Patrick: Last News

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Territory,” Netflix’s Down Under answer to “Yellowstone,” has unveiled a trailer ahead of its online premiere on Oct. 24.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oscar-winning duo Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe (“Two Distant Strangers,” HBO’s “BS High”) are to direct and executive produce “Sk8 or Die: The Lee Ralph Story.” The upcoming series is an anthology exploring the wild and highly unique life of Lee Ralph, a former pro skateboarder turned folk hero and recluse. Vinnie Bennett (“Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga,” “Whina,” “Human Traces”) and Oscar-nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (“FBI: Most Wanted,” “Whale Rider,” “Game of Thrones”) are set to lead the cast, with Bennet portraying Ralph and Castle-Hughes playing his sister and partner in crime Kim Ralph. The six-part show was hatched by New Zealand-based production company Tavake (“Madam”). Skateboarding ace Tony Hawk and “Jackass” touring comedian and skate culture legend, Steve-O are on board to executive produce.

, you're missing some of the creative cosmetic artistry if you're looking only at the model's faces. While we're loving (and getting lots of inspiration) from the various runway shows and presentations, we've seen so far—New York and London Fashion Weeks are over and Milan is underway—we've never seen anything quite like what the MAC makeup artists did not on the model's faces but on their legs at the Iceberg show.Body makeup isn't such a strange idea; some of us cover our tattoos for our jobs or use bronzer or shimmer on our legs.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Agent 86,” a rare China-Tunisia coproduction film, will have its world premiere on Friday in Tunisia, ahead of a commercial release in Tunisian theaters from Sept. 25. The film is pitched as “a fast-paced action thriller following an international Special Task Force that comes together to fight cross border drug trafficking after a devastatingly addictive drug named Devil’s Breath goes on sale in Hong Kong.” The driving force behind the movie is Tunisian actor-director Bassem Khayati, who produced and directed the film and also appears as its co-lead. Khayati is a veteran of several Jackie Chan movies including “Dragon Blade,” “Kung Fu Yoga” and “Vanguard,” as well as action roles in numerous other Chinese titles including “Fox Hunting,” “Mojin, The Lost Legend” and “Go Away Mr.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. Discovery will give Max, its enhanced streaming service, its first outing in the Asia-Pacific region beginning next week in a partnership with Japan’s U-Next. As in Europe and other territories where it has already launched, Max represents both a wider content offering to Japanese viewers than forerunner HBO and a technological upgrade.

A prolific shoplifter who wore disguises when targeting stores has been banned from shops.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Streaming service, Paramount+ has commissioned “Playing Gracie Darling,” a mystery drama series about the aftermath of a girl’s sudden disappearance. The six-part show is created and written by Miranda Nation (“Undertow”), directed by Jonathan Brough (“Rosehaven,” “The End”) and produced by Curio Pictures. When Joni was 14, her best friend Gracie Darling disappeared during a séance. Some 27 years on, the local kids in a small town get their kicks with a game of ‘Playing Gracie Darling’ – but the seemingly innocent game turns sinister when another girl disappears.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean crime comedy action film “I The Executioner” has amassed more than $30 million of gross revenues on its sixth day of release, making it one of the fastest movies in local history to reach that mark. Kobis, the cinema data service operated by the Korean Film Council, reported that the film had reached 3.71 million admissions and a gross haul of $27.2 million by the evening of Tuesday, its fifth full day in cinemas. On Wednesday morning, the film’s distributor CJ ENM said that the film’s ticket sales total had surpassed 4 million by 9am local time. That would give an estimated box office total of $30 million, that will be confirmed by independent data later in the day. CJ ENM has not disclosed a production budget for the title, but it said that with this level of business the film has now broken even.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Science fiction and socially conservative Thailand are an unlikely mix which is explored in upcoming anthology series “Tomorrow and I,” that global streamer Netflix will release later in 2024. Directed by Paween Purijitpanya, the four-part show reimagines everyday scenarios in intriguing ways. The 70-minute episodes cover: bringing loved ones back from the dead through use of cloning technology; intelligent sex robots; how artificial intelligence could move Buddhist teachings on from their fixed traditional position; and how people might come to rely on ‘octopuses’ to get by in perpetually flooded cities. The cast includes Pakorn Chatborrirak, Violette Wautier, Waruntorn Paonil, Treechada Hongsyok, Ray Macdonald, Timethai, Thongchai Thongkuntom, Aelm Thavornsiri, Pongsatorn Jongwilas, Chananticha Chaipa, and Wanichaya Pornpanarittichai. Purijitpanya has previously written, directed or edited segments of 2007 film “Body,” 2008 film “4bia” and its 2009 follow-up “Phobia 2” as well as the 2012 feel-good film “Seven Something,” the boundary-pushing 2021 title “Ghost Lab,” and an acclaimed episode of the “Liberation” episode of “Girl from Nowhere” Season 2. The show was first announced earlier this year when Netflix expanded its Southeast Asian production slate.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taiwan-born actor Shu Qi has completed production of her feature film directing debut, “Girl.” While plot and cast details of the new film remain under wraps, “Girl” is Shu Qi’s original story that she wrote and directed after a prolonged development period. Shu Qi does not appear in the film. The picture is financed by Taiwan’s CMC Entertainment, Wow momentum, J.Q.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Twelve,” a court-related drama series starring Sam Neill, has begun production of a third season. It was commissioned by Binge, a streaming platform operated by Australian pay-TV group Foxtel. The show focuses on twelve jurors as they wrestle with their duty to deliver a verdict while also navigating their own personal issues. For the new season Neill (“Peaky Blinders,” “Jurassic World: Dominion”) returns in the role of Brett Colby SC, as the jurors deliberate on a cold case murder trial. The third season of eight one-hour episodes is written by Sarah L.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Paramount Australia and BBC Studios Production Australia are to produce a localized Australian version of British light drama format “Ghosts.” It will play on the Paramount-owned Network 10 linear channel and the Paramount+ streaming platform. The eight-part family comedy series will be set in a haunted country house full of hilarious new ghosts who are as chaotic, unpredictable and messy as Australian history itself. No cast or creative talent has been disclosed, nor a production schedule.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Bear” is an Emmy beast. The FX series just broke its own record for the most Primetime Emmys won by a comedy series in a single year, scoring 11 trophies during the 76th Emmys.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s Mid-Autumn Festival brought a slew of new film releases, but little discernible uplift to the box office. Drama film, “Stand By Me” emerged on top. Official rest days for the Mid-Autumn Festival are Sunday to Tuesday (Sept 15-15), but Saturday (Sept. 14) was declared an “adjusted working day.” That meant that some new titles held back their opening from the conventional Friday to Sunday instead – local sources report nine Chinese-produced films new to the market – but that the total nationwide box office was worth only $28.1 million. Friday-release, “Stand By Me” emerged with $10.3 million (RMB73.0 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Crime action film ‘I The Executioner” topped the South Korea cinema box office weekend with an utterly dominant $15 million haul. The session represented the first half of a long holiday in Korea. Data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic) showed that the film enjoyed a market share of 86% between Friday and Sunday.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Donald Trump unleashed new invective at superstar Taylor Swift after she endorsed VP Kamala Harris for president. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump posted Sunday morning on Truth Social in his trademark all-caps style, without context or elaboration. Responding to Trump in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Liz Cheney — the Republican former congressional representative who is backing Harris — quoted his comment and wrote, “Says the smallest man who ever lived,” referencing a track from Swift’s most recent album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Ana Navarro, the GOP strategist and commentator who is a vocal Trump critic, posted on X, “Donald Trump has lost what little sanity he had left.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production has begun in Darwin, Northern Territory, on season 2 of Prime Video’s Australian comedy series “Deadloch.” Filming will later relocate to Brisbane, Queensland. The first season saw two very different female detectives thrown together to solve the murder of a man and was set in Tasmania. While the second season sees the return of Kate Box and Madeleine Sami as detectives Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe, they are joined by Steve Bisley (“The Great Gatsby”), Shari Sebbens (“The Sapphires”), writer Jean Tong (“Heartbreak High”) and in their acting debut role, Genevieve Morris, Byron Coll, Nikki Britton, Anthony J Sharpe, Blake Pavey, Damien Garvey, Ngali Shaw, Bev Killick, Ling Cooper-Tang, Ursula Yovich, Syd Brisbane, Ines English and Lennox Monaghan. “Deadloch” S2 is created and written by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan who also serve as executive producers alongside Kevin Whyte and Tanya Phegan from Guesswork Television.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Song Kang-ho, star of Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” will headline a series adaptation of hit film “Inside Men.” The project was revealed on Thursday by producer Hive Media Corp. which said that the show is in the early stages of pre-production. Cameras are expected to roll in 2025.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Mike Sneesby has announced his resignation as CEO of Nine Entertainment, one of Australia’s largest media groups. The move follows months of turmoil including the passing of a staff no confidence motion against Sneesby and the group’s board of directors. Sneesby’s departure takes effect from the end of the month.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Period thriller “11 Rebels” has been set as the opening film of next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival. Directed by the prolific Shiraishi Kazuya from a previously-unproduced screenplay by the late Kasahara Kazuo, the film stars popular actors Yamada Takayuki and Nakano Taiga. “We expect this powerful film to mark a spectacular opening to the festival,” Tokyo festival organizers said. The festival runs from Oct.

Iconic TV duo Ant and Dec made history at the 2024 National Television Awards, picking up the gong for TV Presenter for the 23rd year in a row.The Chase host Bradley Walsh brought the humour to the awards, attempting to swipe their trophy as they approached the stage. "Sit down Bradley, sit down!" Dec laughed as they went on to thank their friends and family, including their children and wives: "Thank you to our beautiful wives and lovely supportive families, sorry we work so much but we've got some time off now,” Ant exclaimed, as they gave a special shout out to ‘The Toon’.