Beta Film has closed multiple pre-sales deals on “Atlantic Crossing,” the prestige Norwegian period drama starring Sofia Helin (“The Bridge”) as Crown Princess Märtha, and Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”) as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, ahead of its world premiere at Canneseries and Mipcom. Sales have been struck with Italy’s RAI and Deutsche Telekom’s Magenta
Television
Netherlands-based sales agent Dutch Features has boarded the animated series “Storytime With Sound Effects” (“Cuentazos con efectazos”) in the run-up to Mipcom and its dedicated program dedicated to youth program, MipJunior. “Storytime With Sound Effects” is a hit Colombian series which has been airing since last year on its public broadcaster Señal Colombia and has
In his new crime series, “Rats,” Slovakian writer Miro Šifra not only tells a gripping tale set in the Czech Republic’s complex drug industry but also a poignant human story. The fact-based drama examines the dynamic world of the Czech-Vietnamese meth syndicates, funded by cryptocurrency and monitored by police drug enforcement task forces. The story
Spanish TV drama producers are thinking bigger than ever, scaling up in a globalized SVOD market. They are also allying with powerful U.S. partners, responding to a global feeding-frenzy for Spanish-language premium series. Spanish TV dramas at Mipcom Online Plus underscore this trend. One, “Inés of My Soul,” marks the first move into big-budget international co-production
Present at Canneseries with “Man in Room 301,” screening today in competition, Warner Bros. Int’l Television Production Finland is ramping up its scripted content. The company is betting on two scripted shows a year, next to local versions of Warner Bros. TV factuals such as “First Dates” and “The Bachelor.” Seija-Liisa Eskola, WBITVP Finland’s creative
Stepping in for the canceled Morgan Wallen on “Saturday Night Live,” Jack White might have proved the most popularly satisfying musical pinch hitter since Aretha Franklin stepped in for Pavarotti on the Grammys 22 years ago. His power-trio double-header set was quickly applauded on social media as one of the most electrifying rock ‘n’ roll
Singapore had a tough time with the coronavirus outbreak, which means the entertainment industry was hit hard. It was one of the first countries outside mainland China to confirm a COVID-19 case, recording its earliest case on Jan. 23, 2020, the same day that Wuhan, China, was locked down. Rapid border control and quarantine measures
Taiwan is making an ambitious move at this year’s Mipcom to further its status as a hub for Chinese-language productions and strengthen its presence on the international stage with a virtual pavilion presenting 30 local productions to global buyers. Headlining the pavilion is “The Magician on the Skywalk,” from Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS). Directed
On Wednesday night a star was born. When a fly landed on Vice President Mike Pence’s head during the debate against Sen. Kamala Harris, it was a moment that took over Twitter for the rest of the week. Naturally, the fly had prime screen time during “Saturday Night Live’s” Oct. 10 cold open sketch about
CBS released a trailer for the second season of “Evil” during Saturday’s New York Comic Con panel. The three-minute trailer was created by executive producers Robert and Michelle King during the coronavirus-forced lockdown. Due to production delays, the team shared a special teaser for fans waiting for the upcoming season. The clip sees returning cast
James Murdoch doesn’t want to start another dynasty. After leaving News Corp — the mass media company his father, Rupert Murdoch, founded in 1980 that is now sister companies with Fox Corporation — Murdoch is looking to be a force of good in the world, helping to combat the disinformation that many of News Corp’s
Ewan McGregor will soon be donning Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi robes once again. During a Zoom appearance on the BBC’s “The Graham Norton Show” Friday night, McGregor revealed that Disney Plus’ untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series is finally set to begin filming in March of 2021. “It’s the Obi-Wan Kenobi story, I suppose. It’s not all me,
Conspiracao, Brazil’s multi-Emmy nominated powerhouse indie, is poised to make “Pas de Deux,” a drama series about Bethania Gomes, the first Brazilian prima ballerina of the Harlem Dance Theatre and a current dance instructor there. Story pivots around the relationship and lives of Gomes and her mother Maria Beatriz Nascimento, a controversial historian and forerunner
“The West Wing” is back – and its opening credits look a little different, thanks to a spoof on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Fans of “The West Wing” rejoiced on Thursday when it was announced that cast members Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford
A short-lived sense of security from plummeting coronavirus cases prompted several global-facing projects in the U.K. to restart over the summer, but as the threat of new COVID-19 restrictions looms large, the industry is rushing to crank out film and TV productions this fall, in what could be the last gasp for production in 2020.
Thriller series “Red Light” world premieres Sunday as part of the competition section of Canneseries. Variety spoke to its stars and co-creators Halina Reijn and Carice van Houten, and writer Esther Gerritsen. In the show, Van Houten, who played Melisandre in “Game of Thrones,” plays Sylvia, a brothel madam in Antwerp’s red light district. Reijn
Screening Monday as part of the competition pack at Canneseries, which runs Oct. 9-14, is “Top Dog.” The Stockholm-set crime thriller is produced by Sweden’s Filmlance, the team behind acclaimed series “Bron” (known in many territories as “The Bridge”), which sold to more than 180 countries. In “Top Dog,” middle-aged crime-gang member Teddy from Södertälje,
In today’s Mipcom Roundup, the English Premier League announces a pay-per-view plan for games, while Spanish-language producers Ánima and Touché Films team up, the BBC and Prince William back new Silverback Films series and ITV partners with Charter Spectrum to order a new Two Brothers Pictures series. SPORTS Britain’s English Premier League (EPL), the world’s
Gabriele M. Walther’s Munich-based Caligari Film, the company behind ARD’s hit remake of Czechoslovakian kids’ series “Pan Tau,” is producing a new 3D/CGI animated title about a group of crime-fighting mice inspired by “The Three Musketeers.” “The Muscleteers” follows four daring mice who band together to help those in need and fight crime in the
APC (About Premium Content) has scored key territories sales on “Man in Room 301,” the anticipated Finnish thriller drama which is playing in competition at Canneseries. The gripping series, written by U.K. actor-turned-screenwriter Kate Ashfield (“Born to Kill”), opens in summer 2007 with the Kurtti family spending their holidays in cabin chalets in the land
A limited series about a deadly virus that decimates the majority of the population may not seem like purely escapist entertainment during a year when a very real pandemic ravaged the globe, forcing production and other businesses to shut down and pushing events, such as Mipcom, online only. Yet, it is the very combination of
The Berlin Festival’s Finnish Shooting Star 2015 Emmi Parviainen (“Shadow Lines”), seasoned actor Maria Heiskanen (“Everlasting Moments”), Pirkko Hämäläinen (“Devil’s Bride”) and Belgian actor Geert van Rampelberg (“De Infiltrant”) are headlining the eight-part TV show “Transport.” Prix Europa winner Auli Mantila (“Silver Stars”, “The Geography of Fear”) will serve as its showrunner. Lensing the show
If all had gone according to plan, a pilot episode for “Walker,” the upcoming “reimagining” of the 1990s, Chuck Norris-led drama “Walker, Texas Ranger,” would have shot in the spring of 2020, and the production team would have been able to make adjustments to characters, plot points or even casting after seeing what worked in
With Mipcom cancelled as a physical event, one might think that British distributors would be fearful about the business impact of not travelling to Cannes for their busiest TV show market of the year. Far from it. While Brit distributors lament not being able to meet with clients over a glass of French rosé in
Whether it is their “wholesome sexiness,” their clever original concepts or top-notch production values and scripts, Korean TV shows are generating a lot of talk — among audiences in Asia especially, where in many cases Korean show rate highest after local content. There are also significant pockets of fans in North and South America, and
In today’s TV news roundup, Nickelodeon announced a premiere date for “The Astronauts,” and Starz released a teaser for the third season of “American Gods.” RENEWALS Netflix renewed “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous” for a second season, set to premiere in 2021. The animated series follows a group of stranded teenagers, struggling to survive on an
In the wake of a decision to cancel a second presidential debate, NBC News is among the news outlets exploring the possibility of holding a town-hall event with President Donald Trump that would take place on the same night — Oct. 15 — when the event had been planned, according to three people familiar with
John Wells Productions has set up a pair of drama projects to be developed at HBO Max. John Wells and Erin Jontow will executive produce both shows, with Warner Bros. Television producing. JWP is currently under an overall deal at the studio. The first new project is titled “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable.” It
Celebrities including Billy Crystal, Samuel L. Jackson, and Wayne Knight took part in newly-released voting PSAs this week, each with notable support for the Democratic party. Actor Wayne Knight, who played Newman in “Seinfeld,” revived the character for an advertisement uploaded by PACRONYM. Discussing the changes in the U.S. Postal Service, including shortened work hours
Alexander Payne will no longer direct or executive produce “Landscapers,” the Olivia Colman drama in the works at HBO and Sky. Will Sharpe will replace Payne in the director’s chair. “Landscapers” is being produced by Sister, which previously collaborated with Sharpe on last year’s Netflix-BBC series “Giri/Haji.” According to a spokesperson for Payne, he is