'Bridgerton' star Simone Ashley, One Direction's Zayn Malik to star in '10 Lives'

In an exciting collaboration, popular Bridgerton actor Simone Ashley and former One Direction singer Zayn Malik are set to star together in an upcoming animated film titled 10 Lives, as confirmed by Deadline. The movie, directed by Chris Jenkins (known for Duck Duck Goose), boasts an impressive cast that includes Bill Nighy from Love Actually, comedian Mo Gilligan, Sophie Okonedo from Death on the Nile, and Jeremy Swift from Ted Lasso.

According to reports, 10 Lives revolves around Beckett, a self-centred and indulged cat who takes his lives for granted. After losing his ninth life, Beckett pleads for a second chance to prove he can learn from his mistakes. His wish is granted, albeit with certain conditions.

The London-based production company Taost has secured the Chinese distribution rights for the film, as part of their expansion plans into the East. Once the movie receives approval from the censors, Taost will seek a distribution partner in China. Taost's President and CEO, Rocky Shi, expressed excitement about the acquisition, highlighting China's massive market for animation and the opportunity to reach a wider audience and build partnerships in the region.

"We are thrilled to have secured the Chinese distribution rights to our film 10 Lives," stated Shi. "China is a massive market for animation, and securing distribution rights here will allow us to reach a wider audience and build strong partnerships in the region."

While 10 Lives is still in its early stages, fans can anticipate seeing Ashley on their screens soon as she reprises her role as Kate Sharma in the highly popular Netflix series Bridgerton. Back in March, Ashley told Teen Vogue that Season 3 continues Kate and Anthony Bridgerton's (Jonathan Bailey) love story and will show what life is like for “post-marriage Kanthony.”

The second season of the period drama focused on Kate's will-they-won't-they romance with Anthony. However, the upcoming third instalment, which is yet to receive a release date, will shift its attention to Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).

The synopsis for the third season reveals that Penelope has moved on from her longtime crush on Colin after overhearing his negative comments about her. Determined to find a husband who will grant her independence, Penelope's attempts in the marriage market falter. In an attempt to regain her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in building confidence to help her find a suitable partner. But as his lessons start having unexpected results, Colin must confront his own feelings towards Penelope.

As far as Malik is concerned, while he's been quite low-key since his split with Gigi Hadid, in a rare display of affection, he did take to Twitter recently to write, "I would like to say thank you to everyone that has supported me throughout this amazing journey, especially to my fans who I owe my life to. Love and adore you and see everything you do for me."

This exciting news of the upcoming animated film and the developments in Bridgerton's future storyline have fans eagerly awaiting these projects, alongside the chance to see Ashley and Malik shine in their respective roles.

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