Kevin Spacey directs first feature film in more than 20 years
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has directed his first feature film in more than two decades.
Spacey has helmed the supernatural action-thriller in which he features alongside Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, The Expendables), Tyrese Gibson (the Fast & Furious franchise, Morbius), Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool, Lucifer), Disha Patani (Kalki 2898 AD, Bharat) and Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Righteous Gemstones).
The indie film, which has the working title of Holiguards, is planned to be the first in a franchise known as Statiguards vs. Holiguards and also stars Harry Goodwins, Swen Temmel and Sonia Pim Couling, Variety reported.
It also marks the first feature to be produced by Elledgy Media, owned by Portugal-based Ukrainian entrepreneur Elvira Gavrilova Paterson.
Holiguards is set against the backdrop of a near-future world fractured by hidden supernatural forces, where two ancient warrior factions—the Holiguards and the Statiguards—wage a secret war for control of humanity's fate.
Amid this conflict, a young woman discovers that she's the daughter of two rival leaders and could end the conflict.
The film was shot in Mexico last year and is now in post-production.
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The National
11 hours ago
- The National
As Jaws turns 50, the 10 scariest shark movies ever made
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The small budget allowed for a larger focus on creating a suspenseful and toe-curling experience without the need for bombastic effects. Open Water (2003) In 1998, Tom and Eileen Lonergan went out with a scuba diving group on the Great Barrier Reef, only to be accidentally left behind. They were never seen again. Open Water, from director Chris Kentis, imagines what may have happened to them into one of the bleakest films of the century thus far. And while it does eventually build to violent confrontations with the ocean's apex predators, Open Wate r is at its most chilling in anticipation of that fateful event. And because it was made on a low-budget in pseudo-documentary style, it's impossible to divorce this film from the reality that inspired it. Jaws (1975) Director Steven Spielberg has made a plethora of masterpieces in his decades-long career, but even if he'd stopped after Jaws, his reputation would have been sealed. Jaws remains a masterclass in suspense filmmaking and the birth of the modern blockbuster, all with richly rendered characters. But what's most surprising is, even 50 years later, it's still deeply unnerving. A true classic – and should remain a film each generation discovers at a young age when they're ready for something scary. Dangerous Animals (2025) Written by Nick Lepard and directed by Sean Byrne, Dangerous Animals may have had its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, but this is no highbrow art film. The film follows Hassie Harrison's Zephyr, an American surfer kidnapped by a shark-obsessed psychopath Bruce Tucker, played by Jai Courtney, who holds her captive aboard his trawler for ritualistic shark-feeding sessions. The movie may be the latest shark-based horror flick in a long line to deliver nautical scares, but many are calling it the best in years. Combining the fear of sharks with the demented mind of a serial killer, Dangerous Animals, now in cinemas, delivers a truly new experience to the subgenre. The Shallows (2016) Less is more. Rarely is that more clear than in director Jaume Collet-Serra's The Shallows. There are only two main characters to be found here – one is a medical student named Nancy Adams (Blake Lively), who goes out surfing and is stranded on a rock 180 metres from shore, and the other is a great white shark. In the film's pulse-pounding 86-minute runtime, Adams must find a way back to safety. Jaws 2 (1978) While it's often dismissed because of the greatness of its predecessor, Jaws 2 deserves a second look. Sure, it may not reach the heights of the first, but it's a cracking horror film in its own right – revealing the monster far earlier and upping the body count. Ultimately, Jaws 2 is more comparable to Halloween or Friday the 13th, only the shark is the slasher picking off the core characters one by one instead of Jason or Michael Myers. Give it a shot, and you'll find it's one of the most underrated fright flicks of the 1970s. Deep Blue Sea (1999) The sci-fi horror directed by Finnish filmmaker Renny Harlin, who previously directed Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger may not be realistic, but it delivers the goods. Set in an isolated underwater research facility, the film follows a group of scientists who are genetically engineering mako sharks to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Things go horribly wrong when the sharks attain intelligence and turn on the scientists. Renowned for its fast-paced action, suspenseful atmosphere and surprising plot twists, Deep Blue Sea features a strong cast that includes Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J and Samuel L Jackson. 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Bait 3D (2012) While you may have to adjust your aesthetic expectations from Steven Spielberg to more of an old-school Roger Corman monster movie, Bait is an often-thrilling suspense film that follows a group of people who are being hunted by bloodthirsty great white shark while strapped in a grocery store during a freak tsunami. This is a good time if you don't set your expectations too high. Under Paris (2024) A global hit when it released on Netflix last summer, this French action-horror disaster film directed by Xavier Gens follows a grieving marine biologist who is compelled to face her tragic past to save Paris from a giant shark that appears in the Seine river. While it's more thrilling than scary, it does offer moments of claustrophobic tension that may have you gasping for air.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
'I have telepathy, my kids know it': Kajol talks 'Maa,' motherhood, and playing fierce
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Directed by Vishal Furia (Chhorii) and produced by the team behind Shaitaan, the film follows Kajol as Devika — a mother pushed to the brink, who finds herself confronting dark forces in a fight to protect her child. The film exists within the extended universe of Shaitaan (led by Kajol's husband Ajay Devgn) but tells a standalone story. Understanding motherhood To unpack the emotional terrain of Maa, I threw a few loaded words her way — words like 'sacrifice,' 'guilt,' and 'unconditional love' — and asked her to respond instinctively. 'Guilt? Always there,' she said instantly, before adding with a chuckle, 'Letting go? I have paragraphs on that!' But it was 'sacrifice' that resonated most deeply with both Kajol and her character. 'That's the basis of the film. You have to sacrifice so much to protect your child," she said. "Your insecurities, your fear — you let all of that go because for your child, you are a goddess. She looks at you for everything.' And while Kajol has always worn the badge of motherhood with grace, she's honest about the fact that even now, these ideas — sacrifice, guilt, fear — still challenge her. 'It's not just about being a mother, but a parent,' she said. 'Most parents want to be better people for their children. And I find that amazing.' Kajol credits her own mother, the legendary Tanuja, for instilling discipline — something she's carried into her parenting style. But she's also acutely aware of how times have changed. 'My mother could just send me downstairs to play and not worry. Today, I can't do that with my kids,' she said. 'It's a different world — and when you're in the public eye, that adds another layer. Everyone knows what your kids look like. There's no anonymity, and there's definitely no going to the stream and coming back in two hours like we did in Lonavala!' 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It's a performance shaped by lived experience, emotional instinct, and a willingness to explore new territory — not just as an actor stepping into horror for the first time, but as a storyteller willing to confront the complexities of modern motherhood. In a film that blurs the line between myth and reality, she stays firmly, unmistakably human. 'That we know all the answers,' she said with little introspection. 'We really don't.'
The National
2 days ago
- The National
All the news about global crises rightfully needs an antidote
There's a famous 1960s British musical called Stop The World: I Want To Get Off. The title probably says it all, given the gloomy news from around the world right now. Sometimes the deluge of information around the globe seems too much. Now is one of those times. Palestine, Israel, Iran, the prospects of a wider war in the Middle East. Ukraine, Russia, Nato and again the prospects of a wider war in Europe. The recalibration of American interests round the world. Oil shocks. Donald Trump's tariffs. The continuing prospect of economic and trade dislocation from the Strait of Hormuz to Wall Street and the City of London. And then there is the very controversial decision of Mr Trump to send US Marines to California while public unrest about the treatment of migrants continues. Meanwhile in London, defence experts make public comments about Europe having passed from a 'post-war' era into what is now a 'pre-war' era as Nato's leaders are encouraging member nations to find 5 per cent of gross domestic product for defence. Almost everywhere it seems governments are trying to find more money for more weapons. But since 'stopping the world and getting off' is not an option, I've been trying to cheer myself up by joining the hundreds of thousands of British people who turn up at book and music festivals this summer. The weather in Britain has been (mostly) glorious. Glastonbury is the biggest and best-known of the music festivals and is happening soon. But there are little gems of culture everywhere. I've just returned from speaking at the Borders Book Festival in the south of Scotland just a few kilometres from the border with England. For readers around the world who have never been there, I should point out that the 'border' between Scotland and England exists on maps but is nothing more than a sign or two on the road – no border patrols or customs checks or bureaucracy, just the lovely British countryside in summer. And a book festival is the perfect antidote to doom-scrolling about international crises and military confrontations. The best thing about these festivals is not the authors and writers, although we do form a kind of community. Authors are always comparing notes about publishers and the challenges of writing itself. But the best thing is the audiences. They can range from children to the elderly. The shared interest in books and knowledge is the most cheering characteristic all these festivals have in common. Audiences often challenge authors but when they do it, it is always polite and open minded. As the old-fashioned saying goes, we may disagree, but we try very hard not to be disagreeable. Audiences at book festivals also tend to like solving problems rather than creating them. For me, these festivals feel like an antidote to a world that looks as if it is going crazy. And there is also that strange kind of camaraderie among the authors. Those I met most recently include a former contender to be UK prime minister, two former government ministers, an author of a children's book about insects, various broadcasters, award-winning novelists, sporting stars and TV personalities plus several astounding British intellectuals whose expertise ranged from the history of the seas around our coasts to the story behind the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the Second World War. The most cheering moment was a request to talk to a group of articulate young people with ambitions to become journalists and writers. Their incisive questions and their fundamental optimism were the perfect antidote to the news headlines. It's impossible to calculate how many book or literary festivals there are in Britain in any one year, but one informed guess suggests it could be almost 100 of varying sizes. You could visit about two a week every week. The best known include those in Edinburgh, Hay on Wye, Oxford, Bath and elsewhere. Some – including Shetland in the far north of Scotland, or Ilkley in Yorkshire or Hexham in the north of England – are not only great festivals but an excuse to visit some truly beautiful parts of the country. It is not possible to emulate the 1960s musical and stop the world to get off. But it is possible to find an antidote to the bad news deluge that engulfs us. And if you can't get to a festival, you can always engineer an escape from reality another way. Buy a book and escape into a new reality.
