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Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Skonieczny is set to go into production on the feature film “Wrooklyn Zoo.”

“Wrooklyn Zoo” is a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet” in which Romeo, a skilled skateboarder, finds himself captivated by Julia, a Romani girl seeking to emancipate herself from her environment. Their love becomes a powerful force that transcends cultural and societal barriers, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.

Skonieczny is known for directing the critically acclaimed HBO drama series “Blinded by the Lights,” which launched on HBO Europe in 2018, becoming the platform’s third most watched show in the region. The show debuted in the U.S. in 2019 — a rarity at the time for European HBO programming.

The film’s ensemble cast combines recognized Polish actors, Romani performers and professional skateboarders.

The pic is produced by Olga Bibik and Krzysztof Skonieczny of glebokiOFF, together with Alicja Grawon-Jaksik as the associate producer.

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Heads To Mongolia

Dancing With The Stars is waltzing into its 60th territory after BBC Studios sold the dance competition format to Mongolia’s Mongol TV. The 13-part series goes into pre-production this month and is set to air in early 2021. Dancing With The Stars’ first international sale was to Australia’s Channel 7 in 2004 and there have now been 350 series and 4,000 episodes of the show made worldwide. Dancing With The Stars airs on ABC in the U.S.

HBO Europe Commissions Romanian & Polish Series

HBO Europe has commenced shooting on two new series in Central Europe: Ruxx in Romania and Still Here in Poland. Eight-part Ruxx is a modern relationship drama that examines a young generation of Romanians who live in a country caught between the past and the future. It is written by Vera Ion and stars Raluca Aprodu and Alec Secăreanu. Poland’s...

Cluj, Romania–HBO Europe’s Romanian crime drama “Shadows” (Umbre) is returning for Season 3, with the first episode world premiering June 6 at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival.

A hit adaptation of the Australian drama “Small Time Gangster,” from writer-director Bogdan Mirica, “Shadows” is the story of a rough-edged taxi driver and family man who leads a double life in Bucharest as a debt collector for the mob.

Antony Root, HBO Europe’s executive VP of programming and production, describes it as “a mature, fascinating piece of filmmaking, and distinctive in exactly the way that I think HBO shows need to be distinctive, wherever they are.”

“Shadows” is the latest series to launch from the cabler’s growing slate of central and eastern European premium dramas. The six-episode season will be released across all 21 HBO Europe territories this fall.

Season3 picks up with the taxi driver Relu (Serban Pavlu) struggling to...

Alec Bojalad May 1, 2019

Polish crime drama Blinded by the Lights has made the journey to HBO Now and HBO Go. Here is a first trailer.

Ever wonder what they're up to over there in that distant, exotic land known as Europe? HBO Now and HBO Go have you covered with new Polish crime drama import Blinded by the Lights.

The answer, as it always seems to be, is...drugs! In this first trailer, viewers are entreated to the details of what happens when a cocaine deal goes awry. Give it a look below.

Video of Blinded by the Lights (HBO Europe) | Official Trailer | HBO

"Everything is under control," one character says in the clip. That's precisely how you know absolutely nothing is under control in any given television scenario. Blinded by the Lights consists of eight episodes and first premiered in HBO Europe on October 27, 2018. It follows "seven days in...

From Brazilian oil-rig workers to a German U-boat crew, from a Chinese concubine to a Spanish spy in Ava Gardner’s home, international TV has served up some memorable characters this year. Variety’s international correspondents take a trip around the world and pick a dozen buzzed-about shows — some of which can be seen soon on Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO. As for the others — paging Netflix!

“Iron Island” (Brazil)

Following a group of oil workers, “Iron Island” was a big-ticket action drama for Brazilian powerhouse Globo, which went all out on the series’ VFX. With a raft of local talent, it follows the protagonists’ high-pressured lives at home and work. Accidents happen, love blossoms, and events ultimately have widespread political ramifications in the 12-part series.

“The Story of Yanxi Palace” (China)

A hit in China and beyond, “The Story of Yanxi Palace” runs to a hefty 70 episodes, posing a...

A trio of new dramas and two returning originals are in HBO Europe’s fall-winter lineup as it continues to increase its original programming efforts outside the U.S.

When the European arm of HBO officially unveils its new fall-winter plans later Friday, it is expected to announce a Dec. 26 launch for “Success,” the highly anticipated Croatian drama helmed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”). The show is HBO Europe’s first original from the Adriatic region, and tells the story of four strangers bound together by a violent event. HBO has committed to making at least one original drama per year from Adriatic countries.

HBO will also release the first trailer for upcoming Polish crime drama “Blinded by the Lights.” The action-packed curtain raiser for the Warsaw-set drama underscores its key settings and themes: high-level cocaine trafficking, gangsters, and nightclubs. Based on the book by Jakub Zulczyk,...