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On this week’s “Screen Talk,” we take a closer look at the three cities vying to become Sundance’s new home. We are also discussing Plan B’s extraordinary limited series, “Adolescence.” And we’ll parse that amazing last episode of “The White Lotus.”

We also debate the merits of Disney’s controversial live-action “Snow White” and ask why Warner Bros. has it in for animation. As of March 16, the studio has removed the Looney Tunes cartoon shorts library (released 1930-1969), starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, and Wile E. Coyote from streaming service Max. “They’re trashing the past,” said Anne. “Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav will do anything to save a dime.”

Under his direction, the studio hasn’t been kind to animation. The “Looney Tunes” live-action hybrid film “Coyote vs. Acme” was scrapped by Wbd in 2023 before the film was set to start streaming on Max,...

Exclusive: See-Saw Films is understood to be plotting an English-language remake of Trust No One, the highly-anticipated Israeli spy series that will launch in a few days time on Keshet 12 and then Netflix.

The Slow Horses maker, which has just been acquired by Mediawan, is in early-stage development on the project after striking its first deal with Israeli major Keshet, we understand. We are told creatives and casting are still being ironed out and no network is attached. The Israeli version, which launches on March 17, comes from prolific local creatives Ron Leshem, Amit Cohen and Daniel Amsel.

Trust No One stars Yehuda Levi (A Body That Works) as Itamar, the youngest ever head of Israel’s most powerful security agency. Itamar faces his greatest challenge when a cyber leak exposes his agents, starting with Shuruk (Luna Mansour). To combat the leak, he turns to Yali (Yael Elkana), a former cybersecurity expert.

French production and distribution giant Mediawan has taken a majority 51% stake in leading UK-Australian producer See-Saw Films whose credits include Apple TV+’s Slow Horses and Oscar winners The King’s Speech and The Power Of The Dog.

See-Saw founders Iain Canning and Emile Sherman will continue as joint CEOs, working alongside See-Saw’s joint managing directors Helen Gregory and Simon Gillis, and Liz Watts, the head of TV and film in Australia.

They oversee a team of eight executive producers and a staff of over 50 people across development, production, legal and business affairs, finance and marketing.

In a statement announcing the deal,...

British-Australian production powerhouse See-Saw Films has been bought by France’s Mediawan.

The growing entertainment outfit, which also owns Brad Pitt’s Plan B, has taken a 51% majority in See-Saw, which makes the likes of Heartstopper, Slow Horses, Apple Cider Vinegar, The Power of the Dog and One Life.

See-Saw has been up for sale since last year and has been the source of much speculation in M&a circles, with Acf investment bank conducting the sales process.

See-Saw has headquarters in the UK and Australia and has been on a hot streak in recent years. The studio was launched by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman back in 2008. Helen Gregory and Simon Gillis now lead day-to-day operations as Joint Managing Directors. The company last year launched a joint venture, Fanboy, with Heartstoppper executive producer Patrick Walters. Sweetpea, Kirstie Swain’s adaptation of Cj Skuse’s darkly comic novel, was its first production.

Mediawan has acquired a majority 51% stake in British-Australian indie powerhouse See-Saw Films, the high-profile Oscar-winning tastemakers behind hit returning TV shows such as “Slow Horses” and “Heartstopper” and acclaimed, award-winning films including “The Power of the Dog,” “The Son” and “The King’s Speech.”

The news — which is likely to cause a stir in the U.K. industry and beyond and be considered a major coup for Mediawan — is the latest in a hot streak of big-name acquisitions by the thriving European production-distribution group, which took majority ownership of Brad Pitt’s Plan B in late 2022 and struck a partnership with LeBron James’ and Maverick Carter‘s The SpringHill Company shingle last September, as well as buying fast-rising German production and distribution company Leonine last year. It already has a presence in the U.K. with Drama Republic, Misfits Entertainment (“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”) and animation banner Wildseed Studios.

Plan B co-founder and Los Angeles native Dede Gardner refuses to let the Trump administration scare her out of LA.

At an EFM Industry Talk session Feb. 15 in Berlin, moderated by Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy, Gardner explained that though she may have initially felt the urge to relocate to Europe (especially in the wake of Plan B’s partnership with Paris-based Mediawan), she feels more strongly about continuing to tell important stories in L.A.

“The truth of it is I feel conflicted,” Gardner admitted. “There are days, especially recently, where you think, ‘This isn’t sustainable. What’s going to happen? This is completely nuts.’ Then there are other days where being in California, which is essentially the most progressive state, part of me thinks, ‘No, you know what? Stay here. Be on the front line. Be around. Be near the change.'”

She continued, ”We interviewed the great...

Although it is science-fiction to its core, director Bong Joon Ho’s first film since his Oscar-winning Parasite six years ago is in many ways a not-that-absurd look at where we just might be headed as a society.

Mickey 17 on its surface is about a hapless, slightly less than average macaroon chef who no longer can take Earth and its ever-so-decaying condition that has led thousands daily to board a spaceship to a more promising planet life — or so they think. Nevertheless, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is just a guy whose life is seen as expendable (a word he uses on his application), and like a lab rat, his new day job is — wait for it — dying. Yes, Mickey is part of constant experiments to help researchers see what causes death and disease, and so he is put through the ringer and reprinted repeatedly, dying over and over again,...

A raft of Hollywood stars and industry professionals have vowed to re-locate outside of the U.S. in response to Donald Trump’s second presidency, but L.A-based Plan B co-founder Dede Gardner will not be among their ranks.

Talking in a masterclass at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market on Saturday, the producer hinted that the idea had crossed her mind during Trump’s first month, which has seen extreme policy shifts around immigration, trade tariffs, Dei programs and foreign aid.

“The truth of it is that there are days, especially recently, where you think this isn’t sustainable. What’s going to happen? This seems completely nuts,” said Gardner.

“And then there are days where I think, particularly being in California, which is essentially the most progressive place in the world. Part of me thinks, ‘You know what. Stay here, be on the frontline, be around here,...

Nobody’s doing it quite like Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. This year, the company’s co-heads (who oversee Plan B with Brad Pitt) brought RaMell Ross’ epic Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys” to Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ross with Joslyn Barnes) Oscar nominations after Amazon released the 1960s-set, formally daring civil rights drama in theaters last fall. They join this week’s episode of IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast with co-host Anne Thompson to talk honoring the “acrobatics and the courage and the bravery and the gymnastics” of Whitehead’s text, Ross’ innovative first-person camera work with cinematographer Jomo Fray, and the anxiety-inducing challenge of the film’s ending.

But Plan B is plenty busy elsewhere, with Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” just premiering in London and heading for a Berlin Film Festival bow. Also with Brad Pitt as executive producer, Gardner...

In Nickel Boys, filmmaker and artist RaMell Ross has created one of the most surprising awards-season movies for some years. His radical approach to form and content is unlike anything usually campaigned for and championed in the mainstream. However, the film is precisely the type of work we’ve come to expect from Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment.

The company, co-run by Brad Pitt, has been here before. There was Terrence Malik’s Palme d’Or-winning Tree of Life, which Ross has cited as an inspiration; Steve McQueen’s sprawling American epic 12 Years a Slave; and the quieter but no less impactful Moonlight from Barry Jenkins. The last two made industry-shifting gains when they clinched the Best Picture Oscar, and Nickel Boys has the chance to do the same in the Dolby on March 2 with a nom in the top Oscar category alongside one for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Paris- and London-based Film Constellation has boarded international sales on Fernando Eimbcke’s upcoming Berlin Panorama world premiere Olmo from Plan B and Teorema. CAA Media Finance represents North American sales.

Eimbcke and Vanesa Garnica co-wrote the story set in 1979 New Mexico, where 14-year-old Olmo is taking care of his sick father when he would much rather be hanging out with his best friend, Miguel.

When he gets invited to a party by his beautiful neighbour, Nina, Olmo will do whatever he can to get out of his duties, embarking on a journey of mischief and chaos. As the night unfolds,...

Parasite director Bong Joon Ho has addressed the delays around his upcoming sci-fi feature Mickey 17 ahead of its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.

At a press conference in Seoul today (January 20) alongside leading man Robert Pattinson, the filmmaker set the record straight after speculation there had been conflict with studio Warner Bros regarding the final cut of the film.

“Not a single one of my films has ever been released without some change in its release date – it just seems that there has been more interest in this particular film, which has led to more coverage,” said Bong,...

Mickey 17, the next movie from Parasite Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho, is making a premiere at Berlin Film Festival, Deadline has confirmed.

It’s not a world premiere, we hear. Mickey 17 could have a South Korea premiere before Berlin as its opens in Joon Ho’s homeland of South Korea on Feb. 28 before unspooling in the rest of the world a week later.

The $118M Warner Bros sci-fi movie starring Robert Pattinson recently had its domestic release date moved up from Easter weekend, April 18 to March 7.

Based on the the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 follows unlikely hero Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), who is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous — even suicidal — the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Heading into her first edition as Berlin International Film Festival director, Tricia Tuttle has secured a red carpet slot for Bong Joon Ho’s anticipated sci-fi dark comedy Mickey 17 starring Robert Pattinson.

According to sources this will not be the world premiere, whose location remained unclear at time of writing. However it will play as a premiere of some sort, with international the likely designation.

Bong’s follow-up to his 2020 best Oscar winner Parasite was produced through his Offscreen, alongside Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner and Kate Street Pictures’ Dooho Choi.

The story of an “expendable...

Jon M. Chu is assuring fans that Britney Spears will be “very involved” in the adaptation of her bestselling 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me.”

Chu told Entertainment Tonight that the mega-star will definitely be part of the production for his upcoming Universal film, which is based on Spears’ life. “La La Land” and Broadway producer Marc Platt is also producing the big-screen adaptation.

“She’s going to be very involved,” Chu said of Spears. “I haven’t really started anything fully yet. But she will be very involved in this. I have ideas and things of an approach, but it’s very, very early.”

However, there has not been anyone cast yet as singer Spears.

“I’ve seen all the fan casting, I’ve seen all that stuff, and I always take those into consideration because maybe there’s a good idea out there,” Chu said. “But we’ll have to see.

Former NFL standouts Vernon Davis and Omar Bolden are tackling a new path.

The pair, who were both members of the Denver Broncos when the team won Super Bowl 50 in 2016, are set to star in the comedy series Match Point. Created by Sports Emmy-nominated director Joslyn Rose Lyons, the mockumentary project launches its first two episodes on-demand via Apple TV and Prime Video on Feb. 11, 2025. The rest of the 10-episode first season will roll out after that.

Match Point centers on Max (Davis) and Anthony (Bolden), two former tennis stars who co-host a new podcast together. The series follows their behind-the-scenes efforts to launch the podcast alongside a high-strung producer (Ashley Haas) and a ratings-obsessed talent booker (Rob Gordon), all while dealing with pushy executives and a dysfunctional crew.

Davis, Lyons, Johanna Saldaña and Dominique Mouton serve as executive producers. A trailer for Match Point, which is distributed through Filmhub,...

Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt’s name pops up in the opening credits of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which may have caused some confusion as to what his role was in the 2024 horror-comedy. The cast and crew of Beetlejuice 2 saw three major returning actors alongside an exciting ensemble of new, high-profile faces joining Tim Burton’s spooky fantasy world. While icons Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara made up the returning cast, Burton also recruited long-established and newer stars like Willem Dafoe, Danny DeVito, Monica Bellucci, and Jenna Ortega to augment Beetlejuice’s living world and afterlife.

Of course, there were some hidden surprises for Beetlejuice 2’s new and returning characters. For instance, Tim Burton himself has a cameo in Beetlejuice 2 as the voice of Baby Betelgeuse, with original character Charles Deetz also returning with new uncredited actors portraying and voicing him. On the other hand, a notable actor...

Exclusive: CBC has put a third season of time-bending anthology drama Plan B into production.

Kotv its returning to produce the season, which will feature a new lead cast of Carolina Bartczak (Painkiller, X-Men: Apocalypse), Arnold Pinnock (The Porter, Combat Hospital) and Ennis Esmer (Children Ruin Everything, Blindspot).

Additional casting includes Arianna Shannon making her screen debut, Jaeden Noel (Orphan Black: Echoes, Invasion), Carolyn Taylor (Baroness von Sketch Show, I Have Nothing) and Grace Lynn Kung (Sort Of, Fallout).

Production is now underway in Montreal, with six episodes planned. The show is an adaptation of the French-language drama series of the same name, which is now in its fourth season for Radio-Canada.

The season will follow Abigail Walker (Bartczak), the host of Canada’s top morning TV show, who is grappling with the devastating loss of her teenage daughter, Lucy (Shannon), to suicide. Tormented by grief and regret, Abigail uses...

Oops! They did it again. In auction, Universal has won the rights to a major film biopic on the life of Britney Spears, the studio announced Thursday.

“Wicked” director Jon M. Chu is directing the film and developing it for the studio, and “La La Land” producer Marc Platt is attached to produce the film. The movie, untitled at this point, will be based on Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me,” which has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.

No writer or cast has been set at this point.

“The Woman in Me” reveals for the first time Spears’ incredible journey — and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history. Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love — and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms. The book was...

While there is a new Suits spinoff coming, one of the cast members of the original series just picked up a new TV role of his own. Patrick J. Adams, who starred as Mike Ross on the law-based TV show, has signed on to appear in the Fox anthology crime series Accused.

Here is what you need to know about Adams’s new role and what to expect from his appearance.

Suits Star Signs On For Accused

USA Network ended Suits in 2019. However, the show remains a beloved favorite thanks to its streaming on Netflix. Despite its popularity, it hasn’t meant big things for the cast. Gabriel Macht, who played Harvey Specter, hasn’t had a role in anything since the show ended.

Mike and Harvey in Suits | YouTube

Patrick J. Adams had a little more success. He got roles in Sneaky Pete and The Right Stuff before picking...

Suits alum Patrick J. Adams and Grey’s Anatomy grad Jerrika Hinton are the latest cast additions to Accused Season 2 on Fox, TVLine has learned exclusively.

Based on the BBC’s BAFTA Award-winning crime anthology and developed by Howard Gordon, Fox’s Accused each season serves up collection of topical and human stories of crime and punishment. Told from the defendant’s point of view through flashbacks, each episode promises a provocative thriller, exploring a different crime, in a different city, and with an entirely original cast.

More from TVLineLucy Lawless to Reprise Spartacus Role in Starz Sequel House of...

Exclusive: Actress Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs a Marathon) is set to make her feature directorial debut with Summer of 69, an American High comedy for Hulu, starring Saturday Night Live‘s Chloe Fineman.

Written by Liz Nico, Jules Byrne, Jillian Bell, the film’s cast also includes Sam Morelos (That ’90s Show), Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Natalie Morales (The Morning Show), Alex Moffat (Saturday Night Live), Paula Pell (Girls5eva), Liza Koshy (A Family Affair), Nicole Byer (Nailed It!), Matt Cornett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Fernando Carsa (Acapulco) and Amalia Yoo (Grand Army). Production is set to kick off in Syracuse, NY this month.

In Summer of 69, which falls under American High’s first-look deal with Hulu, an awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance, and adulthood.

Jeremy Garelick,...

Exclusive: Devin Craig (Queen Sugar), Ruby Cruz (Bottoms), Michael Provost (Insatiable) and Roby Attal (Red 11) are heading to class in the upcoming third season of Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble‘s The Sex Lives of College Girls. All four will recur as students at Essex College.

Created by Kaling and Noble, Max‘s The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates in their first year at New England’s prestigious Essex College. Season 2 picked up with the students returning after their fall break, tackling the challenges that were thrown their way at the end of Season 1, while also facing their next semester filled with new faces, parties and predicaments.

Returning series regulars for Season 3 are Pauline Chalamet, lyah Chanelle Scott, Amrit Kaur, Christopher Meyer, Ilia Paulino and Renika Williams. As we previously reported, Reneé Rapp has exited the series as a regular for the upcoming season. She’ll...

The legendary Isle of Man Tt motorcycle race will be the subject of a film and docuseries from Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum’s production companies, Mediawan-owned Plan B Entertainment and Free Association.

The Isle of Man Tt is one of the most famous and deadly races for motorcyclists around the world. Taking place on a small island nation in the Irish Sea, the race traces its heritage back to the early 1900s when road racing was outlawed in England, and racers found refuge on the Isle of Man. A single lap of the course is made up of 37.7 miles across the island’s road systems as the bikes tackle country lanes and city streets at speeds up to 200 mph. Since 1903, there have been more than 150 deaths during the race or its practices, including five in 2022.

“We dare anyone to find more awe-inspiring people, or a more breathtakingly vibrant...

Madison Square Garden has seen it all: legendary concerts, NBA Finals games, prize fights, Verzuz duels, and everything in between. Last night, I was lucky enough for a rare Msg first: Megan Thee Stallion’s New York stop on her Hot Girl Summer Tour made the first independent woman rapper to headline at the world’s greatest arena. Even with GloRilla signed to Cmg, indie-rap havens Houston and Memphis should be represented in this moment.

Meg and her tour opener, GloRilla, brought the summer vibes to the city in more...

Quiver has picked up North American rights from Premiere Entertainment Group to the romantic comedy Plan B starring Jamie Lee from HBO’s Crashing and Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite.

Premiere is continuing international sales here on the story of a woman who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with her awkward neighbour and impulsively decides to sleep with a successful businessman to pass off the baby as his.

Tom Berenger, Shannon Elizabeth, and Kate Flannery round out the key cast. Quiver plans to release the film later in the year.

Brandon Tamburri directed Plan B film from his original...

It’s been a busy week for Ghostface Killah. He just dropped Set the Tone: Guns & Roses, a 19-track project that’s his first since 2019’s Ghostface Killahs. Within the same week, he released Rise of a Killah, a memoir published by Martin’s Press. Between fulfilling the obligations of dropping a new project and a new memoir, the iconic Mc found time for an early-evening Zoom session. He is in a good mood while reclining in a seat, occasionally showing off the inimitable phrasing that’s made him one...

It’s little wonder why French president Emmanuel Macron was visibly moved as he inducted Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton into France’s Legion of Honor last October, calling the exec “the ultimate French success story.”

In a country rarely known to promote social mobility, Capton-esque career trajectories are scarce. A self-made entrepreneur born into a middle-class Normandy family, Capton began his professional life as a teen with an entry-level internship, eschewing elite universities, making the exec a rare bird among France’s top media execs. For all that, Capton remains more humble than flamboyant, letting his track record speak for itself.

In 2015, he co-founded Mediawan with investment banker Matthieu Pigasse and telecom billionaire Xavier Niel, and since then the group has traversed a tumultuous period marked by a pandemic, strikes and economic recessions by growing stronger.

France’s president Emmanuel Macron and Pierre-Antoine Capton.

Following its recent acquisition of German...

Italian producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli are entering the Mediawan fold after recently exiting Fremantle to jointly form a new independent outfit.

The two producers will both be in Cannes as executive producers with Fremantle movies premiering in the Cannes competition, Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” respectively.

Mediawan, the production powerhouse that now comprises more than 85 labels around the world, is in the process of acquiring a 51% majority stake in Gianani and Mieli’s Rome-based Our Films company under a deal that will officially close in September, according to several sources.

Gianani and Mieli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, are still closely tied to Fremantle even after exiting their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. As previously announced, they have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they had in the Fremantle pipeline.

Exclusive: The in-demand Sydney Sweeney, coming off hit rom-com Anyone But You and horror pic Immaculate, is shifting gears again as she is set to portray trailblazing boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic which could be a knockout for buyers at the Cannes market where Black Bear will be launching.

Under the direction of Oz filmmaker David Michôd, known for visceral movies such as Animal Kingdom and The King, the currently untitled project will chart the true story of Martin’s rise to become America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s — the “female Rocky” in the words of the film’s producers. A naturally gifted fighter, her life transformed in 1989 when she met her manager, and later husband, Jim Martin. Breaking boundaries, she became the first woman to sign with iconic promoter Don King, and the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Production company American High has been making a name for itself in the teen comedy space, carving out a niche of films that embody the spirit of beloved John Hughes classics while giving them a modern twist. From Plan B to Crush, theyve put out some real gems that tackle current issues of everything from the morning-after pill to coming out with a blend of raunchy humor and heartwarming moments. Prom Dates fits their brand nicely, and while it doesnt quite reach the heights of its best projects, theres still plenty to love about the simple and sweet yet sometimes stereotypical flick.

Exclusive: Goodfellas has boarded upcoming war crime drama Occupation from Ukrainian writer-director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe). The project, which will be produced by Loveless and Leviathan producer Alexander Rodnyansky alongside Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content, is being launched to buyers in Cannes this month with Goodfellas repping international sales rights and Anonymous Content and CAA Media Finance co-repping North American rights.

Occupation is based on Peter Pomerantsev’s May 2022 article for The Atlantic entitled “We Can Only Be Enemies”, which follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian solider responsible for the bombardment. Production will begin in Poland this fall.

Ar Content’s Michael Kupisk will exec produce the film alongside Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Linzee Troubh from The Atlantic and Eva Dottelonde,...

Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton is set to receive Variety’s International Visionary Award at the Cannes Film Festival where the company will have multiple films playing across the Official Selection.

The award will pay tribute to Capton’s trailblazing track record at the helm of Mediawan, the company he founded with investment banker Mathieu Pigasse and telecom billionaire Xavier Niel in late 2015. Mediawan is now a global production powerhouse encompassing more than 85 labels around the world, having just announced its acquisition of Leonine, a leading German distribution-production company.

The combined group comprises Brad Pitt’s Plan B (“Bob Marley: One Love”) in the U.S., France’s On Entertainment (“Miraculous”), Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi (“Beating Hearts”), Dimitri Rassam’s Chapter 2, Italy’s Palomar (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), as well as Drama Republic and Misfits Entertainment (“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”) in the U.K and Wiedemann & Berg Film (“The Lives Of Others...

European powerhouse Mediawan has acquired Leonine, a leading production and distribution group active in German-speaking markets.

With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan’s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range. The deal is an all-stock transaction; both companies have the same shareholder, the U.S. private equity fund Kkr whose stake in Mediawan will still be below 50%, according to a source close to the company.

Mediawan now has a significant footprint in all major European markets, including German-speaking territories which represent the continent’s second largest TV market. The pact positions Mediawan as one of the world’s biggest super indies with a large proportion of scripted business across prestige series and movies. Mediawan now spans 13 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the U.K.

Warner Bros hosted a star-studded CinemaCon session on Tuesday in which the studio brought stars and showed footage from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Mickey 17, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Horizon: An American Saga, Joker: Folie a Deux, and Trap, among others.

Michael Keaton, Tim Burton, Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon Ho, Kevin Costner, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and M Night Shyamalan were among the celebrities who took to The Colosseum stage in Caesars Palace to promote the upcoming slate in the first studio presentation at CinemaCon 2024.

Bong and Pattinson promoted Mickey 17 from Plan B, which Bong described as a “tale of...

Warner Bros hosted a star-studded CinemaCon session on Tuesday in which the studio brought stars and showed footage from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Mikey 17, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Horizon: An American Saga, Joker: Folie a Deux, and Trap, among others.

Michael Keaton, Tim Burton, Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon Ho, Kevin Costner, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and M Night Shyamalan were among the celebrities who took to The Colosseum stage in Caesars Palace to promote the upcoming slate in the first studio presentation at CinemaCon 2024.

Bong and Pattinson promoted Mickey 17 from Plan B, which Bong described as a “tale of...

Warner Bros hosted a star-studded CinemaCon session on Tuesday in which the studio brought stars and showed clips from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Mikey 17, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Horizon: An American Saga, Joker: Folie a Deux, and Trap, among others.

Michael Keaton, Tim Burton, Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon Ho, Kevin Costner, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and M Night Shyamalan were among the celebrities who took to The Colosseum stage in Caesars Palace to promote the upcoming slate in the first studio presentation at CinemaCon 2024.

Bong and Pattinson promoted Mickey 17 from Plan B, which Bong described as a “tale of a...

The banner outside the Majestic Hotel said it all.

“The Last Dance” read the message on the banner from Turkish-based television sales group Global Agency, a farewell gesture to the international TV market MIPTV, a fixture on the industry calendar since its launch in 1965, which will wrap its final edition this Wednesday.

The billboard summed up the wistful mood of many industry executives who made the final trip to the Mediterranean to say farewell to Mip.

“It feels like a funeral march,” quipped one German channel boss, as he strolled down the streets past the mostly empty restaurants and cafes. In MIPTV’s heyday, when more than 10,000 international executives crammed into Cannes for the annual Spring market, it was a battle to find a free table.

Those days are long gone and Mip’s demise, as a TV market designed for the pre-streaming era, was a long time coming. Event...

The boss of Mediawan has praised the “very smart” buying community who in recent years have moved on from a domineering TV rights position.

The industry has changed in the past three or four years due to various “constraints,” Elisabeth d’Arvieu explained at MIPTV, as she also delved into detail about how her Count of Monte Cristo seller has become more “agile.”

“Commissioners have been very helpful,” she said. “Three to four years ago they were taking all rights worldwide and we had no other solution [than to accept], but now because of the constraints they have been very smart and are willing to work on windowing or a geographic split.”

D’Arvieu, whose French major owns the likes of Brad Pitt’s Plan B, cited examples such as Netflix co-producing with Finland’s Yle, which “we wouldn’t have seen maybe three years ago.”

On the drive for co-productions, she said...

Exclusive: The Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson sci-fi thriller Mercy is adding four with A Star Is Born‘s Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi and Kylie Rogers.

Timur Bekmambetov directs the Amazon MGM Studios project, which was penned by Marco van Belle. It follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime, and must prove his innocence is a future where capital crime has swelled.

True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Blinders’ Annabelle Wallis also star in the movie which is hitting theaters on Aug. 15, 2025.

Gersh, Affirmative Entertainment repped Gavron began his career with a breakout lead role in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, for which he earned a nomination for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Independent Film Awards. In addition to A Star Is Born, he also starred in the limited series Ghosts of Beirut, two seasons of Godfather of Harlem for MGM+,...

General Hospital spoilers tease that Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Bernard) is spinning out and no one knows why. Slowly but surely, Sonny has distanced himself from everyone who cares about him, except Ava Jerome (Maura West).

This seems like a strange decision given Sonny and Ava’s history. But unknown to anyone, Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) has taken over the Pikeman Organization from Jack Brennan (Charles Mesure), who is serving time in Pentonville after being caught by Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) and Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zomprogna).

General Hospital Spoilers – Valentin Cassadine Knows Sonny Corinthos’ Biggest Weakness!

During a recent discussion between Valentin and Brennan, they revealed that they were responsible for the death’s of former mob bosses who have outlived their usefulness to the group.

Sonny remains their greatest target because he refuses to allow Pikeman to use the Docks under his control.

Assassins sent by Pikeman have failed...

Exclusive: Los Angeles-based Premiere Entertainment Group has acquired worldwide rights to romantic comedy Plan B, starring Emmy-award winner Jamie Lee (HBO’s Crashing) and Jon Heder.

Premiere Entertainment will launch worldwide sales of the film at the upcoming American Film Market with all territories currently available.

Directed by first-timer Brandon Tamburri, from an original screenplay by Tamburri and Jean Monpere, Plan B follows the story of Piper, a young woman who, against better judgment, decides to sleep with a successful businessman and tells him he’s the father of her unborn baby after a one-night stand with her awkward neighbor leaves her pregnant.

The Joke Zero and Future Proof Films pic is produced by DJ Dodd, Erika Hampson, and Tamburri. Cast also includes Oscar Nominee Tom Berenger, Shannon Elizabeth, and SAG Award Winner Kate Flannery (NBC’s The Office). Rounding out the ensemble cast are Michael Lombardi (FX’s Rescue Me), Subhah Agarwal (HBO’s Westworld), Daniel K. Isaac (Showtime’s Billions), NFL star Vernon Davis, and Danielle Perez (A24’s Dicks: The Musical).

Full Synopsis reads: After a fun night out, rebellious writer Piper (Jamie Lee) drunkenly sleeps with her awkward neighbor, Evan (Jon Heder), and winds up pregnant. When she attempts to tell Evan the news, Piper quickly realizes that he’s not the long-term guy for her and the baby. After receiving news from publishing exec Jane (Kate Flannery) that her dream of a book deal is coming to fruition, she needs to find a stable relationship – and quick. Going against the advice of her best friend Maya (Subhah Agarwal), Piper opts to keep the pregnancy a secret until she can find a more successful guy to sleep with and hopefully start a family.

After a few failed and comical attempts at finding a match, Piper stumbles into Cameron (Michael Lombardi), a financial advisor and regular at the café she works at. Everything appears to be going as planned as Cameron falls for Piper and is ecstatic about the pregnancy. Cameron introduces Piper to his parents Joe (Tom Berenger) and Diane and fends off advances from his flirty boss Anne (Shannon Elizabeth) along the way. While juggling her double life, Piper continues to bump into her neighbor Evan, who has no idea that he is the father of her soon-to-be-born baby. However, Piper’s evil scheme starts to unravel when she starts second-guessing herself, realizing that she could be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Carlos Rincon, SVP of acquisitions at Premiere Entertainment, negotiated the deal with producer DJ Dodd on behalf of Joke Zero and Future Proof Films.

“This film has been a labor of love for me, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Premiere is the perfect partner for us, and I’m excited to be working with them,” Tamburri said.

DJ Dodd, Owner of Future Proof Films, added: “We are very proud of the film we’ve made through the immense hard work of all of our cast and crew. Making this film has been a fun ride, and we can’t wait to introduce it to the world.”...

Warner Bros. Pictures

Make sure you know where your Handbooks for the Recently Deceased (Diseased) are because the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice is hitting theaters in the fall of 2024. What do we know about the movie so far? Our only option is to draw a door, knock three times, and try to get some answers from Juno our caseworker.

While the Beetlejuice 2 cast sees some changes and the age rating has been updated, Michael Keaton will reprise his iconic role as the grimy yet comedic Beetlejuice. Many familiar faces return, along with some new additions to the Winter River, Conn. scene. Here's everything we know about "Beetlejuice 2" and its star-studded lineup.

Who will star in 'Beetlejuice 2'?Warner Bros. Pictures

Fans of the film Beetlejuice can jump in the line for joy because the sequel is nigh. Released in 1988, Beetlejuice centered around a sweet couple living...

On Wednesday, five Republican Senators fired off a letter to Netflix’s Ted Sarandos over the streamer service’s plan to have the executive producers of Game of Thrones adapt Chinese author Liu Cixin’s sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem. Tonight, Netflix’s VP of Global Public Policy fired back, nicely but firmly.

Accused of “normalizing” the Chinese government’s brutal incarceration of more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims by making a series of Liu’s award-winning books, Dean Garfield politely reminded the legislators that “Netflix does not operate a service in China.”

In a Q&a format to cut to the chase, the executive made it very clear that just because the author of The Three-Body Problem supports his government’s inhumane policy, the company, EPs David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and others working on the adaption do not.

“Netflix judges individual projects on their merits,” Dean Garfield told Senators Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scott, Martha McSally, Kevin Cramer, and Thom Tillis. on Friday. “Mr. Liu is the author of the book – The Three Body Problem – not the creator of this show,” Garfield added. “We do not agree with his comments, which are entirely unrelated to his book or this Netflix show.”

Winner of the prestigious Hugo Award in 2015 with the first book in the trilogy, The Three-Body Problem examines humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization. Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that the GoT EPs are turning the book into a series as a part of their $300 million overall deal with the company. Along with Brad Pitt’s Plan B, Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and Rosamund Pike being connect to the project too, Alexander Woo, co-creator of AMC’s The Terror: Infamy, who signed an overall deal with Netflix in February, will write and EP the Three-Body Problem series with Benioff and Weiss.

In their September 23 correspondence to co-ceo Sarandos, the five GOP Senators asked if senior executives at the streamer were aware of the statements made by Liu and quoted in the New Yorker last year before they made a deal to adapt his work.

The magazine’s Jiayang Fan asked Liu in the 2019 piece about the internment camps in Xinjiang province in northern China. She detailed: “He trotted out the familiar arguments of government-controlled media: ‘Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks? If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty… If you were to loosen up the country a bit, the consequences would be terrifying.’”

Based on those comments and the tensions between the Trump administration and Beijing, the Senators in their letter of Thursday pressed Netflix “to seriously reconsider the implications of providing a platform to Mr. Liu in producing this project.”

“We have significant concerns with Netflix’s decision to do business with an individual who is parroting dangerous Ccp propaganda,” the Senators asserted. “In the face of such atrocities in Xuar, there no longer exist corporate decisions of complacency, only complicity.”

Today’s response makes it pretty clear that Netflix believe they are guilty of neither complacency nor complicity.” Which means, this is nowhere near over in this year of election.

Read The Full Letter To The GOP Senators Here:

September 25, 2020

Senator Marsha Blackburn

Senator Rick Scott

Senator Kevin Cramer

Senator Thom Tillis

Senator Martha McSally

United States Senate

Washington,

DC 20510

Dear Senators Blackburn, Scott, Cramer, Tillis, and McSally:

Thank you for your letter from September 23, and your interest in the upcoming Netflix series adaptation based on The Three-Body Problem.

First, we’d like to note that Netflix does not operate a service in China.

We address your questions and concerns below:

Q: Does Netflix agree that the Chinese Communist Party’s interment of 1.8 to 3 million Uyghurs in internment or labor camps based on their ethnicity is unacceptable?

A: Absolutely. As the Un Declaration of Human Rights (which China has signed) states “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Q: In order to avoid any further glorification of the Ccp’s actions against the Uyghurs, or validation of the Chinese regime and agencies responsible for such acts, what steps will Netflix take to cast a critical eye on this project – to include the company’s

broader relationship with Mr. Liu?

A: Mr. Liu is the author of the books, not the creator of this series. Mr. Liu’s comments are not reflective of the views of Netflix or of the show’s creators, nor are they part of the plot or themes of the show.

Q: Were Netflix senior executives aware of the statements made by Mr. Liu Cixin regarding the Ccp’s genocidal acts prior to entering into an agreement to adapt his work? If so, please outline the reasoning that led Netflix to move forward with this project. If

not, please describe Netflix’s standard process of due diligence and the gaps therein that led to this oversight.

A: Mr. Liu is a Chinese citizen living in China – he is the author of the books, not the creator of this Netflix series. The creators are David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of Game of Thrones, and Alexander Woo, executive producer/writer on the series True Blood.

Q: Does Netflix have a policy regarding entering into contracts with public-facing individuals who, either publicly or privately, promote principles inconsistent with Netflix’s company culture and principles? If so, please outline this policy. If not, please

explain why not.

A: Netflix judges individual projects on their merits. Mr. Liu is the author of the book – The Three Body Problem – not the creator of this show. We do not agree with his comments, which are entirely unrelated to his book or this Netflix show.

Sincerely,

Dean Garfield

Vice President, Global Public Policy

Netflix...

Amazon has put in development The Underground Railroad with a script-to-series commitment. The one-hour original limited drama, a new take on the story of the underground railroad, hails from Oscar-winning Moonlight writer-director Barry Jenkins and producers Plan B and Adele Romanski.

The project, which was taken to the marketplace in the fall when Moonlight was just starting to gain awards momentum that culminated in winning three Academy Awards including Best Picture, is based on Colson Whitehead’s bestselling novel The Underground Railroad. The book, published in August by Doubleday, is a 2016 National Book Award winner and Oprah Book Club pick. It has drawn critical praise for its imaginative blend of history and magical fable – moving beyond the boundaries of realism in its depiction of a mythical underground train that transports slaves across an alternate America.

The Underground Railroad chronicles young Cora’s journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South.