond seven movies released so far. Furious 7, which was released this year, was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi and become the highest-earning film in the series.

“We’ve written out storylines for various characters. We’ve been playing with it for a long time. It’s a very rich property and we’re committed to treating it with a lot of class,” Diesel told variety.com.

Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley confirmed that discussions were taking place about how to broaden the’ reach of the series.

“We’re certainly in conversations about how we can expand the franchise now. It’s an ensemble cast and there’s room to bring characters in and out,” said Langley. – IANS

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 star of London exhibition

James Bond's Aston Martin DB10 from the film Spectre is the newest addition to an exhibition in London featuring the iconic cars from the movie.

“It’s the first time we’ve been able to have a live exhibition during the theatrical launch of a film, so we’re hugely excited,” said Jonathan Sands, the founder and chief executive of the London Film Museum, which is curating the exhibition.

Bond in Motion – The Cars of Spectre, also features cars driven by villains, including Mr. Hinx's Jaguar C-X75 and Franz Oberhauser's Rolls-Royce Wraith. The exhibition includes more than 150 original artefacts spanning all 24 Bond films, from costumes to concept art and storyboards. For tickets, visit to www.londonfilmmuseum.com. – Reuters

Julia Roberts mines trauma in gritty new thriller

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts may be best known for her trademark big smile, but in her latest film, Secret in Their Eyes (in UAE cinemas from November 19), she taps into a much less glamorous side of herself to play a traumatised police officer. In the film, set for US release this week, Roberts plays Jess, a police officer who arrives at a murder scene to find out that the victim is her daughter. The discovery transforms her from an extroverted joker into a withdrawn, broken individual.

The role was "hugely difficult but really a great opportunity to show such a giant distance in the life of one person," says 48-year-old Roberts. "I don't think I've ever had a chance to cover so much time with one character." The film is a remake of the 2009 Argentine movie El Secreto de Sus Ojos, which won the best foreign film Oscar. – Reuters

Actress Sharmila Tagore calls for equal pay in Hindi film industry

Veteran Hindi actress Sharmila Tagore highlighted pay inequalities within the Hindi movie industry when she appeared at the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival.

“There is no parity. Male actors are still getting more and female actors are getting less, so that needs to change,” she said. “In my time, the difference was much more. In my time, we [women] definitely played a secondary role. Now the perception has changed.”

Citing examples of female-lead films including, Piku by director Shoojit Sircar and Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, the actress said that increasingly women were taking the starring roles and that the trend was set to continue.

“Things are changing and it will take time.” she said “We need not despair.” – IANS