Canada’s Sphere Media has completed its C$24.6M ($18.2M) of UK-based distributor Abacus Media Rights. Going forwards, Abacus will be known as Sphere Abacus and act as Sphere’s sales wing.
Abacus founder and Managing Director Jonathan Ford will take up the same role at Sphere Abacus, reporting directly to Sphere CEO Bruno Dubé.
Sphere had struck the deal to buy Abacus — which shops the likes of Leaving Neverland, Travels With Agatha, Scrublands and Sphere’s Sort Of — back in June after a search for a distribution partner. Abacus has carved out a reputation as a key mid-sized distributor after launching in early 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe.
The plan for Sphere Abacus going forwards is for it to work with Sphere’s production business and continue to invest in, pre-sell and sell scripted and unscripted productions from indie producers. The company will remain in London and structurally little will change.
Abacus founder and Managing Director Jonathan Ford will take up the same role at Sphere Abacus, reporting directly to Sphere CEO Bruno Dubé.
Sphere had struck the deal to buy Abacus — which shops the likes of Leaving Neverland, Travels With Agatha, Scrublands and Sphere’s Sort Of — back in June after a search for a distribution partner. Abacus has carved out a reputation as a key mid-sized distributor after launching in early 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe.
The plan for Sphere Abacus going forwards is for it to work with Sphere’s production business and continue to invest in, pre-sell and sell scripted and unscripted productions from indie producers. The company will remain in London and structurally little will change.
- 9/3/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Wolf Creek director Greg McLean will write and direct The First Exorcist, a supernatural thriller out of Australia.
McLean’s Emu Creek Pictures is collaborating with Mark Fennessy’s Helium to make the pic, we can reveal. Production is set for Victoria, Australia, with a 2025 shoot date planned. Casting will follow.
The First Exorcist is billed as a “spellbinding fusion of religious and supernatural events set in Biblical times,” in which a mother goes on a harrowing quest to save her daughter from demonic possession. Plot reads: “As their lives descend into a nightmare, the mother learns of a mysterious healer with the power to expel demons, and embarks on a dangerous race against time – encountering hostile Roman authorities on her perilous mission to find the healer and save her daughter’s life.”
The plan is to use cutting edge virtual production tech in Victoria to bring epic ancient cities and locations to life.
McLean’s Emu Creek Pictures is collaborating with Mark Fennessy’s Helium to make the pic, we can reveal. Production is set for Victoria, Australia, with a 2025 shoot date planned. Casting will follow.
The First Exorcist is billed as a “spellbinding fusion of religious and supernatural events set in Biblical times,” in which a mother goes on a harrowing quest to save her daughter from demonic possession. Plot reads: “As their lives descend into a nightmare, the mother learns of a mysterious healer with the power to expel demons, and embarks on a dangerous race against time – encountering hostile Roman authorities on her perilous mission to find the healer and save her daughter’s life.”
The plan is to use cutting edge virtual production tech in Victoria to bring epic ancient cities and locations to life.
- 8/27/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Viaplay Results: Focus On Core Ops Working Slowly
Viaplay’s focus on doing what it does best willed out in its latest quarterly results, with total turnover down slightly but turnover in core operations increasing by a similar margin. Since the exit of former CEO Anders Jensen amidst financial turmoil last year, the Scandi outfit has been focused on making far less original content and supercharging sports rights. Today, Q2 turnover was shown to have declined a smidgeon to SEK4.49B ($424M), while core turnover rose by a similar amount to SEK4.29B. In further signs of green shoots a year on from Jensen’s departure, operating income, while still in the red, was only minus SEK70M, compared to minus SEK273M in Q2 2023. Jensen’s replacement as CEO, Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, said “our focused focused work to retransform Viaplay Group is progressing, with substantial changes being made across the business,...
Viaplay’s focus on doing what it does best willed out in its latest quarterly results, with total turnover down slightly but turnover in core operations increasing by a similar margin. Since the exit of former CEO Anders Jensen amidst financial turmoil last year, the Scandi outfit has been focused on making far less original content and supercharging sports rights. Today, Q2 turnover was shown to have declined a smidgeon to SEK4.49B ($424M), while core turnover rose by a similar amount to SEK4.29B. In further signs of green shoots a year on from Jensen’s departure, operating income, while still in the red, was only minus SEK70M, compared to minus SEK273M in Q2 2023. Jensen’s replacement as CEO, Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, said “our focused focused work to retransform Viaplay Group is progressing, with substantial changes being made across the business,...
- 7/18/2024
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Stan is saying goodbye to the Chalmers-Davis family.
The Australian streamer has put a fifth and final season of Bump into production, with filming underway in Sydney. The comedy-drama is Stan’s longest-running local scripted series, with the first season having launched back in January 2021.
The show is centered around ambitious teenage girl Oly, who unexpectedly has a baby, and the complications that follow for the Davis and Chalmers families.
The final season will hint at the future for the lead characters, jumping between past and present, as they face the cancer diagnosis of Oly’s mother Angie (Claudia Karvan) and try to celebrate the joy of Oly’s second pregnancy. Stan is providing the audience with a chance to be an extra by providing 30-second videos explaining what they’d like to see happen in the final episodes.
Nathalie Morris (We Were Dangerous), who plays Oly, will return...
The Australian streamer has put a fifth and final season of Bump into production, with filming underway in Sydney. The comedy-drama is Stan’s longest-running local scripted series, with the first season having launched back in January 2021.
The show is centered around ambitious teenage girl Oly, who unexpectedly has a baby, and the complications that follow for the Davis and Chalmers families.
The final season will hint at the future for the lead characters, jumping between past and present, as they face the cancer diagnosis of Oly’s mother Angie (Claudia Karvan) and try to celebrate the joy of Oly’s second pregnancy. Stan is providing the audience with a chance to be an extra by providing 30-second videos explaining what they’d like to see happen in the final episodes.
Nathalie Morris (We Were Dangerous), who plays Oly, will return...
- 7/1/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Canada’s Sphere Media has acquired Abacus Media Rights, the UK-based distributor that sells Leaving Neverland and Scrublands.
Sphere is partnering with Canadian broadcaster Bell Media on the deal with current owner Amcomri Entertainment. Bell owns a sizeable stake in Sort Of producer Sphere following an investment last year.
The Abacus deal will costs a total of C$24.6M ($18.6M), comprising C$18.3M in cash and the rest in the assumption of loans. The deal, which became binding today, is subject to approval and expected to close in mid-August.
Once it closes, Abacus operate under the name Sphere Abacus Media Rights. Abacus’ sales and acquisitions team will remain based in the UK and continue to report to founder and Managing Director Jonathan Ford, who will in turn join the Sphere Media executive team and report to Sphere Media CEO Bruno Dubé.
Abacus is best known as the distributor of HBO...
Sphere is partnering with Canadian broadcaster Bell Media on the deal with current owner Amcomri Entertainment. Bell owns a sizeable stake in Sort Of producer Sphere following an investment last year.
The Abacus deal will costs a total of C$24.6M ($18.6M), comprising C$18.3M in cash and the rest in the assumption of loans. The deal, which became binding today, is subject to approval and expected to close in mid-August.
Once it closes, Abacus operate under the name Sphere Abacus Media Rights. Abacus’ sales and acquisitions team will remain based in the UK and continue to report to founder and Managing Director Jonathan Ford, who will in turn join the Sphere Media executive team and report to Sphere Media CEO Bruno Dubé.
Abacus is best known as the distributor of HBO...
- 6/26/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Scrublands: Silver, the second season of the Stan Original Series, has started production in the picturesque town of Augusta, Western Australia. Based on Chris Hammer’s bestselling novel of the same name, Silver continues the story begun in Scrublands. Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote reprise their roles as investigative journalist Martin Scarsden and his partner, Mandy […]
Stan Original ‘Scrublands: Silver’ Begins Production in Western Australia...
Stan Original ‘Scrublands: Silver’ Begins Production in Western Australia...
- 6/13/2024
- by Jackson Anderson
- MemorableTV
TV content commissioning by streaming companies operating in Australia has tumbled, industry association Screen Producers Australia says.
A recent survey of Spa members found that 80% were experiencing “less” or “much less” commissioning interest from streaming companies, compared with a year ago. Less than 10% perceived more interest and a similar figure felt activity to be “about the same.”
The slowdown stretches across initial meeting activity, development and production. And it is having negative consequences for everything from financing to members’ mental health.
“This data is alarming [..] it is clear screen producers and the workforce they employ are only just hanging on,” said Spa in a statement.
As an English-language territory with highly developed production resources, a large post-production and VFX sector and generous production incentive schemes at federal and state level, Australia previously benefited from the rise of streaming platforms.
Global streaming companies – Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+, AppleTV...
A recent survey of Spa members found that 80% were experiencing “less” or “much less” commissioning interest from streaming companies, compared with a year ago. Less than 10% perceived more interest and a similar figure felt activity to be “about the same.”
The slowdown stretches across initial meeting activity, development and production. And it is having negative consequences for everything from financing to members’ mental health.
“This data is alarming [..] it is clear screen producers and the workforce they employ are only just hanging on,” said Spa in a statement.
As an English-language territory with highly developed production resources, a large post-production and VFX sector and generous production incentive schemes at federal and state level, Australia previously benefited from the rise of streaming platforms.
Global streaming companies – Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+, AppleTV...
- 6/5/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Production has begun on a second season of “Scrublands,” the Australian crime thriller series starring Luke Arnold (“Black Sails”) and Bella Heathcote.
With action set a year after the events of the first season, award-winning investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold) has returned to his coastal hometown, Port Silver, in Western Australia, to set up a new life with partner Mandy Bond (Heathcote). When he arrives to find his childhood friend Jasper brutally murdered and Bond the prime suspect, Scarsden struggles with doubts – about Bond and about his own ability to recognize the truth. As he pushes forward to find the real murderer and absolve Bond, Scarsden confronts secrets about Port Silver and his long-buried past.
The series is directed by Ben Young and written by Felicity Packard, Fiona Kelly and Jock Serong. It is based on “Silver,” the best-selling novel by Chris Hammer that is a sequel to the author’s “Scrublands” title.
With action set a year after the events of the first season, award-winning investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold) has returned to his coastal hometown, Port Silver, in Western Australia, to set up a new life with partner Mandy Bond (Heathcote). When he arrives to find his childhood friend Jasper brutally murdered and Bond the prime suspect, Scarsden struggles with doubts – about Bond and about his own ability to recognize the truth. As he pushes forward to find the real murderer and absolve Bond, Scarsden confronts secrets about Port Silver and his long-buried past.
The series is directed by Ben Young and written by Felicity Packard, Fiona Kelly and Jock Serong. It is based on “Silver,” the best-selling novel by Chris Hammer that is a sequel to the author’s “Scrublands” title.
- 6/5/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Luke Carroll (The Artful Dodger), Debra Lawrance (Please Like Me) and David Roberts (Please Like Me) are among the new stars of Australian drama Scrublands, which is gearing up for its second season on Stan and 9 Network.
Also starring alongside returning leads Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote in Scrublands: Silver are Tasma Walton (The Twelve), Luke Pegler (Hacksaw Ridge), Caroline Brazier (Year Of), Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door), Toby Truslove (La Brea), Sarah Roberts (Home and Away), Hamish Michael (The Twelve), Radek Jonak (The Surfer) and Damian De Montemas (Hounds of Love).
Above you can see an exclusive first-look image of season 2, with filming now underway in Augusta, Western Australia.
The season is being adapted from author Chris Hammer’s novel ‘Silver’, and here are some new plot details: A year after the life changing events of season 1, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold...
Also starring alongside returning leads Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote in Scrublands: Silver are Tasma Walton (The Twelve), Luke Pegler (Hacksaw Ridge), Caroline Brazier (Year Of), Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door), Toby Truslove (La Brea), Sarah Roberts (Home and Away), Hamish Michael (The Twelve), Radek Jonak (The Surfer) and Damian De Montemas (Hounds of Love).
Above you can see an exclusive first-look image of season 2, with filming now underway in Augusta, Western Australia.
The season is being adapted from author Chris Hammer’s novel ‘Silver’, and here are some new plot details: A year after the life changing events of season 1, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold...
- 6/4/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
NCIS: Origins has added Daniel Bellomy (Power Book II: Ghost), Caleb Martin Foote (Made For Love) and Robert Taylor (Longmire) in recurring roles. The CBS prequel to the venerable procedural has a straight-to-series order for the 2024-2025 broadcast season.
Executive produced and narrated by Mark Harmon, Origins begins in 1991, years before the events of NCIS, and chronicles Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ younger years. In the prequel, Gibbs (Austin Stowell) starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling Nis Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid).
Additionally, Mariel Molina will play Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Tyla Abercrumbie will play Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan and Diany Rodriguez will play Special Agent Vera Strickland.
Bellomy will play Special Agent Granville “Granny” Dawson, a young probationary agent, who’s cutting his teeth as the Evidence Custodian’s assistant,...
Executive produced and narrated by Mark Harmon, Origins begins in 1991, years before the events of NCIS, and chronicles Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ younger years. In the prequel, Gibbs (Austin Stowell) starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling Nis Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid).
Additionally, Mariel Molina will play Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Tyla Abercrumbie will play Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan and Diany Rodriguez will play Special Agent Vera Strickland.
Bellomy will play Special Agent Granville “Granny” Dawson, a young probationary agent, who’s cutting his teeth as the Evidence Custodian’s assistant,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
This May, AMC Networks features Season 2 of the critically acclaimed hit series Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, and Delainey Hayles, the new Sundance Now crime drama Scrublands, and the return of Acorn TV’s popular Harry Wild, starring Jane Seymour, among other new series, films, and specials across its streaming services.
AMC+ continues film premieres every week including IFC Films’ American Star, starring Ian McShane (Deadwood), the critically acclaimed The Taste of Things, starring Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), and Shudder Original films Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), and Stopmotion, starring Aisling Franciosi.
AMC+ will also celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with programming featuring signature series, new library additions, and a curated selection of feature films and documentaries, including Future of Film: Aapi Rising Stars, a new collection of shorts from the DC APA Film Festival,...
AMC+ continues film premieres every week including IFC Films’ American Star, starring Ian McShane (Deadwood), the critically acclaimed The Taste of Things, starring Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), and Shudder Original films Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), and Stopmotion, starring Aisling Franciosi.
AMC+ will also celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with programming featuring signature series, new library additions, and a curated selection of feature films and documentaries, including Future of Film: Aapi Rising Stars, a new collection of shorts from the DC APA Film Festival,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
“Scrublands”is a new Stan Originals Australian-produced live-action ‘rural noir’ TV drama series, directed by Greg McLean, based on the novel by Chris Hammer, streaming May 2, 2024 on Sundance Now and AMC+:
“…in an isolated and struggling country town, a charismatic and dedicated priest, ‘Father Byron Swift’ (Jay Ryan) opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners.
‘One year later investigative journalist ‘Martin Scarsden’ (Luke Arnold) arrives to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy. But when Martin's instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart, and he finds himself in a life and death race to uncover the truth.
“Martin finds the people of ‘Ruversend’ deeply scarred and hostile to journalists, with local bookstore owner ‘Mandy Bond’ (Bella Heathcote), ‘Constable Robbie Haus-Jones’ (Adam Zwar), and widow ‘Fran Landers’ (Victoria Thaine) giving him short shrift.
“…in an isolated and struggling country town, a charismatic and dedicated priest, ‘Father Byron Swift’ (Jay Ryan) opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners.
‘One year later investigative journalist ‘Martin Scarsden’ (Luke Arnold) arrives to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy. But when Martin's instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart, and he finds himself in a life and death race to uncover the truth.
“Martin finds the people of ‘Ruversend’ deeply scarred and hostile to journalists, with local bookstore owner ‘Mandy Bond’ (Bella Heathcote), ‘Constable Robbie Haus-Jones’ (Adam Zwar), and widow ‘Fran Landers’ (Victoria Thaine) giving him short shrift.
- 4/9/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
AMC Networks announced today that the four-part Australian rural noir crime drama Scrublands will premiere on Thursday, May 2, on Sundance Now and AMC+, with additional episodes dropping weekly on both platforms.
Based on Chris Hammer’s award-winning and bestselling crime novel by the same name, the captivating series follows a country town grappling with the aftermath of a horrible crime, still trying to come to terms with it a year on.
In an isolated and struggling country town, a charismatic and dedicated priest, Father Byron Swift, calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners. One year later, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.
But when Martin’s instincts kick in, and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart, and he finds himself in a life-and-death race to uncover the truth.
Based on Chris Hammer’s award-winning and bestselling crime novel by the same name, the captivating series follows a country town grappling with the aftermath of a horrible crime, still trying to come to terms with it a year on.
In an isolated and struggling country town, a charismatic and dedicated priest, Father Byron Swift, calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners. One year later, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.
But when Martin’s instincts kick in, and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart, and he finds himself in a life-and-death race to uncover the truth.
- 4/8/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Netflix’s upcoming arctic comedy finally has a name and has rounded out cast, as it goes into production in snowy Nunavut, Canada.
Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s North of North began production today. The comedy follows a young Inuk mother (Anna Lambe) who wants to build a new future for herself, but finds it won’t be easy in her small Arctic town where everyone knows her business.
Joining Anna Lambe and Keira Cooper in the cast are Mary Lynn Rajskub, Maika Harper, Braeden Clarke, Jay Ryan, Kelly William, Zorga Qaunaq and Doreen Simmonds (True Detective: Night Country).
Lambe and Cooper were cast in mother-daughter roles in December, as we reported at the time.
Rajskub...
Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s North of North began production today. The comedy follows a young Inuk mother (Anna Lambe) who wants to build a new future for herself, but finds it won’t be easy in her small Arctic town where everyone knows her business.
Joining Anna Lambe and Keira Cooper in the cast are Mary Lynn Rajskub, Maika Harper, Braeden Clarke, Jay Ryan, Kelly William, Zorga Qaunaq and Doreen Simmonds (True Detective: Night Country).
Lambe and Cooper were cast in mother-daughter roles in December, as we reported at the time.
Rajskub...
- 3/14/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Australian streamer Stan has today unveiled a 25-strong slate, adding scripted titles from Matchbox Pictures and the producers behind Colin From Accounts, acquisitions from the UK and U.S. and a new version of Drag Race to its ranks.
Content from the likes of All3Media, AMC, Banijay, the BBC, Fremantle, ITV, Lionsgate, Universal Internatational Studios, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros Discovery is on the slate, which was showcased at the iconic Sydney Opera House as Stan’s latest salvo in Australia’s competitive streaming market.
Among the key scripted originals is Critical Incident, a psychological crime thriller from Matchbox, the Australian production subsidiary of Universal Studio Group-owned Universal International Studios. Written by Sarah Bassiuoni (The Secrets She Keeps), it recently completed production in Western Sydney, with major production investment from Screen Australia.
The six-part show depicts life in the Western suburbs of Sydney and delves into the complex...
Content from the likes of All3Media, AMC, Banijay, the BBC, Fremantle, ITV, Lionsgate, Universal Internatational Studios, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros Discovery is on the slate, which was showcased at the iconic Sydney Opera House as Stan’s latest salvo in Australia’s competitive streaming market.
Among the key scripted originals is Critical Incident, a psychological crime thriller from Matchbox, the Australian production subsidiary of Universal Studio Group-owned Universal International Studios. Written by Sarah Bassiuoni (The Secrets She Keeps), it recently completed production in Western Sydney, with major production investment from Screen Australia.
The six-part show depicts life in the Western suburbs of Sydney and delves into the complex...
- 3/12/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Picking up on Berlinale Series Market hits, such as “Lost Boys & Fairies,” and teasing some of the big main competition swings at Series Mania – “Apples Never Fall,” “Rematch,” “So Long, Marianne” – the 2024 London TV Screenings are a powerhouse showcase of some of the biggest TV highlights of 2024, plus the trends shaping TV markets.
To help you cut through the slates, here’s Variety’s picks of 20 shows that will whet buyers’ appetites.
“Apples Never Fall” (NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution)
One highlight for NBCU, hosting the first London TV Screenings showcase on Monday Feb. 26 evening, is “The Day of the Jackal,” starring Eddie Redmayne, produced by “Top Boy” showrunner Ronan Bennett and directed by Brian Kirk (“Game of Thrones”). Highest profile, however – given its cast and now status as the biggest swing in Series Mania main competition – may be Peacock limited series “Apples Never Fall,” with Annette Bening as the...
To help you cut through the slates, here’s Variety’s picks of 20 shows that will whet buyers’ appetites.
“Apples Never Fall” (NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution)
One highlight for NBCU, hosting the first London TV Screenings showcase on Monday Feb. 26 evening, is “The Day of the Jackal,” starring Eddie Redmayne, produced by “Top Boy” showrunner Ronan Bennett and directed by Brian Kirk (“Game of Thrones”). Highest profile, however – given its cast and now status as the biggest swing in Series Mania main competition – may be Peacock limited series “Apples Never Fall,” with Annette Bening as the...
- 2/26/2024
- by John Hopewell and Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Underscoring the enduring popularity of crime drama, Abacus Media Rights (Amr), an Amcomri Entertainment company, has announced a slew of sales on two titles, led by Showmax Original “Catch Me a Killer,” a true crime drama with “Game of Thrones’” Charlotte Hope playing South Africa’s first and most famous serial killer profiler. Hope also headed “The Spanish Princess,” as Catherine of Aragon.
Amr has moreover closed further deals on fiction drama “Scrublands,” a scripted drama about the real reasons for a country town massacre. The sales comes as it is readying a screening of a third title, “The Boy That Never Was,” at this week’s London TV Screenings.
Scoring a coveted berth at next month’s Series Mania, Europe’s biggest TV festival, “Catch Me a Killer” has sold, among major territories, to BritBox North America, Sbs Australia, UKTV’s Alibi channel and Axn’s Mystery Channel/Nhk Enterprises (Nep) in Japan.
Amr has moreover closed further deals on fiction drama “Scrublands,” a scripted drama about the real reasons for a country town massacre. The sales comes as it is readying a screening of a third title, “The Boy That Never Was,” at this week’s London TV Screenings.
Scoring a coveted berth at next month’s Series Mania, Europe’s biggest TV festival, “Catch Me a Killer” has sold, among major territories, to BritBox North America, Sbs Australia, UKTV’s Alibi channel and Axn’s Mystery Channel/Nhk Enterprises (Nep) in Japan.
- 2/26/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Naveen Andrews has joined the cast of Paramount+’s Australian drama series Last King of the Cross.
He will play lead antagonist Ray Kinnock in the second season of the show, which tells the story of Sydney nightclub kingpin John Ibrahim (Lincoln Younes) and his brother Sam (Claude Jabbour).
Filming is underway on season 2 in Sydney, as John sights set on capturing a new kingdom — the glittering prize of Oxford Street, Sydney’s nightclub empire.
Andrews will bring to life the fictional character of Ray Kinnock, who is determined to either keep John out, or take him down. The actor is best known for his role on ABC cult drama Lost, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award along with the rest of the cast. He also appeared in the iconic classic movie The English Patient and, most recently, The Dropout, alongside Amanda Seyfried and is a...
He will play lead antagonist Ray Kinnock in the second season of the show, which tells the story of Sydney nightclub kingpin John Ibrahim (Lincoln Younes) and his brother Sam (Claude Jabbour).
Filming is underway on season 2 in Sydney, as John sights set on capturing a new kingdom — the glittering prize of Oxford Street, Sydney’s nightclub empire.
Andrews will bring to life the fictional character of Ray Kinnock, who is determined to either keep John out, or take him down. The actor is best known for his role on ABC cult drama Lost, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award along with the rest of the cast. He also appeared in the iconic classic movie The English Patient and, most recently, The Dropout, alongside Amanda Seyfried and is a...
- 2/2/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson are best known for helping bring an injured mongrel dog into the global consciousness in Colin From Accounts. Ahead of a busy 2024, the pair sat down with Deadline to chat about plans for their Easy Tiger Productions imprint, the state of TV in Australia and signing with CAA.
And where else to start, but with Colin From Accounts, Australian streamer Binge’s romantic sitcom series written by and starring real-life couple Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer. Over the weekend, the critically acclaimed show, winner of the Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logies, went into production on Season 2 after a delay primarily caused by the U.S. writers strike.
Gibson was first alerted to what would become Colin just after leaving his post as Head of Originals at Binge rival Stan. “Harriet had given me the script as a writing sample for another show,...
And where else to start, but with Colin From Accounts, Australian streamer Binge’s romantic sitcom series written by and starring real-life couple Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer. Over the weekend, the critically acclaimed show, winner of the Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logies, went into production on Season 2 after a delay primarily caused by the U.S. writers strike.
Gibson was first alerted to what would become Colin just after leaving his post as Head of Originals at Binge rival Stan. “Harriet had given me the script as a writing sample for another show,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Luke Arnold’s latest thriller, Scrublands, sees Martin Scarsden’s investigation into the tragic church killings orchestrated by Pastor Byron Swift. Those who knew Pastor Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) said he was a generous and kind-hearted man. He treated everyone with respect and was always the first to volunteer to serve the community. He preached the teachings of Christ but never forced or pressured anyone to follow suit. Maybe that’s why no one would have suspected what was going to happen next. One day, while everyone gathered around the church for their morning prayers, Pastor Swift went berserk. He cold-bloodedly murdered Craig (Martin Copping), Tom (Scott Major), Alf (Fletcher Humphrys), Hugh (Ben De Pagter), and Gerry (Adam Morgan) with his long-range rifle. Robbie, the cop, arrived at the scene, shot Pastor Swift, and ended his killing spree.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Martin Scarsden? Why Did He Visit Riversend?
Scrublands...
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Martin Scarsden? Why Did He Visit Riversend?
Scrublands...
- 11/17/2023
- by Rishabh Shandilya
- Film Fugitives
Mumbai Film Fest To Honor Luca Guadagnino & Mani Ratnam
The Mumbai Film Festival will honor Luca Guadagnino and Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam at the upcoming fest, which runs from October 27 to November 5. The former will win the Excellence in Cinema Award (International) while the latter is handed the South Asian version of the same award. Both directors will attend the festival to receive their gongs and conduct masterclasses. The festival will also screen Ratnam’s recent Tamil-language historical dramas, Ponniyin Selvan: Part One & Two, and Luca Guadagnino’s Golden Globe-nominated I Am Love. Previous receipients of Mumbai Film Festival’s Excellence in Cinema Awards include Darren Aronofsky, Sharmila Tagore, Fernando Meirelles, Jia Zhangke and Chen Kaige.
BBC Buys Denmark’s ‘Prisoner’ Starring ‘The Killing’s Sofie Gråbøl
The BBC has acquired Danish drama Prisoner starring The Killing’s Sofie Gråbøl. The series for national broadcaster Dr revolves around the lives...
The Mumbai Film Festival will honor Luca Guadagnino and Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam at the upcoming fest, which runs from October 27 to November 5. The former will win the Excellence in Cinema Award (International) while the latter is handed the South Asian version of the same award. Both directors will attend the festival to receive their gongs and conduct masterclasses. The festival will also screen Ratnam’s recent Tamil-language historical dramas, Ponniyin Selvan: Part One & Two, and Luca Guadagnino’s Golden Globe-nominated I Am Love. Previous receipients of Mumbai Film Festival’s Excellence in Cinema Awards include Darren Aronofsky, Sharmila Tagore, Fernando Meirelles, Jia Zhangke and Chen Kaige.
BBC Buys Denmark’s ‘Prisoner’ Starring ‘The Killing’s Sofie Gråbøl
The BBC has acquired Danish drama Prisoner starring The Killing’s Sofie Gråbøl. The series for national broadcaster Dr revolves around the lives...
- 10/25/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: CAA has signed Rob Gibson and Ian Collie and their production company Easy Tiger for representation.
Launched in Sydney, Easy Tiger’s recent credits include comedy series Colin From Accounts, which has been renewed for a second season in Australia and the UK, and will premiere in the U.S. on Paramount+.
Easy Tiger is also behind the award-winning Foxtel/Fifth Season/ITV courtroom drama series The Twelve starring Sam Neill, which is now in production on Season 2, as well as the Paramount+ series One Night starring Jodie Whittaker; Netflix’s outback drama series Desert King, now in production; Scrublands, the crime drama series premiering on Stan (Australia) and the BBC later this year; and the true crime docuseries The Hunt for the Family Court Killer, which will launch on Network Ten/Paramount+ later this year.
Easy Tiger recently won a record-breaking six awards at the 2023 Logies, Australia’s premier television awards,...
Launched in Sydney, Easy Tiger’s recent credits include comedy series Colin From Accounts, which has been renewed for a second season in Australia and the UK, and will premiere in the U.S. on Paramount+.
Easy Tiger is also behind the award-winning Foxtel/Fifth Season/ITV courtroom drama series The Twelve starring Sam Neill, which is now in production on Season 2, as well as the Paramount+ series One Night starring Jodie Whittaker; Netflix’s outback drama series Desert King, now in production; Scrublands, the crime drama series premiering on Stan (Australia) and the BBC later this year; and the true crime docuseries The Hunt for the Family Court Killer, which will launch on Network Ten/Paramount+ later this year.
Easy Tiger recently won a record-breaking six awards at the 2023 Logies, Australia’s premier television awards,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
The BBC has acquired all three seasons of Hulu’s Love, Victor.
Set in the same universe as hit movie Love, Simon, the show focuses on a new student at Creekwood High School, played by Michael Cimino. The series follows his journey of self-discovery: facing challenges at home and struggling with his sexual orientation. He reaches out to Simon when it seems too difficult for him to navigate his way through high school.
Love, Victor ran for three seasons between 2020 and 2022.
The deal was struck with Disney Entertainment. The BBC has been buying more American shows of late, having struck a deal for AMC’s Interview with the Vampire earlier this month along with Australian hits such as Colin From Accounts and Scrublands.
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, said: “Love, Victor is a heartfelt, funny and nuanced coming-of-age story,...
Set in the same universe as hit movie Love, Simon, the show focuses on a new student at Creekwood High School, played by Michael Cimino. The series follows his journey of self-discovery: facing challenges at home and struggling with his sexual orientation. He reaches out to Simon when it seems too difficult for him to navigate his way through high school.
Love, Victor ran for three seasons between 2020 and 2022.
The deal was struck with Disney Entertainment. The BBC has been buying more American shows of late, having struck a deal for AMC’s Interview with the Vampire earlier this month along with Australian hits such as Colin From Accounts and Scrublands.
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, said: “Love, Victor is a heartfelt, funny and nuanced coming-of-age story,...
- 9/22/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The BBC is bringing AMC Networks’ Interview with the Vampire TV series to the UK.
The public network has acquired the seven-part show from Amcn and will launch it on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer.
The show stars Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Sam Reid (The Newsreader, Prime Suspect 1973, Lambs of God), Bailey Bass (Avatar: Way of Water), Eric Bogosian (Succession, Billions, Uncut Gems) and Assad Zaman (Hotel Portofino).
It follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson), Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid) and Claudia (Bass) and their epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to journalist Daniel Molloy (Bogosian). Chafing at the limitations of life as a Black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis’ intoxicating new powers come with a violent price,...
The public network has acquired the seven-part show from Amcn and will launch it on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer.
The show stars Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Sam Reid (The Newsreader, Prime Suspect 1973, Lambs of God), Bailey Bass (Avatar: Way of Water), Eric Bogosian (Succession, Billions, Uncut Gems) and Assad Zaman (Hotel Portofino).
It follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson), Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid) and Claudia (Bass) and their epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to journalist Daniel Molloy (Bogosian). Chafing at the limitations of life as a Black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis’ intoxicating new powers come with a violent price,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Trailer
Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for “Jaane Jaan,” “Kahaani” filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh‘s Indian adaptation of Japanese author Higashino Keigo’s bestselling 2005 novel “The Devotion of Suspect X.”
The cast is led by Bollywood royalty Kareena Kapoor Khan and also includes Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”) and Vijay Varma (“Dahaad”).
The film follows a single mother and her daughter who commit a crime and a neighbor who helps them cover it up amidst a police investigation.
The novel has been adapted numerous times including in Japan as “Suspect X” (2008), in Korea as “Perfect Number” (2012) and in China as “The Devotion of Suspect X” (2017). A Hollywood version is in development.
“Jaane Jaan” is produced by 12th Street Entertainment and Northern Lights Films in association with Kross Pictures and Balaji Motion Pictures. Producers include Jay Shewakramani, Akshai Puri , Hyunwoo Thomas Kim, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta R. Kapoor.
Kapoor Khan said: “This...
Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for “Jaane Jaan,” “Kahaani” filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh‘s Indian adaptation of Japanese author Higashino Keigo’s bestselling 2005 novel “The Devotion of Suspect X.”
The cast is led by Bollywood royalty Kareena Kapoor Khan and also includes Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”) and Vijay Varma (“Dahaad”).
The film follows a single mother and her daughter who commit a crime and a neighbor who helps them cover it up amidst a police investigation.
The novel has been adapted numerous times including in Japan as “Suspect X” (2008), in Korea as “Perfect Number” (2012) and in China as “The Devotion of Suspect X” (2017). A Hollywood version is in development.
“Jaane Jaan” is produced by 12th Street Entertainment and Northern Lights Films in association with Kross Pictures and Balaji Motion Pictures. Producers include Jay Shewakramani, Akshai Puri , Hyunwoo Thomas Kim, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta R. Kapoor.
Kapoor Khan said: “This...
- 9/5/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
My At Meihodo
Michelle Yeoh, star of the globally acclaimed Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” will serve as guest of honor and advisor at the fifth Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival, a platform for young visual artists and one of the largest short film festivals in the world. The festival takes place in Fukuoka, Japan.
Other new guests include Maggie Q, film editor Gabriella Cristiani and Stephen Castor (“Spider-Man”), co-ceo of It’s Just Us Productions, Rocket Science 3D and Rocket Science Motion Capture Studios, franchise.
Returning guests include special advisor and composer Tan Dun and honorary chairwoman Yue-Sai Kan, an Emmy-winning television producer.
Since launching in 2018, Meihodo has become one of the largest and most popular short film festivals in the world. This year, the festival received a record 3,533 submissions from 122 countries and regions around the world.
“We’re so excited to welcome the incredible Michelle Yeoh,...
Michelle Yeoh, star of the globally acclaimed Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” will serve as guest of honor and advisor at the fifth Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival, a platform for young visual artists and one of the largest short film festivals in the world. The festival takes place in Fukuoka, Japan.
Other new guests include Maggie Q, film editor Gabriella Cristiani and Stephen Castor (“Spider-Man”), co-ceo of It’s Just Us Productions, Rocket Science 3D and Rocket Science Motion Capture Studios, franchise.
Returning guests include special advisor and composer Tan Dun and honorary chairwoman Yue-Sai Kan, an Emmy-winning television producer.
Since launching in 2018, Meihodo has become one of the largest and most popular short film festivals in the world. This year, the festival received a record 3,533 submissions from 122 countries and regions around the world.
“We’re so excited to welcome the incredible Michelle Yeoh,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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