Total Companies in Nigeria has unveiled its corporate vision in line with the change of the Total Group to TotalEnergies. The organisation aims to produce more renewable electricity and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by 2030. The oil major also outlined its broad energy lineup that includes oil, gas, electricity, hydrogen, biomass, wind and solar. TotalEnergies is committing $60 billion to investment in renewable energy in the next 10 years, with 10 per cent of that investment expected to come to Nigeria. Speaking at a virtual parley with journalists, the Executive General Manager, Total Country Services, Mrs. Bunmi Popoola-Mordi, highlighted steps that would help in adapting the new name, logo and visual identity of the company. THISDAY had reported that the shareholders of Total Group, had ...
Netflix is slowly chipping away at their new Assassin’s Creed live-action TV series, and the proof is in Jeb Stuart. The screenwriter best known for penning blockbuster action films like Die Hard has just been tapped to write the highly anticipated adaptation. Stuart has ventured into the world of TV shows before for Netflix, including limited series like The Liberator and the recent addition Vikings: Valhalla, the sequel to History Channel’s Vikings. However, he’s best known for his feature film scripts, many of which went on to become staples in the action genre. He made a splash when his first screenplay turned into Die Hard in 1988. Afterwards, he went on to help pen the sci-fi horror Leviathan, Sylvester Stallone’s prison thriller Lock Up, the 1993 classic The Fugitive. He even w...
Assassin’s Creed was adapted for the big screen in 2016, presented as a star-studded slog that seemed to prove the video game’s story was too weird for film. But far be it for such failures to deter Netflix from shelling out a little cash. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant is developing a new live-action Assassin’s Creed TV series. What’s more, the show looks to be just the first of many Assassin’s Creed projects coming to Netflix. Video game company Ubisoft has teamed with the streaming service to adapt the franchise into a number of “live-action, animated, and anime series”, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Luckily, they have a lot of material to use for inspiration, with the Assassin’s Creed series spanning 11 games to date, and a 12th coming next month. Many ...
This review is part of our coverage of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival . The Pitch: Based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction novel, Nomadland follows 60-something Fern (Frances McDormand) over the course of a year as she moves from place to place, working odd jobs and living in her van. Throughout her journey, Fern comes across a multitude of communities: some who accept her as she is, others who try to pin her down and keep her stationary. These series of experiences offer a character study of a head-strong, mature woman working through her grief and searching for herself. Authentic Experiences: Over the course of four features, director Chloé Zhao has repeatedly returned to stories of marginalized people, living on the fringes of conventional society. She favors stories of...
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Last year, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss inked a five-year deal with Netflix reportedly worth $250 million dollars. Today, the pair announced their first project for the streaming platform: a live-action series based on the Chinese sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem. Released by author Liu Cixin in 2008, the acclaimed book is set during China’s Cultural Revolution and tracks the aftermath of human’s first encounter with aliens. “… A secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth,” reads a synopsis for the novel. “Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the supe...
Hollywood continues to devour Stephen King’s latest collection If It Bleeds. Last week, it was confirmed that Netflix, Ryan Murphy, and Blumhouse are adapting “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”. Now, according to Deadline, we know where the other stories are going. The book’s second story, “The Life of Chuck”, has been scooped up by Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa. So far, the veteran filmmaker is only attached to produce, but the surrealist trifecta of a tale would be a perfect fit for the brazen auteur. Next up is Ben Stiller of all people, who has optioned the fourth story, “Rat”. If all goes to plan, Stiller would both star and direct the film, which follows a troubled writer who makes a Faustian bargain with, well, a furry critter. And finally is the titular novella featuring Holly Gibney. Details ar...
Mere weeks after Stephen King released his new novellas collection, If It Bleeds, prolific producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum have already called dibs on “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, a short story from the book. According to The Hollywood Reporter, their feature film adaptation is being created in partnership with Netflix. Things are coming together quickly it seems. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) has already been tapped to write and direct. In addition to Murphy and Blum, Carla Hacken will serve as a producer. Plus, Blumhouse Television’s Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold have joined as executive producers, too. For those who have yet to read the story, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows a young boy who befriends an aging billionaire who lives in his small-town neighborhood afte...
It’s been 40 years since Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining axed its way into theaters on May 23, 1980. Since then, the Stephen King adaptation has haunted multiple generations, who have all made their way through the Overlook Hotel doors, be it through repertory screenings, video store rentals, Saturday night sleepovers, or simply cable. Today, The Shining is a fixture of pop culture, having spawned countless memes, GIFs, homages, figurines, you name it, it’s been done. And yet, most would agree it’s still one of the most terrifying films of all time — if not the most terrifying. Of course, as with anything, fear is entirely subjective, and what’s scary to one person may be hilarious to another. Editors’ Picks That’s why we polled our staff and contributors to see what they think is the ...
Tired of Marvel and DC? Perhaps The Old Guard is for you. The forthcoming adaptation of the Image Comics title is certainly left of the dial and follows a bunch of centuries-old mercenaries who realize their immortality is no longer a secret. The blockbuster drops on Netflix this summer on July 10th, and today they’ve dropped its first trailer. Charlize Theron and Chiwetel Ejiofor lead an eclectic cast that also includes If Beale Street Could Talk‘s KiKi Layne and Dudley Dursley himself Harry Melling. Love and Basketball director Gina Prince-Bythewood helms the picture from a script that’s written by the comic’s OG writer Greg Rucka. In other words, all signs point to a win. Editors’ Picks Watch the trailer below. [embedded content] You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are lo...
The Pitch: Based on the Wally Lamb novel of the same name, I Know This Much is True charts the string of tragedies that surround the Birdsey brothers, Dominick and Thomas (both played by Mark Ruffalo) – identical twins born on New Year’s Eve, 1949, and who seem to have been born to suffer. And they do, through abusive childhoods in the 1950s to the early signs of Thomas’ paranoid schizophrenia in their college years. Cut to 1990, when Thomas, amidst a mental breakdown, lops off his own hand in a public library, a move that gets him institutionalized in a high-security mental facility. Terrified at his brother’s living condition, Dominick works tirelessly to get him out. But in doing so, he’ll have to work through some deep-seated issues of his own. Misery Loves Company: Dere...