Finland’s Kaiho Republic and Chile’s Parox unique trans-Atlantic co-production “Invisible Heroes” will screen at Cannes’ MipTV, with Eccho Rights handling international sales in the event’s market. “Invisible Heroes” tracks the remarkable work done by fresh off the boat Finnish diplomat Tapani Brotherus who risked his career, his freedom and his life to covertly help secure
Television
CANNES — As this edition of Canneseries proves once more, Norway is a production hub to be reckoned with. Apart from the local series “Magnus” playing in competition, the festival is hosting producers Silje Hopland Eik and Cindy Hanson, of prolific outlet Cinenord, who are both on hand to present their latest project, “Ice Valley,”
“Roma” producer Nicolás Celis’ Pimienta Films is preparing its drama series debut, to be pitched by fellow Mexican producer Telegrama Audiovisual’s Enrique Rizo to potential investors at In Development on Wednesday. The series weighs in as one of the event’s most buzzed-up titles. Produced by Pimienta Films, Telegrama Audiovisual and Tita Productions, “Perfect Monsters” producers
CANNES — This past Monday, five international creatives pitched their prospective series before three jurors and a packed audience of industry watchers as part of the Canneseries In Development program, a joint venture between the upstart festival and the MipTV content market. The event, titled “Oh My Pitch: Drama Writers’ Pitch,” hosted writers Sabrina Amerell
The team behind “Noche de Amor” (Night of Love), one of two Argentine comedies featuring in this year’s Canneseries Short Form Competition, has given Variety exclusive early access to the first trailer for the series. The series follows Vicky, a left-leaning rebellious young woman, and her mother Nora, a conservative mother-hen, who don’t always see
Channel 4 has snapped up Comedy Central U.S. series “The Other Two” as Viacom International Studios sealed a raft of international deals for its shows at MipTV in Cannes. The series stars Drew Tarver as a 28-year-old struggling actor and Heléne Yorke as his 30-year-old sister. As the two work toward finding themselves, their lives
The international popularity of Germany’s “Babylon Berlin” shows no signs of abating. Season 3 of the grand historical crime drama, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, has sold in more than 35 countries, including China, where Lemon Tree Media nabbed the rights, and Brazil, where it was picked up
With “Avengers: Endgame” on the horizon, the film’s cast stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday night to bring a genocide-less version of “Infinity War” to any kids watching at home. “Grown adults left the theater crying,” Kimmel began, referring to “Infininty War’s” upsetting conclusion, in which Thanos murders half the universe’s life. “While children love
CANNES — “Hello, I’m Lady Di, and I’d like to buy a flat,” says a little girl’s voiceover in the first scene of Leticia Dolera’s “Perfect Life,” a retro flashback. Cut to some 25 years later and the little girl, now 30something María, is actually buying a flat, until her fiancee baulks at signing a
It’s been a little more than two years since the surprise conclusion of HBO’s “Big Little Lies” Season 1. But for actress Nina Dobrev, currently starring on the CBS sitcom “Fam,” that finale still resonates. “That finale episode was so powerful, especially because of the journey that all of those characters had gone on up
April 8, 2019 4:00PM PT Julianne Moore has signed on to star in and executive produce the drama “Lisey’s Story” at Apple, Variety has confirmed. Apple has given the project an eight-episode straight-to-series order. It is based on Stephen King’s 2006 book of the same name. King will write all eight episodes of the series
In today’s TV news roundup, the third season of “Sneaky Pete” sets a third season premiere date and Apple adds series regulars to Chris Evans’ “Defending Jacob.” DATES The ten-episode second season of “Pose” will debut on Sunday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX. Season 2 flashes forward in time to 1990. On
At a masterclass Monday at Canneseries TV drama festival in Cannes, “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight revealed that by the end of the show’s run, its lead character, ruthless gangster Tommy Shelby, will have undergone a surprising transformation. Season 5 of the show is airing now, and Knight is writing Season 6, and with Season
April 8, 2019 1:29PM PT The fourth season of AMC’s “The Preacher” will also be its last, Variety has learned. The series, based on the graphic novels by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, follows West Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), his badass ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) as they embark on
Discovery Inc. has brought in Nathaniel Brown as its new executive vice president of global communications. Brown comes to Discovery from 21st Century Fox, where, as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Media Relations, he served as the deputy global communications chief for the company’s portfolio of cable, broadcast, film and pay TV assets. “We
April 8, 2019 12:38PM PT A total of 17 shows doubled their ratings in Live+7, with Fox’s “The Orville” and ABC’s “Whiskey Cavalier” leading the pack. After seven days of playback, the Seth MacFarlane sci-fi comedy grew by 133%, jumping from a 0.6 rating to a 1.4 in delayed viewing, while the Scott Foley and
The protagonist of “Special” would probably hate how people are describing the (funny! smart!) TV show about his life as being about “a gay, disabled man.” In fact, when Ryan (creator Ryan O’Connell) gets hit by a car shortly before starting a new job in the pilot, and his new co-workers assume that the physical
Fuse Media president and CEO Michael Schwimmer is stepping down. Schwimmer’s last day at Fuse will be April 12. Mike Roggero, COO & CFO of Fuse, has been named interim CEO. “I have spent nearly 16 years working closely with this incredible company, its board, executive team and some of the most talented people in
The morning after “Killing Eve” returned for its second season on BBC America, that network’s parent company held a series of panels at New York City’s Public Hotel celebrating the company’s successes — including announcing a third-season pickup — and indicating the path they intend to follow. AMC Networks, comprised of AMC, BBC America, IFC,
April 8, 2019 10:42AM PT Former “Smallville” actress Allison Mack has pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn federal court to her involvement in the NXIVM sex cult case. Mack, who is best known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on “Smallville,” was indicted in April, 2018 on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy
Musical theater legend Bob Fosse was a man known for many things: His artistic flair; the creation of jazz hands; his unique, directorial eye; his marriage to Gwen Verdon and his penchant for sparring with producers. And then there was his “complicated” relationship with women, especially those who worked under him. When FX’s latest limited
April 8, 2019 10:06AM PT ABC Entertainment and Fremantle announced Monday that actor and comedian Joel McHale will host “Card Sharks,” a suspenseful game where players can win a fortune on the turn of a single playing card. The show is set to air this summer on ABC. “I’m very excited to be hosting ‘Card
Rolling off the Netflix original show “Young Wallander,” Yellow Bird U.K. is set to produce its second drama, “The Secret Woman,” a series adaptation of the Danish book of the same name written by Anna Ekberg. Leading British screenwriter Adrian Hodges, whose credits include “My Week With Marilyn,” “The Musketeers,” “The Go-Between” and “Labyrinth,” has
While the international media industry grapples with the tectonic shifts triggered by the growing proliferation of streaming services, ZDF Enterprises is riding the wave of change by seizing opportunities, creating new business models and forging partnerships with the likes of Netflix and other digital players. As the world sales, licensing and co-production arm of German
Boasting animation, live-action shows and tween series, ZDF Enterprises’ ZDFE.junior division offers a diverse catalog of domestic and international productions. The unit is attracting strong global interest with such titles as “The Worst Witch,” “The Bureau of Magical Things”and “Find Me in Paris,” particularly on the VOD front, says ZDFE president and CEO Fred Burcksen.
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, the final season of “Game of Thrones” premieres on HBO, and “Fosse/Verdon” debuts
April 8, 2019 2:42AM PT Private equity firm KKR has bought leading German film production company Wiedemann & Berg Film, which produced Oscar-winning film “The Lives of Others” and Oscar-nominated pic “Never Look Away.” The purchase follows KKR’s recent acquisitions of three other heavyweight German film and TV companies, Tele München Gruppe, Universum Film and
April 8, 2019 1:25AM PT Warnermedia’s Turner Asia Pacific has completed filming “The Haunted Heart,” its biggest budget series production. The Taiwan set drama stars Bryan Chang, star of recent hit movie “More Than Blue.” Nini Ou-yang co-stars as a female video games tester who has such a high level of intelligence that she is
April 8, 2019 12:32AM PT The Smithsonian Channel has signed a co-production deal with South Africa-based wildlife and factual entertainment producer Earth Touch for three new 50-minute wildlife documentaries set in the U.S., China and Mexico. The Mexico-set one, called “Migrating to Mexico,” will be Earth Touch’s largest budget production to date and shot in
It’s easy to get lost with all the news coming out of Cannes this weekend. Variety has gathered six stories that might have passed you by, or only just been officially annonced. “Magnus” Notches Hat Trick Indie U.K. distributor Hat Trick International has secured international rights to fantasy-laced police drama “Magnus.” Described to Variety by