Get ready for a high-stakes crime thriller as Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy team up in MobLand, the latest gangster series from acclaimed director Guy Ritchie. Premiering on Paramount+ on March 30, this action-packed drama promises intense storytelling, gripping performances, and plenty of high-octane moments.

Brosnan takes on the role of Conrad Harrigan, a ruthless crime boss who controls his empire with an iron fist. At his side is Tom Hardy as Harry Da Souza, his fiercely loyal fixer who will do whatever it takes to maintain order. But in the world of organized crime, power is never secure.

“Power is a hungry thing, and there’s always a rat bastard looking to take what’s mine,” Brosnan growls in the trailer, setting the tone for the dark and dangerous journey ahead.

MobLand boasts a stellar ensemble cast:

• Helen Mirren as Conrad’s wife, the mastermind behind the charm. As Conrad admits, “She holds me together. That makes her the most dangerous of all.”
• Paddy Considine as Kevin Harrigan, Conrad’s ambitious son.
• Joanne Froggatt as Jan Da Souza, Harry’s wife.
• Lara Pulver as Bella Harrigan, Kevin’s wife.
• Anson Boon as Eddie Harrigan, Kevin’s rebellious son.
• Additional performances from Mandeep Dhillon, Jasmine Jobson, Geoff Bell, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan, and Emily Barber add depth to this gripping drama.

Originally conceived as The Donovans, a British spinoff of Ray Donovan, the series evolved into a standalone crime saga with no ties to the Showtime franchise. Under Guy Ritchie’s vision, MobLand carves out its own gritty underworld, full of betrayals, power plays, and deadly consequences.

MobLand will be available on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia starting March 30, with a broader international rollout expected later in 2025.

The series is executive produced by an impressive team, including Guy Ritchie, Tom Hardy, Keith Cox, Nina L. Diaz, David C. Glasser, Jez Butterworth, Ronan Bennett, Kris Thykier, Ivan Atkinson, Dean Baker, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, and Bob Yari. It is produced in collaboration with MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios and will be distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

With its powerhouse cast, explosive action, and Guy Ritchie’s signature storytelling, MobLand is set to become one of the most anticipated crime dramas of the year. Mark your calendars for March 30—this is one ride you won’t want to miss.

Watch the trailer – MobLand | Official Trailer | Paramount+

Source: Variety – ‘MobLand’ Trailer: Pierce Brosnan Is a Crime Boss and Tom Hardy Is His Fixer in Guy Ritchie’s Gangster Series

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This year, Oscar fans are in luck: many of the Best Picture nominees are available for streaming from the comfort of your home. While the Academy is still finalizing the “paperwork” to determine which producers deserve nominations for the awards, here’s where you can catch each nominee:

1. “Anora”

Directed by Sean Baker, best known for Florida Project, Anora feels like the modern-day Pretty Woman, with a nod to Cinderella. The film has earned six Academy Award nominations. You can watch it now in theaters or stream it on Prime Video and Apple TV.

2. “The Brutalist”

A three-and-a-half-hour drama starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, The Brutalist follows Hungarian refugees who move to the US after WWII. The film, which also delves into architecture, is currently playing in theaters with an intermission. It’s not yet available for streaming.

3. “A Complete Unknown”

This film captures the legendary moment in 1965 when Bob Dylan “went electric” at a popular music festival. Featuring Oscar-nominated performances by Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, and Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown is showing in select theaters. Chalamet fans can catch him on Saturday Night Live this weekend.

4. “Conclave”

Conclave reveals the secretive process of electing a new pope. The film has received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes and Best Supporting Actress for Isabella Rossellini. It is available to stream on Peacock.

5. “Dune: Part Two”

Denis Villeneuve’s continuation of Dune has been nominated for Best Picture, Production Design, Visual Effects, and Cinematography. You can stream this highly anticipated film on Netflix, Max, Hulu, and Prime Video.

6. “Emilia Pérez”

With 13 nominations, Emilia Pérez is a hybrid musical and crime drama that stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. The story follows a drug lord seeking gender reassignment surgery. Stream it now on Netflix.

7. “I’m Still Here”

Based on a true story, I’m Still Here chronicles a mother’s fight for survival amid escalating violence under Brazil’s dictatorship in the 1970s. Nominated for Best International Feature and Best Lead Actress (Fernanda Torres), the film is playing in select theaters and will be available to stream on Apple TV+.

8. “Nickel Boys”

Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Nickel Boys follows two young Black men in a tough reform school in Florida. The film is currently playing in theaters.

9. “The Substance”

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a body-horror film that explores aging and features an Oscar-nominated performance by Demi Moore. The movie is available for streaming on Prime Video with a premium subscription, or you can purchase it on Apple TV.

10. “Wicked”

Wicked has made a splash this year with 10 Oscar nominations. Based on the hit Broadway musical, the film is still showing in some theaters and can be purchased on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Now that you know where to watch these Best Picture nominees, grab your popcorn and enjoy the show!

Source

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The simulated deaths in Netflix’s Squid Game might make viewers gasp, cringe, or cry, but for creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, they evoke a different emotion: happiness.

With the show’s massive cast, Hwang admitted that managing everyone on set was “really difficult.” However, he humorously shared his mixed emotions when characters met their demise. “On their last day, I’d tell the actors, ‘Oh no! How sad! I won’t see you tomorrow,’ but I was always smiling inside,” he said.

As the highly anticipated second season of Squid Game premieres Thursday, fans will once again follow Lee Jung-jae in a chilling secret competition set in South Korea. The stakes? Contestants battling crushing debt vie for a massive cash prize—but losing comes at the ultimate cost: death.

A Dream 15 Years in the Making

Hwang originally conceived Squid Game as a two-hour film 15 years ago but faced rejection from financiers and actors. Setting the idea aside, he pursued other projects before revisiting it as a TV series. Netflix provided the platform to reach a global audience.

“I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge,” Hwang said, reflecting on the show’s unprecedented success.

Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Insights and Future Plans

AP: What have you learned from Squid Game?
Hwang: I’ve learned not to give up. If you love something and want to create it, it might not work now, but its time could come later. Or, it could inspire something even better.

AP: You’ve finished filming season three of Squid Game. What’s your next project?
Hwang: It’s a feature film set 10-20 years in the future. It’s darker than Squid Game—quite cruel, sad, yet quirky and humorous. I’m excited, but also a bit afraid to talk about it.

From Breaking Bad to Hollywood Dreams

AP: What films and TV shows do you enjoy?
Hwang: I’m omnivorous in my tastes. I watch everything from CNN and Fox News to National Geographic and nature documentaries. I also enjoy soapy Korean dramas and reality TV. However, I rarely stick with a series to the end. Only a few, like Breaking Bad and Why Women Kill, kept me hooked.

AP: Would you direct a U.S. production or work with Hollywood actors?
Hwang: Absolutely. I studied at the University of Southern California and have dreamt of working with amazing talents. While I feel most comfortable directing Korean actors in my native language, I’d jump at the chance to work with the right script. Jake Gyllenhaal is at the top of my list!

Expanding the Squid Game Universe

AP: Season two features more characters. Why the change?
Hwang: Seasons two and three gave me the opportunity to explore more characters. This time, there’s a focus on younger participants. In season one, I believed that being deep in debt typically affected middle-aged people. But today, the landscape has shifted.

Many young people in their 20s and 30s face financial struggles, often resorting to online gambling or risky investments like cryptocurrency. They see hard work as insufficient to achieve even middle-class stability. I wanted to reflect these societal changes in the new seasons.

Teasing Future Seasons

AP: Squid Game season two has already been nominated for a Golden Globe. Can you share any insights about season three?
Hwang: It’s better than season two.

With his mix of humor, reflection, and ambition, Hwang Dong-hyuk continues to captivate audiences as he expands the world of Squid Game and ventures into new creative realms.

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His vision is ambitious. Elba aims to build film studios across Africa, starting in Zanzibar, the Tanzanian semi-autonomous island renowned for its white sand beaches. The idea took root last year when Elba met Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Their discussions led to plans for the first studio in Zanzibar — a move Elba believes could be the first building block of a global entertainment hub.

In August, the government of Zanzibar promised him nearly 200 acres to begin construction.

“Idris Elba will be building a modern studio similar to Hollywood, Nollywood (in NIgeria), or Bollywood,” Zanzibar’s Minister for Investment, Shariff Ali Shariff, announced. He even joked about naming the industry “Zallywood” or “Zawood.”

The project goes beyond film. Elba believes Africa’s creative sector is underrepresented globally.

“Much of the imagery about Africa isn’t even generated from Africa,” Elba told CNN at the Stellar Development Foundation’s Meridian conference in London this week. “A lot of media is centered around (negative depictions of Africa). But the median age in Africa is 19; these young people are optimistic and deserve the chance to tell their own stories.”

There is also significant money to be made. Though Africa comprises 18% of the world’s population, it accounts for only 1% of the global creative economy — a sector that Goldman Sachs expects to double in the next five years.

The timing couldn’t be better. A recent UNESCO report shows that Africa’s film and audiovisual industry could create 20 million jobs and add $20 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2030. Global players like Netflix and Disney have already made sizable investments in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.

Still, many governments in emerging economies have yet to recognize the economic potential of the creative sector, Elba said. The lack of regulation and investment, particularly around copyright and financing, has placed limits on growth.

He sees potential akin to South Korea’s explosive entertainment industry growth: From 2017 to 2021, Korean pop-culture-related exports grew at an average annual rate of 13.7%, 2.5 times faster than overall export growth. Korea’s Economic Research Institute estimates this contributed $27 billion to the economy.

Tanzania is already looking toward that model, partnering with South Korea to send African actors for training in Busan. But Elba understands that building studios alone won’t be enough to spark an entertainment revolution.

“It’s all been a puzzle,” he said, referring to the challenges of structuring a new industry. One critical piece is how to pay creators in countries with limited banking infrastructure.

In a separate but related project aimed at solving the payment issue, Elba has partnered with Stellar, a blockchain-based platform, to introduce Akuna Wallet, a digital wallet designed for the creative economy.

Akuna Wallet allows artists, filmmakers, and musicians to manage payments and royalties without relying on traditional banks. By enabling peer-to-peer transactions in digital currencies, it provides a secure payment system in regions with limited financial infrastructure.

With nearly 60% of Ghana’s population under 25, many young Africans remain unbanked.

A pilot program, launched this week in partnership with the government of Ghana, aims to streamline payments for local creatives, potentially bringing more financial inclusion to the industry.

“Popular platforms for monetizing creative work often require bank accounts, which excludes many young Africans,” Elba said. “We need a financial model that allows for consistent quality creation.”

But if local governments see a healthy entertainment economy, he added, they’ll enable it to grow.

“It will grow, and it can grow,” he said.

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