BELSTAFF DIRECTOR ON-BRAND IN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN CAMEO
NEVER mind the drawn-out takeover struggle by its largest shareholder Peel Holdings – the real action at Pinewood Studios has been filming the next instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, out tomorrow.
Cinemagoers hoping to catch Pinewood’s chairman Sir Michael Grade in a cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be disappointed. But look out for Manuele Malenotti, the owner and creative director of Italian clothing brand Belstaff, who makes an appearance in an early scene alongside Johnny Depp and Keith Richards.
So does he play a pirate? “Of course,” said Malenotti, pictured on set below, who told The Capitalist it was an honour to work at the “prestigious” film studios. “It was a great pleasure to be on set with [Depp and Richards],” he said. “Johnny Depp is the best actor in the world at the moment.”
Belstaff, which Malenotti bought for a private sum in 2004, has branched out into designing the costumes for 90 films, including Rob Marshall’s Nine starring Daniel Day Lewis and Robert Pattinson’s new release Water for Elephants.
However, that isn’t the only reason Malenotti made the director’s cut in the $300m production; he has also been taking acting lessons from a private LA coach for the past year.
Following a cameo in The Tourist with Angelina Jolie, he has secured a role in Bohemian Express alongside John Malkovich, which starts shooting next month. No pirate costumes this time though – he plays a “modern bohemian” called Gunari.
PRODUCTION VALUES
MALENOTTI also revealed that his grandfather Maleno was a well-known movie producer in the 1950s and 60s, working with Italian legends such as Sofia Loren.
So it is no surprise that Malenotti’s next business venture is an – as yet unnamed – film production company, which he says has 15 to 20 projects in development.
The company will officially go public in the next 20 days, when it will announce its first blockbuster: an adaptation of the Paulo Coelho novel Eleven Minutes, which will start shooting in September.
You read it here first. Just one more question – between running a retail business, acting and film producing, when does Malenotti actually sleep?
UN-VEATABLE
COMING to a health food shop near you – the revolutionary new “Veatable Bar” created by Howard Beveridge (right), the former commercial director of Premier Foods.
After spending seven years managing British brands such as Oxo and Ambrosia, Beveridge decided to take matters into his own hands by launching his own food product in collaboration with his wife Helena.
“We were convinced we needed to come up with something completely new,” he said. “The question was, what in the UK’s £65bn food market hadn’t been thought of already?”
The result is the 50 per cent vegetable bar in flavours such as Thai Sweetcorn that its makers claim has created a “totally new food sector”.
A niche one, though, with just 150 units sold so far – rivals Innocent and Dorset Cereals look safe for now.
GOING FOR BROKERS
BGC PARTNERS, Barclays Capital and MF Global have already signed up to Extrabet’s Bankers and Brokers Golf Championship – but there are still a few team places available for the contest, which culminates in a grand final in Spain in October.
A maximum of 18 teams can enter, and the winners of both first-round events – to be held on 6 June at Brocket Hall and on 1 July at East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa – will qualify for the two-day final at Antequera Golf near Malaga.
So there is a one in nine chance of jetting off to the Costa Brava – although The Capitalist hears some teams have entered both events to increase their chances. To give them a run for their money, visit www.banksandbrokersgolf.com.
READERS’ DIGEST
WANT to win half a case of fine South African wine? Of course you do.
To stand a chance of securing the premium South African vintages donated by Vivat Bacchus, the Farringdon restaurant hosting this week’s South African Wine Festival, email the answer to the following question to info@vivatbacchus.co.uk by Friday 18 May.
The question is: “Winemaker Ken Forrester is associated with which famous South African wine producing region?”