Paramount developing animated Bollywood-focused musical “Diya” with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley as producers

Paramount is developing an animated Bollywood-focused musical feature titled “Diya,” with producers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley attached to the project, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Aug. 5, 2026. The report described the film as centered on Bollywood musical storytelling, with a development team formed across directing and screenwriting roles.

Nitya Mehra is attached to direct “Diya,” The Hollywood Reporter said. The hiring of a director at the development stage indicates that Paramount is moving beyond early concept work into a more defined creative direction, even though no production start date, cast, or release window was provided in the report.

The script is being written by Jaydeep Hasrajani and Jake Goldman, the outlet reported. The project also reflects Paramount’s continued interest in animated features aimed at broad audiences, while specifically leaning into Bollywood music and storytelling conventions rather than adapting an existing franchise or property, based on the details currently reported.

The Hollywood Reporter framed “Diya” as a new addition to Paramount’s animation pipeline, coming through Goldstein and Daley’s producer relationships. As described in the report, the combination of a Bollywood-focused musical concept, an attached director, and a dedicated writing team indicates a structured development process designed to move the project toward production once financing, scheduling, and creative lock are completed.

As with many studio development efforts, Paramount’s next steps would typically include continued script development and refinement, followed by further announcements on casting, voice talent, and additional production roles if the project proceeds. Until those items are released publicly, the publicly described scope remains the creative attachments and the studio’s stated development of the feature.

For audiences, “Diya” would be positioned as a music-driven animated feature that could add to the range of mainstream Hollywood animated offerings that draw on South Asian artistic traditions. For the industry, the project also concentrates work for established creative professionals in key roles, including direction and screenplay, as the studio evaluates how to translate a culturally specific musical style into animated storytelling for theaters or other distribution channels, depending on how Paramount ultimately structures the release.