Terminally ill Texas man granted wish to see Star Wars movie dies

Courtesy of A Pepsi Studios Production

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John Gibbins / U-T San Diego via AP file

A terminally ill Texas man and Star Wars fan who was granted his dying wish to see The Force Awakens film before it comes out in theatres has died, just a few days after viewing the movie, the man's wife said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Daniel Fleetwood, 31, afflicted with a form of cancer that spread to 90 per cent of his lungs, was able to watch an early cut of the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, due in theatres on December 18, his wife Ashley Fleetwood said on Facebook last week.

“Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now one with God and with the force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero,” she wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Fleetwood's wish to see The Force Awakens went viral on social media this month with the hashtag #ForceForDaniel, which garnered the support of Star Wars actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and newcomer John Boyega. On Tuesday, the hashtag was used to convey condolences. – Reuters

Dubai’s role in international short film

The trailer of a new short film featuring Dubai has been released on social media. In Black Knight Decoded, Hollywood actors David Oyelowo and Frieda Pinto are on a quest to decode radio signals transmitted from a satellite.

In the trailer, at the 0.56-second mark, you'll see a train of camels racing across the Dubai desert. The UAE counts among 11 countries with a starring role in the film, which features an original track by Usher, and is produced by Pepsi Studios and Levity Entertainment Group. We've also learnt that the Dubai scenes were shot in the desert, and will include lots of cars and a Guinness World Record.

Written by American writer James Fray and directed by Jabbar Raisani, Black Knight Decoded follows a father (Oyelowo) and his young daughter as they work with Pinto's character to decode radio signals transmitted from the Black Knight satellite before the National Security Agency shuts them down.

Along with the international release of the short film on November 17, there will also be a local version with behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot in Dubai. – Afshan Ahmed

Spread message of non-violence through films: Dalai Lama

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who met the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, said the Tibetan spiritual leader suggested that he uses cinema as a medium to spread ahimsa (non-violence).

The Dalai Lama was in India to launch the Abdul Kalam Seva Ratna Awards and deliver a lecture on Human Approach to World Peace at IIT Madras, as part of its Extra Mural Lecture series.

Hassan says the spiritual leader doesn’t watch movies but was of the opinion that the craft should be used to propagate ahimsa. He added that the meeting with the Dalai Lama was “invigorating and purposeful”. – IANS

Spectre bags world record

Spectre, the 24th James Bond adventure, has been awarded a Guinness World Records title for the Largest Film Stunt Explosion, it was announced on Tuesday.

Producer Barbara Broccoli and stars Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux accepted the record certificate on behalf of the official title holder, Academy Award winner Chris Corbould, who served as special effects and miniature effects supervisor.

The explosion was filmed for a pivotal scene and took place on June 29 in Erfoud, Morocco. About 8,418 litres of fuel and 33kg of explosives were used to shoot the stunt. – IANS

Director denies Bradley Cooper revealed plot

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 director James Gunn has denied that Bradley Cooper revealed a vital plot point of the upcoming instalment of the film as the Hollywood actor has not even "read the script".

The Twitter world has been abuzz that Cooper appeared to spill some information about the Guardians Of The Galaxy sequel. Many fans thought the actor, who voices the animated Rocket Raccoon, gave away the identity of hero Peter Quill's father in a recent interview with MTV, reports The Daily Mail.

But director James Gunn was quick to squash the growing debate, taking to Twitter on Monday to say: “In response to all the stories coming out, Bradley Cooper didn’t reveal anything. He just got the script and hasn’t read it yet. I promise.” He also addressed the question of whether the villainous Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, was Quill’s father, saying: “That has not been revealed and Bradley doesn’t know the main villain (or didn’t at the time of the interview).”

Quill was played by Chris Pratt in the 2014 blockbuster, with the identity of his father left hanging as a vital story thread at the end of the film. – The National staff

McConaughey’s new film title

Universal and Illumination Entertainment have titled their upcoming song contest-themed animated feature Sing. The Hollywood Reporter had reported in January that Matthew McConaughey would top line the voice cast on the film.

Now the online portal reports that the studio has added A-list voice talents of Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly for the animated feature.

The anthropomorphic film, slated to hit theatres in December next year, tells the story of Buster Moon (McConaughey), a theatre-owning koala who has fallen on hard times. Buster attempts to reverse his fortunes by holding the world’s greatest singing competition, with five contestants in particular vying for the crown.

MacFarlane plays a crooning mouse, Kelly a teen elephant with bad stage fright, Witherspoon a pig with a huge brood, Egerton a gangster gorilla and Johansson a punk-rock porcupine. Universal says Sing will feature 85 hit songs. – The National staff

Charlie Brown actor pleads guilty to making criminal threat

A former child actor who was the voice of Charlie Brown in beloved Peanuts TV specials has pleaded guilty to making criminal threats.

Peter Robbins, 59, is facing four years and eight months in prison.

Authorities say Robbins threatened to harm a mobile home park manager and San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, offering US$50,000 (Dh183,657) to have Gore killed. Robbins said the threats stem from his bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.

Two years ago, Robbins pleaded guilty to threatening a former girlfriend and her plastic surgeon.

From age 9 to 13, Robbins was the voice of Charlie Brown in a series of 1960s animated classics, including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. – AP