Bret Easton Ellis to Make Directorial Debut With L.A.-Set Horror Movie ‘Relapse,’ Starring Joseph Quinn (EXCLUSIVE)

CPH:DOX, the prestigious documentary film festival in Copenhagen, has announced a competition program across six categories that features 47 world premieres.

Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn is set to star in a brand new horror thriller titled Relapse.The movie will mark the directorial debut of author Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote American Psycho and Less Than Zero among other novels.Quinn will play Matt Cullen, a young man whose sheltered life is altered when he witnesses a shocking death at a party. After time spent at rehab, Matt is seemingly back in a stable condition.

Alissa Simon Film Critic As some former European Shooting Stars celebrate Oscar noms for their latest films, the Europe-wide initiative to draw attention to up-and-coming performers coordinated by European Film Promotion introduces another 10 talents during the Berlinale. From Feb. 16-19, the selected actors will participate in workshops, as well as meetings with producers and casting directors.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Fandango Sales has taken global distribution rights outside Italy to Carlo Sironi’s coming-of-age drama “My Summer With Irène,” which will premiere in the Berlin Film Festival‘s Generation section. Sironi, whose first feature “Sole” made a splash on the international fest circuit, is back with this relationship drama starring rising French indie star Noée Abita (“Slalom”) and Maria Camilla Barandenburg (“Slam Italia”) playing two 17-year-olds named Clara and Irène who both have health issues.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Simon Moutaïrou, the critically acclaimed screenwriter behind the spy thriller hit “Black Box,” has partnered with some of France’s biggest players — leading producer Chi-Fou-Mi (“November,” “All Your Faces”) and Studiocanal — on his ambitious directorial debut, “No Chains, No Masters.” Now in post, “No Chains, No Masters,” is an epic movie inspired by historical accounts of former slaves in West Africa, nicknamed Maroons, who emancipated themselves from French settlements. Set in 1759, in the French colony of Mauritius Island, “No Chains, No Masters” is an epic historical drama following a father, Massamba (Ibrahima Mbaye Thié), and his fierce teenage daughter Mati (Anna Thiandoum) who defy all odds to survive a manhunt across the jungle and emancipate themselves from the hell of a colonial plantation.

Marta Balaga Films Boutique has reunited with “Green Border” director Agnieszka Holland on her Franz Kafka biopic “Franz,” currently in pre-production. Set to begin principal photography in April in the Czech Republic and Germany — during the centenary of the author’s death — the film has already been acquired for theatrical distribution by Bac Films Distribution (France), X Verleih (Germany), Bioskop (Czech Republic) and Kino Świat (Poland).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The life of Rosa Bonheur, a trailblazing feminist and artist who rose to fame in 19th century France, will be played by Melanie Laurent in a sprawling period movie directed by Fabienne Berthaud. “Rosa Bonheur” is being produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier and Caroline Benjo at Haut et Court, the company behind “Coco Before Chanel” and “The Night of the 12th,” which won a raft of Cesar Awards last year.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Cinema has sold political thriller “Hammarskjöld — Fight for Peace,” which is a box office hit in its home territory Sweden, to multiple key territories. Sales include Italy (Rai Cinema), France (Swift Prods.), Spain (Twelve Oaks), Portugal (Outsider Films) and former Yugoslavia (Discovery). A U.S.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor AGC Studios and Meridian Pictures has sold U.S. and Canada as well as Asia pay TV rights for the Brad Anderson-directed thriller “The Silent Hour,” starring “Suicide Squad’s” Joel Kinnaman, “1917’s” Mark Strong, “New Amsterdam’s” Sandra Mae Frank and “8 Mile’s” Mekhi Phifer, to the newly revitalized Paramount label Republic Pictures. In the film, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian state broadcaster RAI’s RAI Cinema film arm is launching a new standalone film sales unit at the European Film Market. The nascent sales company — which is called RAI Cinema International Distribution — aims to fill a gap within RAI’s content sales force given that RAI’s existing RAI Com sales unit is “mostly dedicated to TV product,” said RAI Cinema CEO Paolo Del Brocco.

Bret Easton Ellis is an interesting person. First, he’s the author of an iconic novel (a personal favorite of this writer), “American Psycho.” He also wrote other notable books like “Less Than Zero” and “The Rules of Attraction.” But he’s not just an author nowadays.

Christopher Vourlias Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits” has been tapped as the opening film at the sixth Joburg Film Festival, which takes place Feb. 27 – March 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The CGI animated sequel to “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness,” the hit adventure film based on the Dark Horse comics which sold around the world, has lured buyers ahead of the European Film Market. Titled “Chickenhare and the Very Very (Very) Old Groundhog,” the movie is budgeted at $23 million (a large budget by European production standards) and brings back the creative team behind the first film.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent European production and distribution group Newen Studios has appointed Pierre Branco — the former country manager of Warner Bros Discovery for France, Benelux and Africa — as CEO. Branco will begin his position at Newen Studios starting in April, succeeding Romain Bessi, who has decided to step down after a six-year tenure during which he led the company’s expansion.

Fox Entertainment Global (FEG) is headed to the London TV Screenings with a new-look sales team.

Alex Ritman “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” the Viggo Mortensen-directed Western in which the three-time Oscar nominee stars alongside Vicky Krieps, has landed a number of international sales for HanWay Films. Newly confirmed territory deals for the film — a Talipot Studio, Recorded Picture and Perceval Pictures production — include France (Metropolitan), Spain (Wanda & Elastica), Scandinavia (Scanbox), U.K. (Signature), Benelux (Imagine), Poland (Galapagos), Middle East (Front Row), Singapore (Shaw) and Airlines/Ships (Cinesky).

Naman Ramachandran Film and TV studio Fifth Season has secured international distribution rights to “Monsieur Spade,” the crime drama series starring and executive produced by Clive Owen. Fifth Season will represent the title at the upcoming Berlin European Film Market. The six-episode series is based on Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the protagonist of 1930 novel “The Maltese Falcon,” adapted several times for the screen, most notably in 1941 by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as the sleuth.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Global Screen has closed further deals on major territories for its animated adventure film “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights.” Variety debuts the new teaser (below). Viva Kids has acquired all rights for North America to the latest feature film in the franchise about a flying reindeer, following worldwide hits “Niko & the Way to the Stars” (2008) and “Niko – Little Brother, Big Trouble” (2012), which were sold to more than 120 countries. Further deals were concluded with Flins y Piniculas for Spain, CDC for Latin America, Nos Lusomundo for Portugal, Grand Entertainment for the Middle East and SVOE Kino for Ukraine.

Valerie Wu Intern After nearly six years, the end of Fox’s “X-Men” movies and an acquisition by Disney, Deadpool is finally back — and he’s arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first trailer for “Deadpool and Wolverine” was shown at the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday. Not only is Ryan Reynolds‘ Merc With a Mouth back, he’s also bringing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine — who fans last saw die in 2017’s sendoff movie “Logan.” The trailer shows the Time Variance Authority, the multiverse managers last seen in “Loki” Season 2, kidnap Deadpool while he’s celebrating his birthday and bring him into the MCU.

FBI: International is returning this month!