Month: February 2024

Michael Fassbender is in negotiations to star in “The Department,” an espionage thriller series directed by George Clooney. Set to start shooting in London this spring, “The Department” is based on “The Bureau,” the hit French spy show created by Eric Rochant. It has already been given a straight-to-series order by Showtime. The series is
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Paris-based global distribution powerhouse Newen Connect has secured a first round of pre-sales on the French live-action drama series “Cats Eyes,” based on the original cult manga work ‘Cat’s Eye’ from Japanese artist Tsukasa Hojo. The female-led series, produced by Big Bang Production for top French commercial channel TF1, has been acquired by RTS for
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David Duchovny is diving deep into screwing up in “Fail Better,” marking his first foray as a podcast host. The actor, writer, director, author and singer-songwriter’s seasonal weekly series is produced by podcast network Lemonada Media. “Fail Better” is slated to premiere in May 2024, to be available across all major audio platforms. The podcast
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Benito Skinner‘s comedy series “Overcompensating” has been ordered at Amazon Prime Video. The show was originally announced as being in development at the streamer in November 2022. Skinner created the series and will also star. The series’ official description describes it as a “college-set ensemble comedy about the wild, chaotic journey of Benny (Skinner), a
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French distribution company Newen Connect is bringing their latest non-fiction series to the London TV Screenings. “Master Sapiens” is a two-episode (45’ and 52’) dive into the Lascaux Cave, considered by experts to be the first art school in history. The series is produced by Pernel Media, with C8 / Planète + holding broadcasting rights
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Italy’s Torino Film Festival will celebrate the centennial of Marlon Brando‘s birth with a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the groundbreaking two-time Oscar winner, known for his naturalistic acting style and rebellious streak. The Brando retro will be “the backbone” of the fest, according to its new artistic director, Italian actor/director Giulio Base. Accordingly, an
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Carey Mulligan says she’d love to star in a rom-com with Adam Sandler following their work together in the new Johan Renck-directed Netflix drama “Spaceman.” “The Wedding Singer’ is one of my favorite movies, ‘50 First Dates,’ everything he’s done with Jennifer Aniston, I am there for it,” Mulligan told me at the “Spaceman” premiere
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Lil Nas X’s feature documentary has been acquired by Universal Pictures Content Group for international distribution. “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” is a fly-on-the-wall feature helmed by Oscar-nominated director Carlos López Estrada (“Billie Eilish: When the Party’s Over”) and filmmaker Zac Manuel. It follows the Grammy-winning artist as he embarks on his first world
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Jake Gyllenhaal is trying to cool the controversy surrounding his upcoming action movie “Road House,” a remake of the 1989 cult favorite starring Patrick Swayze. The Amazon Prime Video movie has been slammed by none other than its director, Doug Liman, who is boycotting the film’s release due to Amazon’s decision not to open the
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Taskovski Films Sales has picked up documentary “My Sextortion Diary,” directed and produced by Patricia Franquesa. The film, which explores Franquesa’s reaction to an attempted digital blackmail that occurred in 2019, will have its world premiere at SXSW. Variety debuts the trailer, below. In May 2019, a laptop belonging to Franquesa is stolen during a
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Stephen A. Smith, known for his no-filter commentary on sports, politics and culture, has a new podcast partner. “The Stephen A. Smith Show” has joined iHeartMedia’s iHeartPodcast Network, after originally launching with radio and audio company Audacy’s Cadence13. The show is produced by Smith’s Mr. SAS with Smith serving as executive producer. New episodes of
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Paramount’s “Bob Marley: One Love” topped the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second consecutive weekend with £2.3 million ($3 million), according to numbers from Comscore. The biopic now has a total of £11.3 million after its second weekend on release. Studiocanal’s “Wicked Little Letters” debuted in second place with £1.6 million. Universal’s “Migration”
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The Sundance queer drama “Sebastian,” directed by up-and-coming Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä, has been bought by Kino Lorber for U.S. distribution, along with a string of international buyers. Represented in international markets by LevelK, the film made its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Sebastian” follows Max (Ruaridh
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The Brit crime comedy “Down Terrace” was a hit with critics back in 2009. Made on a shoestring budget and shot over a little more than a week, it was lapped up for giving a uniquely dark and hilarious twist to the standard gangster flick while adding splashes of U.K. kitchen-sink social realism into the
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A new study indicates that the tenets that contributed to “Barbie’s” $1.4 billion box office success and pop culture dominance — namely featuring a female-led ensemble — was the exception rather than the rule in Hollywood this year. Outside of Barbieland and a handful of other movies that were fronted by female characters, there was
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The U.K.’s Film and TV Charity has been liaising with Muslim, Arab and Jewish screen industry workers following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war against Hamas. Representatives of all three groups have taken part in a total of 10 independent roundtables attended by senior leaders from broadcasters, production companies, newsroom executives,
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Germany’s Beta Film is introducing at the London TV Screenings the first episode of “Maxima,” a six-part drama about the love story between future Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and the then Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander. The series is produced by Millstreet Films “The Neighbors”), with Videoland (RTL Netherlands) holding Dutch broadcasting rights. “Maxima” is
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One of Banijay’s scripted centrepieces at the London TV Screenings, the Swedish crime drama “Fallen” (“Sanningen”), sees the first reunion of star actor Sofia Helin, writer Camilla Ahlgren, and Stockholm-based Filmlance International since the multi-season hit crime show “The Bridge” (2011-2018). Their collaboration has paid off again as “Fallen” has wooed a first batch of
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Acclaimed filmmaker John Sayles has revealed exactly what he thinks of former U.S. President Donald Trump‘s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Sayles wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1996 film “Lone Star,” a Western set in a Texas border town where Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) unearths long-buried secrets amid racial strife. Since the film was
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