Category: 5. Entertainment

EXCLUSIVE: Paradigm’s The Sports Group has set a new book-to-film initiative pairing athletes with bestselling authors. Kicking off the slate is a collaboration between actress, writer, producer, and former WWE superstar CJ Perry (a.k.a Lana) and bestselling author and screenwriter Blake Northcott on the fiction novel Bulletproof Angel.

Bulletproof Angel is a high-octane international spy thriller that centers on a brilliant young CIA agent and her estranged mother, a retired operative with a haunted past. They are forced to work together behind enemy lines to stop an AI-powered weapon system capable of triggering global catastrophe.

Their collaboration is part of a broader slate led by Paradigm’s The Sports Group and Publishing divisions, focused on developing and packaging books as launchpads for film, TV, and franchise content under each client’s creative umbrella.

“I’ve always been drawn to stories of espionage, betrayal, and resilience, and building a world around two powerful female operatives was a dream,” Perry shared. “Blake is an incredible partner, and Bulletproof Angel is just the beginning.”

“CJ has a sharp creative instinct and a cinematic sense of story. She’s a true storyteller,” said Northcott. “This book is a fast-paced, emotional ride with explosive action and a core that’s all heart.”

Northcott is the international bestselling author of Arena Mode and The North Valley Grimoire. With over 50 novels, comics, and short stories to her credit, she has also written for Heavy Metal Magazine, Weird Tales, DC Comics (Catwoman), and Dynamite Comics (Barbarella).

Paradigm’s Ian Kleinert brokered the deal for Perry and Northcott, with media rights overseen by Richie Kern and Sports Group head Nick LoPiccolo. Additional fiction titles are in development, co-authored with Paradigm clients including Damian Priest and Sheamus.

“WWE talent are natural storytellers with massive global platforms, which makes them incredibly appealing to top-tier authors and publishers,” said Ian Kleinert, publishing agent at Paradigm. “This collaboration is about building IP with real cross-platform potential, and Bulletproof Angel is a perfect example of what happens when you combine worlds. The long-term vision is to use all of Paradigm’s expertise to further develop these properties for film and television and build a content library under each client’s creative umbrella.”

Perry, who recently re-signed with WWE under a Legends deal, stars in the action comedy Guns Up, which premiered July 18. Perry appears in the film alongside her husband, WWE’s Rusev (Miro Barnyashev), and Kevin James.

Bulletproof Angel follows other titles from The Sports Group’s growing publishing slate, including Summer Skate, the debut novel from former NHL enforcer Sean Avery, co-written with Leslie Cohen and publishing September 9, via Simon & Schuster. While published independently of the BenBella collaboration, it reflects the same strategy of launching client-driven stories in the romance, thrillers, and memoir genres. Avery is currently filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and will next be seen in Happy Gilmore 2, premiering July 25 on Netflix.

Also releasing this fall is The Last Hart Beating by WWE superstar Natalya Neidhart, to be published in October via BenBella in the United States and Simon & Schuster in Canada. The memoir chronicles her two-decade journey as the only woman in the iconic Hart wrestling family and the longest tenured female wrestler in WWE history. Neidhart recently joined SiriusXM’s Busted Open as its newest host and will next compete at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV on August 2 during SummerSlam weekend, where she faces Masha Slamovich in a singles match.

Aaron Phypers has accused estranged wife Denise Richards of having an addiction to the painkiller Vicodin and an “ongoing” affair, according to Page Six, which obtained a letter written by Phypers that reportedly contained the allegations.

The claims come in the wake of Phypers filing for divorce from “The Bold and the Beautiful” actor on July 7 and Richards obtaining a temporary restraining order against him early last week.

The letter, said to be addressed to friends and family, alleges that the former Real Housewife is addicted to Vicodin and Adderall and combines the drugs with tequila. He also said that he and his parents had been mistreated since his divorce filing. “This isn’t just a relationship breaking down. It’s a cry for help,” he alleges, per Page Six, and asks for prayers for Richards.

“Some of you know this has been an issue for over 20 years. She’s no longer eating real meals, and I’ve witnessed her pass out from substances — putting herself and others in danger, including while driving with our daughter,” Phypers wrote.

Richards’ divorce attorney Brett Berman said in a statement that his client would not be responding to “false allegations in a public forum” but would address the alleged abuse in court.

“In addition to the repeated abuse perpetrated by Mr. Phypers against Ms. Richards throughout the parties’ marriage, Mr. Phypers has continued to harass Ms. Richards since being served with the Temporary Restraining Order by, among other things, disseminating private information from Ms. Richards’ cell phone and laptop, which he stole,” Berman said. “These actions continue to disturb Ms. Richards’ peace. We have warned Mr. Phypers in writing not to disseminate any information from Ms. Richards’ stolen cell phone and laptop but, he continues to do so.”

In his letter, Phypers also claimed he had “never, ever” physically harmed Richards, despite her allegations in last week’s restraining order application. And he wrote, per Page Six, that he found evidence earlier this year that she was having an affair. He said Richards denied having an affair, despite alleged “explicit messages” he said he had discovered.

Richards’ allegations in her restraining order request were more dramatic. “Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me, hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me,” she alleged in her filing.

She included photos of herself with a black eye and alleged that Phypers regularly called her profane and demeaning names and periodically threatened to kill her or himself.

The temporary stay-away order was granted immediately, with a hearing scheduled for Aug. 8 to make the restraining order permanent.

Richards adopted daughter Eloise, now 14, as an infant in 2011; she and Phypers started dating in 2017 and married in September 2018, a month after his divorce from Nicollette Sheridan was final. Richards shares two adult daughters, Sam and Lola, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen.

Phypers’ legal slate is filling up lately. In addition to his divorce filing and Richards’ restraining order, he was sued in January for alleged fraud linked to verbal claims he made about the efficacy of a stem-cell treatment available at his Malibu wellness center. The lawsuit was brought by the husband of a woman who died from cancer after Phypers allegedly told her in 2023, according to People, that she would be cured, or at least much improved, by his $126,000 treatment.

Reality TV star Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman and his family are mourning the recent loss of one of their own.

Anthony, the reality TV star’s teenage step-grandson died on Saturday evening after he was allegedly accidentally shot by his father, Gregory Zecca — Chapman’s stepson — in Naples, Fla., The Times has confirmed. He was 13.

A spokesperson for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office told The Times on Monday that it is investigating the alleged shooting. Officers received a call about a shooting incident at an apartment on Sumter Grove Way in southern Florida at around 8:08 p.m., the spokesperson said, adding “this was an isolated incident.” No arrest has been made in connection to the incident, People reported.

According to the incident report reviewed by The Times on Monday, parts of it redacted, the responding officer heard screaming on the dispatch call. First responders arrived at the apartment and the victim — whose name was not revealed — was pronounced dead before 8:30 p.m.

In a statement shared to TMZ, which first reported on the alleged shooting, Chapman and his wife, Francie Chapman, confirmed Anthony’s death.

“We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony,” the statement said. The couple also requested privacy as they grieved their loved one.

The Times did not hear back immediately from the 72-year-old reality star or his wife on Monday.

Chapman, best known for his long-running A&E reality TV show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” married Francie Chapman (née Frane) two years after wife Beth Chapman died in 2021 following a battle with cancer.

He has been married six times and has a total of 13 children from those marriages. Zecca, 38, is Francie Chapman’s son from a previous relationship.

While Murphy is renowned for her technical prowess, it is her emotional intelligence that drew her to dance as a child. “Some people have a different approach, a more academic approach to the steps, and I think [McKerrow] and I are aligned in that the musicality and the storytelling are the driving forces of choreography,” she says.

Recalling her first time dancing Swan Lake, Murphy adds, “I wasn’t sure if I even knew what I was doing, but I felt like I was going to go with my intuition and just feel the music and the story as much as possible. It was just all this raw energy and not as much awareness of some of the technical and artistic sort of choices that could be made.”

Her understanding of a character deepens with every performance. “I love that feeling of transformation when I go out on stage. There’s so much of me that’s obviously in it, but I really step into their world,” she says. “That feeling of being in that zone, bringing their internal world to life, is special and something that I’ll really miss.”

While the small “lasts,” from her final Giselle to her last class in the company’s primary rehearsal space at 890 Broadway, have helped her to prepare for her retirement, Murphy admits that the entire season has been more emotional than she expected. “How supported I felt by my colleagues and by the audience really does feel celebratory, and also bittersweet,” she says. “It was my own choice to retire, and it feels like the right time, so I feel really good about it, but at the same time, I’ve always loved to dance, since I was really little. I always dreamed of being a ballerina. It’s not easy to walk away from that.”

She also realizes there are things she hasn’t thought about yet, like that looming farewell bow. “It is weird when you get those moments,” she says. The spotlight can feel awkward: “You feel like everyone’s singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you.”

Back in the studio, Murphy tries out a few swanlike curtsies for McKerrow. “At a certain point, you’re going to want to not be a swan anymore,” McKerrow tells her. “Be you. Be Gillian.”

Meet ARrC, a next-gen multinational K-pop group rewriting the rules of global pop. With seven members hailing from Korea, the U.S., Japan, Vietnam and Brazil, ARrC isn’t just crossing borders; they’re building bridges. The name stands for “Always Remember the real Connection,” and in just one year since their debut in August 2024, the group has lived up to that promise with a trio of EPs that blend sonic experimentation with raw emotion.

“We don’t try to blend in — we stay true to who we are and connect authentically. That’s what an ARrC connection looks like,” said the group’s leader, HYUNMIN.

Their debut EP ‘AR^C’ set the tone with “S&S (sour and sweet),” a genre-bending burst of hyper pop and hood pop-inspired electric hip-hop. From there, ‘nu kidz: out the box,’ the group’s second EP, took things further. Powered by the old-school boom bap swagger of its title track “nu kidz,” the release showcased a new layer of ARrC’s bold, genre-defying identity. The accompanying music video quickly made waves, racking up over 10 million views on YouTube in just two weeks and sparking global buzz from fans hungry for something fresh. ARrC isn’t just a group; they’re a movement rooted in authenticity, individuality and cross-cultural connection.

ARrC’s rapid rise is powered not just by their music, but by their unwavering commitment to connection. The multinational group recently made a splash in Indonesia, appearing on top programs like Trans TV’s Brownis and SCTV’s Inbox Nite, where they spoke directly to fans in multiple languages, proving that for ARrC, meaningful communication goes far beyond the stage.

Less than a year into their debut, the group earned a coveted spot on the official lineup for KCON JAPAN 2025 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. Over three jam-packed days, spanning the M Countdown pre-show, main stage and dance showcases, ARrC held their own alongside some of the biggest names in K-pop, delivering high-impact performances that solidified their status as rising stars to watch.

Their latest EP ‘HOPE’ dropped July 16, led by the title track “awesome” — a feel-good anthem that captures the spirit of Gen Z with uplifting beats and unfiltered emotion. “Wherever and whenever, we just hope our music becomes a small source of comfort for someone,” the group shared. With each step, ARrC continues to carve out a new lane in K-pop, defined by authenticity, emotional resonance, and a global outlook.

In the following interview, the members open up about their creative philosophy, their chemistry as a team, and the road ahead.

What does your new mini album ‘HOPE,’ released on July 16, mean to ARrC? What kind of message did you want to deliver through it?

JIBEEN: With our third mini album ‘HOPE’, we wanted to talk about a kind of hope that’s less about something perfectly packaged and more about the feeling that blooms through endurance. As Gen Z, we live in a world that changes rapidly, where expectations often lead to disappointment. But within that, we started to see despair not just as something dark—but as part of a process we endure in our own bittersweet way. Even when things feel like they’re falling apart, we wanted our music to remain upbeat and powerful. This isn’t just an album of comfort or conventional hope; it’s about capturing the rhythm of our generation’s reality—a kind of hope that says, “we keep going, no matter what.” If listeners feel that ARrC’s identity has become clearer through this album, then that’s exactly the message we hoped to deliver.

What aspect of the new album did you focus on the most during production? Are there any tracks or performance moments you hope fans will especially notice?

CHOI HAN: One performance point I really want fans to notice is the “Ddabong Dance” from our title track “awesome.” It’s a move where we raise our arms and give a big thumbs-up. While it might look simple, it symbolizes the energy and message we wanted to share with this song—that “no matter what hardships come your way, it’s going to be okay.” The move captures the spirit of shaking off the little misfortunes of daily life with humor and strength. If fans join in and do the “Ddabong!” with us, I think the sense of connection on stage will be even stronger. It’s a performance that feels like a cheer made the ARrC way—not too heavy, not too light—and I hope fans have fun with it.

Are there any artists you’d love to collaborate with in the future? Why?

DOHA: I’d love to work with DEAN. His music, rooted in R&B, is both stylish and emotionally nuanced—he has such a delicate way of expressing feelings through sound. I think that kind of sensitivity would blend well with ARrC’s vibe. Especially on tracks like “vitamin I,” which combine emotional flow with complex sound structures, his vocals would add a completely new layer. I’d also love to talk with him about production—just imagining that collaboration already gets me excited.

ANDY: For me, it would be amazing to collaborate with the girl group, Billlie. Since my trainee days, I’ve looked up to them for how uniquely they tell stories—not just through music, but also through their performance and expressions. Each member has such a strong individual identity, and when they come together as seven, their chemistry really shines. In that sense, I see a similarity between them and ARrC, and they’ve become role models for me. The way they captivate audiences with their distinct energy and atmosphere on stage is something I truly admire. A collaboration would definitely help us grow both musically and performance-wise, and I think the synergy between ARrC and Billlie’s unique colors could create something really exciting.

What kind of group do you hope ARrC will be five years from now?

JIBEEN: Even after five years, I hope we’re still a team that trusts and supports one another, and continues to enjoy being on stage together. ARrC’s biggest strength is our chemistry, and I’d love for that to grow even deeper over time. I want us to become a group that truly understands each other’s strengths and emotions, so that everything we do on stage feels effortless and natural. Of course, we want to grow musically, perform on bigger stages, and meet fans in more countries—but at the heart of it all, I hope we keep this same mindset and energy we have now.

As your first anniversary approaches, what are your goals as a group and individually?

HYUNMIN: My goal for ARrC is simple—I want people to always expect something new and different from us. Whether it’s a performance or a piece of content, I hope everything we do carries our distinct ARrC signature. Personally, I’d love to explore more creative avenues. I took my first step with songwriting on this album, and one day I’d like to tell my own stories through music. My goal is to grow not only as a performer, but also as a creator.

If you could describe ARrC in one word, what would it be?

ANDY: I’d go with “ARrC-way”—our own unique path. We’re a team that’s not afraid to experiment with different genres and constantly take on new challenges. Instead of following trends, we create our own direction. That’s what makes us ARrC.

CHOI HAN: For me, it’s “awesome.” Just like the title of our latest track, ARrC has a way of turning the small, everyday moments into something special. With honest emotions and original music, we show how the extraordinary can come from the ordinary. “Awesome” represents our color—and it’s also the message we want to share with our fans.

What role do you play in the team, and what do you see as your personal strength?

DOHA: As the main vocalist, I see my role as conveying emotions as directly and clearly as possible through singing. I always try to fully understand the story and feeling behind the lyrics, and focus on delivering that sincerity to our fans during performances. I also try to provide vocal stability that allows all of our members’ unique energies to come together for a polished performance.

HYUNMIN: I’m the leader of the group, so I usually take the lead when decisions need to be made or when we need to find direction. I believe in making sure everyone’s voice is heard and in creating balance among us. Since we’re a multinational team, I think one of my strengths is helping us understand and harmonize our differences. I’m also kind of the mood-maker. Whether we’re in the practice room or backstage, I love lifting the energy when things get quiet. I think I’ve helped the team laugh and stay relaxed, especially in tough or tense moments.

If you were to give a nickname to another member, what would it be and why?

KIEN: I’d give ANDY the nickname “Di-An.” He always calls me “An-Ki” as a joke, so I thought it’d be fun to flip it around. It started as a wordplay, but now it’s part of our own little inside joke—kind of like an affectionate way of showing we care.

ANDY: I often call RIOTO “RIOKO.” At first it was just a silly nickname, but it ended up sticking because it rolls off the tongue and sounds kind of cute. Now it feels like a special name only I use for him.

What song are you currently into or listening to the most these days?

JIBEEN: Lately, I’ve been listening to Way Ched’s “Bad Idea” a lot. It has this emotional melody layered over a really stylish beat, and it always puts me in a reflective mood. I especially love listening to it at night with my earphones in—it’s perfect for that vibe.

CHOI HAN: I’ve been deep into indie music and old-school sounds lately. I’ve been listening to a lot of legends like Michael Jackson. There’s so much to learn from that timeless rhythm and emotion—especially when it comes to performance. It’s been a huge source of inspiration.

DOHA: The song I’m really into these days is DPR LIVE’s “Jasmine.” It has this dreamy quality with a smooth vocal laid over a stylish soundscape. It’s the kind of track that draws you in emotionally, and I find myself going back to it often.

EXCLUSIVE: It was clear back in the mid-1990s when New Line made the first adaptation of the Midway videogame, and it’s still evident today: There’s a massive appetite for Mortal Kombat. WaveMetrix data reports that the latest trailer for the Simon McQuoid sequel has notched 106.8M worldwide views in its first 24 hours after being dropped on Thursday, July 17 at 9AM PST — the best ever for a red-band trailer. The trailer launched in 68 countries and 47 languages. Mortal Kombat II opens on Oct. 24.

The previous McQuoid movie back in 2021 was also a red trailer record-breaker, clearing 116M views in its first week and besting the 4-day traffic of Logan and Deadpool 2.

Great views yield excellent box office. Despite a theatrical day and date release on HBO Max, Mortal Kombat opened to a robust $23.3M over April 23-25, 2021; that was about on par to the unadjusted 1995 opening of the first movie which did $23.2M. We’ll finally get to see the movie’s theatrical potential sans a same day HBO Max play. 2021’s Dune, a day and date release from Warners/Legendary, opened to $41M in U.S./Canada. But the pure theatrical play of its sequel last year, Dune: Part Two, jumped its opening +101% to an $82.5M 3-day.

The 24-hour traffic for Mortal Kombat II outstrips that of other red-band trailers, i.e. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (58.5M, dropout date March 26, 2021), Deadpool 2 (52M, drop date Feb. 7, 2018) and the previous Mortal Kombat movie (47M, Feb. 18, 2021 release).

The livestream numbers of the Mortal Kombat II trailer hit 2.7M streams worldwide across such social media channels as Mortal Kombat Movie, Mortal Kombat Games, Warner Bros (US, UK, Canada), IGN and Imax channels (TikTok, X, YouTube, Twitch).

Sentiment for the trailer was positive to neutral, earning praise from fans, celebrities and influencers with shoutouts to Karl Urban’s casting as martial artist Johnny Cage, the pic’s beloved Mortal Kombat characters and iconic lines with some citing that Scorpion’s “‘get over here!’ is already the things of fanboy dreams”.

There was another halo effect: New Line and Warner Bros. created a faux Uncaged Fury trailer for a movie starring Urban’s Cage. How’d that do? 22.2M views in 24 hours, and we’re told that traffic was all organic.

Part two follows the champion fighters from the videogames as they’re joined by Cage. They’re pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn who threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Lewis Tan led the first film as Cole Young, an MMA fighter facing off against Outworld enemies in a high-stakes battle for the universe. Returning cast also include Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao. Newcomers apart from Urban include Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen, and Damon Herriman.

Jeremy Slater wrote the screenplay. The film is produced by Todd Garner, James Wan, Toby Emmerich, E. Bennett Walsh and McQuoid, and executive produced by Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Slater and Lawrence Kasanoff. 

To date, the three Mortal Kombat movies from New Line have grossed $257.8M worldwide.

Public service television such as the news, ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office and the BBC nature series Wild Isles is becoming an “endangered species” in the streaming era and ministers should pass laws to make it easier to discover on websites such as YouTube, the media regulator has said.

A report by Ofcom warns that UK-focused programming made by the British public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV and Channels 4 and 5 – is under threat and there is a “strong case” for legislation to make sure it is easy to find on third-party platforms, most notably the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site.

Ofcom said the need for effective prominence extends to public service media content such as news, children’s shows and some original programmes “which reflect British culture and bring the country together”, made by the PSBs and Sky.

The regulator said the British public service model was “now under serious threat” amid a viewer exodus from traditional TV viewing to global streaming platforms.

Ofcom highlights as a “priority” that PSBs should “work urgently” with YouTube, which dominates streaming on devices and is also rapidly becoming more popular for viewing through smart TVs, to ensure their content gains prominence for viewers.

“This is particularly important for news and children’s content, and we believe there is a strong case for government to legislate to enable the change,” Ofcom said.

Its report said non-PSBs such as Netflix do also make high-quality UK drama that “contribute substantially to British culture and public debate”. Examples cited include Netflix’s global hit Adolescence, Say Nothing on Disney+ and Sky’s Artist of the Year series.

However, it said that unlike the PSBs, which operate under legislation to make public service content universally available, these services often have their content behind a paywall, and they are not required to commission British content or invest in homemade productions across the UK.

Last year, the Media Act came into force which ensured that the content and streaming services offered by PSBs, such as the iPlayer and ITVX, were given due prominence on TV-based services such as pay-TV, smart TVs and on other streaming devices.

However, this legislation did not extend to video-sharing platforms, a sector dominated by YouTube, the most popular platform among young children in particular.

“Public service media is stitched into the cultural fabric of UK society. It starts conversations, educates and informs, and brings us together in moments of national importance,” said Cristina Nicolotti Squires, broadcasting and media group director at Ofcom. “But in a world dominated by global streaming platforms, public service media risks becoming an endangered species, and time is running out to intervene to protect it.”

According to Ofcom research, 43% of children aged four to 17 watch YouTube on a weekly basis, while last year fewer than half of 16- to 24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week.

The issue is compounded by research showing that the streaming services offered by public service media companies only account for 9% of all viewing, as they struggle to hold on to viewers in the streaming era.

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Subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon’s Prime Video account for 15% and 19% goes to online video-sharing platforms such as YouTube.

“Consumption of online news, where misinformation and disinformation can thrive, continues to edge further ahead of broadcast TV news,” Ofcom said.

Its report also said additional public funding would be needed to support genres such as news and children’s content, findings published as the government heads into a review of the BBC’s royal charter, including the future of the licence fee funding model.

“We recommend that that priority be given to socially valuable but commercially less viable genres, such as news, local news and children’s content,” Ofcom said.

The regulator said the issue of additional funding for public service TV was “for the government to consider”.

Ofcom also said it planned to launch a “fundamental” review of the regulation of broadcast TV and radio.

The regulator, which is kicking off a “comprehensive” call for evidence in the autumn, said that it is aiming to “streamline regulation and strip away any outdated and unnecessary restrictions”.

The final words of Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing With Feathers are “Unfinished. Beautiful. Everything”. So it has been for the slender novella, about a father and his sons grieving the loss of their wife and mother. Somewhat improbably for an experimental hybrid of poem and prose featuring a giant talking crow, Porter’s debut has not only been a massive success, but has continued to evolve. Since it was published a decade ago, it has been translated into 36 languages and adapted for stage and screen, including a theatre show starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy and a film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, due for release later this year.

The book’s latest evolution is an Australian stage adaptation, premiering at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre this month. There have already been five stage productions, and a dance adaptation and Slovenian puppet version are on the way; an opera is in development.

All this seems remarkable to Porter. “You know, Grief was not even a publishable proposition to most people that looked at it first,” he says.

Porter was more aware than most debut writers of the odds stacked against his novel: he was working in publishing when he wrote it, and keenly aware how his book’s fragmentary narrative and experimental prose – which the Guardian described at the time as “a freewheeling hybrid of novella, poem, essay and play-for-voices” – was risky. Then there’s its dense threading of literary references and allusions – and the anthropomorphic crow, inspired by Ted Hughes’ 1970 poem cycle Crow.

Porter wrote Grief in the gaps of a busy life working in publishing and fathering two young boys, inspired by his experience of losing his father as a child and by his relationship with his brother. In the story, a writer and his two young sons grappling with fresh grief are visited by a human-sized talking crow, who takes up residence in their flat and assumes the role of therapist and babysitter – or as Porter has described him, “Lady in Black and Mary Poppins, analyst and vandal”.

The story chimed with readers, finding an audience as much through personal recommendations as through rave reviews and awards (including the £30,000 International Dylan Thomas prize). Dua Lipa, introducing the novel to her book club audience in April, described it as a “lyrical, surreal meditation on loss” that simultaneously broke her heart and made her laugh.

Reflecting on the enduring appeal and many adaptations, Porter says: “I guess the imaginary crow and, you know, the everlasting conundrum of human grief, is enough for people to want to play around with still.”

Most authors are happy to leave adaptations to others, approving the parameters of the project and then stepping away. Not Porter: he likes to muck in. “I’m 98% collaboration,” he says – perhaps surprisingly, given he’s published four books in the last decade, and just finished his fifth. “Like, occasionally I will find myself on my own, needing to get some work done, but generally I want to be working with others.”

He sat in on early workshops of the Irish stage version with Cillian Murphy and director Enda Walsh, attended a work-in-progress showing of the dance version premiering in Birmingham next year, and has had several chats with the Belvoir team over the show’s long gestation.

That’s not to say he’s proscriptive about adaptations: “I always say this: ‘The book is yours.’ It’s supposed to be fluid and pull-apart-able,” he says. “It’s a book with lots of white space so that the reader can do that work, anyway. You know, it’s your flat, it’s your sibling relationship. It’s your crow.”

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But for Porter – a 43-year-old who converses with the enthusiasm of a preteen boy – discussing his work with other artists and storytellers is energising. “I had a Zoom chat with [Australian director Simon Phillips] the other day, and it was like, right into the belly of the thing – right into the syntax of it, and the meaning behind some of Crow’s language and some of the dad’s material. And I was like, this is right back to being interesting again for me,” he says.

The Belvoir production, co-adapted by Phillips with lighting and set designer Nick Schlieper and actor Toby Schmitz, will feature video, illustrations and a live cellist on stage. Schmitz, playing both Dad and Crow, says the production is infused with the make-believe spirit of theatre and child’s play. “Sleight of hand, misdirection, all the old theatre magic tricks come into play. Can a blanket be not just a blanket? What can a feather be? … There’s something incredible about the suspension of disbelief in theatre.”

Schmitz, who also works part-time in his family’s bookstore in Newtown, heard about Porter’s novel from customers long before he read it. “People are always asking for it,” he says. “The book is so magnificent, the text is so unique and delicious … I think it lends itself wonderfully – quite effortlessly – to performance.”

He relates to the character of Dad, a “literary boffin type figure”, as both an author (his novel The Empress Murders was published in May) and a father – at time of speaking, juggling rehearsals with the whirlwind of school holidays. Crow is something more mysterious, however – “full of infinite possibility,” he says. ”I’ve been swinging from Mary Poppins to Tom Hardy thuggery.”

Porter, who will visit Sydney for the play’s opening, says he’s excited to see what the Australian team have made of his novel.

“I think I find something different every time,” he says of the story’s various iterations. “It’s still interesting – it’s not like a piece of dead, old, early work. For me, it feels like a living, breathing proposition still, that keeps moving.”

You know how it is: You’re with your extremely famous, rich, successful rumored boyfriend on an “intimate” little yacht vacation in Menorca, just the two of you (and his various Scientologist disciples via Zoom, I assume), when suddenly paparazzi encircle the vessel and find what appears to be incontrovertible proof that the two of you are a capital-T Thing. What do you do? If you’re Ana de Armas, you say nothing, letting a “source” tell the tabloids that you’re single and just really “focused” on your role opposite Tom Cruise in Doug Liman’s upcoming thriller film Deeper. And yet…the yacht images persist!

Setting aside the sheer hilarity of any luxury-yacht-based trip being called intimate—oh, I’m sure!—I can’t stop wondering whether Cruise and de Armas could be, in fact, dating. (Some mentally pore over questions of particle physics or 18th-century British history for work…I, personally, am lucky enough to devote the lion’s share of my gray matter to celebrity hookups. Yes, I’m quite blessed!) Is Cruise just an “incredible mentor” to de Armas, or is she “losing her patience” at having to hide her relationship with the 63-year-old action star?

All this rumination brings me to another key question, one I’ve had for years: Do women actually find Tom Cruise sexy? For some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on (ahem, the aforementioned Scientology), I’m tempted to say no, but some of the things that make Cruise a less-than-traditional leading man—such as his height, which is famously a modest five feet seven—are actually kind of attractive when I consider them outside of the context of his specific personality. Does the man wear lifts? Possibly-slash-probably. And yet short kings like Tom Holland and Jeremy Allen White are pulling their own modest statures off with aplomb. (As a side note, remember when Nicole Kidman said that she was happy to be able to wear heels again after her marriage to Cruise ended?)

While I would undoubtedly find Cruise hotter if he embraced having taller girlfriends whom he could literally look up to, there’s no arguing that he is exceedingly well-preserved for a man in his 60s, not to mention a father of three children whose ages range from 19 (Suri) to 30 and 32 (Connor and Isabella, respectively). This isn’t about what I find attractive, though; it’s about what de Armas values in a man. And if we can glean anything from her prior relationships with the likes of Ben Affleck and stepson to the president of Cuba Manuel Anido Cuesta, it’s that she clearly likes a man who’s left his mark on the culture in some way or other. Who better to fill her ex-boyfriends’ shoes, then, than the star of once and future Top Guns?