YONDER SERIALIZED FICTION LAUNCH Blackstone Publishing, Aethon Books and Sterling and Stone are among the first publishing partners to join Yonder, a new serialized fiction app combining mobile reading, a serialized experience and thousands of curated stories. Then venture is being launched by South Korea’s Naver, the tech giant that owns Webtoon and Wattpad, the
Update: Liz Truss has appointed Jeremy Hunt as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Hunt, who has previously served as culture secretary and health secretary, supported Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in the recent Conservative leadership contest. Previously: U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has sacked Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer – the government’s top
Italian production company Lux Vide, also behind “Medici” and “Leonardo,” will make its first move into unscripted TV with “Italian Food Tour.” TikTok’s “Condiment Claire” Dinhut and chef Max Mariola will co-host the 12-episode show, exploring culinary – and cultural – characteristics of various Italian regions. Introduced to international buyers during MIA Market, “Italian Food
Chorki, one of the leaders in Bangladesh’s fiercely competitive Bengali-language streaming landscape, has revealed a strong 2023 slate. The 25-strong lineup is director-driven, helmed by 25 of the leading lights of the Bangladesh industry. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (“No Land’s Man”), leads the slate with “Ministry of Love,” details of which are under wraps at the
Nigerian Netflix series “Becoming Abi,” created by and starring Bolu Essien, has given fans a sneak peek at what they can expect with a first trailer. Inspired by real events, the six-part series is loosely based on Essien’s own experiences in the world of Nigerian advertising. It follows her character, a young, female millennial, who
Sky Studios has confirmed its commitment to premium content at MIA Market in Rome. “When we say premium, we talk about mature, provocative, sophisticated storytelling,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. Noting the company’s interest in prestige, high-end limited series (“‘Chernobyl’ was an incredible example of that”), “blockbuster” event series,
SM Entertainment, one of the leading agency groups in Korean entertainment, said Friday that it will terminate a contract with Lee Soo-man, a year early, at the end of 2022. “SM Entertainment [..] will sever ties with its chief producer Lee Soo-man at the end of this year,” Yonhap news agency reported on Friday. Lee
African superstars Fireboy DML, Bnxn fka Buju, Wande Coal, Navy Kenzo, and many more are set to feature on Empire Africa’s debut compilation album, “Where We Come From.” The album — which is set for a Nov. 18 release — also features Tolani, Black Sherif, Leil, L.A.X, and more. The project is being launched with
Only a handful of people are credited with changing the face of television. The mercurial Brit Charlie Parsons, creator of “Survivor,” is one of them. As the reality behemoth celebrates its 25th anniversary, Parsons, who reinvented early morning TV in the U.K. by ditching the format’s staid conventions for the anarchic “The Big Breakfast,” reckons
On a cobblestone-paved square in the ancient town of Tivoli, north-east of Rome, in late September, a large crew is prepping to shoot a key scene in Italian period drama “La Storia,” which will be pubcaster RAI’s biggest event show next year. Based on a bestselling novel by the late great Elsa Morante – whom “My
Few people working in television feel the ebb and flow of market dynamics as keenly as international distributors. These executives are on the ground of market consolidation and buyers’ fluctuating fortunes — harsh realities that can have a deep impact on what they can acquire and sell. Today, distributors are more than just traders of
There’s a new wrinkle in the six-month-plus saga of Elon Musk’s mercurial attempt to buy Twitter. The multibillionaire is being investigated by federal authorities over his “conduct” in connection with his proposed Twitter acquisition, according to a letter from the company’s lawyers filed with the Delaware Chancery Court. The letter was filed Oct. 6 and
The 14th edition of the Lumière Film Festival, a week-long celebration of classic films that’s one of the world’s leading heritage cinema events, will take place Oct. 15-23 in the host city of Lyon, birthplace of the brothers and filmmaking pioneers who lend the festival its name. The event, which is headed by Cannes chief
Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media has partnered with Singapore’s Momo Film Co on Nelson Yeo’s “Dreaming & Dying” and Duong Dieu Linh’s “Don’t Cry Butterfly,” it was revealed at this week’s Asian Contents & Film Market, held on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival. “Dreaming & Dying,” about three middle aged individuals who are forced to
Entertainment One (eOne) have sold their first Soanish language series “Operación Marea Negra” to over 60 territories including the U.S. and Mexico (Roku), Austarlia (SBS), Latin American (AMC Networks Intl), Canada (TELEUS) and Spain (Disney-owned FOX channel). The four-part series is based on the true story of Europe’s first intercepted narco-submarine in November 2019, when
Though Italy hasn’t had a big international breakout show on the scale of “Gomorrah” or “My Brilliant Friend” lately, the country’s TV industry is in high gear with several promising prestige skeins in the pipeline. As almost everywhere around the world, the change impacting the Italian industry — especially since the beginning of the pandemic
Eric Welbers, who served as managing director of the production company NDF until the end of March, has set up the internationally focused content company Bravado Media, with headquarters in Munich. Bravado has acquired all of NDF’s shares in Italy’s Viola Film (an 80% stake), headed by Alessandro Passadore, and Belgium-based Bravado Fiction (also an
If, like your humble correspondent, you immediately assumed that The Stranger who fell from a star all the way back in the series premiere of “The Rings of Power” was Sauron, “Alloyed” is here to prove you right — or is it? The season finale drops that bombshell just moments after it’s begun, but just
Programs targeting preschool viewers will take pride of place at this year’s MipJunior, as broadcasters, distributors and production outfits respond to the raft of market forces that have made kids 3-7 a key demographic. Judging by the jackpot distribution and licensing deals scored by brands including “Paw Patrol” and “Peppa Pig,” that young crowd is
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched the Season 1 finale of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” now streaming on Prime Video. After much speculation and enough fan theories to fill a dwarven mine, “Rings of Power” fans finally got their answer on Sauron’s true identity in the prequel
Chaske Spencer wants people to talk. The actor, a member of the Fort Peck Tribe, knows that his new Amazon Prime Video/BBC series, “The English,” will get people talking. Written and directed by award-winning Hugo Blick, the Western drama is led by Spencer and Emily Blunt, who portray Pawnee ex-cavalry scout Eli Whipp and Englishwoman
Mike Schank, guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject of the 1999 documentary “American Movie,” died on Thursday morning, according to the Milwaukee Record. He was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult classic directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught
Three years ago, platforms were asking Spanish producers for full rights to their TV fiction projects for all territories. Times have changed. As platforms’ revenues taper off or slow in growth, originals are less habitual. Co-production is increasingly becoming the name of the game. A first-phase boom was triggered by Netflix titles “Money Heist” and
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched “Crank Dat Killer,” Season 4, Episode 6 of “Atlanta.” In 2006 and 2007, Atlanta was experiencing a renaissance. A renaissance of snap music, to be specific. The city was already producing hits like Dem Franchise Boyz’s “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It” and D4L’s “Laffy Taffy.”
“La Mesías,” from “Veneno” creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, drinks deep from Catholic tradition from its very title — literally, “The Female Messiah” — to iconography and focus on faith. Another awaited Movistar+ series, “The Left-Handed Son,” created by “The Plague” screenwriter Rafael Cobos, was presented to the press in July against a spectacular
Nicki Minaj is protesting the Recording Academy shifting her “Super Freaky Girl” from consideration in the Grammys’ rap division to a pop category, saying that she would be OK with the shift if it were applied consistently to other artists that straddle the crossover line, which she believes is not the case. “I have no
Whoopi Goldberg has high hopes for “Sister Act 3.” In this week’s episode of Comedy Central’s “Hell of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God,” “The View” host reveals her top picks for cast members in the upcoming film and admits she’s got her eyes on Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Nicki Minaj to potentially star. “I’m
Korean film “A Wild Roomer” and India’s “Shivamma” have been announced as the joint winners of the New Currents competition, the prestige discovery section of the Busan International Film Festival. “We were particularly sensitive to the lightness and subtlety of the director’s view of his characters. Through his innovative cinematography, he creates original circulations between
SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses major plot elements of the Season 1 finale of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” currently streaming on Disney+. “This is a mess!” Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) complains directly to the camera in the season finale of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” after several dangling plot strands from the season — the anti She-Hulk
If, like me, you consider “All the President’s Men” to be one of the most exciting movies ever made, it’s remarkable to consider that it came out in 1976, just four years after the Watergate break-in. The saga of Richard Nixon’s corruption and downfall had saturated the culture, yet every moment in “All the President’s