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Exclusive: Jason Isaacs, probably best-known as Lucius Malfor in the Harry Potter franchise, has signed onto Thunder Road Pictures and Arclight Film’s Hotel Mumbai which is based on the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai — a true story of the 2008 Pakistani terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India. The film about the tragic siege and loss of life is being directed by Anthony Maras and was written by John Collee and Maras. Dev Patel, Armie Hammer and Nazanin…...

Exclusive– In one the splashiest deals of the Cannes market so far, the Weinstein Co. has acquired North American and UK rights to Hotel Mumbai, about the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. Dev Patel and Armie Hammer are on-board to star in the film, along with Nazanin Boniadi (Homeland). The basis for the screenplay, which is being written by John Collee and Anthony Maras, is the Emmy-nominated documentary Surviving Mumbai, a harrowing…...

Actors Armie Hammer and Dev Patel are in negotiations to join Hotel Mumbai, a drama film centering around the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. The screenplay, written by John Collee and Anthony Maras, was inspired by the documentary Surviving Mumbai, which told the story of the 68 hours in which hundreds of people were held hostage by armed Pakistani militants amidst the destruction of the hotel.

Also in negotiations are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), Anupam Kher (Silver Linings Playbook), Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), Teresa Palmer (The Choice), and Nazanin Boniadi (Homeland). Hotel Mumbai is set to go into production this August in India and Australia, with Anthony Maras set to direct the project.

Interestingly, a separate group of studios — StudioCanal and Kudos Film and TV — are creating a feature centering around the Mumbai attacks as well. That film will be adapted from “The Siege...

Danny McBride is no stranger to stepping outside of comedy with Up in the Air, All the Real Girls, and more, but he’s now set to dive into something quite unexpected. The Wrap reports he’s in talks to join Ridley Scott‘s Alien: Covenant with Michael Fassbender returning and Katherine Waterston taking on a new female lead role. While the Eastbound & Down star’s role isn’t specified, the October 2017-bound films follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they come across a dangerous planet occupied solely by Fassbender’s David.

Speaking of Fassbender, after he dropped out of The Mountains Between Us and then Charlie Hunnam doing the same, 20th Century Fox is looking at a new lead. The Wrap reports his Prometheus co-sta Idris Elba is now in talks to star in the project, adapted from Charles Martin’s novel following a doctor and...

ABC TV head of factual Phil Craig will leave the public broadcaster early next year.

Craig has told the ABC he will not renew his contract and will return to the UK for family reasons. He was appointed in 2012 after the ABC combined the posts of head of factual and head of documentaries. He replaced Jennifer Collins, who moved from head of factual to head of entertainment before joining Screentime as head of non-fiction, and head of documentaries Alan Erson, who was hired by Essential Media and Entertainment. Previously Craig worked for Jane Root.s UK production company Nutopia and also had stints with the BBC, Granada Television, Diverse and Brook Lapping. Before joining the ABC he co-produced a slew of documentaries for the pubcaster including Surviving Mumbai, Skippy: Australia.s First Superstar, The Great Escape: The Reckoning, Churchill.s Darkest Decision, Chateau Chunder: The Australian Wine Revolution and Desert War.

UK executive producer Phil Craig has been appointed ABC TV.s new head of factual.

Craig, who will assume the Sydney-based role from October 29, is currently working for British independent producer, Nutopia, and has also worked extensively with the BBC, Granada Television and UK production companies such as Diverse and Brook Lapping.

He has also worked with ABC TV to co-produce a number of documentaries including Surviving Mumbai, Skippy: Australia.s First Superstar, The Great Escape: The Reckoning, Churchill.s Darkest Decision, Chateau Chunder: The Australian Wine Revolution and Desert War. His other Australian credits include The Secret History of Eurovision for Sbs and Bom Bali for Network Ten.

.This is a dream job for me," Craig said in a statement. "Over the last eight years I.ve thoroughly enjoyed working for the ABC alongside some fantastic Australian filmmakers and been hugely impressed with the talent and energy right across the industry here.

Remember that one year (2001) when the list-happy AFI (American Film Institute) decided to compete with the Globes and the Oscars in year end prizes? No, that didn't last long. But there's another AFI, The Australian Film Institute, that has been around for a long time and is in no such danger of being a one-off. This year, they're all about the amazing family crime drama Animal Kingdom which they awarded with a record breaking 18 nominations. Sure, the film is in danger of being way overhyped for people who are coming to it late (which is just about everyone given the sorry state of international distribution for dramas of virtually any kind) but for those who can slough off the "omg" raves, I guarantee you'll think it at least an insinuating and well executed crime drama.

AFI Favorites with multiple nominations

Its main competition for the coveted prizes, if you go by nomination counts,...

Animal Kingdom received 18 nominations for this year’s Australian Film Institute Awards, followed by Beneath Hill 60 (12), Bright Star (11), Tomorrow, When the War Began (8), The Tree, Bran Nue Dae (7 each) and The Boys Are Back (4)

The Best Film category will see Animal Kingdom competing against Beneath Hill 60, Bright Star, Bran Nue Dae, The Tree and Tomorrow, When the War Began.

Australia’s top rated drama productions – Packed to the Rafters and Underbellly: The Golden Mile – were both absent from the main Television categories (except for Underbelly‘s two acting nods).

The winners will be revealed on December 10 (Industry Awards) and 11 (main Awards Ceremony) in Melbourne.

This is the full list of nominees:

AFI Members’ Choice Award

Animal Kingdom. Liz Watts. Beneath Hill 60. Bill Leimbach. Bran Nue Dae. Robyn Kershaw, Graeme Isaac. Bright Star. Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt. The Boys Are Back. Greg Brenman, Tim White. Tomorrow When The War Began.