Despite the coronavirus production hiatus, there’s a wealth of international dramas launching at 2020 Mipcom. From Australia to the U.K., Variety rounds up 15 of the most anticipated international series debuting at the market. Alice (U.K.) “The Durrells” writer Simon Nye and star Keeley Hawes reteam for this black comedy about a woman coming to
Showtime has made a straight-to-series order of the 10-episode half-hour comedy “Flatbush Misdemeanors,” from creators and writers Kevin Iso and Dan Perlman. The comedy, a co-production between Showtime and Avalon, centers on “characters struggling to thrive in their new surroundings in the brash environment of Flatbush, Brooklyn,” as two longtime friends look to “climb out
Meredith Ahr is out as president of NBC Entertainment’s Alternative and Reality Group, Variety has confirmed. Ahr’s exit comes a little over two months after the exit of NBC Entertainment head Paul Telegdy over accusations of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. Ahr and Telegdy were known to work closely together at NBC, with Ahr accused of
Gerard Butler’s apocalyptic thriller “Greenland” will premiere directly on premium video-on-demand platforms starting Dec. 18. The movie, from STXfilms, was initially supposed to debut on the big screen, but it’s skipping theaters in the U.S. due to the pandemic. “Greenland” will cost $19.99 to rent for a 48-hour period. The movie, about a family fighting
Sandra Bullock is producing and starring in the romantic action film “The Lost City of D” for Paramount Pictures. The film is centered on a romance author who discovers that a fictional city she had written about is real, prompting her to embark on a risky journey to find the city. The sibling directing team
Endeavor Content has set a three-film development deal with producer Heather Rae, committing to movie scripts from Indigenous filmmakers. The new pact was announced on Oct. 12, Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Along with Rae, Crystal EchoHawk of IllumiNative and Bird Runningwater of Sundance Institute are advising on the projects. Research from IllumiNative — a woman-led racial
By her own admission, Christine Vachon is not a nostalgic person. This would normally make a conversation about the 25th anniversary of her pioneering independent film company Killer Films a challenge but, luckily, recent events have changed her perspective. Vachon attended September’s Venice Intl. Film Festival, for which she served as a juror, an event
New series “Lafayette” will be presented this week at the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo (MIA), the film and TV market taking place in Rome. Variety spoke to the show’s producer Nicolas Deprost, CEO of the French production outfit Wild Horses, and writer, Oscar winner David Franzoni (“Gladiator”), ahead of the market. “Lafayette” kicks off in the
HBO is developing a limited series about SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by Elon Musk. The six-episode series “SpaceX” will be based on the book “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” by Ashlee Vance. It will document how Musk, in pursuit of his lifelong dream to make humankind a
Joshua Jackson is now set to play the lead role in the upcoming Peacock series “Dr. Death.” Jackson takes over the role from previously announced series lead Jamie Dornan, who had to bow out of the series due to production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater remain attached to the
This page will be continually updated as we learn more information about Amazon Prime Day 2020. Amazon Prime Day 2020 is officially happening tomorrow. The retailer announced on its site that the two-day event is happening from October 13 through 14 this year. The annual sale is exclusive to Prime members and is jam-packed with
Variety will host an exclusive Q&A with the cast and creatives of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” plus the premiere of a never-before-seen music video of “Come What May” in the Variety Streaming Room on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET. The virtual conversation, moderated by Variety’s Gordon Cox, features cast members
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) has relaunched its disaster relief program under the name of Defy:Disaster, which will introduce Lend a Hand, its first campaign since the rebranding. Lend a Hand aims to support California’s firefighters amid a record-breaking wildfire season. Defy:Disaster, which previously operated under the name of Music for Relief since 2018, seeks to provide aid to communities affected
An unusual trend in recent years has seen New York City’s subway stations transformed into memorials for late, great musicians, both officially and unofficially. In the former category, Spotify transformed the Union Square and Broadway-Lafayette stations into elaborate memorials for Prince and David Bowie, respectively; unofficially, the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn was briefly turned
Michael B. Jordan’s award-winning films “Just Mercy,” and “Fruitvale Station” will serve as opening night screenings for the inaugural Social Justice Now Film Festival (SJNFF). Both films will play on Wednesday, Oct. 21st at Paramount’s Drive-In Theater, sponsored by Amazon Studios. Jordan serves as a co-ambassador for the film festival, which runs Oct. 21-25, alongside
New York-based publisher Round Hill Music is aiming to raise $375 million for its new royalty fund when it on the London Stock Exchange next month, according to reports in the U.K.’s Times and Music Business Worldwide. The company is expected to announce the IPO formally this week. According to the reports, it intends to
Common is bringing an interview series featuring “intimate, candid and soulful conversations” with six artists and activists to Audible next month. The award-winning actor, music artist, activist and author hosts “Mind Power Mixtape,” in which he engages in discussions with his guests about spirituality, self-care, music, inspiration and overcoming obstacles. Confirmed guests for Common’s new
Facebook, finally enacting a measure long called on by critics, said it will prohibit any content that “denies or distorts the Holocaust.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a post Monday announcing the policy change, said he has “struggled with the tension between standing for free expression and the harm caused by minimizing or denying the
As the Czech Republic claims Europe’s fastest-growing infection rate, with more than 8,000 new daily COVID-19 cases, a two-week shutdown of cinemas is stressing a sector that had been recovering amid easing restrictions. A recent shakeup of the Czech Health Ministry and the appointment of outspoken epidemiologist Roman Prymula as Health Minister is hoped to
Arthouse platform Kabinett has snagged Argentine filmmaker Alejandro Fadel’s first purely experimental film, “The Enigmatic Element,” available since Oct. 10. The genre is not quite a novelty to Fadel who is best known for his first two fiction films, “Los Salvajes” and “Murder Me, Monster,” both of which had their world premieres in Cannes. “While they
HanWay Films is handling international sales, distribution and marketing for multi-Grammy Award nominee and pop superstar Sia’s feature directorial debut “Music,” starring Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous,” “Deepwater Horizon”). The film also stars Tony and Grammy Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton,” “One Night in Miami”), alongside Sia protégé and
Republic Records has promoted Amaiya Davis to vice president of media/cultural impact & engagement, it was announced today by the company’s executive vice president of media & artist relations, Joseph Carozza. She is based at the label’s New York headquarters. Davis will continue to spearhead publicity campaigns for a diverse roster of artists, including City Morgue, Duckwrth, Kash Doll, Kiana
Boo: Keegan-Michael Key wants to haunt your dreams in a new 13-part horror anthology podcast series from Blumhouse Television, iHeartMedia and horror podcaster Aaron Mahnke. In “Aaron Mahnke’s 13 Days of Halloween,” Key voices the “caretaker” of purgatorial hotel Hawthorne Manor, in which listeners play the role of the hotel’s latest guest… putting them at
In an unprecedented move, the cream of Bollywood, including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, has united to sue television news channels Republic TV and Times Now. The stars and studios allege defamation during the channels’ blanket coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and its aftermath. A total of 38 industry bodies
Breaking Glass Pictures has picked up North American distribution rights to Chilean producer Omar Zuñiga’s directorial feature debut, “The Strong Ones” (“Los Fuertes”). Meikincine Entertainment handled the sale. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best International Narrative Feature and the Audience Award at OutFest LA as well as Best Narrative Film at Florida’s OutShine Film Festival,
Sometimes IP is a bonus when selling a show, and sometimes it’s more crucial. Two key properties coming to Mipcom from ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group this year are new iterations of beloved stories: Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell’s nine-part adaptation of Stephen King’s 1978 post-apocalyptic tome “The Stand,” and Anna Fricke’s “reimagining” of the 1990s
Nicole Kidman is unparalleled in the art of playing a woman who’s equal parts flinty determination and distraught pain. When her face falls in shock, her character is likely to fight the instinct to fall apart, instead steeling herself for whatever’s yet to come. It’s a balancing act that found a particularly remarkable showing on
A group of protesters dressed in the red nun habits from “The Handmaid’s Tale” have flocked to the Supreme Court ahead of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing. On Sunday, nearly a dozen protesters took to Capitol Hill as a demonstration against the Senate’s hearing to fill the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme
In today’s Global Bulletin, All3Media lands “All Creatures Great and Small” in several major territories, Limonero Films strikes a deal with Disney on two factual series, HBO Max picks up two Blue Ant International series, “Les Misérables -The Staged Concert” returns to London for the holidays and Gobstopper launches new sister company Flying Saucer TV.
Tom Parker, a singer for for the British-Irish boy band The Wanted, has revealed he’s been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. In an Instagram post on Monday morning, Parker announced the news to his followers, saying he’s currently receiving treatment for a grade four glioblastoma tumor. “Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been