Cannes Thriller ‘Sleep’ Sells to Magnolia’s Genre Arm, Magnet Releasing (EXCLUSIVE)

is back with another, equally captivating season 2 that comes complete with a new star-studded cast of characters, even more cryptic clues to spot and genres to explore as audiences try to solve a whole new murder.With season 2 premiering with two episodes on July 12 before mystery unfolds with the remaining eight episodes on Apple TV+, executive producers Anthony King, Chris Miller and Phil Lord as well as returning stars Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish and Zoë Chao, and other members of the new ensemble, break down what's to come in a deeper, even more complex installment of the anthology series. «Season 2 is definitely an extension of season 1,» Chao tells ET, teasing that «there's a lot at stake» as the series goes «further into the genres.» Not only that, «we now have two families and with that comes rich histories. And we get to really go into origin stories that span decades,» she adds. Season 2 picks up a year after the events of season 1, which saw Detective Danner (Haddish) solving the murder of performer Xavier (Dave Franco) and clearing the names of his former high school classmates, Aniq (Richardson) and Zoë (Chao). Now, the two are officially dating, with Aniq preparing to meet Zoë's family for the first time during the wedding between her sister, Grace (Poppy Liu), and her fiancé, Edgar (Zach Woods). Among the many guests — and list of suspects — are Edgar's family, including mother Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins) and sister Hannah (Anna Konkle), as well as former business partner Sebastian (Jack Whitehall) and the groom's adored pet lizard, Roxana (played by eight different lizards named Bob).

What is an arguably privileged actor-turned-filmmaker doing making a story about Lakota men on the Pine Ridge Reservation as they grapple with a world built against them and navigate unique paths to manhood? Well, having made lifelong friends in South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation when shooting the Andrea Arnold film, “American Honey,” actress Riley Keough felt compelled to tell one of their stories in the film “War Pony.” READ MORE: Gina Gammell & Riley Keough’s ‘War Pony’ Is Overstuffed, But Admirable [Cannes Review] Enlisting the help of filmmaker (and her half-sister) Gina Gammell, a screenwriter and producer on such films as the upcoming “Sweet Lamb of Heaven” and “Welcome the Stranger” (2018), “War Pony” made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it was included in the aspiring Un Certain Regard Category.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Strand Releasing has acquired the North American rights to Pierre Creton’s “A Prince,” a French film which world premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. “A Prince” won the SACD Prize from France’s Writers’ Guild for the best French-language film at Directors’ Fortnight. Represented in international markets by Andolfi, “A Prince” follows a horticultural student, Pierre-Joseph, whose sexual encounters with his botany teacher and mentors lead to a unique hybrid tale of science, sex and meditation. “We’re thrilled to be handling ‘A Prince,’ Creton’s work is such a rarified vision that fits so well with the Strand Releasing brand, we look forward to taking this out to some of the top festivals across North America,” said Marcus Hu at Strand Releasing. 

Brent Lang Executive Editor Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to “Once Within a Time” from Godfrey Reggio, the experimental filmmaker behind the cult masterpiece “Koyaanisqatsi.” The indie studio will release “Once Within a Time” theatrically in the fall of 2023, following its premiere as part of The Museum of Modern Art’s film series “Total Cinema of Sight and Sound: Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass,” which runs Sept. 26 – Oct. 4.  The movie is co-directed by Jon Kane, with original music is composed by Philip Glass with additional music and vocals by Sussan Deyhim. Glass, a legendary experimental composer, first worked with Reggio on “Koyaanisqatsi,” which was “presented” by Francis Ford Coppola in 1982. Reggio and Glass have collaborated on seven films over the last four decades, including “Visitors,” “Evidence,” and “Anima Mundi.”

Over the past several years, Neon is a distributor that has earned a reputation for consistently releasing some of the best films each year. Last year, Neon released a number of acclaimed features including “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” and “Triangle of Sadness,” for example.

more beloved auteurs among the critical community of the last few decades. Mann recently directed the pilot for HBO Max’s “Toyko Vice” while executive producing the Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe-starring show.

Selome Hailu The fireworks in the sky on Tuesday night also made their way to Hollywood’s data desks. Viewership of “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks” on Peacock more than doubled when compared to last year’s show, Variety has learned exclusively, though exact streaming numbers for both 2022 and 2023 are unavailable. However, as the holiday event was simulcast across both Peacock and NBC, linear numbers show an increase as well: 4.6 million viewers tuned in to NBC’s live 8 p.m. airing, marking a 3% increase from 2022. In ratings among the adults 18-48 demographic, the fireworks jumped by 15%, scoring a 0.71 on Tuesday. And for the 10 p.m. encore, total viewership was up 4% while 18-49 ratings increased 20% compared to last year. (These statistics are all based on Live + Same Day data.)

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Kinology has boarded Quentin Dupieux’s (“Rubber”) ferocious comedy “Yannick” which will world premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival. The anticipated film is produced by Thomas et Mathieu Verhaeghe at Atelier de production, and Hugo Selignac at Chi-Fou-Mi Productions. “Yannick” stars Raphaël Quenard, Pio Marmaï, Blanche Gardin and Sébastien Chassagne. Yannick” unfolds during a mediocre stage performance of “Le Cocu” during which an audience member revolts and takes the full reins of the room. “‘Yannick’ is Quentin Dupieux’s most mature film; it’s both melancholic and thoughtful,” said Gregoire Melin, Kinology’s founder and president. “We’re so excited to be reteaming with him after ‘Daaaaaali!’ and ‘Wrong’ on this new film which could become even more cult than his previous movies,” Melin continued. 

Will Tizard Contributor Major international productions have been bypassing the Czech Republic for the past year — but local producers and lawmakers have a plan to win such players back, they announced at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival this week. The Czech incentives system essentially shut down in 2022 after major productions used up the $62.7 million annual cash-back rebate funds available — or so said the officials overseeing the program. The Czech Republic has offered competitive 20% rebates — with a $6.8 million cap per project — as incentives for major productions for a decade now. The system has been heralded as the key to staying competitive in a part of Europe that’s highly in demand for big-budget shoots by the likes of Amazon, Netflix and the Hollywood majors.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent TOLEDO, Spain — Carmen Machi (“Piggy,” “30 Coins”), one of the foremost performers of her generation in Spain, is attached to play legendary Barcelona agent Carmen Balcells, prime architect of the Latin American Boom and a key figure in the break out of Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa to worldwide renown.  Chile’s Invercine, producer of “News of a Kidnapping” which swept April’s Platino Awards, is teaming with Spain’s Abacus, Pausoka and Grupo Lavinia to develop and produce “Boom Agency” (“La Agencia del Boom”) which turns on Balcells extraordinary life, achievement and personality. The deal was confirmed to Variety at Conecta Fiction.

“There’s something I have to tell you:” As an 18-year-old undergraduate at Harvard, Ted Hall was recruited to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team develop a weapon that would alter the course of human history. When the Atomic Bomb was detonated twice the following year, over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hall did not share in his colleagues’ enthusiasm for the Manhattan Project.

EXCLUSIVE: Black Widow actress Olga Kurylenko and American Gangster actor Armand Assante are toplining Kevin Lewis’ latest feature thriller, Misdirection, which looks to shoot later this year.

is bringing a new book to fans of the show, true-crime followers, and history buffs alike. Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr., who worked together on the CBS drama for many years, have penned the non-fiction book, It is the first narrative non-fiction title from the pair and is set to be released by Harper Select on Nov.

Naman Ramachandran Julia Fox, breakout star of “Uncut Gems” has signed on as executive producer for Luis De Filippis’ debut feature “Something You Said Last Night.” The Canadian-Swiss project bowed at Toronto in 2022 and won the Shawn Mendes Change Maker Award there and went on to win major awards at San Sebastian, Cairo and Rotterdam. It stars emerging performer Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano (“Due South”), Paige Evans (“Trapped With My Husband”) and Joey Parro (“Nikita”). The trans themed story follows 20-something aspiring writer Ren (Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Evans) as they reluctantly accompany their parents on a family vacation.

“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Taylor Armstrong revealed she’s bisexual during the latest episode of the show.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Chile’s Daniela Ramirez, International Emmy-nominated for her performance in HBO Max’s three-part limited series “Isabel: The Intimate Story of Isabel Allende,” is attached to star in the upcoming sci-fi thriller series “La Isla.” The series will be directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla, among the pioneering Mapuche filmmakers emerging from Chile who made her international debut with her well-received pics, “Bad Influence” and “My Brothers Dream Awake,” the latter premiering at the 74th Locarno Film Festival. Among the stellar Chilean projects being presented at Conecta Fiction, the premier television event taking place in Toledo, Spain, “La Isla” received the highest grant given out by Chilean goverment org CNTV last year. Sales agent Esperanza Garay has also signed on to rep the film.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Utopia has acquired the North American rights to the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard New Voice Prize winner “Omen,” the debut feature from artist-musician turned director Baloji. The film follows a young man, Koffi, played by Marc Zinga (“Spectre”), who after spending years in Belgium returns home to the Congo to find himself confronted by his past and culture at a family event. Koffi visits his birthplace after being mysteriously shunned by his family and spending years abroad in Europe. With his soon-to-be wife and unborn child in tow, Koffi’s arrival sets in motion a sprawling, nightmarish and psychedelic fairy tale about ancestry, belief, wrestling, witchcraft and sorcery in Africa today.

Cosmopolitan Magazine’s editor-in-chief, stopped by Stagwell’s Sports Beach Monday morning to talk about her latest projects and her obsession with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his fiance Lauren Sanchez.Q: You are a bit of a media jack of all trades. What are you doing while you’re in Cannes and what kinds of conversations are you looking forward to having during the festival?A: Right now, I’m working on waking up from a very late dinner last night at Hotel du Cap, which was extraordinarily fun. The whole of Cannes is like a sport, isn’t it? If you can get through to the end of it you deserve a medal. Q: I know. I think I need another coffee after this. It’s quite early. I wanted to ask you about some of your current projects. I know you’re doing production stuff. Tell me how you got into that. I know you have a big editorial background. What was your path?A: I was a journalist for a long time and then I was an editor for a long time and now I’m more entrepreneurial.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Following the announcement of the North American acquisition by Cohen Media, The Match Factory has revealed further sales in key territories for Marco Bellocchio’s Cannes Competition title “Kidnapped.” The film adapts the true story of the kidnapping of the young Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara, starring Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, Enea Sala and Leonardo Maltese. The film has its release secured in the following territories: U.K. and Ireland (Curzon), Australia and New Zealand (Palace Entertainment), Japan (Fine Films), Latin America (Cine Video y TV), Spain (Vertigo Films), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (Agora Films), Poland (Best Film), Portugal (Alambique), Greece and Cyprus (Rosebud.21), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aerofilms), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Hungary (Vertigo Media), Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), Bulgaria (Art Fest), Israel (United King Video), Ukraine (Traffic Films), Taiwan (Light Year Images) and Indonesia (Falcon Pictures). Further territories are in negotiation.

is ready for seconds. The award-winning and acclaimed FX comedy returns to Hulu with season 2 on June 22, promising new recipes for the same beloved kitchen. Created by Christopher Storer,  tells the story of fine-dining chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who returns home to save his family's failing Chicago sandwich shop, The Original Beef, in the wake of his brother Michael's (Jon Bernthal) suicide.