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‘Dune’ filmmaker Denis Villeneuve says he “would not be surprised” if Zendaya becomes a director

Disney/Greg Williams

In the latest installment of the Director's Guild of America's Director's Cut podcast, Steven Spielberg heaped praise on Dune franchise director Denis Villeneuve, ranking him with some of the most visionary directors of all time, including George Lucas, Stanley Kubrick and Oppenheimer's Christopher Nolan. 

Spielberg also asked Villeneuve which one of his Dune cast members he could see passing the filmmaking torch to one day, and without hesitation, Denis pointed to Zendaya.

"The truth: There's someone ... who spent a lot of time behind the camera, listening, listening: Zendaya," the filmmaker said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he continued. "She's so clever. ... She's brilliant, and such a strong presence. And she was always on set, even when she was not shooting, just sitting between [cinematographer] Greig [Frasier] and I and just listening, listening, listening."

He added, "So I would not be surprised that one day we learn that she wants to go behind [the camera]."

Spielberg then pretended to write himself a reminder: "See if Zendaya is available to direct an $8 million [film]," the legendary filmmaker said, drawing laughs.

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'Dune' filmmaker Denis Villeneuve says he "would not be surprised" if Zendaya becomes a director
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Steven Spielberg puts ‘Dune’ franchise director up with filmmaking’s greats

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

In the latest installment of the Director's Guild of America's Director's Cut podcast, Steven Spielberg put Dune franchise director Denis Villeneuve up with some of the most famous filmmakers of all time.

Spielberg called it "an honor" to sit and talk with the director and showed that by immediately heaping historic praise on him. "Let me start by saying there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds. It's not a long list and we know who a lot of them are. Starting with [Georges] Méliès and [Walt] Disney and [Stanley] Kubrick, George Lucas," Spielberg began.

He continued, "Ray Harryhausen I include in that list. [Federico] Fellini built his own worlds. Tim Burton. Obviously, Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro. The list goes on but it's not that long of a list, and I deeply, fervently believe that you are one of its newest members."

Oscar winner Spielberg, who knows a little something about the genre, with the classics E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, went on to call the second Dune "one of the most brilliant science fiction films I've ever seen."

He also called the scene with Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides riding a massive sandworm in the sequel "one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever!"

Later in the conversation, Spielberg asked Villeneuve if he could see any of his Dune cast members directing one day. Denis immediately answered that the "brilliant" Zendaya was "always listening" behind the camera and said he "would not be surprised" if she becomes a director.

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Steven Spielberg puts 'Dune' franchise director up with filmmaking's greats
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‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ gets season 5 renewal

Starz

Good news for fans of Starz's Power universe: The network announced Wednesday it has given an early fifth season renewal to Power Book III: Raising Kanan. 

The show explores the early life of fan-favorite character Kanan Stark, originally played by 50 Cent in the flagship series.

Season 4 of Raising Kanan is currently in production in New York City.

"We know that our fans can't get enough of Raising Kanan. As the inevitable evolution of this young man into a killer plays out, we knew we had much more backstory to share in this ever-escalating family saga," said Starz's President of Original Programming Kathryn Busby.

She added, "As we continue to expand the storytelling within the Power universe, we're looking forward to how this story may intersect with other Power characters during this prequel era.”

Starz recently announced a fourth spinoff from the Power franchise — the prequel Origins, centering on the early days of fan-favorite characters Ghost and Tommy — was in development. 

Meanwhile, Power Book II: Ghost will debut its two-part final season on June 7, and Power Book IV: Force is currently filming its third season in Chicago.
 

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'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' gets season 5 renewal
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DJ Khaled reveals features on “pure,” “authentic” and “timeless” new album

Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images for LivexLive

A new album by DJ Khaled is on the horizon, one he describes as “pure," "authentic," "timeless" and "a lot of hard work." He tells E News the project will feature collaborations with Drake, 21 Savage and Travis Scott, who've been seen working with him in the studio.

When asked whether he'd be down to rerecord a song with Beyoncé, Khaled said, "That is my sis. ... Being able to work with Beyoncé on records and be able to go on tour inspired me so much." He continued, "I'm a huge fan and every time I see her, I'm starstruck and I get real nervous."

When Rihanna was mentioned, he replied neither confirming nor denying. "This guy is a good man. Do you have my album?" he teased. He then said, "I love Rihanna. That's my sister. I just want to breathe the air that Rihanna breathes."

Khaled also spoke of Rihanna during an interview with Billboard, during which he expressed his desire for another collaboration with her.

“I want to work again with Rihanna,” he said. “I’ve worked with her and we made a big hit record called ‘Wild Thoughts.’ I want to make another record with her. That’s my wishlist.”

Outside of music, Khaled gets into acting for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, arriving June 7. Stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence told Complex he took his role seriously, arriving to set on time and ready to work.

"Khaled was doing full Method acting," said Smith. "He was like in character walking to set and all of that."

 

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DJ Khaled reveals features on "pure," "authentic" and "timeless" new album
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Beyoncé reveals ‘Act 2: Cowboy Carter’ track list

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The world gets to see Beyoncé as "Cowboy Carter" on Friday when her country album drops, but before then, she's giving fans a taste of what to expect.

Bey revealed the track list to her forthcoming album on Instagram, which confirms Dolly Parton's thoughts that she recorded a new rendition of "Jolene." It includes lead singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages," and songs titled "My Rose," "Desert Eagle," "Just for Fun" and “The Linda Martell Show,” named after one of the first Black country artists to be commercially successful and the first to play the Opry.

Also seen in the graphic are Dolly and Willie Nelson's names, a hint that they are somehow involved with the album. Act 2: Cowboy Carter officially drops on March 29.

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Beyoncé reveals 'Act 2: Cowboy Carter' track list
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DJ Khaled reveals features on “pure,” “authentic” and “timeless” new album

Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images for LivexLive

A new album by DJ Khaled is on the horizon, one he describes as “pure," "authentic," "timeless" and "a lot of hard work." He tells E News the project will feature collaborations with Drake, 21 Savage and Travis Scott, who've been seen working with him in the studio.

When asked whether he'd be down to rerecord a song with Beyoncé, Khaled said, "That is my sis. ... Being able to work with Beyoncé on records and be able to go on tour inspired me so much." He continued, "I'm a huge fan and every time I see her, I'm starstruck and I get real nervous."

When Rihanna was mentioned, he replied neither confirming nor denying. "This guy is a good man. Do you have my album?" he teased. He then said, "I love Rihanna. That's my sister. I just want to breathe the air that Rihanna breathes."

Khaled also spoke of Rihanna during an interview with Billboard, during which he expressed his desire for another collaboration with her.

“I want to work again with Rihanna,” he said. “I’ve worked with her and we made a big hit record called ‘Wild Thoughts.’ I want to make another record with her. That’s my wishlist.”

Outside of music, Khaled gets into acting for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, arriving June 7. Stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence told Complex he took his role seriously, arriving to set on time and ready to work.

"Khaled was doing full Method acting," said Smith. "He was like in character walking to set and all of that."

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

DJ Khaled reveals features on "pure," "authentic" and "timeless" new album
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Lea Michele announced on Instagram Wednesday that she is expecting her second baby with husband Zandy Reich.

“Mommy, Daddy and Ever are overjoyed,” the actress and singer captioned a profile photo of her cradling her exposed baby bump; the latter refers to their son, who was born in 2020.

The post got more than 212,000 likes in just an hour after she posted it late Wednesday morning, as well as well-wishes from the likes of fellow celebrity moms Zooey Deschanel, Ashley Tisdale and Katharine McPhee.

Michele and Reich were married in Northern California in March 2019.

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Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images

Current allegations against Diddy are said to be the focus of a new documentary. 50 Cent has claimed to be making the docuseries Diddy Do It?, recently sharing a possible poster on his Instagram.

The poster sees Diddy’s face on a few case files and is shared alongside the caption, “This is gonna break records when this drops.”

It’s not clear whether it’s legit or made by fan, as no studio has yet to confirm the doc or its production.

As previously reported, Diddy has been hit with multiple lawsuits that accuse of him of sex trafficking and sexual assault, among other things. A federal investigation into the mogul prompted Homeland Security’s raid of both his Miami and LA homes, but no criminal charges were filed. He continues to declare his innocence.

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