Canada’s Sphere Media has acquired Abacus Media Rights, the UK-based distributor that sells Leaving Neverland and Scrublands.
06.06.2024 - 20:15 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi are back for more adventures in the Australian outback after Darby and Joan was renewed for a second season by Acorn TV.
The AMC Networks-owned streamer will filming the second season of the show later this year in Australia.
Darby and Joan stars Cocktail star Brown and War and Peace’s Scacchi as former cop Jack Darby and English nurse Joan Kirkhope, respectively, who collide in the Australian outback and become entangled in a string of intriguing mysteries. Forming an unlikely investigative duo, they quickly realise the greatest mystery they face is each other.
Season two finds Jack and Joan on the hunt for the one person Jack believes can reveal the truth about his mysterious past. Jack and Joan soon realize they aren’t alone on this journey and their quest becomes a race against time. But can they really find the truth after all these years? Or will their search for answers only unearth more questions?
The series, which was created by Glenys Rowe and Phillip Gwynne, is produced by CJZ Production and is exec produced by Matt Campbell, Claire Tonkin, Catherine Mackin and Bea Tammer.
Separately, Acorn Media International, which is the distributor, has sold the show into a number of global territories. It has been picked up by UKTV in the U.K., BBC Studios in Benelux, AXN Mystery Channel in Japan, Network 4 in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and Disney Channel in CEE. It also aired earlier this year on Australian broadcaster ABC.
“From its embryonic state some ten years ago, we always believed Darby and Joan would become a favourite crime solving couple. We are so pleased Acorn could see what we were trying to say with the series and have backed it every inch of the
Canada’s Sphere Media has acquired Abacus Media Rights, the UK-based distributor that sells Leaving Neverland and Scrublands.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest), which runs July 21-28, will open with horror film “Indera” by local director Woo Ming Jin and starring Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz. The festival will conclude with the double feature of “Love Lies” by Ho Miu Ki and “Peg O’ My Heart” by Nick Cheung.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor “Fingernails,” starring Jesse Buckley, Riz Ahmed and Jeremy Allen White, is to close the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The tender and idiosyncratic romantic drama, co-produced by Cate Blanchett, is the sophomore outing from director Christos Nikou, who made a splash with his debut “Apples.” The film centers on the Love Institute, a scientific organization that tests the mutual compatibility of people who have decided to embark on life’s journey together.
K.J. Yossman Upcoming period drama “Outrageous” has found its Mitford Sisters.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Bridgerton” star Florence Hunt, Jim Sturgess and Australia’s Teresa Palmer (“The Clearing,” “The Fall Guy”) have joined the cast of “Mix Tape,” a music-themed drama series. The Australian-Irish co-production shot in Sydney in May and is now underway in Dublin. The series is adapted by Irish writer Jo Spain (“Taken Down,” “Sanditon”) from the popular and critically-acclaimed novel of the same title by Jane Sanderson.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is now available to stream internationally.The first part of the stage production ran in Japan from January to February 2020, with the second part returning in August 2021, and is now available to watch in international territories around the world.As of June 21, viewers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa can watch on Crunchyroll.An official synopsis for the adaptation reads: “One day in Japan during the Taisho era, Tanjiro, a kind young man who sells coal, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. Worse yet, the only survivor, his younger sister Nezuko, is turned into a demon.“Despite his hopeless situation, Tanjiro makes up his mind to become a Demon Slayer in order to turn his sister back into a human and slay the demon who killed his family.
Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The Palm Springs International ShortFest has announced the juried and audience award winners for its 2024 edition, which took place June 18-24. Over $25,000 in cash prizes and five Academy Award-qualifying honors were presented to the winning films, which included Esteban Pedraza’s “Bogotá Story” and Jadwiga Kowalska’s animated film “The Car That Came Back from the Sea.” See a full list of winners below.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Flow,” a director-driven animated feature which world premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and just swept three awards at Annecy Film Festival, has been embraced by a raft of major distributors in key territories, including the U.K., Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain and Italy. The movie is represented internationally by Charades.
Masterpiece on PBS has ordered a 10th season of the mystery series, Grantchester. Stars Robson Green and Rishi Nair are set to return as DI Geordie Keating and Reverend Alphy Kottaram, respectively.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed further deals for Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,”following the North American deal with Strand Releasing and the first international sales previously announced by Variety.The film has been acquired by Nour Films in France, One From the Heart in Greece, Mezipatra in Czech Republic and Slovakia, HBO Europe in Eastern Europe, Beta Film in Bulgaria and Falcon in Indonesia, in addition to the already announced deals with Vedette in the Benelux, Karma in Spain, Trigon in Switzerland and Lev in Israel.Films Boutique is in negotiations with potential buyers in the U.K., Latin America, Germany and Japan.Additionally, New Voice Film Productions Ltd. secured distribution deals with Golden Scene for Hong Kong and Macau and Flash Forward Entertainment in Taiwan.“All Shall Be Well” is written and directed by Yeung and was produced by Yeung’s frequent collaborator Michael J.
Cadbury is set to delight chocolate lovers by bringing back the beloved Cadbury Top Deck for a limited time.
Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 had its first full day of play at the international box office on Wednesday with No. 1 starts in each of its eight material markets, including strong debuts in majors Korea and Germany as well as the Philippines. The total through day one overseas is $4.9M. Majors joining through Friday include Australia, Mexico and the UK.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language film debut “The Room Next Door” for key international territories, including the U.K., Spain, Italy, Germany and Latin America. Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and John Turturro, “The Room Next Door” will also be released by Warner Bros.
The waiting is almost over. Hundreds of thousands of Tartan Army have descended on Germany and millions more will watch around the globe as Scotland kick off Euro 2024 against the hosts in Munich's Allianz Arena.
Cornerstone has closed worldwide distribution deals for Andrea Arnold’s latest feature film Bird, which debuted at last month’s Cannes Film Festival.
EXCLUSIVE: Non-fiction agency Indox, launched by former Dogwoof exec Luke Brawley, has boarded Visions du Reel competition title Mother Vera and will use the pic to launch a new boutique service focused on representing non-fiction and progressive media works in the UK and Ireland.
Georgie Campbell’s husband is remembering her with lots of love after her tragic death.
Is this the year that England finally bring it home? Will Scotland get out of the group stage at an international tournament? Will Italy defend their title?
EXCLUSIVE: Growing specialty distributor 3388 Films has acquired rights to Vietnamese smash Face Off 7: One Wish, and has set the weekend of June 14 to launch in numerous markets, including the U.S., Canada and the UK.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off the Cannes Film Festival where it won several awards, Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “The Seed of The Sacred Fig” has been acquired by a flurry of high profile distributors in major international territories. Films Boutique, which represents the critically acclaimed political drama globally, has sold it to Lionsgate for the U.K.