Sydney Sweeney is getting in the ring.
The breakout from, well, basically everything she’s done lately is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”). Insert your own joke here about being a knockout. The script for the untitled project was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd.
Martin was the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She signed with Don King and is the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Martin became welterweight champion — but that was about the end of the good things in her life. Christy was physically abused by husband Jim Martin, who was eventually convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy Martin’s life is documented in “Untold,” the excellent series of documentaries by Chaplain and Maclain Way. Her episode is subtitled “Deal with the Devil,...
The breakout from, well, basically everything she’s done lately is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”). Insert your own joke here about being a knockout. The script for the untitled project was written by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd.
Martin was the most successful female boxer of the 1990s. She signed with Don King and is the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Martin became welterweight champion — but that was about the end of the good things in her life. Christy was physically abused by husband Jim Martin, who was eventually convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christy Martin’s life is documented in “Untold,” the excellent series of documentaries by Chaplain and Maclain Way. Her episode is subtitled “Deal with the Devil,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The in-demand Sydney Sweeney, coming off hit rom-com Anyone But You and horror pic Immaculate, is shifting gears again as she is set to portray trailblazing boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic which could be a knockout for buyers at the Cannes market where Black Bear will be launching.
Under the direction of Oz filmmaker David Michôd, known for visceral movies such as Animal Kingdom and The King, the currently untitled project will chart the true story of Martin’s rise to become America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s — the “female Rocky” in the words of the film’s producers. A naturally gifted fighter, her life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Under the direction of Oz filmmaker David Michôd, known for visceral movies such as Animal Kingdom and The King, the currently untitled project will chart the true story of Martin’s rise to become America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s — the “female Rocky” in the words of the film’s producers. A naturally gifted fighter, her life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
- 5/8/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nicolas Cage, FKA twigs, Noah Jupe and Souheila Yacoub are set to star in Egyptian-American director Lotfy Nathan’s The Carpenter’s Son exploring the rarely told story of the childhood of Jesus with a horror take.
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Goodfellas has boarded upcoming war crime drama Occupation from Ukrainian writer-director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe). The project, which will be produced by Loveless and Leviathan producer Alexander Rodnyansky alongside Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content, is being launched to buyers in Cannes this month with Goodfellas repping international sales rights and Anonymous Content and CAA Media Finance co-repping North American rights.
Occupation is based on Peter Pomerantsev’s May 2022 article for The Atlantic entitled “We Can Only Be Enemies”, which follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian solider responsible for the bombardment. Production will begin in Poland this fall.
Ar Content’s Michael Kupisk will exec produce the film alongside Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Linzee Troubh from The Atlantic and Eva Dottelonde,...
Occupation is based on Peter Pomerantsev’s May 2022 article for The Atlantic entitled “We Can Only Be Enemies”, which follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian solider responsible for the bombardment. Production will begin in Poland this fall.
Ar Content’s Michael Kupisk will exec produce the film alongside Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Linzee Troubh from The Atlantic and Eva Dottelonde,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: More theatrical product for 2024 as Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures has dated the feature take of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Nickel Boys for October 25. It’s a limited theatrical release on a date that also includes Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance and Cinedigm’s Terrifier 3.
Directed and co-adapted by RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida. Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor star. Ross co-adapted with Joslyn Barnes. Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produce with David Levine and Barnes. Anonymous Content and Louverture Films are also production companies.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Black-themed American Fiction was a huge success at art houses, grossing north of $21M after its Audience Award at TIFF. The movie saw an Adapted Screenplay Oscar win for...
Directed and co-adapted by RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida. Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor star. Ross co-adapted with Joslyn Barnes. Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produce with David Levine and Barnes. Anonymous Content and Louverture Films are also production companies.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Black-themed American Fiction was a huge success at art houses, grossing north of $21M after its Audience Award at TIFF. The movie saw an Adapted Screenplay Oscar win for...
- 4/30/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: CAA has signed Robert O’Hara, the New York-based playwright and director of Jeremy O. Harris’ Tony-nominated Slave Play.
O’Hara, whose production of Jelly’s Last Jam ran at New York City Center Encores! in February, has also directed his own plays, including Mankind, Bootycandy, and Insurrection: Holding History. His other plays include This Fire This Time, The Etiquette of Vigilance, Antebellum, and Zombie: The American.
In addition to Slave Play, his other world premiere directing credits include Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira’s In The Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays Part II, Colman Domingo’s Wild With Happy, and Kirsten Childs’ Bella: An American Tall Tale. He has received the NAACP Best Play and Best Director Awards, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obie Awards, and the Herb Alpert Award.
O’Hara is next set to direct the feature adaptation of his play Barbecue starring Colman Domingo,...
O’Hara, whose production of Jelly’s Last Jam ran at New York City Center Encores! in February, has also directed his own plays, including Mankind, Bootycandy, and Insurrection: Holding History. His other plays include This Fire This Time, The Etiquette of Vigilance, Antebellum, and Zombie: The American.
In addition to Slave Play, his other world premiere directing credits include Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira’s In The Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays Part II, Colman Domingo’s Wild With Happy, and Kirsten Childs’ Bella: An American Tall Tale. He has received the NAACP Best Play and Best Director Awards, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obie Awards, and the Herb Alpert Award.
O’Hara is next set to direct the feature adaptation of his play Barbecue starring Colman Domingo,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Raoul Peck, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind 2016’s I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his latest documentary, an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.
Tentatively titled The Hands That Held the Knives, Peck is not only directing but producing the film under his Velvet Films banner alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Peck’s take is being described as a “documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.” Per Monday’s announcement, Peck is going deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens.
The film will take audiences right up to the present moment, per the producers, “as ruthless gangs backed by oligarchs with well-paid lobbyists in Washington,...
Tentatively titled The Hands That Held the Knives, Peck is not only directing but producing the film under his Velvet Films banner alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Peck’s take is being described as a “documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.” Per Monday’s announcement, Peck is going deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens.
The film will take audiences right up to the present moment, per the producers, “as ruthless gangs backed by oligarchs with well-paid lobbyists in Washington,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmaker Raoul Peck’s next documentary will delve into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise. The film, tentatively titled “The Hands That Held the Knives,” has been in production for over two years.
The documentary will be a thriller “in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré,” according to a press release. It will offer access to people involved in the murder of Moise, who was shot inside his home in July 2021. It will also feature secret footage from Haiti’s prisons and an encounter with a fugitive who witnessed the killing.
“The Hands That Held the Knives” will attempt to unpack Haiti’s politics, its relationship with the United States, as well as corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that deal drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean. Per the official announcement, “the film will take us right up to the present moment, as ruthless gangs backed...
The documentary will be a thriller “in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré,” according to a press release. It will offer access to people involved in the murder of Moise, who was shot inside his home in July 2021. It will also feature secret footage from Haiti’s prisons and an encounter with a fugitive who witnessed the killing.
“The Hands That Held the Knives” will attempt to unpack Haiti’s politics, its relationship with the United States, as well as corrupt business empires and criminal organizations that deal drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean. Per the official announcement, “the film will take us right up to the present moment, as ruthless gangs backed...
- 3/18/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Director Raoul Peck, who helmed the 2016 documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” has announced his new documentary project. “The Hands That Held the Knives” will detail the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
The documentary, which took over two years to make, is said to be in the same vein as the works of Graham Greene and John Le Carré. Peck was given access to the people involved in Moïse’s killing, and even secretly filmed in Haiti’s prison system. The documentary will lay out Haitian politics, its relationship to the U.S. and the corruption and criminality the country deals with, including drugs and weapons trafficking.
“I am eager to tell my country’s real story beyond the usual exotic clichés and preposterous clickbait,” Peck said in a prepared statement. “I want to reveal for once, without holding back, the core stories and real reasons for Haiti’s tragic situation.
The documentary, which took over two years to make, is said to be in the same vein as the works of Graham Greene and John Le Carré. Peck was given access to the people involved in Moïse’s killing, and even secretly filmed in Haiti’s prison system. The documentary will lay out Haitian politics, its relationship to the U.S. and the corruption and criminality the country deals with, including drugs and weapons trafficking.
“I am eager to tell my country’s real story beyond the usual exotic clichés and preposterous clickbait,” Peck said in a prepared statement. “I want to reveal for once, without holding back, the core stories and real reasons for Haiti’s tragic situation.
- 3/18/2024
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Raoul Peck is in production on his latest documentary The Hands That Held The Knives which explores the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.
Haitian-born Peck is producing through his Velvet Films alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Editing is underway and shooting continues in Haiti, the US, Canada, France, and North Africa.
More than two years in the making, the documentary thriller is described as being in the vein of Graham Greene or John Le Carré and explores the politics of Haiti and its relationship with the United...
Haitian-born Peck is producing through his Velvet Films alongside Jigsaw Productions, with Imagine Documentaries, Anonymous Content, and Double Agent, who are also financing the project.
Editing is underway and shooting continues in Haiti, the US, Canada, France, and North Africa.
More than two years in the making, the documentary thriller is described as being in the vein of Graham Greene or John Le Carré and explores the politics of Haiti and its relationship with the United...
- 3/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Raoul Peck, the filmmaker behind Academy Award-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro, is in production on his next feature doc — an investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, tentatively titled, The Hands That Held the Knives.
Over two years in the making, with unprecedented access to many of those involved, and including secret filming in Haiti’s prisons and an unexpected encounter with a fugitive who was an eyewitness to the murder, Peck’s film taking him back to his home country will be a documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.
His investigation takes him deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations — dealing drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean, using weapons trafficked from the U.S. — which have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens. The...
Over two years in the making, with unprecedented access to many of those involved, and including secret filming in Haiti’s prisons and an unexpected encounter with a fugitive who was an eyewitness to the murder, Peck’s film taking him back to his home country will be a documentary thriller, in the tradition of Graham Greene or John Le Carré.
His investigation takes him deep into the politics of Haiti, its relationship with the United States, and the corrupt business empires and criminal organizations — dealing drugs and contraband throughout the Caribbean, using weapons trafficked from the U.S. — which have now rendered the country a hellscape for its citizens. The...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams) has been set to direct Mind vs. Machine, a new docuseries on the lightning rod topic of artificial intelligence from Oscar winner Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, Closer Media, Anonymous Content, and Emmy-winning producers Alyssa Fedele & Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
Gibney comes to the project after working with Closer Media and Anonymous Content on the forthcoming documentary Musk, to be distributed by HBO/Universal. Within the last year, his Jigsaw has also teamed with the companies on the MGM+ acquired documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and the Raoul Peck-helmed Orwell on 1984 author George Orwell, to be distributed by Neon.
As artificial intelligence bursts onto the world stage – and into our lives – it may seem like a radical new life form has suddenly been created. But as Mind vs. Machine illustrates,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve James, the Oscar-nominated director behind Hoop Dreams and Life Itself, will tackle AI in the docuseries Mind vs. Machine, which has Alex Gibney on board as a producer.
Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which are working with Gibney on his upcoming Elon Musk doc Musk, are financing the project and also producing alongside James and Gibney, Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
New York Times technology correspondent Cade Metz will executive produce with Closer Media’s Zhang Xin, William Horberg, and Joey Marra, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, and David Levine.
According to the announcement, the project is described as “a five-part, landmark docuseries artfully crafted from a blend of interviews, archival footage, dramatic recreations, AI visualizations, and cutting-edge special effects, is definitive in its unparalleled access to key inventors, scientists, futurists, and thinkers including Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, Ray Kurzweil, Deborah Raji, and Meghan O’Gieblyn.
Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which are working with Gibney on his upcoming Elon Musk doc Musk, are financing the project and also producing alongside James and Gibney, Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink of Collective Hunch.
New York Times technology correspondent Cade Metz will executive produce with Closer Media’s Zhang Xin, William Horberg, and Joey Marra, and Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker, Jessica Grimshaw, and David Levine.
According to the announcement, the project is described as “a five-part, landmark docuseries artfully crafted from a blend of interviews, archival footage, dramatic recreations, AI visualizations, and cutting-edge special effects, is definitive in its unparalleled access to key inventors, scientists, futurists, and thinkers including Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, Ray Kurzweil, Deborah Raji, and Meghan O’Gieblyn.
- 2/1/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Sky Kids is developing children’s book Uncle Bobby’s Wedding as an animated special, as David Levine’s Lightboat Media supercharges its focus on stories with LGBTQ+ stories at their core.
Sarah S. Brannen’s story, told through the eyes of a young girl, Chloe, who learns her beloved Uncle Bobby is getting married to his boyfriend, Jamie. Initially concerned that she’ll no longer be his favorite, she realizes she’ll actually be gaining another uncle after a fun-filled day out with the couple.
The kids division of UK network Sky is developing it as a 30-minute special for June 2025, in time for Pride, with former Moonbug Entertainment and Disney exec Levine in active development on the project. Michael Vogel is attached as the writer.
Lightboat is eyeing co-production, distributor and pre-buying commissioner partners ahead of the KidScreen Summit in San Diego,...
Sarah S. Brannen’s story, told through the eyes of a young girl, Chloe, who learns her beloved Uncle Bobby is getting married to his boyfriend, Jamie. Initially concerned that she’ll no longer be his favorite, she realizes she’ll actually be gaining another uncle after a fun-filled day out with the couple.
The kids division of UK network Sky is developing it as a 30-minute special for June 2025, in time for Pride, with former Moonbug Entertainment and Disney exec Levine in active development on the project. Michael Vogel is attached as the writer.
Lightboat is eyeing co-production, distributor and pre-buying commissioner partners ahead of the KidScreen Summit in San Diego,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
MGM+ has announced the acquisition of the two-part docuseries “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, debuting on the streamer on March 17 and March 24 at 9 p.m. Edt/Pdt. It focuses on the career of musician Paul Simon.
Per the docuseries’ description, “In Restless Dreams” “juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Graceland,’ Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.”
Making appearances in the docuseries are “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels, Simon’s wife and singer Edie Brickwell and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Alex Gibney (“The Inventor”) directs and produces, with Jigsaw, Closer Media and Anonymous Content jointly producing.
Per the docuseries’ description, “In Restless Dreams” “juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Graceland,’ Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.”
Making appearances in the docuseries are “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels, Simon’s wife and singer Edie Brickwell and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Alex Gibney (“The Inventor”) directs and produces, with Jigsaw, Closer Media and Anonymous Content jointly producing.
- 12/6/2023
- by Jaden Thompson and Valerie Wu
- Variety Film + TV
HBO CEO and Chairman Chief Casey Bloys led off a presentation about 2024 programming Thursday by addressing a Rolling Stone report that said he had someone troll TV critics on X who didn’t like his shows.
“We’re here to talk about ’24, but I thought we might as well talk about it up front,” he began at the start of the presentation at Warner Bros. Discovery headquarters in New York City. “For those of you who know me, you know I am a programming executive who is very, very passionate about the shows that we decide to do and the people who do them and the people who work on them. I want the shows to be great. I want people to love them. I want you all to love them. It’s very, very important to me what you think of all the shows.”
“So when you think of that mindset,...
“We’re here to talk about ’24, but I thought we might as well talk about it up front,” he began at the start of the presentation at Warner Bros. Discovery headquarters in New York City. “For those of you who know me, you know I am a programming executive who is very, very passionate about the shows that we decide to do and the people who do them and the people who work on them. I want the shows to be great. I want people to love them. I want you all to love them. It’s very, very important to me what you think of all the shows.”
“So when you think of that mindset,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Lynette Rice and Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Anonymous Content, Red Bull Studios and Rise Films have partnered to produce new documentary feature The Balloonists following Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard and English balloonist Brian Jones. BAFTA and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker John Dower has come aboard to direct the project and Anonymous Content’s AC Independent will oversee sales.
The Balloonists follows the unlikely duo of Swiss explorer Piccard and British flying instructor Jones who, in 1999, took on the world’s leading aeronauts and ultra-rich adventurers in a race to become the first people to fly nonstop around the world in a hot air balloon. Many in the aviation community believed this to be an impossible feat, after years of failed attempts by balloonists from across the globe. More than most racing sports, ballooning is subject to the capricious whims of nature. An aeronaut must learn to accept the unexpected and respect their position in the hierarchy of the natural world,...
The Balloonists follows the unlikely duo of Swiss explorer Piccard and British flying instructor Jones who, in 1999, took on the world’s leading aeronauts and ultra-rich adventurers in a race to become the first people to fly nonstop around the world in a hot air balloon. Many in the aviation community believed this to be an impossible feat, after years of failed attempts by balloonists from across the globe. More than most racing sports, ballooning is subject to the capricious whims of nature. An aeronaut must learn to accept the unexpected and respect their position in the hierarchy of the natural world,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Spend on Italian TV and film productions shot upwards by 28% to €1.8B ($1.9B) last year, the latest report into the country’s sector revealed today.
Closing the Mia Market, the likes of Audiovisual Producers Association (APA)/Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia, Netflix Italy boss Tinny Andreatta and Ministry of Culture Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni presented the APA research, which took in Italian TV and film investment in the 2022 calendar year and is the fifth of its kind.
The report showed that the total value of investments in original Italian productions across genre was €1.8B, up from around €1.4B, with more than half of this figure made up by spend on linear platforms such as national pubcaster Rai.
Sbarigia pointed out that the “steady growth” of online spend is now worth almost a third of overall TV spend, while there has been “significant boost in documentaries and animation, mainly in the VoD segment...
Closing the Mia Market, the likes of Audiovisual Producers Association (APA)/Cinecittà President Chiara Sbarigia, Netflix Italy boss Tinny Andreatta and Ministry of Culture Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni presented the APA research, which took in Italian TV and film investment in the 2022 calendar year and is the fifth of its kind.
The report showed that the total value of investments in original Italian productions across genre was €1.8B, up from around €1.4B, with more than half of this figure made up by spend on linear platforms such as national pubcaster Rai.
Sbarigia pointed out that the “steady growth” of online spend is now worth almost a third of overall TV spend, while there has been “significant boost in documentaries and animation, mainly in the VoD segment...
- 10/13/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
“Hollywood should be jealous of what Spain is doing and our facilities allow for this,” Netflix Spain and Portugal boss Diego Ávalos proclaimed today.
Ávalos talked up the stunt work and set design on shows such as Netflix smash Money Heist on a panel of the streamer’s execs at the Mia Market, explaining that sound stages have doubled to 10 since last year and there is a post-production facility with “state-of-the-art technology that is leveraged by Netflix around the world.”
“In Money Heist there is a big museum explosion and that was a set built entirely to last two minutes before it exploded,” he added. “We have built sets that I would argue are above anything you have seen in Hollywood.”
Other nations are also jumping aboard these facilities, he added, flagging the likes of UK series Kaos shooting in Spain.
Speaking on a Mia panel yesterday, Mediawan boss Elisabeth...
Ávalos talked up the stunt work and set design on shows such as Netflix smash Money Heist on a panel of the streamer’s execs at the Mia Market, explaining that sound stages have doubled to 10 since last year and there is a post-production facility with “state-of-the-art technology that is leveraged by Netflix around the world.”
“In Money Heist there is a big museum explosion and that was a set built entirely to last two minutes before it exploded,” he added. “We have built sets that I would argue are above anything you have seen in Hollywood.”
Other nations are also jumping aboard these facilities, he added, flagging the likes of UK series Kaos shooting in Spain.
Speaking on a Mia panel yesterday, Mediawan boss Elisabeth...
- 10/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Documentaries like Netflix’s Harry & Meghan are “almost in a different category,” the docs boss of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment said today.
Responding to a question from Deadline at Mia Market, former HBO producer Sara Bernstein also said the “fees have raised in terms of what this access looks like and what it costs a producer like our company” on shows where the subjects exert a certain amount of editorial control.
Although it isn’t only Harry & Meghan that opted for this approach, the conversation was sparked by last year’s hit doc series, which was co-produced by the ex-royal duo’s Archewell Productions via a multi-million dollar Netflix deal.
“We live in a world today where celebrities, big personaltiies and talent of a certain magnitude understand what their value is to the industry and to an audience,” Bernstein said. “I think that has...
Responding to a question from Deadline at Mia Market, former HBO producer Sara Bernstein also said the “fees have raised in terms of what this access looks like and what it costs a producer like our company” on shows where the subjects exert a certain amount of editorial control.
Although it isn’t only Harry & Meghan that opted for this approach, the conversation was sparked by last year’s hit doc series, which was co-produced by the ex-royal duo’s Archewell Productions via a multi-million dollar Netflix deal.
“We live in a world today where celebrities, big personaltiies and talent of a certain magnitude understand what their value is to the industry and to an audience,” Bernstein said. “I think that has...
- 10/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Anonymous Content, whose recent productions include Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan’s film “Foe” for Amazon Studios, is looking to expand its international footprint, with new ventures planned in Poland, Germany and Australia, top execs announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at a panel held at the Mia Market in Rome, Anonymous Content international president David Davoli and chief creative officer David Levine made clear their group’s vigor for global joint ventures, promising upcoming additions to a portfolio that boasts partnerships with companies in the U.K., France, Scandinavia, Spain and Brazil.
“We’re totally open to [all forms of] partnerships,” Davoli explained. “We’re willing to be minority partners [or] majority partner; the devil’s in the details. And that’s not complicated in a way, [because] we let the lawyers figure out the details.”
Existing partnerships include Anonymous Federation, a joint venture with France’s Federation Studios led by Rosalie Cimino; Anonymous Content Nordic,...
Speaking at a panel held at the Mia Market in Rome, Anonymous Content international president David Davoli and chief creative officer David Levine made clear their group’s vigor for global joint ventures, promising upcoming additions to a portfolio that boasts partnerships with companies in the U.K., France, Scandinavia, Spain and Brazil.
“We’re totally open to [all forms of] partnerships,” Davoli explained. “We’re willing to be minority partners [or] majority partner; the devil’s in the details. And that’s not complicated in a way, [because] we let the lawyers figure out the details.”
Existing partnerships include Anonymous Federation, a joint venture with France’s Federation Studios led by Rosalie Cimino; Anonymous Content Nordic,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
“We’re trying to introduce entirely new filmmakers into the repertoire of our company,” Anonymous Content’s David Levine said today.
Levine also revealed that Anonymous is is looking to expand internationally into Poland, Germany and Australia, adding: “We’re totally open to all forms of partnerships.”
Addressing the Mia Market, the Revenant and Mr Robot outfit’s Chief Creative Officer, who used to run HBO drama, said viewers to Anonymous’ projects will soon see the fruits of this strategy. Upcoming projects include the likes of Time Bandits, the Apple TV+ series from Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris.
“The integrity of who we’re working with hasn’t changed but the spirit of openness and the new people who haven’t worked with us before, well, people will see that,” he said. “We’re trying to introduce entirely new filmmakers into the repertoire of our company.”
Levine was...
Levine also revealed that Anonymous is is looking to expand internationally into Poland, Germany and Australia, adding: “We’re totally open to all forms of partnerships.”
Addressing the Mia Market, the Revenant and Mr Robot outfit’s Chief Creative Officer, who used to run HBO drama, said viewers to Anonymous’ projects will soon see the fruits of this strategy. Upcoming projects include the likes of Time Bandits, the Apple TV+ series from Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris.
“The integrity of who we’re working with hasn’t changed but the spirit of openness and the new people who haven’t worked with us before, well, people will see that,” he said. “We’re trying to introduce entirely new filmmakers into the repertoire of our company.”
Levine was...
- 10/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A former 60 Minutes producer claims she was falsely fired from the long running newsmagazine show last year, and now she’s suing CBS, CBS News and parent company Paramount Global for discrimination – and naming a lot of names.
In a vast ranging complaint filed today in federal court in New York, Alexandra Poolos says she was axed from 60 Minutes in early 2022 after 10 award winning years because an allegedly untruthful and self-serving colleague accused her of being too aggressive in the workplace. Poolos and her Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C. lawyers assert she was stitched up due to the “sexism and misogyny that “defined” CBS News, and the network wanted to get rid of her for raising concerns about the behavior of others at the organization.
“CBS has a long history of shielding men from answering for their misconduct, including unlawful conduct,” the 46-page filing bluntly states, naming ex-ceo Les Moonves,...
In a vast ranging complaint filed today in federal court in New York, Alexandra Poolos says she was axed from 60 Minutes in early 2022 after 10 award winning years because an allegedly untruthful and self-serving colleague accused her of being too aggressive in the workplace. Poolos and her Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C. lawyers assert she was stitched up due to the “sexism and misogyny that “defined” CBS News, and the network wanted to get rid of her for raising concerns about the behavior of others at the organization.
“CBS has a long history of shielding men from answering for their misconduct, including unlawful conduct,” the 46-page filing bluntly states, naming ex-ceo Les Moonves,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with clarification: Paramount Television Studios is turning its back on limited series in the U.S., Nicole Clemens has revealed.
Clemens, who runs Ptvs as President, said that she is focused on global stories that “have broader appeal and are propulsive and entertaining” during her Mia Market keynote at the Rome TV and film confab this afternoon.
Miniseries such as Paramount+/Ptvs biographical drama The Offer, which told the story of the making of The Godfather, are a no-go area for the time being.
“The only thing we’re not doing is limited series in the U.S.,” she said. “They are still happening internationally and people are still looking for opportunistic ways to make hit limited series but we are looking for contemporary, ongoing shows.”
Clemens encouraged “big, loud and funny” half-hour comedy pitches from producers, noting the upcoming Paramount+ Frasier revival from CBS Studios, which she oversaw...
Clemens, who runs Ptvs as President, said that she is focused on global stories that “have broader appeal and are propulsive and entertaining” during her Mia Market keynote at the Rome TV and film confab this afternoon.
Miniseries such as Paramount+/Ptvs biographical drama The Offer, which told the story of the making of The Godfather, are a no-go area for the time being.
“The only thing we’re not doing is limited series in the U.S.,” she said. “They are still happening internationally and people are still looking for opportunistic ways to make hit limited series but we are looking for contemporary, ongoing shows.”
Clemens encouraged “big, loud and funny” half-hour comedy pitches from producers, noting the upcoming Paramount+ Frasier revival from CBS Studios, which she oversaw...
- 10/10/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
“With the new world order you are going to see much lower budgets,” Miramax TV boss Marc Helwig has predicted, as he forecast the market for first-look deals will “further contract.”
A recent Miramax show for Netflix UK cost somewhere between £5M ($6.1M) and £7M ($8 .6M), a far cry from the blank cheque days of past years, Helwig revealed.
“We see opportunity internationally at significantly lower budgets and in the U.S. I think we will see budgets contracting in the way that the landscape is contracting,” he told a Mia Market panel titled The Producer’s Role. “With the new world order you are going to see lower license fees and much lower budgets.”
Helwig was speaking in Rome, Italy at the film and TV industry event Mia.
Turning to first-look deals, Helwig said that after joining Miramax as Head of Worldwide Television in 2020 his team started looking at...
A recent Miramax show for Netflix UK cost somewhere between £5M ($6.1M) and £7M ($8 .6M), a far cry from the blank cheque days of past years, Helwig revealed.
“We see opportunity internationally at significantly lower budgets and in the U.S. I think we will see budgets contracting in the way that the landscape is contracting,” he told a Mia Market panel titled The Producer’s Role. “With the new world order you are going to see lower license fees and much lower budgets.”
Helwig was speaking in Rome, Italy at the film and TV industry event Mia.
Turning to first-look deals, Helwig said that after joining Miramax as Head of Worldwide Television in 2020 his team started looking at...
- 10/10/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A tidbit of news that slipped under our radar late last week, Variety reports that Canadian Korean filmmaker Anthony Shim (who is coming off a solid 2022 with his sophomore feature Riceboy Sleeps) is attached to adapt and direct Offerings for the big screen. Production would be set for the fall of 2024 – so we’d be looking at a possible 2025 drop if everything falls into place. Anonymous Content’s David Levine and Chadwick Prichard (set to produce Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Jupiter) plus Anthology Studios’ Jay Choi and Soon Ho Song (Cobweb) will produce the acclaimed Korean novel written by Michael Kim (aka Kim Byung Ju).…...
- 10/9/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Rome’s Mia Market, dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films, documentaries and more, kicked off Monday in the Eternal City’s 17th century Palazzo Barberini. There were some 2,300 registered industry execs on day one – roughly 300 of which are buyers – more than 120 selected projects on display, and plenty of panels.
At a press conference, Mia director Gaia Tridente noted that, sadly, a group of industry execs who were expected to arrive from Israel, including “Waltz With Bashir” director Ari Folman, are being forced to stay in the country by the war that has broken out with Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Our thoughts go out to them and we hope to be able to welcome them in Rome in a context of peace and security for all,” Tridente said.
The pre-Mipcom event, taking place Oct. 9 to 13, has expanded its scope this year, adding a full-fledged section dedicated to animation and...
At a press conference, Mia director Gaia Tridente noted that, sadly, a group of industry execs who were expected to arrive from Israel, including “Waltz With Bashir” director Ari Folman, are being forced to stay in the country by the war that has broken out with Palestinian militant group Hamas. “Our thoughts go out to them and we hope to be able to welcome them in Rome in a context of peace and security for all,” Tridente said.
The pre-Mipcom event, taking place Oct. 9 to 13, has expanded its scope this year, adding a full-fledged section dedicated to animation and...
- 10/9/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Popular sci-fi video game Cyberpunk 2077 is getting adapted into either a live-action TV show or movie, developer CD Projekt Red has announced.
Details are scarce, but the studio has teamed up with Anonymous Content, the media company known for producing series including True Detective and Mr. Robot, as well as films like The Revenant and Spotlight. There is some indication that the project is a show, since the announcement made sure to highlight that Anonymous Content Studios’ Head of Television Garret Kemble is directly involved alongside Chief Creative Officer David Levine, who previously oversaw the production of series such as True Detective, Westworld, and True Blood. Levine was also involved in the production of the early seasons of Game of Thrones.
Cyberpunk 2077, set in the futuristic Night City, already features some major Hollywood star power. Keanu Reeves plays rock star Johnny Silverhand in the original game, with Idris Elba starring...
Details are scarce, but the studio has teamed up with Anonymous Content, the media company known for producing series including True Detective and Mr. Robot, as well as films like The Revenant and Spotlight. There is some indication that the project is a show, since the announcement made sure to highlight that Anonymous Content Studios’ Head of Television Garret Kemble is directly involved alongside Chief Creative Officer David Levine, who previously oversaw the production of series such as True Detective, Westworld, and True Blood. Levine was also involved in the production of the early seasons of Game of Thrones.
Cyberpunk 2077, set in the futuristic Night City, already features some major Hollywood star power. Keanu Reeves plays rock star Johnny Silverhand in the original game, with Idris Elba starring...
- 10/5/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
The already massive world of “Cyberpunk 2077” is about to get even bigger. CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the best-selling open-world game, announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Anonymous Content on a live-action project set in the dystopian universe.
At the moment, it’s unknown whether this project will be a series or a movie. The project is currently looking for a screenwriter to tell “a brand-new story,” according to a press release from the company.
Garrett Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz and Bard Dorros will produce the project on behalf of Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully. The project will developed in close collaboration with “Cyberpunk 2077’s” creative team. Anonymous Content’s AC Studios will act as the project’s studio.
CD Projekt Red is best known for creating “Cyperpunk 2077” as well as the “Witcher” video games, the most critically acclaimed of which is the beloved “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
At the moment, it’s unknown whether this project will be a series or a movie. The project is currently looking for a screenwriter to tell “a brand-new story,” according to a press release from the company.
Garrett Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz and Bard Dorros will produce the project on behalf of Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully. The project will developed in close collaboration with “Cyberpunk 2077’s” creative team. Anonymous Content’s AC Studios will act as the project’s studio.
CD Projekt Red is best known for creating “Cyperpunk 2077” as well as the “Witcher” video games, the most critically acclaimed of which is the beloved “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- 10/5/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
CD Projekt Red is teaming with Anonymous Content to develop a live-action project set within the universe of Cyberpunk 2077.
The project, which will feature an all-new story set in the world of the game franchise, is still in the early development stages and currently looking for a screenwriter, Ck Projekt Red announced Thursday.
The gaming developer, which is also behind the acclaimed The Witcher game series, revealed the show will be developed in close collaboration with the Cyberpunk 2077 creative team as well as Garrett Kemble, Anonymous Content Studios’ head of television, its director of development Ryan Schwartz and Cco David Levine. Levine previously served as HBO’s executive vp and co-head of drama for more than a decade, where he oversaw production on True Detective, Westworld and True Blood.
Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz, and Bard Dorros will produce for Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully.
Cyberpunk 2077, which has sold more than 25 million copies,...
The project, which will feature an all-new story set in the world of the game franchise, is still in the early development stages and currently looking for a screenwriter, Ck Projekt Red announced Thursday.
The gaming developer, which is also behind the acclaimed The Witcher game series, revealed the show will be developed in close collaboration with the Cyberpunk 2077 creative team as well as Garrett Kemble, Anonymous Content Studios’ head of television, its director of development Ryan Schwartz and Cco David Levine. Levine previously served as HBO’s executive vp and co-head of drama for more than a decade, where he oversaw production on True Detective, Westworld and True Blood.
Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz, and Bard Dorros will produce for Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully.
Cyberpunk 2077, which has sold more than 25 million copies,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As Italy has ramped up its efforts in the last year to lure in international productions, so too has Rome’s Mia Market been making big strides in attracting global companies and executives to its annual five-day industry confab. The innovative Italian event, which has fast become a top destination in the TV market calendar, is returning for its ninth edition on October 9-13, 2023 and this year looks set to be bigger than ever with top execs from Paramount, Imagine, Banijay and Skybound Entertainment all set to attend.
“We have been prepping for this edition for a while and I think it’s even better than last year because we started working much further in advance,” says Mia director Gaia Tridente of this year’s event, which will be the second one with her at the helm.
Tridente is proud of last year’s attendance, which was up by 20% with...
“We have been prepping for this edition for a while and I think it’s even better than last year because we started working much further in advance,” says Mia director Gaia Tridente of this year’s event, which will be the second one with her at the helm.
Tridente is proud of last year’s attendance, which was up by 20% with...
- 10/2/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Elon Musk documentary “Musk,” directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.
It was announced during Cannes earlier this year that HBO Documentary Films had come on board to join the production and will release the film in North America.
Gibney directed “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” the Oscar-nominated “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and Oscar winner “Taxi to the Dark Side.”
Helen Parker, exec VP, Universal Pictures Content Group, said: “We instantly wanted to attach to this feature as we are big fans of Alex’s previous work and feel confident that he will deliver an insightful portrayal of one of the centuries most provocative characters.”
The film is produced by Jigsaw Productions and jointly financed and produced by Closer Media, Anonymous Content via their recently launched sales and finance division AC Independent, and Double Agent.
It was announced during Cannes earlier this year that HBO Documentary Films had come on board to join the production and will release the film in North America.
Gibney directed “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” the Oscar-nominated “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and Oscar winner “Taxi to the Dark Side.”
Helen Parker, exec VP, Universal Pictures Content Group, said: “We instantly wanted to attach to this feature as we are big fans of Alex’s previous work and feel confident that he will deliver an insightful portrayal of one of the centuries most provocative characters.”
The film is produced by Jigsaw Productions and jointly financed and produced by Closer Media, Anonymous Content via their recently launched sales and finance division AC Independent, and Double Agent.
- 10/2/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Alex Gibney’s latest documentary Musk, about the lightning-rod entrepreneur and businessman.
Negotiations first began in Cannes with Black Bear International and the multimillion-dollar pact is among the biggest ever for a documentary out of the Cannes Market.
In another lucrative presale we revealed in the spring, HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project. A domestic theatrical release remains in play.
Taxi to the Dark Side Oscar winner and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room nominee Gibney has been working on the project for months. It recently was described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative X (formerly Twitter) owner.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187B, but the mercurial tech...
Negotiations first began in Cannes with Black Bear International and the multimillion-dollar pact is among the biggest ever for a documentary out of the Cannes Market.
In another lucrative presale we revealed in the spring, HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project. A domestic theatrical release remains in play.
Taxi to the Dark Side Oscar winner and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room nominee Gibney has been working on the project for months. It recently was described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative X (formerly Twitter) owner.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187B, but the mercurial tech...
- 10/2/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Foe, a complicated love story set in the near future amid burned out farmland, intertwines AI and climate catastrophe with the challenges of keeping a marriage together — all elements director Garth Davis (Lion) said pulled him to the story.
“There are so many reasons why I was compelled to make this film, and why the actors were drawn to it. Within its layers lies something simple and urgent, something I reflect on in my daily life. The need to honor what is precious within us and around us, to align with our inner nature as we propel into an exciting and uncertain future,” he said as Foe had its world premiere Saturday night at the New York Film Festival.
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star as Hen and Junior, who live on an impoverished farm that’s been in Junior’s family for generations but is now nothing but dirt...
“There are so many reasons why I was compelled to make this film, and why the actors were drawn to it. Within its layers lies something simple and urgent, something I reflect on in my daily life. The need to honor what is precious within us and around us, to align with our inner nature as we propel into an exciting and uncertain future,” he said as Foe had its world premiere Saturday night at the New York Film Festival.
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star as Hen and Junior, who live on an impoverished farm that’s been in Junior’s family for generations but is now nothing but dirt...
- 10/1/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Andrey Zvyagintsev, the two-time Oscar-nominated Russian filmmaker of “Loveless” and “Leviathan,” will next direct “Jupiter,” a politically-minded movie set to shoot in Spain and France next spring.
The movie will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future.
Anonymous Content and Lorem Ipsum Entertainment (“War on Everyone”) are producing “Jupiter” alongside Les Films du Losange (“A Silence”) in France and Elastica Films (“Anatomy of a Fall”) in Spain. Zvyagintsev will reteam with his regular crew, including cinemtographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov, who worked “Loveless” and “Leviathan.”
“Jupiter” is set in the seemingly impenetrable world of the ultra-wealthy and is being described by the producers as an “unrelenting exploration of power and corruption.”
Zvyagintsev said “Jupiter” will be a “very modern story” which “goes beyond today’s political context.” “The nature of absolute power is a universal theme,...
The movie will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future.
Anonymous Content and Lorem Ipsum Entertainment (“War on Everyone”) are producing “Jupiter” alongside Les Films du Losange (“A Silence”) in France and Elastica Films (“Anatomy of a Fall”) in Spain. Zvyagintsev will reteam with his regular crew, including cinemtographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov, who worked “Loveless” and “Leviathan.”
“Jupiter” is set in the seemingly impenetrable world of the ultra-wealthy and is being described by the producers as an “unrelenting exploration of power and corruption.”
Zvyagintsev said “Jupiter” will be a “very modern story” which “goes beyond today’s political context.” “The nature of absolute power is a universal theme,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Veterans is launching international sales on upcoming UK period comedy Fackham Hall at Toronto and has unveiled first members of the ensemble cast.
In the first significant deal announced during TIFF, Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights for the film.
First signings include Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Woman King), Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), Emma Laird (A Haunting In Venice) and Katherine Waterston, who appears in this year’s TIFF title The End We Start From alongside Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Written by comedian Jimmy Carr in his screenwriting feature debut with Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers (The Bubble), Fackham Hall pokes fun at traditional period dramas like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park. The production is described as being “in the tradition of classic joke-a-minute spoof comedies like The Naked Gun series and Airplane!”.
Fiennes Tiffin will play a new porter who embarks on...
In the first significant deal announced during TIFF, Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights for the film.
First signings include Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Woman King), Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), Emma Laird (A Haunting In Venice) and Katherine Waterston, who appears in this year’s TIFF title The End We Start From alongside Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Written by comedian Jimmy Carr in his screenwriting feature debut with Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers (The Bubble), Fackham Hall pokes fun at traditional period dramas like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park. The production is described as being “in the tradition of classic joke-a-minute spoof comedies like The Naked Gun series and Airplane!”.
Fiennes Tiffin will play a new porter who embarks on...
- 9/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iain Reid’s bestselling sci-fi thriller Foe springs to life with four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, Oscar nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun), and Aaron Pierre (Brother) in starring roles. And if you haven’t read Reid’s novel, it’s guaranteed the trailer will take you by surprise with the reveal of an unusual twist.
Novelist Reid and Garth Davis adapted Foe, with Garth Davis (six-time Oscar nominated Lion) directing. Davis, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Emile Sherman, and Iain Canning produced, and Reid, Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, Robert Walak, and Samantha Lang executive produced.
Amazon Studios will release Foe in U.S. theaters on October 6, 2023.
The Plot, Courtesy of Amazon Studios:
Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in Foe, a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but...
Novelist Reid and Garth Davis adapted Foe, with Garth Davis (six-time Oscar nominated Lion) directing. Davis, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Emile Sherman, and Iain Canning produced, and Reid, Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, Robert Walak, and Samantha Lang executive produced.
Amazon Studios will release Foe in U.S. theaters on October 6, 2023.
The Plot, Courtesy of Amazon Studios:
Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in Foe, a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but...
- 8/24/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal’s hot streak continues this fall with “Foe,” a new sci-fi film in which he co-stars opposite Saoirse Ronan as one half of a somewhat unhappily married couple who gets the chance to leave his life behind and live in space.
Based on the book of the same name by author Iain Reid, “Foe” is set in the year 2065 and follows a pair of farmers who live on a secluded piece of land. When a stranger (played by Aaron Pierre) shows up on their doorstep with a startling proposal, their life – and marriage – is thrown into chaos. Mescal’s character is offered the chance to live among the stars, but his wife is not. Instead, he’ll leave behind a robot clone of himself to keep his wife company.
The plot is strikingly similar to the “Black Mirror” episode “Beyond the Sea.” Reid’s book was published back in 2018.
Garth Davis,...
Based on the book of the same name by author Iain Reid, “Foe” is set in the year 2065 and follows a pair of farmers who live on a secluded piece of land. When a stranger (played by Aaron Pierre) shows up on their doorstep with a startling proposal, their life – and marriage – is thrown into chaos. Mescal’s character is offered the chance to live among the stars, but his wife is not. Instead, he’ll leave behind a robot clone of himself to keep his wife company.
The plot is strikingly similar to the “Black Mirror” episode “Beyond the Sea.” Reid’s book was published back in 2018.
Garth Davis,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
The couple at the center of apocalyptic thriller Foe, based on best-selling author Iain Reid’s (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) novel, have far more than the usual relationship woes to navigate. Amazon Studios debuted a new trailer for their sci-fi thriller that adds apocalyptic dread to marital woes.
Look for Foe to arrive in US theaters on October 6, 2023.
Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre star in the twisty apocalyptic marital thriller. The first look image above previews Ronan and Mescal as the central married couple.
The film is described as “a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal.”
Directed by Garth Davis, and co-written by Davis and Reid,...
Look for Foe to arrive in US theaters on October 6, 2023.
Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre star in the twisty apocalyptic marital thriller. The first look image above previews Ronan and Mescal as the central married couple.
The film is described as “a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal.”
Directed by Garth Davis, and co-written by Davis and Reid,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal embark on a journey to discover who is friend or foe in the trailer for Amazon Studios’ Foe, based on Iain Reid’s novel of the same name.
Ronan’s Hen and Mescal’s Junior are alone on their farm in 2065 when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with the proposal of a lifetime for Junior: to pilot a space program and leave his wife behind to be looked over by an artificial version of him.
“I need to have an intimate understanding of your marriage, the good and the bad,” Pierre tells Mescal’s character. “I promise it’s confidential. It’s between you and me.”
The two-minute look at the film explores their lives and shows Hen’s desire for something greater than life on a desolate farm, while Junior wonders if he truly knows his wife.
“You wanna live mundane lives?...
Ronan’s Hen and Mescal’s Junior are alone on their farm in 2065 when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with the proposal of a lifetime for Junior: to pilot a space program and leave his wife behind to be looked over by an artificial version of him.
“I need to have an intimate understanding of your marriage, the good and the bad,” Pierre tells Mescal’s character. “I promise it’s confidential. It’s between you and me.”
The two-minute look at the film explores their lives and shows Hen’s desire for something greater than life on a desolate farm, while Junior wonders if he truly knows his wife.
“You wanna live mundane lives?...
- 8/24/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan are a crumbling united front in dystopian thriller “Foe.”
The Oscar-nominated duo lead writer-director Garth Davis’ adaptation of Iain Reid’s novel of the same name. Reid, who co-wrote the screenplay with Davis, also penned “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” which Charlie Kaufman previously adapted to the big screen.
Mescal and Ronan portray a married couple living 40 years in the future where an environmental crisis has made their farmland almost uninhabitable. Mescal’s character is ordered to leave his home to help pilot a space program while his wife, played by Ronan, will be monitored.
Per the official synopsis, Hen (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal) farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. Based on best-selling author Iain Reid’s novel,...
The Oscar-nominated duo lead writer-director Garth Davis’ adaptation of Iain Reid’s novel of the same name. Reid, who co-wrote the screenplay with Davis, also penned “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” which Charlie Kaufman previously adapted to the big screen.
Mescal and Ronan portray a married couple living 40 years in the future where an environmental crisis has made their farmland almost uninhabitable. Mescal’s character is ordered to leave his home to help pilot a space program while his wife, played by Ronan, will be monitored.
Per the official synopsis, Hen (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal) farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. Based on best-selling author Iain Reid’s novel,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Expect a twisty, apocalyptic mindbender upcoming apocalyptic thriller Foe, based on best-selling author Iain Reid’s (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) novel. Today, Amazon Studios announced a Halloween season release for the adaptation.
Look for Foe to arrive in US theaters on October 6, 2023.
Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre star in the twisty apocalyptic marital thriller. The first look image above previews Ronan and Mescal as the central married couple.
The film is described as “a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal.”
Directed by Garth Davis, and co-written by Davis and Reid, “Foe’s mesmerizing imagery and persistent questions about the nature of humanity...
Look for Foe to arrive in US theaters on October 6, 2023.
Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre star in the twisty apocalyptic marital thriller. The first look image above previews Ronan and Mescal as the central married couple.
The film is described as “a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal.”
Directed by Garth Davis, and co-written by Davis and Reid, “Foe’s mesmerizing imagery and persistent questions about the nature of humanity...
- 8/17/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
As distributors and exhibition worries about major release date changes due to the ongoing strikes, good news continues to pop up with the dating of awards season adult titles, the latest being the Amazon movie Foe from Lion filmmaker Garth Davis on Oct. 6.
You’ll remember that Sony vacated that weekend recently by moving their Marvel title, Kraven the Hunter, off of it to Aug. 30, 2024.
Based on the Ian Reid novel, with a screenplay by Reid and Davis, Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in what is a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. The pic dotes on the persistent questions about...
You’ll remember that Sony vacated that weekend recently by moving their Marvel title, Kraven the Hunter, off of it to Aug. 30, 2024.
Based on the Ian Reid novel, with a screenplay by Reid and Davis, Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in what is a haunting exploration of marriage and identity set in an uncertain world. Hen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior’s family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger (Aaron Pierre) shows up at their door with a startling proposal. The pic dotes on the persistent questions about...
- 8/15/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Alex Gibney — who recently set his Elon Musk doc, Musk, at HBO — has wrapped his Paul Simon doc in time for an expected fall festival run.
The doc, titled In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, is three years in the making and follows Simon as he makes his latest album, Seven Psalms. According to the project’s description, it “poses questions about faith and mortality, during the pandemic and while dealing with his hearing loss.” The doc, which will also include his rise as a part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel and an award-winning solo artist, features rare footage of Simon, including outtakes from 1969 doc Songs of America and early rehearsals.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced alongside Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which also co-financed the project. (Gibney, Closer and Anonymous Content previously worked together on Musk.)
Erin Edeiken, David Rahtz and Svetlana Zill produced, with Jeff Kramer,...
The doc, titled In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, is three years in the making and follows Simon as he makes his latest album, Seven Psalms. According to the project’s description, it “poses questions about faith and mortality, during the pandemic and while dealing with his hearing loss.” The doc, which will also include his rise as a part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel and an award-winning solo artist, features rare footage of Simon, including outtakes from 1969 doc Songs of America and early rehearsals.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced alongside Closer Media and Anonymous Content, which also co-financed the project. (Gibney, Closer and Anonymous Content previously worked together on Musk.)
Erin Edeiken, David Rahtz and Svetlana Zill produced, with Jeff Kramer,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following a three year shoot, award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney has just completed production on In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon, the documentary about Paul Simon’s legendary Grammy Award-winning career. The film also follows Simon’s journey creating his new album Seven Psalms, which poses questions about faith and mortality, during the pandemic and while dealing with his hearing loss. The film is expected to be part of the fall film festival circuit.
In the film, Gibney and Simon journey through a dreamlike world of storytelling, an absorbing portrait of an artist, that transcends both time and space moving freely between present and past, showcasing both his music making in the here-and-now and a unique peek into his career, from Tom & Jerry to Simon & Garfunkel to the triumphs of Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. Rarely seen or heard footage of Paul on his own in England...
In the film, Gibney and Simon journey through a dreamlike world of storytelling, an absorbing portrait of an artist, that transcends both time and space moving freely between present and past, showcasing both his music making in the here-and-now and a unique peek into his career, from Tom & Jerry to Simon & Garfunkel to the triumphs of Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. Rarely seen or heard footage of Paul on his own in England...
- 7/11/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Altitude, UTA Independent Film Group, AC Independent jointly represent global rights.
Alex Gibney has completed the three-year production of In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon, a documentary about the career of singer-songwriter Paul Simon for Jigsaw Productions, Closer Media and Anonymous Content.
The film is expected to land a world premiere slot on the fall festival circuit and charts Simon’s career from the days of Simon & Garfunkel to the solo triumphs of Graceland and Rhythm Of The Saints.
It also follows Simon while he recorded his latest album ‘Seven Psalms’, wrestling with issues of faith and mortality...
Alex Gibney has completed the three-year production of In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon, a documentary about the career of singer-songwriter Paul Simon for Jigsaw Productions, Closer Media and Anonymous Content.
The film is expected to land a world premiere slot on the fall festival circuit and charts Simon’s career from the days of Simon & Garfunkel to the solo triumphs of Graceland and Rhythm Of The Saints.
It also follows Simon while he recorded his latest album ‘Seven Psalms’, wrestling with issues of faith and mortality...
- 7/11/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Anonymous Content has elevated four senior executives at the company including three within AC Studios, the premium independent film and TV production studio that sits inside Anonymous Content as well as a longtime executive in their Brand division.
AC Studios promotions include Garrett Kemble who will become President of Scripted, Jessica Grimshaw who has been named Head of Unscripted, and Nina Soriano who is now Producer and Head of Music Content – an initiative that will work across every division of the firm to build relationships and projects that bridge the worlds of music, television and film.
Additionally, longtime Commercial Executive Producer SueEllen Clair has expanded her role to include Vice President, Commercials, where she will continue to oversee projects and directors working across the Commercial and Music Content divisions of Anonymous Content.
All four execs will continue to be based out of the company’s Los Angeles office.
“We’re so thrilled for Garrett,...
AC Studios promotions include Garrett Kemble who will become President of Scripted, Jessica Grimshaw who has been named Head of Unscripted, and Nina Soriano who is now Producer and Head of Music Content – an initiative that will work across every division of the firm to build relationships and projects that bridge the worlds of music, television and film.
Additionally, longtime Commercial Executive Producer SueEllen Clair has expanded her role to include Vice President, Commercials, where she will continue to oversee projects and directors working across the Commercial and Music Content divisions of Anonymous Content.
All four execs will continue to be based out of the company’s Los Angeles office.
“We’re so thrilled for Garrett,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Musk, Alex Gibney’s doc about the tech giant Elon Musk, has landed at HBO Documentary Films in North America.
Musk has been described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. (When the doc was first announced, in characteristic fashion, Musk made a comment on Twitter, writing, “It’s a hit piece.”) Gibney, who earned an Oscar for the 2008 film Taxi to the Dark Side, is no stranger to controversial figures, having produced docs on Scientology, Wikileaks and Enron.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financed the project.
HBO and Gibney have a long working relationship, which includes films about the opioid crisis The Crime of the Century, Elisabeth Homes doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
Musk has been described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. (When the doc was first announced, in characteristic fashion, Musk made a comment on Twitter, writing, “It’s a hit piece.”) Gibney, who earned an Oscar for the 2008 film Taxi to the Dark Side, is no stranger to controversial figures, having produced docs on Scientology, Wikileaks and Enron.
Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions produced the film alongside Closer Media, Anonymous Content and Double Agent, which is also financed the project.
HBO and Gibney have a long working relationship, which includes films about the opioid crisis The Crime of the Century, Elisabeth Homes doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
- 5/11/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: HBO Documentary Films has pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to Musk, Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary about lightning rod entrepreneur and businessman Elon Musk.
Black Bear has boarded international sales rights on the eve of the Cannes market and will be shopping the high-end doc to overseas buyers.
Taxi To The Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room director Gibney has been working on the project for months. It was recently described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative Twitter owner.
The deal with HBO was negotiated with UTA’s Independent Film Group, AC Independent, and Double Agent. The door is seemingly ajar for a North American theatrical deal.
Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187Bn, but the mercurial tech titan...
Black Bear has boarded international sales rights on the eve of the Cannes market and will be shopping the high-end doc to overseas buyers.
Taxi To The Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room director Gibney has been working on the project for months. It was recently described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative Twitter owner.
The deal with HBO was negotiated with UTA’s Independent Film Group, AC Independent, and Double Agent. The door is seemingly ajar for a North American theatrical deal.
Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187Bn, but the mercurial tech titan...
- 5/11/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Just two weeks ago, it was announced that Mackenzie Davis – whose credits include Terminator: Dark Fate, Blade Runner 2049, Black Mirror, Halt and Catch Fire, and Station Eleven – had joined the cast of the Blumhouse thriller Speak No Evil, a remake of a Danish film called Gæsterne. Now Deadline reports that Davis has another genre film in the works: a “twisted horror” film called The Damning of a Country Merchant. Davis will be starring in the film alongside Peter Sarsgaard of The Batman.
Matthew Rosenbaum has written the screenplay and will be making his feature directorial debut with The Damning of a Country Merchant, which is set in 1910 Indiana and centers on the patriarch of a rural mercantile family (Sarsgaard) whose way of life is suddenly disrupted by a charismatic industrialist who has entered into a secret affair with his wife (Davis). When rising tensions mistakenly lead to the death of a customer,...
Matthew Rosenbaum has written the screenplay and will be making his feature directorial debut with The Damning of a Country Merchant, which is set in 1910 Indiana and centers on the patriarch of a rural mercantile family (Sarsgaard) whose way of life is suddenly disrupted by a charismatic industrialist who has entered into a secret affair with his wife (Davis). When rising tensions mistakenly lead to the death of a customer,...
- 5/8/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
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