Latest news with #Merky
Perth Now
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Stormzy felt 'challenged' by Big Man role
Stormzy found it difficult to "totally separate" himself from his Big Man character. The 31-year-old star plays a rapper in his first lead role, and Stormzy admits that he struggled to distance himself from his movie character. The award-wining star - who plays Tenzman in the new film - told BBC Newsbeat: "It was really tough if I'm honest. "It felt like I'm playing a rapper but I am a rapper, it's tough to totally separate." Big Man is the first release from Stormzy's #MerkyFilm production company, and the rapper has revealed his long-term ambition for the enterprise. He shared: "What we've tried to do at Merky, whether it's music, sports, whatever, we do we just want to stand in our truth, tell our stories, but also not from the same perspective that it's always been told from. "Even being black British, it's such a nuanced experience – you've got the black experience, you've got the British experience, and then you've got the black British experience. "We want to tell it from our perspective which is nuanced, it's brilliant, it's different, it's not always the same, it's not a monolith." Stormzy felt "challenged" while making the movie, but he still enjoyed the creative process. The Vossi Bop hitmaker said: "It was really tough but it was a challenge I was so honoured to be a part of. "I like to be challenged, I like to be a bit uncomfortable so I love it." Stormzy previously explained that his acting debut was "all about the joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth". The rapper also hopes that the 24-minute short film will serve as a source of inspiration for aspiring stars. He said: "I hope you love our first project, Big Man, as much as we loved making it. 'For me, it's all about the joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth – that feeling like life is one big adventure and the world's your playground. "I hope it inspires you to dream bigger, live louder, and hold on to that unapologetic energy that comes with being young."
Perth Now
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Stormzy says his acting debut is ‘all about joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth'
Stormzy has said his acting debut is 'all about the joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth'. The 31-year-old British rapper has just launched his new production company, #Merky Films, and the performer – real name Michael Omari – will be taking the leading role in Big Man, a 24-minute short film and the first project from his new company. He said in a statement quoted by Variety: 'I hope you love our first project, Big Man, as much as we loved making it. 'For me, it's all about the joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth – that feeling like life is one big adventure and the world's your playground. 'I hope it inspires you to dream bigger, live louder, and hold on to that unapologetic energy that comes with being young.' The film, directed by Academy Award-winner Aneil Karia, tells the fictional story of Tenzman, a former rap star facing an uncertain chapter in his life. It is set for release on YouTube at 8pm on Wednesday 18 June, and was made in association with Apple. Stormzy's new venture builds on the expanding #Merky brand, which already includes #Merky Books, #Merky FC and the #Merky Foundation. Merky Films aims to increase access to television and film for Afro-Caribbean and other underrepresented communities. Its stated mission is to champion new voices by creating projects that 'connect communities, celebrate culture and inspire meaningful change'. A development deal is already in place with Netflix to create multiple projects, including a 'powerful drama series' and a 'seminal biopic', with additional talks ongoing with other film companies. Speaking about the launch of #Merky Films, Stormzy added: 'I always say: music is my first love, but film is my second. #Merky Films is something I've been dreaming about for ages – a space for powerful British stories and a solid home for fresh, unexpected art. It's a natural next step for everything we do at #Merky – sharing our stories, spotlighting important voices and making room for those who deserve to be seen and heard.' He also expressed hope the company will help elevate new talent, adding: 'We always like to give that opportunity before the world latches on and catches up. 'I definitely, in 30 or 40 years' time, want to see whoever wins the best director of the year at the Oscars to say that the first thing they directed was for #Merky Films.' Future projects from the production house will include documentaries, animations and mockumentaries.
Metro
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Stormzy set to make film debut with major career move
Stormzy has officially unveiled #Merky Films, the latest addition to his creative empire. The launch is his entry into the world of film and visual storytelling, expanding the #Merky brand (which already includes #Merky Books, #Merky Foundation, and #Merky FC). To kick off the venture, Stormzy is debuting Big Man, a short film produced in association with Apple and shot entirely on iPhone 16 Pro. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Aneil Karia, the film stars Stormzy in his first-ever lead acting role. Klevis Brahja, 15, will also be making his acting debut in the film after being street-cast for the film. Some fans may recognise Jaydon Eastman, 14, from The Lion King, Matilda, and MJ The Musical on the West End, who is also starring in the new project. Premiering on YouTube at 8:00pm BST on June 18, 2025, the film follows the story of Tenzman, a retired rap star whose life takes an unexpected turn after he meets two spirited boys, Klevis and Tyrell. Their unlikely friendship rekindles Tenzman's passion for music, leading him down new avenues of discovery. The film explores themes of rediscovery, gratitude, and the enduring power of connection. More Trending '#Merky Films is something I've been dreaming about for ages,' said Stormzy. 'It's a space for powerful British stories and fresh, unexpected art. I hope Big Man inspires people to dream bigger and live louder.' The new media venture aims to spotlight new voices and bold narratives within British cinema and TV, and its upcoming slate includes a drama series, a biopic, documentaries, a new animation project, and a mockumentary. In an Instagram post about the project, Stormzy wrote: 'I hope you love Big Man as much as we loved making it. It captures the joy, the spirit and the fearless energy of youth and I hope it inspires you to dream big.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Stupid' Apple Pay prank plagues commuters on London Tube MORE: Warning issued to anyone with an iPhone over urgent security upgrade MORE: WhatsApp will stop working on a range of phones this month – is yours on the list?
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The best science fiction, fantasy and horror
Old Soul by Susan Barker (Fig Tree, £16.99)A chance encounter between two travellers who've missed their flight reveals a strange connection: each is haunted by an unexplained death. Although Jake's best friend Lena died in London a decade ago, while Mariko's twin brother died more recently in Japan, the circumstances were similar. In both, a rare physical condition that should have been known since birth was only found postmortem. Both had been recently involved with a female photographer, a European in her 30s or 40s, who disappeared soon after the death. Jake suspects it was the same woman and is determined to track her down. Through the testimony of others, the mystery deepens, as the story moves back and forth in time, from Japan to Germany, from rural Wales to the artistic circles of 80s New York, and Jake assembles a picture of a seemingly ageless woman behind a series of inexplicable deaths. An immersive, stunningly weird tale that closes like a trap round the reader. Model Home by Rivers Solomon (Merky, £18.99)Can a house that's never been lived in before be haunted? Gender-fluid Ezri and their sisters carry scars from terrible experiences as the only Black family in a gated community in Dallas. The parents remain after their children are grown. When phone calls go unanswered, Ezri, now settled in London, fears the house has killed them, and must go back to Texas to confront the truth about the past. A disturbing, brilliantly twisty psychological horror exploring family dynamics, memory, gender identity and sexuality. Mother of Serpents by John R Gordon (Team Angelica, £13.99)The latest from the award-winning author has something of the feel of classic Stephen King. The set-up is traditional: married couple with a small child leave their familiar urban environment to relocate to a spooky old house on the edge of a strangely silent forest in rural Maine, where the little boy speaks of nocturnal visits from an 'owl lady' who warns of danger. But this is a same-sex marriage and the stay-at-home spouse is a Black poet who fears his husband will attribute his increasingly weird experiences to the return of an earlier psychotic break. The fully realised, believable main characters exist in the real world, and the strong writing and specificity of detail make for a gripping read, with a genuinely original monster. Symbiote by Michael Nayak (Angry Robot, £9.99)The author of this debut novel has worked at an Antarctic research station, and excels in capturing the wonder as well as the fear it inspires. The first volume of the Ice Plague Wars series opens with the arrival of Chinese scientists – one dead – at the American station. They are seeking refuge, but the US and China are at war, so they must be confined until a military authority is informed. And the Chinese have brought something incredibly dangerous with them: an infection spread by touch, triggered by extreme cold to ignite a murderous rage in the host. A grim, violent tale, as hard to resist as the rapidly evolving symbiote. Waterblack by Alex Pheby (Galley Beggar. £20)The conclusion to the Cities of the Weft trilogy begins some years before the events of the first book, introducing new characters and a fresh angle on the power struggle between the Master of Mordew and the Mistress of Malarkoi. The right of those magical god-like rulers to exist is contested by an Assembly with a different view of reality, gearing up for the Eighth Atheistic Crusade. Their chief target is Nathan Treeves, returned to a life-in-death as the Master of Waterblack, the underwater city of the dead. There is much to enjoy, but it doesn't work as well as the first two volumes, marred by occasions when the omniscient narrative voice becomes a hectoring bore, and the apocalyptic finish dribbles away into appendices.
