EXCLUSIVE: Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry has signed with CAA for representation.
13.04.2023 - 08:43 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has greenlit a landmark documentary series spotlighting a once-in-a-generation Pompeii dig from Secrets Of The Saqqara Tomb producer Lion TV.
All3Media-owned Lion has gained access to a huge excavation taking place on the site of the former ancient city, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius around 2,000 years ago.
In the BBC’s Pompeii, present-day discoveries about the Roman world will be combined with a ‘ticking clock’ narrative told through the stories of real individuals from history who witnessed the ancient disaster.
“We don’t know what [the dig] will find but we do know the BBC wants new ways of hearing these stories,” said Richard Bradley, Chief Creative Officer of Lion.
Bradley said buyers are seeking docs with “cinematic and dramatic elements” that eschew a Western gaze, pointing to the positive reaction elicited by Lion’s 2020 feature film Secrets Of The Saqqara Tomb, which followed a team of Egyptian archeologists as they discover a tomb from the 25th century BC in a necropolis.
“The old factual grammar of presenter-led, narration-heavy storytelling is gone,” he added. “You need to take viewers on a journey of discovery.”
In a similar vein, Lion is working on anAlexander the Great docudrama for Netflix and another undisclosed project for the streamer, along with the BBC’s My Caribbean with Liz Bonnin [w/t], in which the natural history presenter returns to her Caribbean roots to reveal the exotic wildlife and remarkable people of the region.
Filming at the moment, the BBC described My Caribbean as an “immersive natural history travelog” and Bradley said it speaks to Lion’s desire to produce “stories at the interface between the natural and human world” at a lower price
EXCLUSIVE: Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry has signed with CAA for representation.
“The Daily Show” guest host Dulcé Sloan isn’t buying it.To kick off her week guest-hosting the show, Sloan mocked Egyptian officials for their outrage, after they claimed the ancient queen was actually “fair-skinned” and Greek.“Oh, OK. Egypt is concerned about ‘historical accuracy.’ I didn’t hear you complain when all them ‘Mummy’ movies came out,” Sloan mocked. “What are you talking about? We got mummies coming back from the dead, chasing Brendan Fraser, and y’all don’t have a problem,” she continued.
Lovestruck! Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson gave fans a rare glimpse at their five-year romance while making their Met Gala debut as a couple.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sydney Chandler has been cast as a lead in Noah Hawley’s “Alien” series currently in the works at FX, Variety has learned. Plot and character details are being kept under tight wraps on the project, which was first announced in December 2020. The only detail that has been confirmed is that the show will take place on Earth in the not-too-distant future. The role brings Chandler back to FX, as she previously made her network television debut in the cabler’s 2022 limited series “Pistol” from Danny Boyle, which told the story of the legendary band The Sex Pistols. Chandler starred in the series as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Chandler’s other credits include the film “Don’t Worry Darling” and the Facebook Watch series “SKAM Austin.” She is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple series “Sugar” opposite Colin Farrell.
The prestigious Visions du Réel film festival in Nyon, Switzerland wraps up this weekend, after hosting the world premiere of dozens of documentaries.
Netflix‘s Queen Cleopatra.In the documentary, which is narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, Cleopatra is portrayed by biracial actress Adele James (Casualty).Her casting has sparked a debate in Egypt, with various figures accusing the docudrama of “blackwashing” the country’s history. One lawyer even filed a lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the project had contradicted and distorted Egyptian history in favour of promoting Afrocentrism.On Thursday (April 27), the antiquities ministry in Egypt weighed in on the debate, saying that Cleopatra had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics”.“Bas-reliefs and statues of Queen Cleopatra are the best proof,” the ministry’s statement read (via The Independent).Queen Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, was born in 69 BC and died in 30 BC in Alexandria.
When EastEnders fans found out that soap icon, Rita Simons, who played Roxy Mitchell for 10 years was returning to Albert Square, it’s safe to say that they were both excited and baffled. Mainly due to the fact that Simons’ character was killed off in 2017 alongside her on-screen sister, Ronnie Mitchell, who was played by Samantha Womack.
Netflix has greenlit a Keira Knightley-starring thriller, the latest series from The Crown producer Left Bank and a Bank of Dave sequel.
IFC Films on Tuesday announced their promotion of longtime company executive Harris Dew to the role of Senior Vice President and General Manager of IFC Center.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Nic Pizzolatto is developing a series version of “The Magnificent Seven” at Amazon, Variety has confirmed. The project was originally reported on back in March with a series commitment. It was originally intended to be an original series, but was refashioned to be a new take on the Western classic. Pizzolatto previously co-wrote the 2016 remake of “The Magnificent Seven.” The logline for the reboot states, “In the tradition of the great epics from the golden age of westerns, an outlaw and his cohorts must unite a disparate band of indelible fighters to defend a settlement of immigrant homesteaders in an open range war against cattle barons in central Texas, telling an expansive saga of adventure, action and romance.”
Tina Gharavi is speaking out about portraying Cleopatra as black in the upcoming Netflix mini-series, Queen Cleopatra.
Jade Thirlwall has shared a heartwarming message from her dad about his main concern about her being out in Los Angeles.The former Little Mix star, who recently enjoyed a night out in London, has been spending a lot of time on America's west coast after signing a solo record deal last year. And in a WhatsApp exchange shared by the 30 year old on her Instagram Story on Saturday evening, it was clear that her dad thought she was working too hard and needed to have a break in true British style.
Any parent will know that going away during the school holidays can drastically increase the cost of any holiday.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The trailer (below) for “Draw for Change!” – which was named best documentary series at Canneseries this week – has debuted. The feature film version of the first of its six episodes, “Behind the Lines,” will world premiere at Visions du Réel Film Festival on April 28. The series, from creators Guillaume Vandenberghe and Vincent Coen, profiles six female cartoonists working in six geographic areas of the world, in six individual films and broadcast episodes. Female directors with close connections to each of the societies represented were chosen to tell the stories. Autlook Film Sales is handling international sales.
Tina Gharavi Guest Contributor Last summer, I was living in Venice Beach and had decided, due to a friend’s persistence, to visit a fortune teller. Me, ever the sceptic but game for a laugh, agreed to go along. What the fortune teller said made me roll my eyes: “I am not saying you are Cleopatra but somehow you share her story and are connected.” Less than a month later, I got a call from a production company making Jada Pinkett Smith’s “African Queens” and was subsequently hired to direct four episodes of a drama-documentary on the life of the controversial leader. The joke was on me. I remember as a kid seeing Elizabeth Taylor play Cleopatra. I was captivated, but even then, I felt the image was not right. Was her skin really that white? With this new production, could I find the answers about Cleopatra’s heritage and release her from the stranglehold that Hollywood had placed on her image?
Netflix has given a series order to a new supernatural mystery from executive producers Matt and Ross Duffer titled The Boroughs, created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor One year after Los Angeles’ beloved Landmark closed, the city’s exhibition scene is looking a little brighter – or at least, it will be when a few long-awaited venues open or reopen in 2023, including the Vista, the Egyptian and the new Vidiots outpost at the Eagle Theatre. Between grappling with the stratospherically priced L.A. commercial real estate and persuading adults to return to movie theaters, the local exhibition scene has weathered numerous challenges since COVID forced businesses to shutter operations. “It’s better than last year for sure, because COVID is officially over May 11,” says Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, referencing the end of the federal public health emergency declaration. “So that is a great piece of information for people — they will probably go out more when they feel the official end to the pandemic.”
Netflix for depicting Cleopatra as a Black woman in a new documentary.al-Semary filed a case with the Public Prosecutor to shut down the streaming service in Egypt, following the release of the trailer for Queen Cleopatra – you can watch it below.As reported by Egypt Independent, the lawyer has demanded that serious legal action be taken against those responsible for the making of the documentary.The case claims that the documentary contradicts and distorts Egyptian history in favour of promoting Afrocentrism.al-Semary described the new depiction of the historic figure as a “crime”, and blamed Netflix’s management team for its participation in the project. He also demanded a thorough investigation of the process, as well as an outright shutdown of Netflix in Egypt.The case submitted against Netflix stated: “Most of what Netflix platform displays do not conform to Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones.”It added: “In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world there must be pride in the makings of such work.”The complaint has also accused the makers of the documentary and platform management of “forgery”.Former Egyptian Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass said that documentary was “falsifying facts”, adding that “This is completely fake.
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So we’re going to do the hard work for you.
The eve of the King’s Coronation will be marked by a glittering Buckingham Palace reception attended by foreign royalty. Princess Beatrix, the former queen of the Netherlands, has confirmed her attendance at the event, expected to be hosted by Charles, alongside her granddaughter and heir to the Dutch throne Catharina-Amalia, the Princess of Orange.