In this Jan. 2, 2015 file photo, Ava DuVernay poses at the Palm Springs International Film Festival opening night screening of "Selma," at Palm Springs High School, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Rob Latour/Invision/AP, File)
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Ava DuVernay has been set to direct an adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's 1963 fantasy classic "A Wrinkle in Time" for Disney. A studio source confirmed the collaboration on Tuesday, but was not authorized to discuss the deal publicly and requested anonymity.
The Newbery Medal-winning book follows the interdimensional adventures of a young girl whose government scientist father goes missing under mysterious circumstances.
"A Wrinkle in Time" is expected to go into production later this year with a script from "Frozen" writer and co-director Jennifer Lee. Catherine Hand, who also produced the 2003 TV movie adaption of the book, is attached to produce alongside "8 Mile" producer James Whitaker.
DuVernay is best known for directing the civil rights drama "Selma," which was nominated for a best picture Oscar last year.
Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.
Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.
"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.
His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.
Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.
"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More
