Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Acquires UK Rights to Salvador Dali-Themed Film “Dalíland”

Salvador Dali’s life story headed to the big screen this fall in the United Kingdom…

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment has acquired the UK distribution rights to the Ben Kingsley and Ezra Miller film Dalíland, about the late Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.

Salvador Dali, Ben Kingsley, Daliland

Dalíland will debut on September 4, with a theatrical release scheduled for October 6 and home entertainment on November 6.

Set in 1973, Dalíland follows a young gallery assistant who goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps the aging genius, Dalí, prepare for a big show in New York.

The film stars Kingsley in the title role of Dalí. Alongside Kingsley are Barbara Sukowa and newcomer Christopher Briney in the role of James, the young art enthusiast who finds himself thrust into the center of Dalí’s remarkable and unexpected world.

The wider ensemble features Andreja Pejić, Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Mark McKenna and Ezra Miller.

Filmmaker Mary Harron directs.

Gael Garcia Bernal to Portray Salvador Dali in New Podcast “Playboy Interview”

Gael Garcia Bernal’s art is about to imitate art life…

The 42-year-old Mexican actor and producer is joining a slew of stars who’ll portray famous figures across history in a new podcast series from Playboy and Audio Up.

Gael García Bernal

The two companies are launching Playboy Interview, an audio series that features teleplay-style re-enactments of the most iconic Playboy interview conversations.

In addition to Garcia Bernal, other stars set to take part in the program are Rosanna ArquetteTaye DiggsMaya Hawke, Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Kevin Corrigan and Gina Gershon.

The series, which is set to debut in September, will see Arquette voice feminist pioneer Betty Friedan, Diggs will portray Muhammad Ali, Garcia Bernal plays Salvador Dali, Shannon is Tennessee Williams, Shea Whigham is John Wayne, Maya Hawke is Helen Gurley Brown, Kevin Corrigan is Frank Sinatra and Gina Gershon is Oriana Fallaci.

The first two episodes will feature “conversations” with Friedan and Ali.

The series is based on the classic Playboy Interview, which started in 1962 with Alex Haley’s conversation with Miles Davis and has run for more than 500 interviews including the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Fidel Castro, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Steve Jobs, Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Angelou.

“Working on the Playboy Interview was an incredible experience,” said Maya Hawke, who also portrays Ayn Rand in the second season, which is likely to launch in early 2022. “I got the rare opportunity to portray two of history’s most influential, controversial, and complicated women. I was allowed to inhabit the characters rather than being asked to impersonate them, which left me thinking about their respective perspectives for weeks after. And I felt inspired. Even if I don’t agree with them about everything, or anything – their strength, persistence, and insistence on being exactly who they are has reminded me to be exactly who I am.”

“Playboy is culturally iconic for many reasons, but their in-depth interviews and journalistic integrity is a large part of what has made the publication so cool,” said Gina Gershon. “I was so happy to work on a project that celebrates Playboy’s historic interviews with so many incredible individuals. I’ve always been fascinated by Oriana Fallaci, and was so excited to be able to take part in bringing her interviews to life. It was so much fun to explore this remarkable woman and share her point of view with the world.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to unveil the first season of the Playboy Interview podcast,” added Rachel Webber, Chief Brand Officer at PLBY Group and producer of the series. “Audio is the perfect format for these intimate and revealing conversations. Each brilliant performance by this incredible cast gives you chills, making you feel like you’re right there in the room as history unfolds.”

“This podcast is the culmination of a personal journey for me having spent seven years as Playboy’s editorial director,” added Audio Up’s Chief Creative Officer Jimmy Jellinek, who adapted, produced and directed all 10 episodes of season one. “Thanks to the explosion of audio as a medium, today we’re able to reintroduce these incredible conversations to a new generation. I have long thought the Playboy Interview would lend itself perfectly to formats off the page. In my wildest dreams I didn’t anticipate that something this magical would be the result.”

“We’ve paired the greatest conversations of the 20th century with the greatest actors of the 21st. Audio Up is in the business of pushing the boundaries of audio entertainment and this project exemplifies that mission in every way,” said Audio Up founder and Chief Executive Officer Jared Gutstadt.

Santana to Pen His Memoir

He ranks as one of the greatest guitarists of all time… And Santana could soon find his name on the New York Times bestseller list.

The 65-year-old Mexican-born rock guitarist has signed an agreement with Little, Brown and Co. to write a tell-all memoir, according to The Associated Press.

Santana

Santana, who has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, learned to play the violin at age five and the guitar at age eight while living Mexico. Following his family’s move to San Francisco, he was also introduced to a variety of new musical influences, including jazz and folk music, and he witnessed the growing hippie movement centered in San Francisco in the 1960s.

“The ’60s were a leap in human consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, they led a revolution of conscience,” once said Santana. “The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix created revolution and evolution themes. The music was like Dalí, with many colors and revolutionary ways. The youth of today must go there to find themselves.”

Santana, currently locked into a two-year headlining gig at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, is expected to dish on the likes of Eric Clapton and Herbie Hancock as he recounts his mammoth career.

Santana’s book is expected to be released in 2014.