Paradiso, the narrative-driven podcast production studio, is making its English-Language debut with “Love Under Lockdown,” an audio diary that follows four couples navigating the highs and lows of quarantining together amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of six episodes, “Love Under Lockdown” chronicles the intimate daily lives of four couples, Whitney and Sariy, who
Bobby Smith Jr. and his Ashore Entertainment and author Brenda Jackson have partnered to launch a film and television company to develop and produce titles from Jackson’s collection of romance novels. Smith Jr. will oversee and write the film and TV adaptations, which will include Jackson’s Bestselling Catalina Cove Series, Madaris Series, Playas Series, Bennett Series,
When the coronavirus pandemic forced much of the entertainment industry to work from home, DreamWorks Animation was able to pivot relatively easily. Thanks to the nature of animation work and the studio’s technological capabilities, the company “didn’t lose much of a beat,” chief creative officer Peter Gal tells Variety. The trick, he says, has been
After several months of coronavirus production delays, “The Bachelorette” season 16 finally premiered on Tuesday night and managed to match its previous season, despite facing abnormally stiff competition from a one-off (or potentially not depending on COVID-19 complications) NFL game on CBS. The ABC dating show debuted to a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49 (down
“Making It,” the hit NBC show fronted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, is set for an Australian version, commissioned by national free-to-air broadcaster Network 10. Launching in 2021, “Making It Australia” will revolve around a central theme inspired by popular craft and DIY trends and each episode will consist of two challenges, crafted by
“Hillbilly Elegy,” the next film from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has released its first trailer. Glenn Close and Amy Adams star in the drama, which focuses on a working-class family in the Appalachia region of the United States. The actors play a mother and daughter who struggle with finding work and raising their multi-generational family.
Raphael Berdugo’s Paris-based Cité Films is heading to the MIA market with a slate of director-driven films, including the Marguerite Duras adaptation “Azuro,” and the politically-engaged documentary “Shirin Ebadi: Until We Are Free.” Written and directed by Mathieu Rozé, “Azuro” is based on “The Little Horses of Tarquinia,” a lesser-known novel by Marguerite Duras published
The U.K.’s Film and TV Charity has launched the Whole Picture Program, a two-year initiative designed to to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the 200,000 people who work behind the scenes in film, TV and cinema. The Film and TV Charity has now secured £3 million ($3.87 million) in funding from Amazon Prime
A new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with an all-star voice cast including Carey Mulligan, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Simon Russell Beale and Andy Serkis, is set for a Nov. 20 U.K. release across both cinemas and theaters. This retelling of the classic Christmas tale follows a Victorian family as they prepare a
With a newly rejigged global drama unit, Fremantle COO Andrea Scrosati is nurturing a pipeline that features several high-profile projects in advanced stages, such as “Wild Rabbit,” which has attached U.S. director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”). Marcus Green debuted with Sundance 2018 Special Jury Prize winner “Monsters and Men” and more recently directed
In today’s Global Bulletin, Screen Ireland gets a 52% budget boost for 2021, Ovation TV picks up four Canadian series, Fremantle will distribute “Day Zero” and All3Media sells “Roadkill” in key territories. FUNDING Catherine Martin, Ireland’s minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media, has announced a €9 million ($10.56 million) increase in funding
Ready to spin some virtual records? Spotify wants to turn its listeners into their own DIY radio-style DJs. Today, the company is launching what it says has been among Spotify users’ most-requested features: a way to add any of the service’s 60 million-plus tracks to a spoken-word audio show (i.e., a podcast). “We really feel
The lineup for this weekend’s Save Our Stages festival — a.k.a the #SOSFest, the three-day virtual music festival to spread awareness of the $10 billion Save Our Stages Act currently before Congress, and raise funds for independent venues that are the beneficiaries of the act — has been revealed and includes unique virtual sets by Foo Fighters,
The Match Factory has announced a slew of sales on Italian director Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” which has been making the rounds at top fests such as Venice, Toronto and New York. The deals were announced as Rome’s Oct. 14-18 MIA market (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, or International Audiovisual Market) kicked off. Rosi’s high-profile doc shot over three
Some of the most iconic beasts of the “Monster Hunter” video games appeared in the official trailer for the film adaptation from director Paul W.S. Anderson, which was released on Wednesday. Milla Jovovich plays Captain Artemis, a new character made specifically for the film and a human military officer whose team gets transported to a
When Pedro Pascal was roughly 4 years old, he and his family went to see the 1978 hit movie “Superman,” starring Christopher Reeve. Pascal’s young parents had come to live in San Antonio after fleeing their native Chile during the rise of dictator Augusto Pinochet in the mid-1970s. Taking Pascal and his older sister to
Nickelodeon released a first look image of its upcoming “SpongeBob SquarePants” prequel, “Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years,” set to premiere in 2021. The series will debut exclusively on the newly rebranded Paramount Plus streaming service and air on Nickelodeon later in the year. “Kamp Koral” is a CG-animated series which introduces viewers to a 10-year-old
Courtesy of the designer. Watching the ’40s- and ’50s-inspired looks that floated down the runways this season, I was put in mind of the painters in Mary Gabriel’s Ninth Street Women, whose prim sweaters and pencil skirts concealed a broad hint of subversion. Buttoned-up, cinched silhouettes may have once looked impossibly dull and conservative. In
Herbert Kretzmer, best known as the lyricist on the English version of the musical “Les Misérables,” and writer of songs such as “Goodness Gracious Me” and Charles Aznavour’s hit “She,” has died at 95. Tributes came in Wednesday from some of the leading lights of the British stage world. “Les Misérables” producer Cameron Mackintosh said:
“Falling” will be the opening film of the 28th edition of the EnergaCamerimage Intl. Film Festival, which focuses on the art of cinematography. The film’s director Viggo Mortensen and cinematographer Marcel Zyskind will attend the opening, which takes place on Nov. 14 in Toruń, Poland. The film, which will compete for Camerimage’s Golden Frog, centers
What if maintaining a constant amount of alcohol in your blood could open your mind, boost creativity, and generally improve your life? That’s the premise of Thomas Vinterberg’s new movie, which he presented Monday at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon. “Another Round” (“Druk”) is one of 23 films originally selected for Cannes that are
“Man Enough,” the New Zealand version of Australian documentary format “Man Up,” which tackles male mental health issues, is due to land on TVNZ 1 this month. Fronted by “Celebrity Treasure Island” host Matt Chisholm, the series (2 x 44′) is backed by men’s health charity Movember and was produced by Wellington-based production outfit Gibson
Produced by Iceland’s powerhouse Sagafilm for local public broadcaster RÚV, “The Minister” has been sold by Cineflix Rights to SBS for Australia, AMC Networks International for Southern Europe, and TVO for Canada. The multiple sales follow the recently announced acquisition by North American streaming platform Topic, with more deals pending. The eight-part TV show headlines
ZDF Enterprises has snapped up international distribution rights, excluding North America, to new crime thriller series “Before We Die.” Produced by Eagle Eye Drama for Channel 4, the six-episode series is a remake of the eponymous noir show from Sweden. The U.K. version stars Lesley Sharp (“Scott & Bailey”) Patrick Gibson (“The Tudors,” “The OA”)
HBO Max, the streaming-video hub of WarnerMedia, has acquired anticipated Studiocanal title “Possessions,” a psychological thriller series created by Shachar Magen (“Sirens”) and directed by BAFTA-nominated Thomas Vincent (“Bodyguard”). As an international Max Original, the series will be made available on the U.S. streaming platform in December. Commissioned for Canal Plus’s Creation Original and Israel’s
Production is underway in Adelaide, South Australia, on seasonal comedy film “A Sunburnt Christmas.” The film is set as an original production for local streaming platform Stan. Directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren (“Bondi Hipsters,” “The Other Guy”), the film is the story of a single mother struggling to raise her children on their family farm. Their hardscrabble
Hipgnosis Songs and its Investment adviser, The Family (Music) Limited, announced that Grammy Award-winning songwriter, producer and music executive L.A. Reid has been appointed to its advisory board, and the company has also acquired 100% of his publishing interests and writers share of income in his 162-song catalog. Reid’s songwriting and production successes include Boyz
“Chippendales” has found its director. Craig Gillespie, who helmed the 2017 Oscar-winning film “I, Tonya,” is officially on board to direct the movie, a source close to the project tells Variety. The film has been in development for two decades by Permut Productions’ David Permut. Bold Films is also set to produce, and Craig Williams
Penelope Ann Miller is taking on the role of First Lady Nancy Reagan in a biopic of former President Ronald Reagan, Variety has confirmed. Miller will star opposite Dennis Quaid, who is playing Ronald Reagan. The film is being helmed by “The Miracle Season” and “Soul Surfer” director Sean McNamara and is currently in production in Oklahoma.
Popular Tamil cinema actor Vijay Sethupathi (“96”) is set to star as iconic Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan in upcoming biopic “800.” With 800 wickets in test match cricket and 534 in one day internationals, Muralitharan is the bowler with world records for the highest number of wickets in both versions of the sport. He