News

On Monday March 17 2025, PBS broadcasts Antiques Roadshow!

Living History Farms Hour 3 Season 29 Episode 9 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Antiques Roadshow,” titled “Living History Farms Hour 3,” promises to be an exciting journey into the past. Set to air on PBS, this episode features a variety of intriguing items that showcase the rich history and personal stories behind them.

One of the highlights is a signed first edition of “Le Petit Prince,” published in 1943. This beloved book, known for its whimsical tale and profound themes, holds a special place in many hearts. The expert appraisers will delve into its significance and value, shedding light on why this particular edition is so sought after by collectors.

Another fascinating item on the show is an Arnold Schwarzenegger shirt from around 1990, complete with his autograph. This piece of memorabilia not only reflects the pop culture of the time but also connects to the iconic actor’s career.

Dust off your magnifying glasses and polish your spectacles, antique aficionados! “Antiques Roadshow” rolls into Living History Farms this Monday, with another delightful trove of historical curiosities and potential treasures. From rare books to vintage sports memorabilia. Among the highlights, a 1943 first edition of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “Le Petit Prince,” signed by the author […]

Antiques Roadshow: Living History Farms, Hour 3...

Antiques Roadshow is back with an exciting episode in Season 29, titled “Living History Farms Hour 3.” This episode will air on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 7:00 Pm on PBS. Fans of the show can look forward to a fascinating mix of items that tell unique stories from the past.

One highlight of this episode is a rare 1943 signed first edition of “Le Petit Prince.” This beloved children’s book, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, has captured hearts for generations. A signed copy adds a special touch, making it a treasure for any book lover. The history behind this edition promises to be as enchanting as the story itself.

Another intriguing item featured is an Arnold Schwarzenegger shirt and autograph from around 1990. This piece of memorabilia is sure to spark nostalgia for fans of the action star and his iconic films. The story behind how this shirt came to be in the hands...

“El Mal,” the show-stopping number sung by Zoe Saldaña in Netflix’s “Emilia Perez,” won the best song Oscar Sunday night for French songwriters Camille and Clément Ducol and their co-writer, the film’s director Jacques Audiard.

Later in the evening, English composer Daniel Blumberg won the original score Oscar for his music for Brady Corbet’s epic “The Brutalist.”

The song “El Mal,” in Audiard’s operatic drama, is a three-minute tour de force for Saldaña as lawyer Rita Castro, a fantasy in which she dances around a room filled with the rich and powerful, decrying the hypocrisy of those responsible for the murders of thousands of Mexicans during the drug wars.

Mick Jagger introduced the category, taking the stage to the strains of the Rolling Stones’ 1968 classic “Sympathy for the Devil.”

After thanking the audience and saying how pleased he was to present the award, he said, “Much as I love doing it,...

Montreal’s On Animation Studios, known for working on films like “Playmobil: The Movie,” “The Little Prince,” and “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,” has shut down. The announcement came through a LinkedIn post, with the company citing industry changes as the reason for ceasing operations.

“Amid the changes in our industry, On Animation Studios is ceasing its activities,” the company stated. “It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners.”

The closure was not entirely unexpected. The animation and VFX industry in Quebec has been struggling, with significant job losses in the past year. In September, the Quebec Film and Television Council reported that more than half of the province’s 8,000 animation and VFX workers had lost their jobs.

One of the key factors...

Mediawan-owned On Animation Studios, the Montreal-based banner whose credits include “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,” “The Little Prince” and “Playmobil the Movie,” has shut down, Variety has confirmed.

On Animation Studios, which was launched by French producers Aton Soumache (“Little Nicholas”) and Dimitri Rassam (“The Count of Monte Cristo”) in 2012, was acquired by Mediawan five years later. The company quickly became a key animation studio in Montreal and attracted talented animators from overseas, boosted by a pipeline of projects based on famed IP’s such as the blockbuster “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie” which ranks as one of the most-watched French animated films worldwide; and “The Little Prince,” which played at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Cesar Award, as well as nod from the British Academy Children’s Awards.

On Animation Studios was also one of the several companies that was able to tap into...

On Animation Studios, the Mediawan-owned, Montreal-based facility which worked on hits such as Mune: Guardian of the Moon, The Little Prince, Playmobil: The Movie, and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, is shutting down.

The company announced the news on its LinkedIn page on Monday, saying the closure was due to changes across the animation industry.

“It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners,” read the On Animation statement.

The closure, has been greeted with dismay by the Quebec animation scene and past collaborators, but is not wholly unexpected.

Both the animation and VFX sectors in Canada’s province of Quebec have gone from boom to bust in recent months following the provincial government’s decision to set a 65% cap on tax...

The third season of Fox’s game show The Floor kicked off immediately following Super Bowl Lix between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hosted by Rob Lowe, The Floor invites 100 contestants to compete against each other in a series of head-to-head duels, with a randomizer selecting players who then challenge someone standing next to them. Each person arrives at The Floor with a category in which they consider themselves to be an expert — things like Pantry Items, Tony Winners, and Marvel. The ultimate winner after 12 episodes will claim the $250,000 grand prize.

Lowe had fun with the crowd by pretending to be heartbroken over the fact that he’d “never” attended the Met Gala and “never” been named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive. But don’t feel too bad for him. After all, Lowe is an Emmy nominee for The West Wing (2001) and a six-time Golden Globe nominee...

Emilia Pérez's Karla Sofía Gascón has just made history, becoming the first openly trans nominee for an acting Academy Award. Gascón has earned a nomination in the Best Actress race for portraying the titular character in Netflix's genre-bending (and divisive) feature. The film leads the pack with 13 nods (the most of any movie): alongside Best Actress, the film has earned nominations for Best Supporting Actress (for Zoe Saldaña who earned the Golden Globe), Cinematography, Directing (for Jacques Audiard), Adapted Screenplay, International Feature Film, Editing, Sound, Makeup and Hair, Original Score and two nominations in the Original Song category for "El Mal" and "Mi Camino."

With her historic accomplishment, Gascón joins a limited number of artists: Composer Angela Morley achieved a milestone as the first transgender person to receive Academy Award recognition. She earned nominations for her scores in 1974's The Little Prince and 1978's The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella...

Karla Sofía Gascón is making history.

The 52-year-old Spanish actress officially made Oscars history after becoming the first openly trans person ever to be nominated in an acting category, following the nominations announcement from the Academy on Thursday (January 23).

Karla is nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in Jacques Audiard’s musical Netflix film, Emilia Pérez.

She previously secured Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominations for the performance as well.

Keep reading to find out more…

Karla stars in the film as a cartel leader, who turns to Mexico City lawyer Rita (Zoë Saldaña), to help her live as her authentic self.

Prior to Karla in trans history at the Oscars, Elliott Page was nominated for Juno in 2008 before coming out as trans, and the first openly trans person ever to be Oscar-nominated was composer Angela Morley, for The Little Prince in 1975 and then again for The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella...

Karla Sofía Gascón made Oscar history Thursday as the first openly transgender actor to land an Academy Award nomination.

Gascón scored her first career nomination Thursday morning in the Best Actress category for her lead role in Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language operatic musical, “Emilia Pérez,” cementing her place in the Oscar history books.

The landmark Oscar nomination is groundbreaking for the transgender community as it marks the first time an out trans actor has broken through in a major acting category with the Academy.

Gascón isn’t the first trans actor to be recognized by the Academy, however. Elliot Page, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for their leading role in “Juno,” came out as trans through an Instagram post in December 2020, 12 years after being nominated.

The Academy has also previously nominated trans filmmakers and musicians. Composer Angela Morley was the first openly transgender Oscar nominee in 1975 for co-writing...

Karla Sofía Gascón has officially made Oscar history. On Thursday morning she became the first openly trans person ever to be nominated in an acting category.

Gascón is recognized in the Best Actress category for her leading role in Jacques Audiard’s musical Netflix film, Emilia Pérez, and this Academy acknowledgement comes on the heels of recent Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominations for Gascón’s performance.

In Emilia Pérez, Gascón stars as a cartel leader who turns to Mexico City lawyer Rita (Zoë Saldaña), to help her live as her authentic self. Selena Gomez stars as Emilia’s wife Jessi and Adriana Paz as Emilia’s girlfriend Epifanía. Gascón first made awards history with the role at Cannes when all four actresses shared the Best Actress award, with Gascón being the first openly trans actress ever to win the prize.

Related: Oscars Nomination Analysis: Musicals, Popes, ‘Brutalist’, Netflix, Demi And Dylan,...

In a major push into animation, media tech investment firm Stars Collective is partnering with Shanghai-based El Pajaro Pictures to develop, produce and distribute a fresh take on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved classic “The Little Prince.”

“The Little Prince” weaves a poetic tale of a young prince who travels from planet to planet, meeting eccentric characters that offer allegorical insights into human nature. Narrated by a stranded aviator, the story unfolds as the prince recounts his adventures and his quest to understand life’s deeper truths.

The novella has inspired several adaptations. The 1974 live-action musical, directed by Stanley Donen, captured its whimsy, while Mark Osborne’s 2015 animated feature blended CGI and stop-motion and proved there’s still magic in the property, pulling in $97 million worldwide, including $24 million from China. The original 1943 book has been translated into over 300 languages with more than 200 million copies sold globally.

The new adaptation aims...

An obituary has been published following the passing of Jeff Baena.

The screenwriter and director, who was married to actress Aubrey Plaza, died by suicide earlier this month on January 3. He was 47-years-old.

The Miami Herald has now released an obituary remembering Jeff.

Keep reading to find out more…“It is with profound sadness and grief that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of Jeff Baena, a beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many.” the obit wrote. “Jeff left us too soon but despite his woefully too-short life, he left us with treasured memories of a gifted filmmaker, as well as a very special person on so many different levels.”

“Jeff was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Killian High School in Kendall, Florida. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. Upon graduation, Jeff relocated to Los Angeles to pursue writing and directing movies.

While Japan is not typically known for its stop-motion animation, director Takeshi Yashiro is taking charge of the scene. His film, “Norman the Snowman: On a Night of Shooting Stars” (2021) marks one of the latest of an exclusively stop-motion filmography, including the original “Norman the Snowman” (2014), “Moon of a Sleepness Night” (2017), and “Gon, the Little Fox” (2019).

Norman the Snowman: On a Night of Shooting Stars is streaming on Jff Theater until 2025/02/01 11:00:00 [Jst]

The “Norman the Snowman” series follows the coming-of-age adventures of a Boy (Oda Keita) and the titular Norman (Yoshino Hiroyuki), a two-tiered saucy snowman decorated with aviator hat, mustard scarf, and sunglasses. The two reunite each snowfall, happily swapping tales about Northern winters and local summers well into the night. Previously, in the 2014 episode, they trekked northward to glimpse an aurora borealis; in this 2021 sequel, they search for a legendary meteor shower to make a wish upon a star.

The final installment in the highly successful and acclaimed Spider-Verse film has found its directors. Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson have been tapped to direct Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

In an exclusive report from Deadline, it was announced that the Sony Animation project would recruit longtime members of the Spider-Verse family to helm the last film in the trilogy jump-started by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. And though the names of the new directors may not be as big as the aforementioned Lord and Miller, the two men have worked on the franchise since its inception.

"We have had the immense privilege of being part of Miles' journey from the very beginning, and directing the conclusion to his story is beyond exciting," said Persichetti and Thompson. "The creativity and care poured into every minute of this project has been truly inspiring. We have crafted what we feel is a very satisfying ending,...

“Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” the third entry in Sony’s animated web-slinging trilogy, has tapped Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson to direct.

They have been part of the franchise’s creative team since 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” with Persichetti serving as part of the original film’s directorial trio and executive producing the 2023 sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and Thompson working as the production designer on the first film and joining the directorial trio on the second installment with Joaquim Dos Santos and Kemp Powers.

“We have had the immense privilege of being part of Miles’ journey from the very beginning, and directing the conclusion to his story is beyond exciting,” the duo said in a statement. “The creativity and care poured into every minute of this project has been truly inspiring. We have crafted what we feel is a very satisfying ending, and we can’t wait for fans to experience it.

Exclusive: The final film in Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse trilogy has found its directors as Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson have been set to helm Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

“We have had the immense privilege of being part of Miles’ journey from the very beginning, and directing the conclusion to his story is beyond exciting,” said Persichetti and Thompson. “The creativity and care poured into every minute of this project has been truly inspiring. We have crafted what we feel is a very satisfying ending, and we can’t wait for fans to experience it – we’re bringing everything we’ve got!”

Persichetti and Thompson have been integral members of the franchise’s creative team from the onset. Persichetti previously served as part of the Oscar-winning directorial team on 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and was an executive producer on last year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Thompson served...

The landscape of television has changed drastically in the 20 years since Lost debuted on ABC, especially when it comes to "genre" storytelling. One sign the series co-created by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof was going to be something unique was the way it embraced elements of science fiction and fantasy. It makes sense that notable writers from the world of comic books joined the writers' room. One such scribe was Brian K. Vaughn. Along with him, comics legends Paul Dini and Jeph Loeb also wrote for the series. However, Brian K. Vaughn arrived after they left and was the only one to stay on for more than a single season.

Vaughn started as a story editor in Season 3, was a co-producer for Season 4 and a producer for Season 5. Before work on the final season began, Vaughn left Lost with cryptic statements offered as the reason why. Eventually, it became clear...

Reiner Holzemer’s captivating Thom Browne: The Man Who Tailors Dreams (a highlight of the 15th edition of Doc NYC) presents the designer as a sartorial caster of spells who changed the proportions of one ubiquitous garment, the gray suit, and thus shifted persuasively ideas of masculinity, femininity, and power in a puckish way. Suddenly the length of trousers that seemed stately not so long ago, feels gangly and sloppy, and while associations with Gregory Peck in Nunnally Johnson’s 1956 post-war drama The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit still match, so do the short pants of children of an earlier era, with the demands of adulthood suspended.

Browne’s partner, Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, comments in connection with the February 2022 fashion show centered on The Little Prince, how the work is “poised on the bridge...

Former mk2 films acquisition and sales agents Olivier Barbier and Ola Byszuk are joining forces with ex-Orange Studio exec Lenny Porte to create international sales company Lucky Number.

The trio, who have worked on hundreds of auteur titles between them, including Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist to name but a few – are currently building their slate for an early 2025 market launch.

Their aim is to handle 10 French and international auteur films a year, split roughly between two to three animated features, and seven to eight fiction films and docs, including work by new voices.

The trio want to offer a boutique service, which also involves financing and distribution strategies from the earliest stages of development, to ensure maximum impact on international markets.

“In an industry that has become increasingly complex both in terms of production and distribution,...

At its heart, Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard’s unclassifiable transgender Mexican cartel telenovela musical, is a film about transition, transformation and rebirth.

The transformation is not just that of Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a Mexican drug kingpin who longs to escape a life of violence and death and undergoes gender-affirming surgery to become her true self: the glamorous, vivacious Emilia Pérez. (The magnetic Spanish trans actor Karla Sofía Gascón plays both roles).

Emilia Pérez is also the story of the transmutation of Zoe Saldaña. The Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star finally gets to inhabit her own skin on the big screen, neither blue nor green, as Rita Moro Castro, an overworked, overlooked defense lawyer closing in on 40 who has spent her career keeping unrepentant cartel slime out of prison. Manitas gives her an offer she can’t refuse: Help me transition, relocate my family and organize my disappearance,...

What made ABC's hit series Lost such a phenomenon was, in part, its large, diverse cast. Still, the show had its favorites, and Kate Austen as played by Evangeline Lilly was near the very top. Like everything with Lost, Kate Austen is a controversial character, from how her backstory was handled to her ultimate fate on the island. Still, she is one of the series' most important characters. The real-world backstory around the character of Kate Austen is just as interesting as what unfolded on screen. Early on in development, Kate was going to be the leader in the series and for the characters.

Jack Shephard was going to be played by a well-known actor, then killed in the pilot episode. This would have established no character was "safe." Still, the idea was abandoned, leaving Kate to be second in command and the apex of a love triangle. Lilly was an unknown actor,...

Excluding various holy texts like the Bible, the Qur'an, the Bhagavad Gita, the Book of Mormon, and Mao Zedong's Little Red Book, the best-selling book of all time is Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," which has sold over 200 million copies since its publication in 1859. This is according to a 2012 article in Reuters, although getting actual figures on such things is difficult to track down. Other big sellers throughout history include Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince," which, according to Britannica, has sold between 150 million and 200 million copies, Cao Xuequin's 1790 family epic "Dream of the Red Chamber," which sold about 100 million copies, and J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy fable "The Hobbit," which matched those figures. The most recent super-seller, topping 120 million copies, was 1997's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," which was written by an increasingly controversial author.

One might think that Stephen King had a novel in the upper echelons of bestsellers,...

It's now been over 20 years since "Lost" changed TV forever, bringing a level of serialization and genre storytelling to broadcast television that hadn't been seen before at that level. Watching the show today feels like staring at a time capsule for a bygone era in which mysteries fueled fan forums yet the mystery box approach wasn't the mandate in TV and movies (and when serialization was a tool rather than the rule for the entire medium).

Though some people love to complain about the unsolved mysteries of "Lost," the truth is that, down to its controversial finale, the show resolved virtually every mystery it raised in one way or another — whether it was the polar bears, the numbers, the island whispers, or even Walt. That being said, there is one mystery audiences never got an answer to whatsoever: who was on the other outrigger?

Backing up a bit: In season 5, episode 4, "The Little Prince,...

Animation oriented sales outfit Gebeka International has boarded Xilam Films’ upcoming family feature “Lucy Lost,” while France’s Le Pacte and Canal+ have picked up French domestic distribution and pay-tv rights.

Together the three new partners will help launch this seaside adventure tale, co-written and directed by animation vet Olivier Clert and adapted from “War Horse” author Michael Morpurgo’s 2014 novel “Listen to the Moon.” Production is now underway at Xilam’s animation studio in France, ahead of a March 2026 delivery date.

A longtime collaborator with Mark Osborne and Sergio Pablos, director Olivier Clert will make his feature debut with this project co-written with BAFTA-winner Helen Blakeman and produced by Xilam’s Marc du Pontavice and Lucie Bolze.

Set on the Isles of Scilly just off the Cornish coast, the film follows a young girl named Lucy raised by a clan of fishermen she knows not to be hers. However,...

Warning: Spoilers for Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1!

Dex-Starr is more than a rage-filled Red Lantern cat, showing a softer side that will tug at your heartstrings. "The Little Cat" story portrays Dex-Starr as a protector, revealing his love for his lost owner and his new friend. This emotional tale in Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1 showcases the power of pets and the complexity of Dex-Starr.

I've always thought it a little odd that the Red Lanterns had a cat among their ranks. However, Dex-Starr is just as vicious as any of the cold-blooded monsters fueled by rage in Green Lantern lore. What doesn't necessarily get seen so often is the softer side of such an angry character but Dex-Starr achieves this in a way that broke my pet-loving heart.

The cutest Red Lantern makes another appearance in a stand-alone story called "The Little Cat" by Dan Watters and Christopher Mitten from...

The past decade has been a remarkable era for stop-motion animation, showcasing the medium's unique ability to blend meticulous craftsmanship with imaginative storytelling. During this time, studios like Laika and Aardman Animations have continued to push the boundaries of stop-motion, producing visual masterpieces and emotionally resonant tales. Laika's Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link stand out for their groundbreaking animation techniques and compelling narratives, earning critical acclaim and several award nominations. Similarly, Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs received widespread praise for its intricate visual style and poignant story, further solidifying Anderson's reputation for creating distinctive animated films.

This period has seen an increased diversity in the themes and styles of stop-motion films. Anomalisa brought an adult-oriented, introspective narrative to the medium, exploring complex human emotions and relationships through painstakingly detailed animation. Recent releases like The House, an anthology film with a darkly humorous edge, showcase how...

Mediawan Kids & Family is unveiling a raft of prestige animated feature projects at the Annecy Film Festival, including “Meow-woof” by Louis Clichy (“Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion”) and “Twisted” by Lino Disalvo (“Playmobil”).

Emmanuel Jacomet, who worked for over a decade alongside Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam on high profile IP’s such as “The Little Prince,” “Miraculous Ladybug” and “Playmobil,” took over the film division of Mediawan Kids & Family under a year ago with the ambition to develop a mix of mainstream franchise-based projects and auteur-driven 2D titles.

The executive, who lived in Los Angeles for a number of years, said also he aims at bringing together European and American talent and sensibilities on projects that are personal, yet boast an international appeal. Many of the filmmakers in business with the banner have a dual culture. Clichy, for instance, is French but previously worked for Pixar...

French producer Dimitri Rassam is enjoying a high-profile Cannes Film Festival as producer of Competition title Limonov: The Ballad and The Count Of Monte Cristo, which scored a rousing 12-minute ovation at its Out of Competition debut.

“It’s my first film in Competition, it has been a tremendous ride,” says Rassam, who is a producer on Limonov under his Paris-based Chapter 2 banner, alongside Italy’s Lorenzo Gangarossa and Mario Gianani as well as director Kirill Serebrennikov’s long-time collaborator Ilya Stewart.

Rassam is no stranger to the Cannes red carpet having regularly accompanied his actress mother Carole Bouquet in his early 20s, before mounting the festival’s famed steps in his own right as the producer of The Little Prince and co-producer of L’Immensità.

Cinema is also in his blood on his paternal side through late producer father Jean-Pierre Rassam, and uncle Paul Rassam, the long-time friend and collaborator...

It's Okay To Not Be Okay's opening stop-motion sequence was a beautifully crafted intro to the series. The stop-motion scene foreshadowed the entire show, hinting at key plot points about the characters' pasts. The opening sequence provided clues for the twists and revealed the traumatic pasts of the main characters.

Its Okay To Not Be Okay, a 2020 series about love and trauma, had arguably the best opening sequence of any K-drama. Starring Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, and Oh Jung-se, Its Okay To Not Be Okay aired on tvN from June 20 to August 9, 2020. The 16-episode series told the story of Moon Gang-tae, who would do anything in his power to take care of his brother, Moon Sang-tae. Sang-tae had been dealing with extreme trauma ever since his mother was killed in front of him.

The brothers' lives take a turn following the return of an important figure from their past,...

For the latest instalment in Screen’s Cannes Close-Up interview series, leading French producer Dimitri Rassam explains why France can compete with the US as a major shooting destination, and gives his advice for Cannes first timers.

Rassam is the founder of French production company Chapter 2, which has produced titles such as Cesar-winning animation The Little Prince, the Three Musketeers films, and Cannes 2024 titles The Count Of Monte Cristo and Limonov. The Ballad.

Monte Cristo shot on location in France, using the same crew as Musketeers.

Explains Rassam: “I think we have everything in France that we need to...

Exclusive: Natalie Portman has joined the voice cast for French director Ugo Bienvenu’s upcoming animated feature Arco about a boy who uses rainbows to travel through time and his adventures as he gets stuck in the wrong era.

Portman is also producing with Sophie Mas under their joint Paris and New York banner MountainA with Félix de Givry at Paris-based Remembers.

Taking its cue from the fantasy premise that rainbows are time machines, the movie revolves around 10 year old rainbow-child Arco, who lives in the distant future, 2932.

His maiden journey in his multi-colored suit does not go to plan. He loses control and veers off course to land in a near future, 2075, where Iris, a girl the same age as Arco, witnesses his fall and then makes it her mission to get him home.

Arco

Arco is the first feature for Bienvenu after short films Maman and L’entretien and comic books.

Kinology has boarded international sales to “The Big War,” an epic €30-million live action-cgi characters hybrid movie which will mark the directorial comeback of “La Haine” filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz.

The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.

Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”

Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...

Exclusive: La Haine filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz is returning to the director’s chair to make English-language passion project The Big War, which will mark the first movie he has helmed in 13 years.

“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.

“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...

Get ready for a fresh twist on the Batman universe this holiday season with “Merry Little Batman.” This new animated special, set to stream on Prime Video starting December 8, promises a unique blend of superhero action and Christmas cheer.

The story revolves around young Damian Wayne, voiced by Yonas Kibreab. Unlike his typical portrayal as Robin, Damian steps into the shoes of “Little Batman” to protect Gotham City on Christmas Eve. With his father, Bruce Wayne (Luke Wilson), and Alfred Pennyworth (James Cromwell) by his side, this isn’t your ordinary holiday tale.

Director and producer Mike Roth brings a new perspective to the Batman narrative. He explains that focusing on a younger Damian offers a fresh and heartwarming take on the well-known characters. This version of Damian is more innocent and wide-eyed, perfectly capturing the magic of Christmas through a child’s eyes.

The villains are just as integral to the story.

Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg! The Batmobile broke its wheel, and the Joker got away! Hey! Entertainment Weekly brings holiday cheer to Bat-fans this Friday with a gallery of images from Merry Little Batman, an animated holiday film coming to Amazon Prime Video next month!

Sliding down the chimney and onto your Amazon Prime account before Christmas, Merry Little Batman focuses on Damian Wayne (voiced by Jonas Kibreab) defending Wayne Manor from some of Gotham City’s most despicable villains on Christmas Eve – Home Alone-style!

“Because it’s a Christmas story, telling it through the eyes of a child seemed apropos,” the film’s director and producer, Mike Roth (Regular Show), tells EW. “Typically, Damian is a teenager who struggles with good and evil. While this was an interesting idea that was initially explored, we landed on a younger Damian. We decided to turn the clock back...

The outfit’s first commission is six-part BBC One thriller ’Vidree’, with feature films also in the pipeline.

Former UK Film Council executive and producer of Saving Mr Banks, Sing Street and TV series The Casual Vacancy Paul Trijbits has revealed details of his new venture with French production company Magical Society.

The former head UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund has also spoken about the demise of his former company FilmWave, saying “we had all our eggs in the Netflix basket”.

Dutch-born, UK-based Trijbits and former FilmWave colleague JJ Lousberg have partnered with Paris-based Magical Society to set...

Even the simplest of stories, with the most mundane and unexciting premises, can still feel like epic tales if told with the right attention and understanding of the character's struggle. Take Abbas Kiarostami's classic “Where is the Friend's House” , the first installment in the Koker Trilogy which brought the director international acclaim.

Ahmed takes his friend's, Mohammad's, notebook by mistake after they finish classes in their primary school. The error can have consequences of life-changing proportions for one of the boys. If Mohammad does not come to school on the next day with his homework finished, he will be expelled from it. Ahmed thus embarks on a mission to save his classmate and protect his future. The problem? He does not now where his colleague exactly lives, and has to rely on the help of other villagers. What follows is the most frustratingly-satisfying tale about a McGuffin search.

Queer music artists have always been influential. However, many have gone under appreciated throughout history. When it comes to award shows, queer artists have also been very much present, despite society’s homophobia and transphobia. So to celebrate Pride month, here are 10 music-related queer award show moments worth remembering. For 10 others, check here.

Angela Morley becomes the first openly trans person to earn an Academy Award nomination

The first trans person to be nominated for an Oscar contended for music. The great Angela Morley achieved this in 1974 as one of the four composers for the film “The Little Prince.” Morley’s nomination was a huge step forward in LGBTQ+ history, and it’s rare even to this day, with the number of trans individuals nominated for the Oscar still being very small.

SEEKennedy Center Honors 2023: Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick

R.E.M. wins two Grammys...

While at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, Mediawan Kids & Family unveiled a raft of new youth-centric shows, including “Karters” and “Witch Detectives,” on top of a licensing pact with DeAPlaneta Entertainment.

Spearheaded by animation veteran Julien Borde, Mediawan Kids & Family is a division of the international film and TV powerhouse Mediawan whose recent acquisitions include Brad Pitt’s Plan B.

Mediawan Kids & Family is partnering up with Warner Bros. Discovery Emea on the production and distribution of its animated series “Karters” for the linear and non-linear services of Warner Bros. Discovery. The action-packed series will premiere on Cartoonito for Emea, and will be distributed by Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution worldwide except Latin America.

Both “Karters” and “Witch Detectives” are being produced by Aton Soumache’s topnotch Method Animation (“The Little Prince”), whose credits include “The Three Musketeers.” “Witch Detectives” has already been boarded by TF1 and Super Rtl.

Written...

Temtem, the popular multiplayer creature-collection game, is set for a series adaptation with Josh Hamilton (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) on board as showrunner.

Somewhere Animation, which is part of Mediawan Kids & Family company, and the L.A.-based banner Marla Studios have teamed up to produce a comedy-adventure series based on the game.

The Japanese-style game, often compared with Pokémon, was developed by the Spanish studio Crema and released in 2020. It’s set on the Airborne Archipelago, six colorful and diverse islands, where humans live alongside feathery creatures called Temtem.

The series, comprising 26 half-hour episodes, will follow heroes of different cultures joining forces with Temtems to win epic battles. The show’s inspirational motto is “What makes us different makes us stronger together.”

Aimed at children aged 6 and above, “Temtem” is being spearheaded by Hamilton, who notably penned the series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which received the Kids’ Choice...

Fear The Walking Dead began as a great addition to The Walking Dead Universe, opening with the outbreak and building on another group of survivors in the post-apocalyptic world. Despite the high hopes for this spin-off, the series failed to impress in later seasons, contributing to its cancelation in the currently airing eighth and final season.

Related: The Walking Dead Characters & Their Fear The Walking Dead Counterparts

Ftwd has had at least as many terrible episodes as great ones, with more of them receiving mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. Some of these bad episodes play on the theme of despair in the franchise while failing to give a satisfying arc for these sobering events. Other disappointing episodes of Fear were particularly boring, lacking enough substance to progress the main conflict.

"Follow Me" Season 7, Episode 9

Among the outlandish episodes in Twd universe, Ftwd had a few that were more confusing than anything else.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has opened up about his last moments with his eldest son Nick, who died last month aged 43.

Last month, the 75-year-old composer announced that Nick had died after being diagnosed with gastric cancer.

“I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital,” Lloyd-Webber wrote in a brief statement.

“His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft – Alw.”

The news came shortly after Lloyd-Webber revealed that Nicholas was “critically ill” with gastric cancer, also known as stomach cancer.

On Tuesday (18 April), Lloyd-Webber described the last moments he spent with his son in an essay for the New York Times.

“‘An apple a day, if well aimed, keeps the doctor away.’ I was speaking in PG Wodehouse quotes with my eldest son, Nick, who was in hospice, where he was being treated for cancer just days ago,...

Update, video added: First-look images were released today of the wildly revamped Broadway Theatre that will be transformed, at least in part, into the disco dance club home of Here Lies Love, the immersive David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical about Imelda Marcos.

In six artist renderings, the Broadway Theatre, a traditional proscenium playhouse built in 1924 and remodeled in 1991, is turned, partially, into a huge dance club, with the actors’ performance space set amidst a standing, dancing crowd on the floor where the front section of seating would normally be.

See the renderings above and below. A video of the project also was posted today (watch it above).

The musical begins performances Saturday, June 17 ahead of an official opening night on Thursday, July 20.

In addition to releasing the renderings today, producers unveiled a multi-part seating and standing plan, with ticket-buyers given four viewing options (descriptions provided by the production):

Floor – Standing...

On Oscar night, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” will almost certainly win the Academy Award for feature animation. For many of those following along at home, it will look as though the director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water” is being rewarded for some kind of secondary passion, as if del Toro had scaled Everest and then set his sights on a smaller peak on which to plant his flag. But that’s not how it happened at all.

Way back in Mexico, del Toro started his filmmaking career doing animated shorts: Obsessed with Ray Harryhausen, the amateur future auteur built rudimentary armatures, painstakingly repositioning the puppets one frame at a time. Decades later, once established in Hollywood, del Toro accepted a side gig at DreamWorks Animation, serving as a story consultant on films such as “Megamind” and “Kung Fu Panda 2” as a pretext for teaching himself the trade.

Trevor Noah is readying his next book.

While much about his new project is being kept under wraps, publisher One World is billing the novel as a “gorgeously illustrated and moving modern fable for readers of all ages about forgiveness, acceptance and the secret to solidarity.” The not-yet-titled book, which is due out later this fall, is said to be evocative of allegories and fables like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Little Prince.

Noah, who’s been on a global stand-up tour since signing off at The Daily Show in early December, has already established himself as a major player in the publishing world. His previous book, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, became a No. 1 international bestseller when it was published in 2016. In fact, it spent 32 weeks on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list and won the 2017 Thurber Prize for Humor.

In the years since,...

Mediawan Kids & Family, the youth entertainment division of the European powerhouse, has acquired a majority stake in Wildseed Studios, the British production company behind “The Last Bus” and “Hungerford.”

The deal marks the first international acquisition of Mediawan Kids & Family, a leading purveyor of animated series and features including “The Little Prince” and “The Little Nicholas,” which premiered at Cannes.

Wildseed Studios was founded in 2013 by Jesse Cleverly (“Eastern Promises”), former head of co-productions and acquisitions at BBC Children’s, and Miles Bullough (“Shaun the Sheep”), former head of broadcast at Aardman Animations. The company’s track record includes a number of hits such as the Netflix live action series “The Last Bus,” the award-winning feature film “Hungerford,” the children’s animation series “Dodo” for Sky Kids and the animated comedy “Counterfeit Cat” for Disney Channel. Upcoming titles include the Sky Kids Special “Ama’s Story.”

“Wildseed Studios is a renowned and well-established U.

Exclusive: The Wiz is getting ready for the road to Broadway with an award-winning design team, including Oscar-winning Black Panther production designer Hannah Beachler and Emmy-winning Watchmen costume designer Sharen Davis.

The design team, which also includes lighting design by Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man) and wig design by Academy Award-winning Mia Neal (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), was announced today by producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, and Ambassador Theatre Group.

Hannah Beachler Headshot. (Photo: Chris Britt)

As previously reported, the all-new production of the groundbreaking Broadway hit musical will launch a national tour in fall 2023 in Baltimore (where the original musical debuted in 1974), before arriving on Broadway for a limited engagement in spring 2024.

Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams, choreographer JaQuel Knight...

I Am Groot was a surprising addition to Marvel Studios’ line-up, but a welcome one. A series of five shorts, each of which was brought to life by breath-taking CGI artistry; the stories were low-stake and focused on the Guardians of the Galaxy member during his younger years, after the events of the first film.

The release of these shorts, which have very clearly been defined as separate entities on Disney+ rather than an ongoing show, has indicated that Marvel is willing to get a little riskier when it comes to the formats in which they tell their stories. There’s surely a place for short films within the context of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. What narrative opportunities could occur thanks to the addition of this platform, and are there any benefits to reviving these mini-movies?

The Original Marvel One-Shots

The One-Shot has lived within Marvel as a concept...