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LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – The nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards were announced on Tuesday, with action-packed dark comedy "One Battle After Another" leading with  14 nods. The BAFTAs, Britain's top movie honours, will be handed out at a ceremony in London on February 22. Below is a list of the key categories. BEST FILM OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM DIRECTOR LEADING ACTOR LEADING ACTRESS SUPPORTING ACTOR SUPPORTING ACTRESS ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY ADAPTED SCREENPLAY FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANIMATED FILM DOCUMENTARY ORIGINAL SCORE (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

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By Louisa Off and Miranda Murray NUREMBERG, Germany, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Mattel teased fans of "KPop Demon Hunters" on Tuesday with a new line-up of dolls to be rolled out later this year after it failed to cash in on the success of the runaway Netflix hit over the holiday shopping season.  "KPop Demon Hunters" is Netflix's most popular film ever, hitting over 500 million views since its June release. Mattel, however, did not foresee its crossover appeal, a source told Reuters last year. The new toys will start rolling out this summer, roughly a year after the film's release, as Mattel hopes merchandise can stoke its continued popularity.  "We really believe that this brand and this franchise has evergreen potential," Roberto Stanichi, Mattel's chief global brand officer, told Reuters at the International Toy Fair in the southern German city of Nuremberg, where the toys were unveiled. "We're going to be staging different collections, different assortments throughout the year," he added. FROM TOYMAKER TO ENTERTAINMENT PLAYER Facing declining retail sales, the Barbie and Hot Wheels maker is repositioning itself as a global entertainment player, giving new life to its intellectual properties through Hollywood partnerships. With more than 14 films in the pipeline, Mattel hopes to repeat the success of 2023 blockbuster "Barbie" with a live-action version of "Masters of the Universe" in June and will release a new He-Man toy line soon to build buzz.  While no announcement has yet been made, industry publication Deadline reported that a "KPop Demon Hunters" sequel is in the works for a possible 2029 release. "We have ambitious plans for the franchise, but I'm not able to share them yet," Filippo Zuffada, senior director of consumer products at Netflix, told Reuters. "Merchandise is essential to extend the life of an IP like this." Netflix announced a licencing partnership with Mattel and Hasbro in October, and Stanichi said Mattel worked closely with Netflix to develop the KPop Demon Hunters line faster than usual. SINGING DOLLS, POLLY POCKETS PLANNED The dolls inspired by Rumi, Zoey and Mira – the film's girl band members by day, demon hunters by night – will initially be available with two looks, including dolls who sing their Billboard No. 1 hit "Golden".  The HUNTR/X stars along with frenemy boy band Saja Boys members and other characters will be released across Mattel's Polly Pocket, UNO and Little People Collector brands.  The dolls will sell for around $40 to $45, while Polly Pocket tiny capsules, featuring the girl band's favourite ramen cups, will retail for about $8.  Some products will not be available until autumn.  (Reporting by Louisa Off in Nuremberg and Miranda Murray in Berlin; Editing by Joe Bavier)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Louisa Off and Miranda Murray NUREMBERG, Germany, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Mattel teased fans of "KPop Demon Hunters" on Tuesday with a new line-up of dolls to be rolled out later this year after it failed to cash in on the success of the runaway Netflix hit over the holiday shopping season.  "KPop Demon Hunters" is Netflix's most popular film ever, hitting over 500 million views since its June release. Mattel, however, did not foresee its crossover appeal, a source told Reuters last year. The new toys will start rolling out this summer, roughly a year after the film's release, as Mattel hopes merchandise can stoke its continued popularity.  "We really believe that this brand and this franchise has evergreen potential," Roberto Stanichi, Mattel's chief global brand officer, told Reuters at the International Toy Fair in the southern German city of Nuremberg, where the toys were unveiled. "We're going to be staging different collections, different assortments throughout the year," he added. FROM TOYMAKER TO ENTERTAINMENT PLAYER Facing declining retail sales, the Barbie and Hot Wheels maker is repositioning itself as a global entertainment player, giving new life to its intellectual properties through Hollywood partnerships. With more than 14 films in the pipeline, Mattel hopes to repeat the success of 2023 blockbuster "Barbie" with a live-action version of "Masters of the Universe" in June and will release a new He-Man toy line soon to build buzz.  While no announcement has yet been made, industry publication Deadline reported that a "KPop Demon Hunters" sequel is in the works for a possible 2029 release. "We have ambitious plans for the franchise, but I'm not able to share them yet," Filippo Zuffada, senior director of consumer products at Netflix, told Reuters. "Merchandise is essential to extend the life of an IP like this." Netflix announced a licencing partnership with Mattel and Hasbro in October, and Stanichi said Mattel worked closely with Netflix to develop the KPop Demon Hunters line faster than usual. SINGING DOLLS, POLLY POCKETS PLANNED The dolls inspired by Rumi, Zoey and Mira – the film's girl band members by day, demon hunters by night – will initially be available with two looks, including dolls who sing their Billboard No. 1 hit "Golden".  The HUNTR/X stars along with frenemy boy band Saja Boys members and other characters will be released across Mattel's Polly Pocket, UNO and Little People Collector brands.  The dolls will sell for around $40 to $45, while Polly Pocket tiny capsules, featuring the girl band's favourite ramen cups, will retail for about $8.  Some products will not be available until autumn.  (Reporting by Louisa Off in Nuremberg and Miranda Murray in Berlin; Editing by Joe Bavier)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Action-packed dark comedy "One Battle After Another" led nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards on Tuesday, with vampire thriller and box office smash "Sinners" also widely recognised at Britain's top movie honours. "One Battle After Another", in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed-up revolutionary whose daughter is kidnapped, secured 14 nods, of which five were for its cast including DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti, who plays his daughter, in the leading acting categories. Their co-stars Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro were nominated in supporting acting categories. The critically-acclaimed movie also secured a best director nod for Paul Thomas Anderson and is up for the awards' top prize, best film, alongside "Sinners", "Hamnet", "Marty Supreme" and "Sentimental Value". "Sinners", celebrating blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, received 13 nods, including for actor Michael B. Jordan who plays twins returning to their hometown to set up a juke joint. Director Ryan Coogler was nominated in the directing and original screenplay categories while cast member Wunmi Mosaku is up for supporting actress. "Hamnet", which fictionalises the relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes and the death of their son, followed with 11 nods.  Jessie Buckley was nominated for leading actress for playing Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, while Paul Mescal received a supporting actor nod for his portrayal of the bard. Chloe Zhao was the only woman in the best director category. Adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling 2020 novel of the same name, the film follows the highs and lows of their love story as well as the grief over the loss of their son Hamnet, which leads Shakespeare to write "Hamlet". COMPETITION FOR BEST DIRECTOR Alongside Anderson and Coogler, Zhao face competition from Josh Safdie for table tennis tale "Marty Supreme", Yorgos Lanthimos for "Bugonia" and Joachim Trier for Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" for the best director prize. "Marty Supreme" secured 11 nominations in total, including expected recognition for Timothee Chalamet in the title role. The leading actor category also includes Robert Aramayo for playing a Tourette syndrome campaigner in "I Swear", Ethan Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart in "Blue Moon" and Jesse Plemons for "Bugonia", in which his character kidnaps a female pharmaceuticals boss, played by Emma Stone, believing she is an alien. Stone was recognised in the leading actress category, alongside Rose Byrne for her portrayal of a mother whose life is unravelling in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You", Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue", the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band, and Renate Reinsve for "Sentimental Value". Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were snubbed in the acting categories for their performances in "Wicked: For Good". The musical sequel was only nominated for costume design and makeup & hair, although that was better than the Academy Awards, where it has scored zero nods. Its predecessor received seven BAFTA nominations. (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Action-packed dark comedy "One Battle After Another" led nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards on Tuesday, with vampire thriller and box office smash "Sinners" also widely recognised at Britain's top movie honours. "One Battle After Another", in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed-up revolutionary whose daughter is kidnapped, secured 14 nods, of which five were for its cast including DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti, who plays his daughter, in the leading acting categories. Their co-stars Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro were nominated in supporting acting categories. The critically-acclaimed movie also secured a best director nod for Paul Thomas Anderson and is up for the awards' top prize, best film, alongside "Sinners", "Hamnet", "Marty Supreme" and "Sentimental Value". "Sinners", celebrating blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, received 13 nods, including for actor Michael B. Jordan who plays twins returning to their hometown to set up a juke joint. Director Ryan Coogler was nominated in the directing and original screenplay categories while cast member Wunmi Mosaku is up for supporting actress. "Hamnet", which fictionalises the relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes and the death of their son, followed with 11 nods.  Jessie Buckley was nominated for leading actress for playing Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, while Paul Mescal received a supporting actor nod for his portrayal of the bard. Chloe Zhao was the only woman in the best director category. Adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling 2020 novel of the same name, the film follows the highs and lows of their love story as well as the grief over the loss of their son Hamnet, which leads Shakespeare to write "Hamlet". COMPETITION FOR BEST DIRECTOR Alongside Anderson and Coogler, Zhao face competition from Josh Safdie for table tennis tale "Marty Supreme", Yorgos Lanthimos for "Bugonia" and Joachim Trier for Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" for the best director prize. "Marty Supreme" secured 11 nominations in total, including expected recognition for Timothee Chalamet in the title role. The leading actor category also includes Robert Aramayo for playing a Tourette syndrome campaigner in "I Swear", Ethan Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart in "Blue Moon" and Jesse Plemons for "Bugonia", in which his character kidnaps a female pharmaceuticals boss, played by Emma Stone, believing she is an alien. Stone was recognised in the leading actress category, alongside Rose Byrne for her portrayal of a mother whose life is unravelling in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You", Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue", the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band, and Renate Reinsve for "Sentimental Value". Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were snubbed in the acting categories for their performances in "Wicked: For Good". The musical sequel was only nominated for costume design and makeup & hair, although that was better than the Academy Awards, where it has scored zero nods. Its predecessor received seven BAFTA nominations. (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – The nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards were announced on Tuesday, with action-packed dark comedy "One Battle After Another" leading with  14 nods. The BAFTAs, Britain's top movie honours, will be handed out at a ceremony in London on February 22. Below is a list of the key categories. BEST FILM OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM DIRECTOR LEADING ACTOR LEADING ACTRESS SUPPORTING ACTOR SUPPORTING ACTRESS ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY ADAPTED SCREENPLAY FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANIMATED FILM DOCUMENTARY ORIGINAL SCORE (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Action-packed dark comedy "One Battle After Another" led nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards on Tuesday, with vampire thriller and box office smash "Sinners" also widely recognised at Britain's top movie honours. "One Battle After Another", in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed-up revolutionary whose daughter is kidnapped, secured 14 nods, of which five were for its cast including DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti, who plays his daughter, in the leading acting categories. Their co-stars Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro were nominated in supporting acting categories. It also secured a best director nod for Paul Thomas Anderson and is up for the awards' top prize, best film, alongside "Sinners", "Hamnet", "Marty Supreme" and "Sentimental Value". (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Jan 27 (Reuters) – Decades after three Californian youth theatre students decided to write a musical based on Louisa May Alcott's coming-of-age classic "Little Women", they have achieved a sell-out world premiere at London's Theatre Royal. "We were the age of the kids when we wrote it," said composer Dan Redfeld, speaking before Sunday's concert performance. "Now we’re coming back to it at the age of the adults." "Jo – The Little Women Musical" began when Redfeld saw and loved the 1994 film of "Little Women", starring Winona Ryder as the young heroine Jo March and Susan Sarandon as her mother Marmee. "As you do in youth theatre," Redfeld said, he thought: "Let's write a musical." Together with lyricists Christina Harding and John Gabriel Koladziej, he did. That was the easy part. WORKSHOPPING WITH ELAINE STRITCH Years of false starts followed, including workshopping the project with Broadway star Elaine Stritch. The 9/11 attacks in 2000 led funding to disappear. After that, COVID slowed their attempt to revive it, but gave them time to revise. The show at last has funders and big stars. Following Sunday's one-night premiere, the team is working to arrange more performances, but said they could not yet disclose details. A selling point is the show's lush sound provided by a nearly 30-strong orchestra that harks back to the West End musicals of the late eighties and nineties that were the creators' influences when they began writing "Jo". Kerry Ellis, who sings Marmee, and has previously starred in dozens of major musicals, said such "luscious orchestras" have become rare. "This is very special because of that," she said. The West End premiere was preceded by an album, released last year, and recordings at London's Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles and so many others have gone before. For everyone in the show, Abbey Road Studios is a setting they never take for granted. Working there was full of "pinch me moments," Koladziej said after a rehearsal session at the Studios late last week. (Reporting by Barbara Lewis; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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MEXICO CITY, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Huge demand to see K-pop boy band BTS, among the world's most popular artists, has led Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to formally request of her counterpart, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, that he help arrange more concerts in Mexico. "Everyone wants to go," Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference on Monday, adding that she had sent a diplomatic letter to South Korea's Lee seeking more concerts. "Around 1 million young people want to buy tickets, but there are only 150,000 tickets available," she said.  The chart-topping band is set to embark on a global tour in April, shortly after they launch their first new album in three years. The band has been on hiatus since 2022 while its members undertook South Korea's mandatory military service. The new tour launched a worldwide scramble for tickets, particularly in Mexico, one of K-pop's largest fan bases, where many people missed the initial rush and others complained to the consumer watchdog about problems with sales. Mexico's consumer watchdog said it has launched a probe into Ticketmaster and is sanctioning resale platforms StubHub and Viagogo for "abusive and disloyal practices" over the BTS ticketing process, without giving more details. Tickets were selling on Ticketmaster from about 1,800 pesos to as much as 17,800 pesos for VIP tickets (around $100 to $1,030), but on resale platforms on Monday the tickets were selling from 11,300 to 92,100 pesos (more than $5,300). The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The watchdog agency said it would help develop new guidelines to better regulate ticket sales to concerts and festivals, with prices and locations established ahead of the tickets' release. Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, has faced other controversies in Mexico, including in 2022 when it reimbursed around $1 million to customers after more than a thousand fans reported being denied access to a Bad Bunny concert at Mexico's Estadio Azteca.  At the time, Ticketmaster criticized resellers and fraudulent ticket vendors and called for stronger control measures. BTS's new album "Arirang" is slated for release in March and the world tour will begin in Goyang, South Korea, on April 9. Just three concerts have been scheduled in Mexico, all in Mexico City's GNP Seguros Stadium, from May 7 to May 10. ($1 = 17.3032 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Sarah Morland, Diego Ore and Ana Isabel Martinez in Mexico City; Editing by Emily Green and Matthew Lewis)

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By Michael Holden LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – British actor Sadie Frost said there had been a "price on my head" and she had become sick with humiliation as she gave evidence in a privacy lawsuit she has brought against the Daily Mail alongside Prince Harry and others. Frost, 60, is suing the Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers, for privacy violations between 2000 and 2010, including a reporter discovering her ectopic pregnancy in 2003 when she says she had not even told her mother and sisters. Associated denies allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts, made by Frost and the other claimants, including Harry, singer Elton John, and actor Elizabeth Hurley. STORIES ABOUT JUDE LAW Frost was the third claimant to give evidence after Harry and Hurley, telling London's High Court her voicemails were hacked, and her landline and car bugged, mainly to obtain stories about her relationship with ex-husband and fellow actor Jude Law. "There had been a price put on my head," said Frost, who starred in Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and has since turned to directing. She became tearful and requested a break when asked about stories about how her daughter, then aged two, chewed on an ecstasy tablet found on the floor at a children's party. "It's just so humiliating … it made me so ill," she said, explaining she had needed hospital treatment for post-natal depression.  Frost rejected suggestions from Associated's lawyer that her family or friends could have leaked the stories, saying they would not have known such highly personal details — or when they did speak to the media it was only after the information had already been published. "This stuff had been in the press because it had been hacked from my voicemail," she said, adding both she and Law had at times suspected the other of leaking stories.  ASSOCIATED SAYS LAWSUIT OUT OF DATE Associated, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, says the information about Frost's pregnancy came from a freelance journalist with confidential sources close to Frost and her then estranged husband. The publisher also argues Frost knew enough to bring a claim before filing in October 2022 — arguing she was outside a six‑year limitation period — and that her lawyers used "camouflage" to hide their knowledge. Frost denied any part in such a "plot", telling Associated's lawyer Antony White: "You're making me feel like I'm part of something that I'm not." Asked by her own lawyer about pursuing the case, she said the process was "very distressing", but added: "The Daily Mail should be accountable." On Monday, lawyers released witness statements supporting the claimants from a series of well-known figures including actors Billie Piper and Patsy Kensit who say they believe stories written about them had been unlawfully obtained. Their evidence is not being challenged as the publisher says their claims are both mistaken and irrelevant. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Additional reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ros Russell)

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