Shakespeare's love tragedy reborn as a pop musical
Spotlight is our bite-sized entertainment snapshot featuring new releases in South Africa, exclusive film trailers and more. New episodes come out every Thursday on Sunday Times Lifestyle, Sowetan Entertainment and YouTube, plus you can follow Spotlight on Facebook.
This week's Spotlight entertainment offering features a modern retelling of star-crossed lovers Juliet and Romeo, a local drama garnering attention, a streaming delight for Star Wars fans and highlights from last week's Laugh Africa Comedy Festival.
A reimagining of Shakespeare's most famous tragic love story, Juliet & Romeo is reborn as a pop musical for a new generation. Directed by Timothy Scott Bogart (Spinning Gold, The Jungle Book: Search for the Lost Treasure) and with Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward in the title roles, you can expect forbidden love, political intrigue and the power of music to collide. The film co-stars Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett and Jason Isaacs and promises to be a fantastic cinema outing.
Seasoned local director Karabo Lediga (Queen Sono, Emoyeni) brings the story of high-flying banker Lesego returning unannounced to her childhood home on an apparent sabbatical from life. A powerful family secret threatens to upend the relationship between doting, but overbearing mother Doris and Lesego. Sabbatical stars Mona Monyane, Clementine Mosimane and Loyiso Gola, and is on at cinemas. Don't miss this week's interviews with the cast and coverage of the local premiere.
The series Andor was created as the prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and features a new episode every week. In Season 2 war is afoot and everyone is tested with betrayal, sacrifice and conflicting agendas during the formative years of rebel spy Cassian Andor. Streaming on Disney+ and starring Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård and Forest Whitaker, the Empire is on full defence against the Rebel Alliance threatening to take over the throne.
For full interviews, breaking news, trailers and clips visit our Spotlight Facebook page. See you at the movies.
Presenter Collette Prince is styled and dressed by Claris by Gerrit Pienaar when attending premieres and special events.
Facebook @Claris by Gerrit Pienaar/Instagram: gerritpienaardesigns.
Competition giveaways
Win double movie tickets to see Juliet & Romeo at a Ster-Kinekor cinema by answering a question.
For full competition details and the questions, go to the Spotlight SA Facebook page and DM your answers and contact details by May 14.
Terms and conditions apply.
Winners will be drawn randomly and notified by SMS after the competition has closed. Entrants' personal details will not be retained for marketing purposes. Winners have to provide proof of age (ID/driving licence) and cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. By entering, participants agree to have their names published on TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE and Spotlight SA on Facebook. Employees of Arena Holdings and their family members are not eligible to enter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Rebel Wilson rebels against being a bridesmaid, Pixar introduces eccentric aliens, and John Wick is back on the big screen
Spotlight is our bite-sized entertainment snapshot featuring new releases in South Africa, exclusive film trailers and more. New episodes come out every Thursday on Sunday Times Lifestyle, Sowetan Entertainment and YouTube, plus you can follow Spotlight on Facebook. Spotlight this week looks at Rebel Wilson's latest action comedy, a new Pixar release at cinemas and coverage of the local premiere of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. In the action comedy Bride Hard, world-class secret agent Sam (Wilson) is terrible at her maid of honour duties because she is too busy with her undercover international spy mission demands. Finding herself demoted to bridesmaid status, she gets a chance at redemption when armed mercenaries crash the ceremony, leaving it up to her to come to the rescue. Directed by Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2) and co-starring Anna Camp, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Anna Chlumsky, the film is at cinemas. The Pixar animation Elio centres on space fanatic Elio's life-changing interplanetary adventure, forming new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he is truly meant to be in the world. The hilarious coming of age adventure is directed by a trio of animation gurus — Adrian Molina (Coco, The Good Dinosaur), Madeline Sharafian (Turning Red) and Domee Shi (Inside Out) — and features voice cast Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña and more. On at cinemas and 3D. Don't miss coverage of the local premiere of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, a sneak peek at the next chapter of the much-anticipated popular franchise Now You See Me: Now You Don't in November, and a dystopian Stephen King-penned horror The Long Walk at cinemas in September. Competition and giveaways Win a Bride Hard movie merchandise hamper by answering a question. For full competition details and the questions, go to the Spotlight SA Facebook page and DM your answers and contact details by June 25. Terms and conditions apply. Winners will be drawn randomly and notified by SMS after the competition has closed. Entrants' personal details will not be retained for marketing purposes. Winners have to provide proof of age (ID/driving licence) and cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. By entering, participants agree to have their names published on TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE and Spotlight SA on Facebook. Employees of Arena Holdings and their family members are not eligible to enter.
TimesLIVE
12-06-2025
- TimesLIVE
A shark-obsessed serial killer, remake of a classic animated film and stream Presley Chweneyagae's best performances
Spotlight is our bite-sized entertainment snapshot featuring new releases in South Africa, exclusive film trailers and more. New episodes come out every Thursday on Sunday Times Lifestyle, Sowetan Entertainment and YouTube, plus you can follow Spotlight on Facebook. This week's Spotlight episode looks at exciting new cinema releases and joins the industry in celebrating the greatness of one of SA's finest talents, Presley Chweneyagae. A shark-obsessed serial killer holds a rebellious surfer (Hassie Harrison) captive on his boat in Dangerous Animals, and a cat-and-mouse game ensues as the surfer must figure out a way to escape. The survival horror film stars Jai Courtney and Harrison, who received praise for her performance from critics. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Jaws' release in cinemas, the blood fest is perfect for thrill-seeking cinema audiences. Riding on the trend of live action remakes, DreamWorks has created a superb likeness of the 2010 animation original How to Train Your Dragon. With additional charm, humour and flair, Hiccup (Mason Thames) navigates his tricky relationship with his father (Gerard Butler) while trying to determine his own path and finding an unlikely ally in a toothless friend. Dean DeBlois returns to direct the live action version with a flawless cast including Nico Parker and Nick Frost. Don't miss the Viking dragon adventure ride at cinemas, IMAX and 4DX. Honouring the legacy of one of SA's finest acting talents, DStv and Showmax have lined up some of Chweneyagae's most unforgettable performances to stream. They include Tsotsi, the season finale of Cobrizi, and more. The special line-up pays tribute to the beloved actor after his recent death. Chweneyagae, a gifted storyteller whose talent lit up screens and hearts, first rose to prominence for his debut role in the Oscar-winning Tsotsi. For full interviews, breaking news, trailers and clips visit our Spotlight Facebook page. See you at the movies. Presenter Collette Prince is styled and dressed by Claris by Gerrit Pienaar when attending premieres and special events. Facebook @Claris by Gerrit Pienaar/Instagram: gerritpienaardesigns. Scan to see 'Jungle Beat 2'. Image: Empire Entertainment Competition and giveaways Grab your chance to see the South African animation movie Jungle Beat 2 by scanning the QR code. Join presenter Collette Prince for the Special Advance Family Screening event on June 22 at Nu Metro Hyde Park. Tickets are limited and on a first come, first served basis. Not to be missed, win How to Train Your Dragon character toys by answering a question. For full competition details and the questions, go to the Spotlight SA Facebook page and DM your answers and contact details by June 18. Terms and conditions apply. Winners will be drawn randomly and notified by SMS after the competition has closed. Entrants' personal details will not be retained for marketing purposes. Winners have to provide proof of age (ID/driving licence) and cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. By entering, participants agree to have their names published on TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE and Spotlight SA on Facebook. Employees of Arena Holdings and their family members are not eligible to enter.
eNCA
11-06-2025
- eNCA
Disney, Universal launch first major studio lawsuit against AI company
LOS ANGELES - Entertainment giants Disney and Universal filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Wednesday against AI company Midjourney, calling the image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism." The lawsuit is the first major legal battle between Hollywood studios and an AI firm, and follows other suits by independent artists who have sued Midjourney and other generative artificial intelligence makers for using their creative work. The entertainment giants accused San Francisco-based Midjourney of pirating their libraries and making "innumerable" copies of beloved characters including Darth Vader from "Star Wars," Elsa from "Frozen," and the Minions from "Despicable Me" without permission. The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, alleges Midjourney used the studios' works to train its image service and generate high-quality reproductions featuring the companies' iconic characters. "By helping itself to Plaintiffs' copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney's and Universal's famous characters — without investing a penny in their creation -- Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the lawsuit states. The studios said they approached Midjourney about their copyright concerns before filing the suit, requesting the company implement measures to prevent infringement that other AI companies have adopted. But Midjourney "ignored" their concerns and is "strictly focused on its own bottom line," according to the filing. Instead of stopping its infringement, the studios argued, Midjourney continued to release new and better versions of its AI image service. The complaint noted the company generated $300 million in revenue last year through paid subscriptions. The lawsuit provides ample visual evidence of alleged infringement, showing AI-generated images of characters including Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson riding a skateboard, Disney's Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy," and Universal's Shrek. Disney and Universal are seeking unspecified monetary damages and a preliminary injunction to prevent Midjourney from copying their works or offering its services without copyright protections.
