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If you’re looking for a new addictive Western drama now that “Yellowstone” is headed toward its final episodes, Netflix has delivered “Territory” just in time. The Australian succession drama stars Anna Torv, Michael Dorman and Robert Taylor in a sprawling saga about the fight for power and coveted land in the outback.

Set in the vast wilderness of Australia’s Top End, “Territory” follows the generational battle between rival cattle barons, lawless cattle thieves, Indigenous elders and billionaire miners. Fighting for land and cattle, the six-episode series is centered on the Lawson family, who runs Marrianne Station, the world’s biggest cattle station, and has to fend off encroaching forces at every side.

A generational Western epic, “Territory” has a vast ensemble cast to match. If you’re trying to keep track of the Lawsons, Hodges, Kirbys and more — and who plays them — here’s the “Territory” cast and character guide you need.

This Halloween season, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. have kids and families covered with an abundance of festive and fun programming for the whole family to enjoy together. Disney Channel’s Monstober is the destination for Halloween content across linear and YouTube, with movies and series that highlight everyone’s favorite villains, monsters, and magic.

The Monstober lineup includes the two-episode series premiere of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place; a new full-length Kiff Halloween special; Wickedly Sweet: A Descendants Short Story stop-motion short; plus all-new Halloween episodes of Big City Greens, Primos, and Zombies: The Re-Animated Series. Additionally, featured Descendants encores will air all Monstober long.

The Disney Jr. Trick or Treats Halloween programming will serve up delightful treats for preschoolers and their families. The lineup includes the premiere of new stop-motion shorts Mickey’s Spooky Stories and new Halloween-themed episodes of the hit series Disney Jr.’s Ariel, Marvel...

Lupin and Hijack creator George Kay is launching an All3 Media-backed indie.

Observatory Pictures has been set up in partnership with New Pictures, the All3Media-owned drama producer behind shows including Kay’s ITV drama The Long Shadow.

Under terms of the pact, all of Observatory’s projects will be co-produced with New Pictures, with All3Media International holding international distribution rights.

Kay will work closely with New Pictures’ CEO Willow Grylls and executive producer Matt Sandford. He will look to create and shown “ambitious, commercially-successful high-end drama series” for streamers and networks in the UK and internationally.

We understand Kay’s previous indie, Idiotlamp Productions, which he ran with director Jim Field-Smith, will remain operational, but only for existing IP such as Hijack. All new Kay creations will go through Observatory.

“This new partnership affords me the opportunity to create ambitious new shows and the freedom to secure the most...

“Hijack” creator George Kay is set to form his own label as part of an exclusive partnership deal with New Pictures and All3Media.

The multi-year agreement will see Kay, who is responsible for hits including Idris Elba starrer “Hijack” on Apple TV+, Netflix’s “Lupin” and ITV series “The Long Shadow,” launch Observatory Pictures, which will coproduce all Kay’s new content with New Pictures. All3Media, which owns New Pictures, will distribute it globally.

Kay previously worked with New Pictures on “The Long Shadow,” which the showrunner created and wrote. Under the terms of the new deal, he will work closely with New Pictures CEO Willow Grylls and exec producer Matt Sandford to create new internationally-successful high-end dramas.

As well as “The Long Shadow,” a true crime drama about British serial killer the Yorkshire ripper, New Pictures has produced series including HBO’s “Catherine the Great,” “No Escape” for...

Production studio Wavelength has announced its official sponsorship of the Yellow Springs Film Festival. From the press release: On Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 1:45 Pm Et, Wavelength, in partnership with Ysff, will host its first-ever Wave Grant showcase featuring short films from Wave Grant alumni including Ana Verde’s Te Llaman Las Olas (The Waves Call You), Geena Hernandez’s Chicks, Sofia and Andrea Riba’s American Girl, Hannah Patterson’s Late to the Party, Amanda Gordon’s Sugar Honey, Leena Kurishingal’s No Escape, and Neha Aziz’s So, That Happened. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Wavelength’s Head of […]

The post Production Studio Wavelength Sponsors Yellow Springs Film Festival, Hosts First Live Wave Grant Showcase and Panel Discussion first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Production studio Wavelength has announced its official sponsorship of the Yellow Springs Film Festival. From the press release: On Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 1:45 Pm Et, Wavelength, in partnership with Ysff, will host its first-ever Wave Grant showcase featuring short films from Wave Grant alumni including Ana Verde’s Te Llaman Las Olas (The Waves Call You), Geena Hernandez’s Chicks, Sofia and Andrea Riba’s American Girl, Hannah Patterson’s Late to the Party, Amanda Gordon’s Sugar Honey, Leena Kurishingal’s No Escape, and Neha Aziz’s So, That Happened. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Wavelength’s Head of […]

The post Production Studio Wavelength Sponsors Yellow Springs Film Festival, Hosts First Live Wave Grant Showcase and Panel Discussion first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In recent months, James Cameron, who’s undertaken a major effort to restore many of his classics in 4K, has come under fire from fans for the way these movies now look. One of the common complaints is that the transfers, which were done in conjunction with Peter Jackson’s Park Row Post, may (or may not) have used AI technology to somewhat change how the movies look. One of the biggest complaints is that the movies look too pristine, with all grain structure being scrubbed. Noted film preservationist Robert Harris, in an email to us, called the transfers “revisualizations” rather than restorations, although he generally seemed to appreciate what Cameron was going for (read more about his comments here).

Fans, however, have been divided, as seen in the reaction to a story we posted a few months back on the 4K transfer of True Lies, which is the one that is the most controversial.

JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray has made it clear that he’s a big fan of the 1994 sci-fi action film No Escape, so when he had the chance to speak with legendary producer Gale Anne Hurd recently, he couldn’t let the opportunity to talk to her about the movie go by – and as it turns out, by mentioning No Escape, he opened the door to also discussing how director Martin Campbell got the job to direct the James Bond film GoldenEye, the 1991 made-for-hbo horror noir Cast a Deadly Spell, and the possibility of a Cast a Deadly Spell TV series!

When Bumbray told Hurd that he’s a big fan of No Escape, she confirmed that she loves the movie as well and said, “It was actually my second collaboration with (director) Martin Campbell; the first one was an HBO movie called Cast a Deadly Spell. … I’ve just worked with some amazing people.

Recently, I wrote an article about how Ron Howard’s Cocoon was hard to find in any format. It came out on DVD many years ago but went out of print and has never been issued on Blu-ray. You also can’t find it digitally on any platform. This is a perfect example of why you should always hang on to your physical media, as I’m lucky enough to own the now out-of-print DVD of that movie, and while it’s far from an ideal copy, it’s something.

But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren’t available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell’s No Escape,...

The Outlaws are caught up in a murder investigation in a newly released trailer for the comedic thriller’s third season (premiering with all five episodes on Friday, May 31 on Prime Video).

The show follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. In the upcoming season, “with crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger,” reads the official synopsis. “As a murder...

Today, ahead of its inaugural upfront presentation on May 14, Prime Video revealed the trailer and new key art for The Outlaws Season 3. All five episodes of the comedy thriller from creator, star, and award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant will debut on May 31, 2024.

The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.

With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, the Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.

As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?

Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...

Some of you may be asking yourselves, “What’s The Guyver?” But, I suspect if you were a kid in the nineties, you know Exactly who and what The Guyver is.

When I was growing up, my parents subscribed to the Canadian version of HBO, which was called The Movie Network. The mixture of programming on the channel was eclectic, to say the least, and the blockbusters were padded out with many direct-to-video tiles, usually in the erotic thriller or action genres. Folks like Shannon Tweed, Lorenzo Lamas, and others became pretty common to see pop up on the channel. Occasionally, one of these movies would feature a bigger star and sometimes turn out to be a real gem.

With that in mind, I remember vividly as a kid tuning in to watch The Guyver because it was promoted as a superhero movie starring Mark Hamill. While that’s maybe “partly” true,...

Today, Prime Video revealed the premiere date and first-look photos for the third season of the fan-favorite series, The Outlaws. All five episodes of the comedy thriller from creator, star, and award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant will debut on May 31, 2024.

The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.

With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.

As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?

Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...

The Outlaws are back next month: Season 3 of star/creator Stephen Merchant’s comedic thriller will premiere with all five episodes on Friday, May 31 on Prime Video.

The show follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. In the upcoming season, “with crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger,” reads the official synopsis. “As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang,...

Mediawan Rights has boarded “Kabul,” a highly anticipated thriller series produced by France’s 24 25 Films and Cinétévé.

Shervin Alenabi (“Tehran”) and “Euphoria’s” Eric Dane (in a small role) have joined the international cast of the show, which already comprises Jonathan Zaccaï (“Le bureau des legendes”), Thibault Evrard (“The Night of the 12th”), Vassilis Kukalawi (“Kandahar”), Jeanne Goursaud (“Pax Massilia”), Gianmarco Saurino (“L’estate piu Calda”) and Valentina Cervi (“Medici: Masters of Florence”).

The series, set against the backdrop of U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and Taliban’s sweep to power, just started filming on April 1. Mediawan Rights will introduce the gripping series project to international buyers at upcoming markets, and is handling worldwide distribution with the participation of Entourage.

“Kabul” explores the chaotic evacuation of various characters, from diplomats to soldiers to civilians, who desperately seek refuge and solidarity in a country in crisis, with the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul.

The 1990s are regularly regarded as the era of the high-concept thriller. In the wake of eighties smashes like Jagged Edge and Fatal Attraction, audiences tended to flock to these kinds of movies, although it’s worth noting they quickly spun off into two different mini-genres. There was the erotic thriller genre, whose queen was definitely Sharon Stone, with movies like Basic Instinct and Sliver, but there was also the so-called yuppie thriller.

These movies often centred around upwardly mobile middle-class couples who wind up in the crosshairs of a maniac who wants to dismantle their lives. Fatal Attraction was arguably the first of these. Still, many more would follow, including Pacific Heights, which featured Michael Keaton in a memorably evil role, Bad Influence (with Rob Lowe), Internal Affairs (which revitalized Richard Gere’s career), Malice, and the great Single White Female. But, of the genre, one of the most effective was 1992’s Unlawful Entry,...

Exclusive: Paramount+ has yanked a raft of international originals from its service along with several big-ticket acquired series.

Numerous English-language originals disappeared overnight last week, as the U.S. conglom’s strategy shift towards more Hollywood-style content and lower costs played out in real time. Other series that had been tipped for second seasons will not return.

Subscribers were left perplexed as shows vanished, and voiced bewilderment and frustration on X and elsewhere online. The removed shows have been taken off the streaming service in all territories.

Samantha Morton-starrer The Burning Girls and One Night, the Australia-set drama with Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, have disappeared from the streamer. Likewise, Eleventh Hour Films-produced The Killing Kind, based on the book of the same name, and thriller The Serial Killer’s Wife, have been pulled.

The Doll Factory, the adaptation of the bestselling novel from Marcella producer Buccaneer, has also come down.

Paramount Global’s streaming service Paramount+ is removing some international original content across its markets and will not debut some planned programming sourced outside the U.S. as part of the entertainment giant’s goal of “managing costs” and “maximizing content with the biggest impact,” including a focus on big U.S. studio franchises and a reduction in local, international originals.

On Wednesday, Paramount+ in foreign markets started removing such international original fare as the film At Midnight, starring Top Gun: Maverick breakout Monica Barbaro, Brazilian series Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo, and U.K. drama No Escape.

In addition, some international content previously set to debut on the streamer across markets will not launch on it, including German thriller series Turmschatten, Italian series Miss Fallaci, which tells “the true story of one of the most controversial Italian and international journalism icons,” Oriana Fallaci and

German anthology series Zeit Verbrechen, starring Sandra Hüller and Lars Eidinger,...

Maria Kyriacou, Paramount Global’s President, Broadcast & Studios, International Markets, is exiting the U.S. studio after four years, as it prepares to slim down its international originals offerings.

Paramount international boss Pam Kaufman and CBS CEO George Cheeks have emailed staff in the past few minutes announcing the news, stressing that international content strategy is now “focusing more heavily on our Hollywood franchises, films and series, which have mass global appeal,” coming after head honcho Bob Bakish detailed strategy yesterday.

Kyriacou will not be replaced externally. CBS Studios President David Stapf will take on her Paramount Television International Studios (Ptis) remit, and local leaders will continue overseeing international free-to-air networks.

Kyriacou’s last day is today, but she will continue working with the team until March. She joined from ITV Studios in 2019 to oversee the UK, Australia, Canada and Israel and most recently has been leading Ptis along with Channel 5,...

Jared Harris, Joseph Fiennes & Sheila Atim Leading A+E/Sky’s ‘Royal Kill List’

Jared Harris, Joseph Fiennes and Sheila Atim are leading an A+E Networks/Sky series about King Charles I from Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story producer 72 Films. Royal Kill List is Sky History’s latest docu-drama following in the footsteps of the likes of Royal Bastards: Rise of The Tudors and The Royal Mob. The three-part series looks back at one of the most seismic events in British royal history. In 1649, for the first and only time, a British monarch was publicly executed, having been tried and convicted of treason by Parliament. This bloody spectacle heralded 10 years of Britain as a republic before, in May 1660, the monarchy was restored with the accession of King Charles II. Told through dramatic reconstruction, Atim for the Royalists, Harris for the Regicides, and Fiennes for King Charles II will play out the Jacobean tragedy,...

Filmmakers have many remarkable superpowers. The ability to create kaleidoscope fractals of terrifying credit card debt. The ability to turn any friendship into a stark transactional binary. The ability to blot out the very sun itself with the G&e crew’s interlocking vape exhalations.

Most impressively, filmmakers have the ability to take some abstract, internal element of the human experience and physicalize it into something photographable and dramatic. Sure: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But sometimes in movies, a cigar is actually the memory of your dead father, a metaphor for America’s self-immolation, or—occasionally—a penis.

Of course, a reliable way to transmute emotions and anxieties into something tangible, visible and narratively propulsive is to lean on metaphysics and the supernatural. Just look at the prestige horror boom of the last 15 years, which has turned grief and despair into ghosts and haunted houses so often it’s become cliche.

Emily Russell joins as director of production.

Cardiff-based production company Bad Wolf has poached New Pictures producer Emily Russell to take up a newly created senior management role.

Russell has joined as director of production, with responsibilities for all production and related activities at Sony Pictures Television-owned (Spt) label and its subsidiaries. In the new role she is overseeing all aspects of the projects on the slate, including those filmed at its Cardiff studio base, Wolf Studios Wales, and on location.

She will work closely with chief exec Jane Tranter, director of content Dan McCulloch, acting chief operating officer...

‘Liaison’ Producer Ringside Studios Hires ‘Industry’ Exec

British drama house Ringside Studios has hired Industry and No Escape exec Lee Thomas. He’ll work alongside company founder Gub Neal and Kate Bennetts on Ringside Studios projects and others from investment arm Ringside Media. He’ll also continue to develop his own projects, with Ringside set to produce. Thomas is coming off of No Escape, the Paramount+ thriller series shot in Thailand. His credits also include season one of HBO and BBC drama Industry and ITV true crime series White House Farm. He has produced Shola Amoo’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated drama feature The Last Tree through his Prodigal label and produced an Oscar-nominated short, The Voorman Problem, which is based on an extract from David Mitchell novel Number9Dream. Ringside Studios, a joint venture between Neal and Newen Content, recently produced Apple TV+ series Liaison, a UK-France co-production starring Eva Green and Vincent Cassel.

We’ve been so saturated with thrillers over the years that sometimes they stop giving any kind of chills, just violence and unwarranted adult content that doesn’t help the plot in any way. Fortunately, the Australian TV series No Escape by Paramount+ is not one of those and mixes the old with the new for a cat-and-mouse chase that is familiar but riveting at the same time. Added to that, it’s got some wonderful young blood whom we look forward to seeing in the near future. Maybe it’s the Australian charm that keeps this show afloat amidst all the other thrillers.

Spoilers Ahead

Plot Synopsis: What Happens In ‘No Escape’ Series?

Clear blue sky, the gorgeous shimmering sea, and a cute little yacht in the middle of it all. “No Escape” begins with a haunting view of the emptiness of this yacht when a search and rescue...

Exclusive: American Beauty and The Walking Dead actress Thora Birch is to make her feature directorial debut on an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 2004 crime novel Mr. Paradise.

Former Bold CEO Gary Michael Walters, producer on Jake Gyllenhaal starrer The Guilty and Emmy nominee Oslo, is producing under new banner Walters Media Group, and is in Cannes putting the project together.

Leonard, one of the masters of the hard-boiled crime novel, is the inspiration for movies including Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, 3:10 to Yuma and TV series Justified.

The story for Mr. Paradise centers on Kelly, an aspiring model, who witnesses a murder and gets caught in a web of intrigue. Michael Benton Adler and Justin Ross will also produce.

“I grew up loving so many blockbuster adaptations of Leonard’s work such as Get Shorty and Jackie Brown,” said BAFTA and Golden Globe nominee Birch about the late author.

"It's not them I'm worried about." Paramount+ in the UK has unveiled an official trailer for a horror thriller film titled No Escape, from director Hans Herbots and writer Kris Mrksa. Reinventing themselves on the other side of the world, 19-year-old Brits Kitty and Lana find refuge on a yacht in the Philippines called "The Blue" - full of beautiful people, parties and endless beaches. But in joining her crew, they fall into far greater dangers than the ones they were trying to escape. Sounds like a modern version on The Beach, involving a yacht and pirates this time. Adapted from a book by Lucy Clarke. "It's been the most incredible experience to see my novel re-imagined for screen. I’ve loved every moment of the journey from reading early scripts to visiting the set in Thailand. The series is breathtaking: transportive, gripping, and thrilling from beginning to end. I...

Exclusive: Sheridan Smith and Céline Buckens have been cast as sisters in The Castaways, a Paramount+ drama series based on Lucy Clarke’s novel.

Smith will play Lori and Buckens is her sibling Erin in the thriller, which marks Clarke’s second series adaptation for Paramount+’s UK service.

After they have a huge flight, Lori boards a plane to Fiji, while Erin does not. The flight never arrives at its tropical destination and months later no wreckage has been located. Erin suddenly hears Lori’s credit card has been used on a remote Fijian island and she later recognizes the pilot on CCTV. She boards a plane to Fiji to track down the truth.

The show jumps between the perspectives of the two sisters, with Erin undertaking an investigation in the modern day and Lori struggling to survive after surviving a crash on a remote island. The truth about...

Bold Films has tapped studio executive-turned-producer, screenwriter and showrunner Jeff Kleeman as its new chief executive officer.

Kleeman, who has served has the president of Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production since 2012, replaces Gary Michael Walters, who is exiting to launch his own venture after nearly 20 years with the company.

In his new role, Kleeman will oversee Bold’s current operations and expansion plans. Some of his areas of focus will be building strategic partnerships, with a particular focus on international, and leveraging Bold’s existing IP as well as new IP to generate multiple revenue streams. He will report to Bold Films chairman David Litvak.

“It’s an honor to join David and his team to further expand the company’s diverse library with elevated films, scripted and non-scripted television, animation, and franchises that deliver unforgettable emotional experiences to audiences worldwide,” Kleeman said in a statement.

Also Read:

Regal Cinemas...

Jeff Kleeman has stepped in as CEO for Bold Films, taking over for Gary Michael Walters, whose March departure from the company after nearly 20 years was just announced.

The studio executive-turned-producer, screenwriter and showrunner comes to the company from Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production, where he’s served as President since 2012, overseeing work on 26 series, specials and movies amounting to over 1,615 hours of live-action and animated content.

Kleeman will report to Bold Chairman David Litvak, overseeing the company’s current operations, as well as its plans for expansion. He’ll now focus on building strategic partnerships, with a particular eye on international, while looking to leverage both existing Bold IP and new IP to generate multiple revenue streams.

Kleeman’s appointment comes at a time when Bold Films is looking to take on a more global footprint in development and production, as it continues to develop feature-length projects for both theatrical and streaming,...

Bold Film’s longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down to launch his own venture, Walters Media Group.

Walters Media Group will focus on the development of studio-caliber film and television projects, independent film financing and production, and strategic consultancy to high-net-worth investors and media companies, Walters announced Thursday.

“I am deeply appreciative of all the support Bold Films have given me over the past two decades,” Walters said in a statement. “I will miss my Bold family, but I have been yearning to create my own company for some time, and I am very excited to announce my upcoming slate shortly.”

Also Read:

Cannes Film Festival Lineup Includes New Films From Wes Anderson, Todd Haynes, Jonathan Glazer

Walters, who has been with Bold Film since its founding in 2004, has produced as well as executive produced all of the company’s film and television projects, including “Whiplash” starring Miles Teller and Jk Simmons,...

Bold Film’s longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down to form Walters Media Group.

Walters has been with Bold Film since its founding in 2004 and served as producer and executive producer on all of the company’s film and television projects, including Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed; and “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and Oscar Isaac.

Other notable projects that Walter worked on at Bold Films include the action thriller “No Escape,” featuring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, and the apocalyptic thriller “Legion,” with Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid. More recently, Walters was Emmy-nominated for HBO’s “Oslo” and produced Netflix’s “The Guilty” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Antoine Fuqua.

“I am deeply appreciative of all the support Bold Films have given me over the past two decades,...

Bold Films’ longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down to form his own venture, Walters Media Group.

The new company will focus on developing high-profile film and TV projects, independent film financing and production and consulting for film investors and media companies.

“I am deeply appreciative of all the support Bold Films have given me over the past two decades. I will miss my Bold family, but I have been yearning to create my own company for some time, and I am very excited to announce my upcoming slate shortly,” Walters said in a statement.

Walters has been at Bold Films since its founding in 2004 and produced as well as executive produced film and TV projects, including critical hits like Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle, and Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed and directed by Dan Gilroy.

Walters’ other credits includes Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston,...

Bold Films’ longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down from his position to form Walters Media Group.

Walters Media Group will devote itself to developing studio-caliber film and television projects; independent film financing and production; and strategic consultancy to high-net-worth investors and media companies.

Walters’ canon at Bold Films includes the Oscar winning Damien Chazelle movie Whiplash starring Miles Teller and Jk Simmons, The Oscar-nominated Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed, directed by Dan Gilroy; The Cannes winning and Oscar nominated Drive starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, and Albert Brooks. Commercial successes included action thriller No Escape starring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, and apocalyptic horror feature Legion with Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid. Most recently, Walters was Emmy-nominated for HBO’s Oslo and produced Netflix’s The Guilty starring Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by Antoine Fuqua.

“I am deeply appreciative of all the support...

Producer has worked on Drive, Nightcrawler, Whiplash.

Gary Michael Walters has stepped down as longtime Bold Films CEO and launched Walters Media Group.

The new company will focus on the development of studio-calibre film and television, independent film financing and production, and strategic consultancy to high-net-worth investors and media companies.

Walters has been with Bold Films since it was established in 2004 and he has produced and served as executive producer on all of Bold’s film and television projects, including Whiplash starring Miles Teller and Jk Simmons, Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed, and Drive starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan,...

If you’re a fan of eighties and nineties movies, you most likely recognize Michael Lerner. While never a leading man, the character actor had plenty of solid roles under his belt, most memorably playing a sadistic studio boss in the Coen Bros’ classic Barton Fink. Sadly, Michael Lerner passed away over the weekend at 81 years old. His nephew, Sam Lerner, who stars on The Goldbergs, broke the news via Instagram:

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A post shared by Sam Lerner (@samlerner)

Lerner, who has hundreds of credits going all the way back to the sixties, had some pretty sizeable roles in a bunch of beloved movies. In addition to Barton Fink, he played the infamous gambler/ gangster Arnold Rothstein in John Sayles’ Eight Men Out, another gangster in Eddie Murphy’s Harlem Nights, and a New York Mayor that was based on Roger Ebert in Roland Emmerich’s...

Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old.

Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time.

“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone...

Stars: Daniel Stisen, Samantha Schnitzler, Yennis Cheung, Lauren Okadigbo, Byron Gibson, Phillip Ray Tommy | Written by Nicole Bartlett | Directed by Brad Watson

Walker is an assassin, one of the best in the business. But this time one of the witnesses wasn’t as dead as they seemed to be. With his cover potentially blown, he needs a trip to “Reassignment Center 42” to be fitted out with a new identity, a process that he seems to be quite familiar with.

This time however there’s barely time for him to have his fingerprints burned off before the facility comes under attack by a team of heavily armed mercenaries under the command of Keates. Their target is Juliet and her protector Elda.

Director Brad Watson’s credits run more towards horror films such as Beacon 77 and For We Are Many than action, and The Siege is Nicole Bartlett’s first produced script...

This post contains spoilers for "The Last of Us" season finale and "The Last of Us" video game.

Although the season finale of "The Last of Us" stays pretty faithful to the source material, there are still a few surprises thrown in for those who watch the show and also played the game. One of these changes is a shift in the way Joel's hospital rampage is depicted: In the game, this section features several minutes of him brutally murdering a bunch of soldiers (and a doctor or two) through any means necessary. In the show, this sequence goes by a lot faster. Joel still goes on a massacre, but it's depicted via montage, with sad, haunting music playing while we watch Joel kill person after person.

If the music sounded familiar to you, that's because you may have already heard it. It's the music that plays a little later on in the game,...

Exclusive: Wavelength, the production company behind such films as On Swift Horses and Cusp, has revealed the 2023 recipients of its Wave Grant. Amanda Gordon, Karine Benzaria, Leena Kurishingal, Melina Kyomi Coumas and Neha Aziz each will receive $5,000 to create their first short film alongside production mentorship from Wavelength’s executive team. Read a bio for each recipient below.

The Wave Grant, which stands for “Women at the Very Edge,” aims to help a first-time female or non-binary filmmaker of color with the production of their first short documentary or narrative film (under 30 minutes). In addition to the $5,000 grant, Wavelength will provide mentorship in the producing, development and post-production of the filmmaker’s story as well as fundraising and distribution strategy.

“Each year, we are in awe of the outstanding talent that the Wave Grant attracts,” said Jenifer Westphal, Founder, CEO and Executive Producer at Wavelength. “This year’s class of...

Exclusive: Woody Allen’s latest film is heading to the EFM market in Berlin with WestEnd Films, we can reveal.

To date, plot details have been kept under wraps on Allen’s 50th film but we can reveal the contemporary romantic thriller, previously known as Wasp 22, will chart the story of two young people whose bond leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime. Above is a first look image.

Allen’s first French-language movie is a “policier” (as the French call it) in the genre of Match Point and was shot across Paris. ‘Coup de chance’ roughly translates into English as ‘stroke of luck’.

Cast includes Lou de Laage, Melvil Poupaud, Valerie Lemercier, Niels Schneider, Elsa Zylberstein, Bárbara Goenaga, Grégory Gadebois, Anne Loiret, Sara Martins, Guillaume de Tonquédec and Arnaud Viard.

Allen’s longtime producing partner Letty Aronson is producing for Gravier Productions. Also aboard are Allen regulars such as veteran Dp Vittorio Storaro,...

Exclusive: British drama house New Pictures has expanded its management team.

The Catherine the Great and Des maker has appointed Lisa Selway as Chief Operating Officer. Emily Russell is upped to Director of Production and Executive Producer and Wendy Pearce becomes Chief Financial Officer.

Selway has worked in the industry for 15 years, working on behalf of film and TV producers, financiers, distributors, talent, and global streamers and was most recently an independent business affairs specialist at Grey Seal Media.

She’ll will work next to New Pictures co-founders Willow Grylls and Elaine Pyke, along with Russell and Pearce, to grow the company and build out its scripted operation.

Russell, who has been with the company since 2020 after joining from Mammoth Screen, has been tasked with overseeing all production. Her credits include BBC and Netflix drama The Serpent and ITV’s Endeavour.

Pearce rises from Finance Director to Chief Financial Officer...

“Scapegoat,” a quirky comedy drama about a remote Saudi village, received the top 100,000 prize for a Saudi film in development in the Red Sea Souk awards, as well as a 50,000 minimum guarantee from Cinewaves Films, for acquisition of Arab world distribution rights.

Structured as a 1.5 million Saudi-Netherlands co-production, the project will be directed by Feras Almusharrie and produced by Razan Alsoghayer, both based in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and is written by Bahraini filmmaker Taqwa Ali. It participated in the 10-month Red Sea Lodge residency program.

The central character, Dunia, is taken by her uncle from her village as a child, because she is accused of being a witch, following the death of the community’s goats. She returns 15 years later to find the village divided into two zones, blue and white, where the locals hide from each other.

Driven by a rebellious spirit, Dunia’s main mission is to reunite the village.

Ibrahim Alhajjaj is a rather popular Saudi Arabian actor, whose credits include for Rashash (2021), Six Windows in the Desert (2020) and No Escape (2019). His last work, “Sattar” finds him in a role of Saad, a man who is trying to become a professional wrestler, with the help of Ali Hogan, a rather unusual coach.

“Sattar” had its world premiere at Red Sea International Film Festival, and we talked with Alhajjaj about wrestling and his training for the movie, his cooperation with the director and co-protagonist, how the life for an actor in Saudi Arabia is and many other topics.

Sattar is screened at Red Sea International Film Festival

Is wrestling big in Saudi Arabia?

Actually, yes. There are a lot of wrestling fans in Saudi Arabia. It started back in the 80s, maybe late 70s, when the Saudi TV channel started airing WWE matches, so there is a big audience which...

Paramount+ has unveiled the cast of its new original series “The Doll Factory” from “Marcella” producers Buccaneer Media.

An adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Elizabeth Macneal, “The Doll Factory” is set in London in 1850 and tells the story of Iris, who paints dolls for a living alongside her twin sister, Rose, and those in their orbit, such as taxidermist Silas, who dreams of finding an item so unique he will be catapulted to fame, and painter Louis, who is searching for his next muse.

When Iris meets Silas, and then Louis, she is offered an opportunity to escape and start a new life. To do so, she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation and launch herself into the unknown. But as Iris’ world expands, a story of dark obsession begins to unfold.

Leading the cast is Esmé Creed-Miles (“Hanna”) as Iris, Éanna Hardwicke (“Normal People”) as Silas,...

Click here to read the full article.

BAFTA Award-winning director Sam Miller (Surface, I May Destroy You, Luther) is set to direct and executive produce the upcoming U.K. drama series A Gentleman in Moscow for Paramount+ and Showtime.

The limited-run series, which will star Ewan McGregor, as unveiled this summer, will debut exclusively on Paramount+ internationally in 2023 and on Showtime in the U.S. Due to commence production early next year, the adaptation of Amor Towles’ best-selling novel of the same name is produced by eOne in association with Paramount.

McGregor (Star Wars franchise, Trainspotting) is leading the cast as Count Alexander Rostov “who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past places him on the wrong side of history,” according to a plot summary. “Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol, threatened...

Martin Campbell’S ’90s Classic No Escape Comes To Blu-ray For The First Time Ray Liotta Stars in Popular ’90’s Action/Adventure Film This October, Unearthed is proud to add Martin Campbell’s No Escape to the Unearthed Classics line. Released in 1994, No Escape is an action sci-fi combo that is more relevant than ever. In the futuristic world of 2022, the prison system is run …

The post Unearthed Classics Releases No Escape Starring Ray Liotta appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

It’s the futuristic year of 2022. An awful incident had taken place in Benghazi. It’s a world where big corporations now run an essential function of society. It’s a bleak and depressing vision where people’s movements can be tracked by satellites. It seems like human nature de-evolves back to a blood-thirsty, and primitive instinct with warring factions convinced it’s survival of the fittest in a dystopian society that’s a prison.

This, ironically, also happens to be the backdrop of the 1994 film No Escape. The cult film came from future Goldeneye and The Mask of Zorro director Martin Campbell and starred the late, great Ray Liotta. The movie will be released for the first time on Blu-ray from Unearthed Classics. The Blu-ray will feature new interviews with director Campbell, producer Gale Anne Hurd, and co-writer Joel Gross.

The plot revolves around a prison system run by corporations,...

The series is written by showrunner and executive producer Ben Vanstone (The Last Kingdom).

Ewan McGregor is to star in UK drama series A Gentleman In Moscow for Paramount+, adapted from Amor Towles’ novel and due to start shooting later this year.

The project is produced by eOne in association with Vis, the international studio division of Paramount Global.

The series is written by showrunner and executive producer Ben Vanstone (The Last Kingdom), and stars McGregor as an aristocrat who finds himself on the wrong side of history after the Russian revolution.

The series will debut in 2023 on Paramount+ internationally,...

Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kenobi) has been cast as the lead in Paramount+’s upcoming UK drama series A Gentleman in Moscow, replacing Kenneth Branagh, news that came as Paramount Premium Group CEO David Nevins laid out his vision for Paramount+’s international expansion and talked creativity at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Emmy-Award winning actor McGregor will play Count Alexander Rostov who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past places him on the wrong side of history, in the adaptation of Amor Towles’ international best-selling novel that heads into production later this year.

McGregor’s character synopsis continues: “Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol, threatened with death if he ever sets foot outside again. As the years pass and some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history unfold outside the hotel’s doors,...

Click here to read the full article.

Ewan McGregor (Star Wars franchise, Halston, Trainspotting) will lead the cast of upcoming Paramount+ U.K. drama series A Gentleman in Moscow, an adaptation of Amor Towles’ best-selling novel, which is set to commence production later this year and will debut in the U.S. on Showtime and on Paramount+ internationally.

The show, produced by eOne in association with Vis, the international studio unit of Paramount Global, will see McGregor play Count Alexander Rostov “who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past places him on the wrong side of history,” according to a plot description. “Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol, threatened with death if he ever sets foot outside again. As the years pass and some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history...