Cyber Bullying French Drama ‘Stalk’ Bought by HBO Latin America, Rai (EXCLUSIVE)

Brad Pitt might soon find himself hosting some jam sessions after he finishes the next phase of renovation on the lavish $164 million French estate he formerly co-owned with Angelina Jolie. The "Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood" actor, 57, is set to reopen Miraval Studios – a storied recording space created French jazzman Jacques Loussier in 1977 but has gone unutilized on the 1,000-acre Château Miraval since the early 2000s.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentProminent Dubai-based distribution and production outfit Front Row is going forward on its Arabic remake of French hit comedy “Intouchables,” with a writer and director team now attached and plans to start shooting in Egypt in May 2022.For the task of adapting the French original about a grumpy white paraplegic billionaire who strikes a friendship with his street-smart Black ex-con caretaker, Front Row has recruited Egyptian screenwriter Amr El Daly

A teenager battered a bully “twice his size” who repeatedly called him “speccy” while out celebrating his 18th birthday in a miners club, a court heard.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has acquired the John Fusco spec script Phantom, a package that includes producers Harvey Mason Jr of Harvey Mason Media, and John Legend and his Get Lifted Film Co producing partner Mike Jackson. Pic will be an adaptation of the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel Phantom of the Opera, set in contemporary New Orleans.

A couple of easyJet passengers have been lifted by authorities in France after “behaving disruptively” whilst flying from Belfast to Lyon.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNetflix (“Lupin”), Amazon, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus signed a long-gestating agreement with France’s broadcasting authorities (CSA) on Thursday to start investing 20% of their annual revenues on French content. The CSA expects the investment to be between €250 million ($282 million) to €300 million ($330 million) on average per year.The agreement came together after months of negotiations between French industry guilds, streamers and TV groups.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe rape claim against French director Luc Besson has been dismissed by a Paris judge following a lengthy judicial investigation.A source close to the public prosecutor’s office in Paris confirmed to Variety that the case, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy accusing Besson of rape in 2019, has been dismissed.

Bevan French has reached out to Wigan Warriors to confirm he is returning to the club - though he currently remains in Australia.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentJimmy Fallon and NBC’s all-star music competition series “That’s My Jam” is set to get a French adaptation that will be produced by TF1 Productions and Universal Television Alternative Studio.NBCUniversal Formats is handling international licensing on the show, which will mark the first international adaptation of “That’s My Jam.” Production is set to start next year.“That’s My Jam” is inspired by the wildly popular musical segments on NBC’s “The Tonight

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentA new study from the advocacy group Collectif 50/50 surveying French films from 2019 has revealed that 62% of local film protagonists are perceived as white, highlighting the underrepresentation of visible minorities in French cinema. The study, titled Cinégalités, was unveiled during a day-long conference hosted by Collectif 50/50 on Dec.

Bring on the beauty! Lily Collins made quite the statement with her glam during the first season of Emily in Paris. And after sitting down with the Aurélie Payen, the makeup artist for the show, we can pretty much promise that the second season, which launches on December 22, is going to serve up some seriously stunning looks. 

Liza Foreman Eric Lagesse, the CEO/president of Paris-based arthouse distributor and world sales outfit Pyramide Films, received the Industry Tribute Award at Cairo Film Festival on Friday. Variety spoke with him about his relationship with Arab cinema, and the state of the independent film business in France.How do you feel about receiving this tribute?It’s great, but I have had a year to get used to it.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentEric Zemmour, the French far-right pundit and TV journalist who has been called “France’s Trump,” sparked a scandal in French media earlier this week when he announced his presidential bid with a video that incited nationalist fervor and included unauthorized footage from classic movies, TV shows, newscasts and soccer games.The controversy echoes musicians such as Neil Young and the Rolling Stones threatening lawsuits over Donald Trump’s campaign using

Ben Croll When “Summit of the Gods” director Patrick Imbert graduated from France’s Les Gobelins school of animation in the late 1990s, he entered an industry still looking for its right footing.“The market and industry was not as developed as it is today,” Imbert tells Variety. “There were much fewer projects because there were much fewer screens.