‘Coming 2 America’s’ Nomzamo Mbatha Set for South African Drama ‘Shaka Ilembe’ – Global Bulletin

K.J. Yossman Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”) and Anders Danielsen Lie (“Bergman Island”) are set to join Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway in “Mothers’ Instinct.”The film, which is based on Barbara Abel’s novel “Derrière la Haine,” tells the story of Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway), two best friends and mothers living an outwardly idyllic life a stone’s throw from each other in 1960s America.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. TV producer Content Kings and production finance broker and distribution agent Silverlining Rights have revealed a raft of international pre-sales for “Diana: The Ultimate Truth” (1×60’), a documentary which investigates the circumstances leading up to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 25 years ago.

Julee Cruise, a singer, songwriter, and actress best known for her work with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti on Twin Peaks, passed away Thursday at 65 by suicide after a four-year battle with systemic lupus. Her husband, Edward Grinnan, first shared the news in a post to a Facebook fan group for the B-52s, with whom Cruise toured on and off throughout the ’90s. “For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today,” Grinnan wrote.

Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s fantasy family martial arts movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, has officially taken over Ari Aster’s Hereditary as the highest grossing movie worldwide ever from A24, $80.9M to $80.2M.

EXCLUSIVE: Animation studios Slingshot USA and Sunrise Animation Studios have partnered with Christian streamer Minno to produce faith-based shows for kids and families, starting with Young David, about the early years of the biblical king who defeated Goliath.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Taipei Film Festival has named prolific writer-director-producer Kevin Chu (aka Chu Yen-ping) as the recipient of its Outstanding Contribution Award. During the 1980s and the 1990s, Chu made many popular memorable commercial films and discovered several promising new actors — Chu wrote the script of “Never Too Late to Repent” and won the best screenplay award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. After that, Chu made this directorial debut, “The Clown and the Swan,” which was a critically-acclaimed box office success in which comedy actor Hsu Pu-liao established his name.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentSaudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding Telfaz11 Studios is teaming up with France’s Easy Riders Films to develop and produce a slate of four features directed by emerging Saudi talents with international ambitions.The first title expected to go into production is “Night Courier,” a comedy about a young man named Fahad who winds up in possession of six crates of illicit booze in an Arab city known for its hidden delights and dangers. This project was first presented last year at the inaugural Red Sea Film Festival’s Red Sea Souk projects market.The four-picture pact between Telfaz11 and Easy Riders was forged at the Cannes Film Festival.Founded by Alaa Yousef Fadan, Ali Al Kalthami, and Ibrahim Al Khairallah, Telfaz11 is an innovative content company that started out in the YouTube space and has since seen rapid growth in both production and distribution.

For the first time, the rainbow flag has been flown on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.

After holding what is one of the most anticipated sequels in decades due to Covid, Paramount finally roars its engines on its Tom Cruise feature Top Gun: Maverick in what is not only expected to be the 3x Oscar nominee’s best worldwide opening of his career at $180M, but also a record for him stateside with at least $92M-$100M+ and what also looks to be one of the top ten debuts over the 4-day Memorial Day weekend.

Rise Films is nearing the end of what has been a monumental month for the London-based production outfit. Last week, HBO Max launched the company’s two-part documentary George Carlin’s American Dream, which chronicles the life and five-decade career of the comedian with Judd Apatow in the director’s seat.

Justin Bieber has announced the final international dates for his record-setting Justice World Tour, including a new UK date. Having sold in excess of 1.3 million tickets so far, the Justice World tour will travel to over 30 countries.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefCinema box office this year in North America is poised to overtake theatrical revenues in China, the country that has been the world’s largest movie market for the past two years.Before the latest weekend, gross revenues in the year to date stood at $2.38 billion for the North American compared with $2.43 billion for China, according to data from ComScore.U.K.-based research firm Gower Street Analytics forecast that the North American figure would overtake China’s revenues over the weekend or early this week. That reflects business growth in North America and the current reversal in China, where anti-COVID measures are causing renewed cinema closures.Gower Street says that some 85% of global cinemas are now open for business, compared with pre-pandemic levels.

This UK & South African co-production with Ida Rose & ANTS Media stars team up for action thriller film Stolen directed by Sheridan De Myer. Shantelle Rochester will serve as producer along with Uzanenkosi Mahlangu. Stolen is the first installment of what is set to be an action thriller movie franchise with BET+. 

EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA-winning Uprising producer Rogan Productions and Electric Shadow Company are forging Original Sin, a documentary miniseries exploring calculated South African murderer Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren and his trial.

Christopher Vourlias Rising South African filmmaker Thati Pele, the director of the hit Netflix teen drama “Blood and Water” and the streamer’s new original series “Savage Beauty,” is preparing her first feature film, which will be produced by the team behind the Oscar-shortlisted LGBTQ drama “The Wound.”“Brace Yourself” unspools on a failed romantic island getaway, where straitlaced orthodontist Dr. Shaloba Molefe decides to kidnap her unravelling family and won’t let them leave until they love her again.

EXCLUSIVE: Mahatma Gandhi’s life is to be detailed in a multi-season streaming period drama series akin to Netflix global smash The Crown, Deadline can reveal.

Christopher Vourlias Gravel Road Distribution Group has acquired world sales rights with producer Rani Sitaram to “Greytown Girl,” a romantic drama set in Apartheid-era South Africa from Oscar-nominated director Darrell Roodt (“Yesterday”).The film tells the true story of a small-town South African girl, Meena, who was born with physical limitations and abandoned as a baby. Through her personal bravery she’s able to build a better life, even as her journey of self-realization and self-love unspools against the dramatic backdrop of Apartheid South Africa’s journey toward its first democratic elections.“What I love most about ‘Greytown Girl’ is its authenticity.