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Exclusive: Chinese producer-distributor Hishow Entertainment has been on an acquisitions spree, snapping up several prestige festival titles for distribution in mainland China, including Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, which it plans to give a wide theatrical outing before the end of the year.

The film, which premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes film festival, will first screen at China’s Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, taking place in Xiamen, November 13-16.

Hishow has also acquired French director Laetitia Dosch’s Dog On Trial, a highly-acclaimed debut feature that premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard; Rooney Mara starrer La Cocina, from Mexico’s Alonso Ruizpalacios, which premiered in Berlin; and Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano, a Venice 2023 competition title that was nominated in the Best International Feature category of this year’s Oscars.

Starting with Megalopolis, the company is planning to roll these titles out theatrically in...

Eva Longoria and Nicholas Galitzine (“The Idea of You”) are set to lead the voice cast of Studiocanal’s “Wings of Freedom,” a Mexico-set animated adventure film from the creators of “Ballerina” (titled “Leap!” in the U.S.).

A heartwarming action-comedy feature, “Wings of Freedom” is directed and co-written by Laurent Zeitoun, the well-established French screenwriter and producer behind some of Europe’s biggest local hits in recent history, from the Omar Sy comedy “Intouchables” to animated features “Ballerina” and “Fireheart,” both of which he directed.

“Wings of Freedom” features Longoria as Salana, a home-loving Eagle who lives in the safety of her hidden bird colony until a twist of fate propels her out of her comfort zone. Galitzine plays Lieutenant Pirro, a fearless Swift and member the Animal Air Force. Together, they must confront Eternity, a malevolent AI determined to seize control of the world.

Studiocanal, which is preparing...

French film executive Cécile Gaget is stepping down as CEO of Wild Bunch and joining Carrousel Studios, the new European production group launched last month by Lupin star Omar Sy, Fast X director Louis Leterrier and producer Thomas Benski. Gaget was appointed CEO of Carrousel and will take up the job on May 1.

Carrousel, launched with backing from CAA Media Finance, is being billed as an “artists first” European studio that will focus on elevated genre fare for film and TV, aiming to leverage European tax and production incentives, as well as tap into the continent’s deep well of talent, to produce content for the European and global market.

With Gaget, the company has scored one of Europe’s top film execs with a deep knowledge of both the financial and practical on-the-ground business of independent production and distribution. She’s held positions at several of the continent’s top studios and mini-majors,...

Newly-launched Carrousel Studios has appointed French film industry veteran Cécile Gaget as its CEO, with effect from May 1.

Billed as an artists-first European independent studio and media company, Carrousel Studios was launched in March by actor-producer Omar Sy, producer-director Louis Leterrier and entrepreneur/producer Thomas Benski.

Their aim is to develop and produce multi-generational, high quality and high-concept entertainment for the global audience.

In her new role, Gaget will utilize her sales and film finance expertise to help expand and grow upon the Carrousel’s founders’ capabilities.

Based out of Paris, her mission will be to ramp up a local and global production slate, forge strategic partnerships and more specifically oversee development, production, financing and distribution strategies.

“I am very grateful to Omar, Louis, and Thomas for their trust in my abilities to help build and lead this studio to its fullest potential. I’m thrilled to embark on this journey with Carrousel Studios,...

Kenneth Branagh looks all set to continue his love affair with the world of Agatha Christie this year, with the pending release of A Haunting in Venice, Branagh's third adaptation of Christie's Hercule Poirot detective novels. Christie's most famous crime-solving creation has been played on TV and in film by a host of world-famous actors over the years, including stars of House Hugh Laurie, Alfred Molina, and Albert Finney, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express.

However, the most successful portrayal was that of David Suchet, who first took on the role for the British TV channel ITV in 1989 and proved so successful with audiences that he went on to play the part for the next quarter-century, retiring only in 2013 after filming 13 series and 70 episodes based on Christie's works, alongside such luminaries of stage and screen as two-time...

"Star Trek: Picard" catches up with the titular captain of the Enterprise-d, several decades after the events of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Now on its third season, "Picard" stars an 82-year-old Patrick Stewart and a decidedly retired admiral, currently reconnecting with his fellow "NextGen" castmates. The previous two seasons of "Picard" were violent and action-packed, surrounding the main character with a group of young fighters and weapons handlers who are capable of doling out mayhem. Picard himself doesn't get involved in the action because, well, he's over 100 years old. It has been previously announced that the third season of "Picard" will be its last, possibly because Stewart, being 82, would like to step away from the part.

Given the glut of new "Star Trek" on Paramount+, and how widespread a timeline the shows all cover, it seems possible for any and every character to be brought back into the franchise at any minute.

International sales and production veteran Cécile Gaget has been appointed as Head of Film at leading European indie studio Wild Bunch, as it expands under the leadership of CEO Ron Meyer and co-ceo Sophie Jordan.

Gaget, who takes up her role today (September 1), will lead the studio’s film group and report to Meyer and Jordan.

Her focus will be overseeing French acquisitions, distribution and local production as well as building an international production slate including English-speaking projects for Wild Bunch, which will act as producer and financier.

The appointment comes amid a period of great change for the company following the surprise arrival of veteran studio chief and CAA co-founder Meyer and former beIN Media Group executive Jordan as CEO and co-ceo last November.

“I am very excited to join Wild Bunch and work along with Sophie and Ron to be part of the company’s dynamic next chapter.

French film executive previously spent a decade at Gaumont.

Cecile Gaget has been appointed head of film at European studio Wild Bunch, stepping down from her senior role at UK-based producer and financier Anton.

The French executive takes up the new role from today (September 1), joining from Anton where she was president of international production and distribution for nearly two years. She previously spent a decade on the executive team of French studio Gaumont as head of international production and distribution, setting up the company’s US film division during her tenure.

Based in Paris, Gaget will lead Wild Bunch...

Animation and VFX studio Cinesite has acquired a majority stake in animation and motion capture studio Squeeze, located in Quebec City and Montreal.

Cinesite, which has operations in London, Montreal and Vancouver as well as VFX partner studios Trixter in Germany and Image Engine in Vancouver, recently acquired Montreal studio L’Atelier Animation, the outfit behind hit 3D animation films “Leap!” and “Fireheart.” Cinesite said that the Squeeze acquisition would allow it to further increase its animation content and service offerings for international markets while bringing motion capture and Unreal Engine capabilities into the group to service video game and film productions.

Co-founded in 2011 by Denis Doré and Patrick Beaulieu and joined in 2014 by current CFO François Houde, Squeeze works with the likes of Disney, Marvel, Universal, Illumination, Supercell, Warner Bros and Ubisoft. The company is the creator of “Cracké,” an animated TV series broadcast in 210 territories with over 600 million views worldwide on digital platforms.

This marks the company’s fourth acquisition.

UK-based animation and visual effects studio Cinesite has acquired Montreal-based studio L’Atelier Animation.

L’Atelier will retain its brand and senior management team, with general manager Benoit Blouin working with Cinesite Animation COO Brad Wald to integrate the two companies.

Cinesite hopes the deal will help it meet production demands in Quebec and elsewhere.

This marks Cinesite’s fourth acquisition, following Vancouver’s Image Engine in 2015, Nitrogen Studios in 2017 and German VFX studio Trixter in 2018.

Cinesite’s credits include Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank and The Addams Family franchise. The company is...

Cinesite has acquired Montreal studio L’Atelier Animation, the outfit behind hit 3D animation films “Leap!” and “Fireheart.”

Cinesite, which has operations in London, Montreal and Vancouver as well as VFX partner studios Trixter in Germany and Image Engine in Vancouver, said the deal will expand its creative and production capacity to meet demand in Quebec and elsewhere. The L’Atelier Animation management team led by general manager Benoit Blouin will work with Cinesite animation COO Brad Wald to integrate the two companies and expand their Montreal footprint.

L’Atelier Animation specialises in feature-length 3D animation and series. Established in Montreal since 2012 it’s best known for “Leap!” (Caramel Films/Quads), which had some 110M in international box office revenues. It’s most recent production is “Fireheart,” (Entertainment One) produced by Les Films Seville, Anton, Main Journey, Caramel Films, and M6 Films Snd, featuring Olivia Cooke, Kenneth Branagh and William Shatner.

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VFX House Cinesite has added Montreal’s L’Atelier Animation to its expanding studio network in Canada and Germany, the company said Wednesday.

Terms of the acquisition deal were not disclosed. But Cinesite, headquartered in the UK and having moved from creating digital visual effects to feature animation on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and other tentpoles, has acquired a Montreal studio specializing in feature-length 3D animation and series.

Pending regulatory approvals, Cinesite is acquiring 100 percent of the studio, with senior L’Atelier Animation management staying on to lead the business under its own branded name. L’Atelier Animation general manager Benoit Blouin and Cinesite Animation COO Brad Wald will jointly work to merge the two companies and steer animated work to Montreal.

L’Atelier Animation is the fourth studio to join Cinesite after it acquired Image Engine VFX and Nitrogen Studios...

Exclusive: Cutting Edge Media Music has inked a deal with Anton, which will have it invest in the company’s films All Fun and Games and Mother’s Instinct, in exchange for the corresponding rights to the films’ original scores. The deal comes following two successful collaborations with Anton Production on the Searchlight horror-thriller The Night House and the disaster pic Greenland starring Gerard Butler.

All Fun and Games hinges on the premise that there’s a strange element of cruelty embedded in kids’ games—Flashlight Tag, Hangman, Simon Says—and sometimes it’s taken too far. The horror-thriller marking the first joint production for Anton and Agbo follows a group of siblings who find themselves in a game with a demonic twist. Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Keith David (Greenleaf), Annabeth Gish (The Fall of the House of Usher) and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio) star in the pic,...

One year after merging with the promotion org TV France International, Unifrance is preparing a series of strategic events in key markets across Europe, the U.S., China and Japan to fast-track the global distribution of local series and movies.

The French film and TV advocacy banner will host trade shows bringing together French sales outfits and international distributors in Paris in January, Biarritz (Southwestern France) in September, as well as in Roma in April, Madrid in June, Berlin in November, New York in March and Yokohama in December. The 13th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival, the online fest dedicated to French movies will be held in January and February.

While the French box office has suffered a decline due to the pandemic, Unifrance highlighted the recent critical success of French productions at major festivals, for instance Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning “Titane,” as well as the series “Call My Agent!” winning an International Emmy,...

Exclusive: Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) has been set to star in action spy thriller Canary Black from Taken and Peppermint director Pierre Morel.

Producer, financier and sales firm Anton (Greenland) is launching the project for the Cannes market.

The Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance) script will see Beckinsale play top level CIA agent Avery Graves who is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want.

The project is being produced by Anton’s Sebastien Raybaud and John Zois with Sentient Entertainment’s Renee Tab and Christopher Tuffin.

Anton’s Cecile Gaget will launch worldwide sales at this month’s Cannes Market later this month and UTA Independent Film Group will oversee domestic rights in conjunction with Anton. Filming is slated for late 2022.

John Zois stated:...

Exclusive: Good Hero, the Paris and New York-based production label launched by Laurent Zeitoun and Gregory Ouanhon in 2020, has unveiled its debut film project following the signing of a strategic partnership with European outfit Mediawan earlier this year.

Wings of Freedom: Operation Rebirth is an animated feature that Zeitoun is co-writing with Nick Luddington, who recently wrote two episodes of the Netflix animated show Arcane. The story was inspired by an idea from Jonathan Keasey.

Operation Rebirth is the first instalment in a planned Wings of Freedom universe, which will also include a graphic novel that is due to be published next year, with the film arriving circa 2025.

The building of worlds is central to the Good Hero process, as the two founders explain below in their first interview since launching the company.

Rather than setting out to develop individual pieces of content, the team focuses on developing entire universes which,...

Hulu has acquired U.S. rights to “Fireheart,” Anton’s ambitious animated family feature directed by Laurent Zeitoun (“Leap!”) and Theodore Ty (“Kung Fu Panda”) with a voice cast headlined by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner, Laurie Holden and Kenneth Branagh.

The deal was negotiated with Hulu by CAA Media Finance and Anton’s Cécile Gaget on behalf of the producers. “Fireheart” will debut on Hulu in the U.S. this month.

Zeitoun wrote the screenplay for “Fireheart” and produced the film alongside Yann Zenou, André Rouleau and Valėrie d’Auteuil. The team previously joined forces on another animated feature, “Leap!”

Set in New York in the roaring twenties, the film follows a fearless 16-year-old girl, Georgia Nolan (Cooke), who dreams of being the world’s first ever female firefighter. When a mysterious arsonist starts burning down Broadway, New York’s firemen begin vanishing. Georgia’s father, Shawn (Branagh), is called...

Mediawan (“Call My Agent!”) has signed a strategic partnership with Laurent Zeitoun’s production company Good Hero to co-develop and co-produce original international TV series and feature films.

Based in New York and Paris, Good Hero was launched by Zeitoun, an independent producer whose credits include “The Intouchables,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Ballerina” and “Fireheart” (pictured). Zeitoun is working with Gregory Ouanhon, the banner’s CEO and producer. Good Hero’s Kiel Murray (“Cars”) will supervise the story development of all scripted content and executive produce along with Zeitoun.

Zeitoun most recently wrote and directed “Fireheart” which opened in French theatres last weekend and is currently rolling out internationally. The film is voiced by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner and Kenneth Branagh for release in English-speaking territories.

“We are thrilled to be working with Laurent and Gregory and their team of visionary creatives,” said Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton. “They have a...

The partners will make two to three projects a year.

French media company Mediawan has signed a strategic partnership with Paris and New York-based creative studio Good Hero to make two to three internationally-focused projects a year.

Mediawan and Good Hero will co-develop and co-produce high-end television series and features, both live and animation and mostly in the English language, adapted from Good Hero’s slate of original content.

Good Hero was founded in 2020 by leading French producer Laurent Zeitoun and CEO Gregory Ouanhon. Zeitoun’s producing credits include The Intouchables andThe Death Of Stalin, and his directorial debut Fireheart...

European studio Mediawan has signed a strategic partnership with Death of Stalin producer Laurent Zeitoun and Gregory Ouanhon’s nascent creative studio Good Hero to co-develop and produce high-end international TV shows and feature films.

The projects will be adapted from the originals slate of Good Hero, which was founded in New York and Paris in 2020 by the producer duo.

Overseen by Mediawan Pictures’ Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Good Hero’s Kiel Murray (Cars) will supervise story development with Zeitoun and executive produce all scripted content on behalf of the studio.

Zeitoun’s latest film is animated feature Fireheart, which opened in France last week and is voiced by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner and Kenneth Branagh in English speaking territories for international rollout.

“Laurent and Gregory have a unique way of telling stories and creating worlds that resonate with each and every one of us,” said Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton. “This partnership reflects Mediawan’s DNA,...

"The job is far too dangerous." eOne UK has released an official UK trailer for an animated adventure called Fireheart, an animated movie from the same team behind the animated ballerina movie Leap! from a few years ago. Arriving in the UK in early 2022, though there's no US release set yet. 16-year-old Georgia Nolan dreams of being the world's first-ever female firefighter. When a mysterious arsonist starts burning down Broadway, New York's firemen begin vanishing. Georgia's father, Shawn, is called out of retirement by the Mayor of New York to lead the investigation into the disappearances. Desperate to help her father and save her city, Georgia disguises herself as a young man called "Joe" and joins a small group of misfit firefighters trying to stop the arsonist. With the voices of Olivia Cooke, Kenneth Branagh, Mara Junot, Laurie Holden, and William Shatner. Described as "a heartfelt comedy about teamwork, family,...

Laurie Holden, best known for playing Andrea for three seasons on “The Walking Dead,” will play Crimson Countess in a recurring role on the third season of “The Boys,” according to an individual with knowledge of the show.

Holden joins cast members Sean Patrick Flanery as Gunpowder, Miles Gaston Villanueva as Supersonic, and Nick Wechsler as Blue Hawk.

“Been sitting on this a long while. Happy to share this with you all. I am loving being a frickin’ super hero. Dream job for sure:),” tweeted Holden. In the comics, the first Crimson Countess made her appearance in The Boys #52, however was killed in issue #53 on her first mission by a German airstrike. Crimson Countess was also an ally of Solider Boy who will be played by series newcomer Jensen Ackles.

The third season of “The Boys,” which is currently in production in Toronto, stars Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid,...

Laurie Holden is joining “The Boys” Season 3 at Amazon in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively.

Holden will portray the supe known as Crimson Countess. She joins other recently announced recurring cast members Sean Patrick Flanery as Gunpowder, Miles Gaston Villanueva as Supersonic, and Nick Wechsler as Blue Hawk.

Holden is perhaps best known for her role in the megahit zombie apocalypse series “The Walking Dead,” on which she played the character Andrea for three seasons. Her other notable TV appearances include major roles on “The Americans,” “The X-Files,” and “The Shield.” On the film side, she has been in projects such as “Dragged Across Concrete,” “Arctic Dogs,” “The Majestic,” and “Silent Hill.” She also lent her voice to the animated film “Fireheart.”

She is repped by Gersh, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

“The Boys” stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Erin Moriarty,...

London-based financier Anton has boarded “No Place Like Kill,” an action-packed crime thriller from Mat Newman with Sam Riley and Charles Dance attached to star. The film will be presented to international buyers by Anton at the Virtual Cannes Film Market later this month.

Set to start shooting at the end of the year in the U.K., “No Place Like Kill” will mark the directorial debut of Newman, a well-established editor who has worked with Nicolas Winding Refn on “Drive” and “Only God Forgives,” as well as Stefano Sollima’s “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Without Remorse.”

Sunrise Films’ Rupert Preston and Moonage Pictures’ Matthew Read are producing. Charles Collier is an executive producer alongside Riley, Nigel Williams and Dance.

Newman co-wrote the script with his brother, Ben Newman. Set in Northern England, “No Place like Kill” follows a revenge-seeking mercenary and a police informant who are forced...

Seeing worldwide sales sell-outs on “355” and “Ironbark,” from FilmNation, and Studiocanal’s “The Secret Garden,” the 2018 Cannes Film Festival proved the second big market in a row to buck, although only in part, longer-term pessimism.

After glacial-paced early trading, titles sold from Cannes first weekend both to the U.S. and abroad at a steady, though never spectacular, rate.

But if Cannes, like February’s surprisingly buoyant Berlin, suggested there is still life in the international independent film business, despite a tepid Sundance and dire American Film Market, it also delivered a sobering snapshot of new market realities.

Whichever way the 2018 Cannes Film Market is taken, heartening signs of continued market traction have to be placed in a context of a longer-term attrition in the independent theatrical market affecting both many mid-sized English-language movies and arthouse titles alike. The bottom hasn’t fallen out of either market. But their theatrical space,...