Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch have boarded the cast of Hulu’s “The Bravest Knight,” joining returning stars T.R. Knight, Christine Baranski and Bobby Moynihan for the recently-greenlit second season of the trailblazing animated series among the first to foreground LGBTQ+ protagonists and to celebrate Queer families in the all-ages space. Produced by Big Bad Boo
John, Paul, George and Ringo will each be the subject of a different upcoming feature film. Director Sam Mendes plans to make four separate movies, one from each Beatles member’s point of view. They will intersect to “tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history,” leading up to their 1970 breakup, according to
Young the Giant frontman Sameer Gadhia has teamed with SiriusXM to launch the new podcast “Point of Origin,” which is “dedicated to amplifying voices of color from around the world while challenging the homogenous narrative in alternative and indie rock music.” Brittany Howard, former singer of Alabama Shakes, will appear as the podcast’s first guest
Pinterest is readying the launch of its first-ever streaming show, cooking and lifestyle series “Deliciously Entertaining” — aimed at whetting the appetite of users to engage with the image-sharing social platform. “Deliciously Entertaining” is one of Pinterest’s biggest original productions to date, developed and produced in partnership with media company Tastemade. The 10-episode series premieres
Fremantle has inked a deal to acquire Asacha Media Group from Oaktree Capital Management L.P. Paris-headquartered Asacha houses eight labels in the U.K., France and Italy including Stand By Me, Arrow Media and Kabo Family. Co-Founder and group CEO Gaspard de Chavagnac will continue to run the company, reporting to Fremantle’s group COO and CEO
While medical dramas have long been a favorite staple on German TV, a new series helmed by Alex Schaad, director of the award-winning fantasy romance “Skin Deep,” and penned by British writer Samuel Jefferson looks set to give the genre a bold, modern take. “KRANK Berlin” is an eight-part series that follows a young team
Argentina’s Daniel Burman’s international spy thriller “Witness 36” has won the coveted Series Mania Award at Co-Pro Series, the Berlinale Series Market’s annual project pitching event. The prize consists of an invitation to the production’s team to present again at the industry centrepiece at next month’s Lille-based get-together, the Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions.
Vizio is getting snapped up by Walmart in a deal worth $2.3 billion, as the U.S.’s biggest retailer looks to expand into connected-TV advertising. The companies announced Tuesday (Feb. 20) that they have entered into an agreement for Walmart to acquire Vizio, a leading seller of value-priced TV sets and connected TV ads in the
Leading European distributor Global Screen, part of Westbrook’s Telepool, has sold premium spy drama series “Davos 1917” to North America and to additional free-to-air broadcasters in Europe. Global Series Network picked up the series for its innovative SVOD feed Walter Presents in North America. National broadcaster RTP in Portugal has also acquired the series, as
M-Appeal has closed distribution deals in key territories for “Sex,” which had its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama section. The film, the first part of the “Sex Dreams Love” trilogy by Norway’s Dag Johan Haugerud, has garnered attention for its thought-provoking exploration of sexuality and gender roles. All rights for the film have been
Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” which is nominated for best international feature film at the Oscars, has smashed the all-time global box office record set by the German director’s previous films. While it has yet to be released in all territories, “Perfect Days” has amassed a worldwide box office total of $24.3 million as of Feb.
Actors Kate Phillips, Amber Anderson and Rosie Day have joined forces to launch a new female-led, London-based production outfit called Just John Films. Just John will option, develop and produce projects, both independently and in partnership with third parties. The company’s artist-led viewpoint will give it a unique eye to focus on diverse and compelling
DEALS Banijay U.K. have invested in Immovable Studios, the production outfit co-founded by hip-hop artist, author and entrepreneur Akala and his business partner and manager Chanelle Newman. As part of the agreement, Immovable Studios will also have a first look distribution deal with Banijay Rights. Newman leads the studio’s television production arm and has overseen
Industry executives, creatives and international buyers came together to preview an exclusive selection of upcoming high-end German series at the Up Next: Germany showcase at the Berlinale Series Market, the dedicated serial content arm of the EFM running between Feb. 19-21. Four projects were selected for the showcase: Dystopian drama “A Better Place” imagines the
Sidse Babett Knudsen went “completely visceral” in Gustav Möller’s prison drama “Sons,” premiering in Berlinale’s main competition. “My approach was almost animalistic. That’s how she felt to me. She doesn’t know how to live: she has resigned into someone who can just survive,” says the acclaimed “Borgen” and “Westworld” actor who plays Eva, a prison guard with a
Martin Scorsese will soon be seen on the big screen, and he won’t be playing himself. The master director, who is being feted with Berlin Film Festival‘s honorary Golden Bear on Tuesday night, has a small but powerful role playing an elderly sage who influences Dante Alighieri while he is writing “The Divine Comedy” in
The incident of a Palestinian flag covering a Star of David necklace on an Amy Winehouse statue is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. Winehouse, who died in 2011, aged 27, lived in London’s Camden neighbourhood. The life-size statue of the late Winehouse, who belonged to the Jewish faith, was installed in 2014 at Camden
A loose adaptation of absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” director Amos Gitai’s “Shikun” unfolds in a multi-use housing project, where it follows the stream-of-consciousness travails of a diverse cross-section of characters in Be’er-Sheva, Israel. Bound by the French-language narration of Irène Jacob — a one-woman Greek chorus and de-facto liaison between sides of the fourth
Amongst a slate of auspicious Brazilian films and series featuring in Berlin, “Cidade; Campo”– the latest from arthouse helmer Juliana Rojas – saw its world premiere on Monday, screening as part of the Encounters strand that aims “to foster aesthetically and structurally daring works from independent, innovative filmmakers,” according to the fest. Backed by Brazil’s
Keshet International has acquired worldwide distribution rights for thriller series “Conflict.” Produced by Backmann & Hoderhoff and XYZ Films, “Conflict” is a six-part political thriller about an enemy force trying to incite a global conflict with a surprise attack. The series was created and produced by Andrei Alén and Aku Louhimies (“Rebellion”). Louhimies also directs.
An ambitious new production company is making waves in Germany, where it’s following up its successful 2020 comedy pic debut with a stylish erotic thriller that harkens back to Hollywood classics of the 1980s. Launched in 2020 by Andreas Kröneck and Antonio Fernandes Lopes in the southwestern Baden-Württemberg city of Heilbronn, Hnywood is aiming high
In a coup for the Madrid-based sales agency, Latido Films has cliched a two picture deal with David Pérez Sañudo whose debut feature, “Ane,” repped by Latido, swept three Spanish Academy Goya Awards in 2021. Latido will take world sales rights on both titles. The move comes as Spanish sales companies battle to retain top-flight
Oscar-winning writer Simon Beaufoy – behind “Slumdog Millionaire,” “127 Hours” or “The Full Monty” – has joined “S.O.L.” The six-episode thriller, presented at Berlinale’s Co-Pro Series and developed with TV4, is produced by Warp Films (UK) and Rainy Days (Sweden). It was created by Ruth McCance. Diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, she died in December, aged
Simmering teen angst meets social awareness in “Red Flags,” an Atresplayer Original created by award-winning author and playwright Nando López, whose novel “The Age of Anger” was previously adapted for television by Lucía Carballal (“Locked Up”) and backed by The Mediapro Studio (“The Head”) and Atresmedia TV (“Money Heist”). The project features within the second
Bill Weinstein has exited Verve talent agency after a little more than a year as CEO and 14 years after he helped launch the literary boutique on the heels of Endeavor’s takeover of the William Morris Agency. The parting was confirmed late Monday by Verve in a statement. “We thank Bill as a co-founder and
Since its establishment in 2018, Gaumont Germany has produced a wide range of series and TV movies, among them such timely shows as the critically acclaimed “Deutsches Haus” (“The Interpreter of Silence”), which was nominated for the Critics Choice Awards, and the Ukrainian series “In Her Car.” A subsidiary of the French entertainment powerhouse, the
Streamer Lionsgate Play has teamed with Grameenphone, a leading telecom services provider in Bangladesh, to expand its presence in the country. Grameenphone, part of Norway’s Telenor Group, has some 82 million subscribers, to whom it offers a bouquet of streaming services. Lionsgate Play has been available in Bangladesh since August 2021. This is the first
David Bowie: “Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth)” (LP, black vinyl, 8000 copies) Here’s a space oddity: An alternate version of the “Ziggy Stardust” album that has a significantly different track listing, put together provisonally in late 1971 before the record took a different turn with some additions and subtractions in
Get ready to book a trip back to the Pokémon Resort. More episodes of Netflix’s adorable animated series “Pokémon Concierge” are now in production, Netflix announced on Monday. “I am happy to let you know that we are now working on the new episodes for ‘Pokémon Concierge!’” director Iku Ogawa said in a statement to
“Masters of the Air” launched with more viewers in its opening weekend than any Apple TV+ series ever has in its first season, according to the streamer. Though an exact number of viewers was not made available, that puts the epic war miniseries launch above other high-profile original titles like “Hijack,” “The Morning Show” and