‘Desert King,’ ‘The Survivors’ Series Under Way as Netflix Expands Australia Production Slate

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kim Jee-woon’s black comedy “Cobweb,” which debuted this year at Cannes, is set for a U.S. theatrical release in early 2024.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold the feature documentary “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee,” to Sky Arts, SBS Television Australia; to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics and to Movistar for Spain. Lee is known as the Dracula character and for transitioning from 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished acting career that encompassed James Bond films, the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises. Less well-known are his aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, Lee’s wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. As an actor, Lee achieved a Guinness world record for the highest number of screen appearances. Produced in association with the British Film Institute and Trigger Films by Canal Cat Films, “Life and Deaths” is an innovative documentary which uses fresh interviews, archive material and multiple forms of traditional and cutting-edge animation, including marionation, to bring one of the world’s leading actors back to life on screen.

Lady Anne Glenconner – a close childhood friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret – has opened up on King Charles' childhood, revealing he was often kept away from his monarch mother as a youngster due to his poor health. Lady Anne maintains a solid connection with the King and still sees him regularly – a friendship which has lasted decades as Charles would often stay at Holkham Hall as a boy with the Earl and Countess of Leicester.

K.J. Yossman Netflix has unveiled a new slate of programming at TV conference MIP Africa. The line-up includes the fourth season of hit drama “Blood & Water” plus a new feature-length rom-com, “Soweto Love Story.” The streamer also revealed a number of partnerships with South African filmmakers and production outfits.

Australian soap opera Neighbours is due to return to our screens in September, but fans aren’t happy about one key change to the show. The iconic series was famously axed by Channel 5 last year, but has since found a home on Amazon freevee’s network and will see the return of some much loved characters to the small screen.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production is under way on season two of “The Twelve,” a crime drama which follows a controversial murder trial as seen through the lens of the 12 jury members, ordinary members of the public with their own realities and struggles. On completion, it will screen on Foxtel’s Binge streaming service.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Susan Sarandon, playing the U.S. Secretary of State Alaska Adams, gets the better of Bryan Brown, as the Australian prime minister, in a fast-paced verbal duel that represents the first footage from the Sean Penn-produced satirical comedy series “C*A*U*G*H*T.” An elite team of Aussie soldiers is sent to an island nation to retrieve a secret file that has gone astray.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief HYBE Corp., the K-Pop powerhouse behind BTS, and the U.S.’s Geffen Records are to bring their global girl group audition efforts to Netflix as a docuseries that will launch next year. The two music companies announced the 2024 series and a companion-piece online show that kicks off on Thursday as their “The Debut: Dream Academy” moves up a gear. Having begun the selection process in November 2021 and screened some 120,000 submissions from young women hopefuls from around the world, they have now narrowed the field to just 20 candidates.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean actors Lee Je Hoon and Park Eun-bin, star of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” are set as hosts of the opening ceremony at the Busan International Film Festival. The event will take place on the evening of Oct.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker George C. Wolfe was not interested in doing what he termed “icon crap” in his movie Rustin, about the multi-layered life of Bayard Rustin, regarded as one of the most influential organizers of the Civil Rights Movement and the architect of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which took place 60 years ago this week.

Ashnikko has shared what it was like working with Ethel Cain on their track ‘Dying Star’, calling it “quite magical”.The two singers teamed up on the final track featured on Ashnikko’s debut album ‘WEEDKILLER‘. The song wraps up the entire LP which was based on a short story Ashnikko wrote about about a race of AI robots who destroy a fae forest.Speaking to NME as the latest star of The Cover, they shared the process of creating ‘Dying Star’ saying :“I wrote the first verse of the song in a session, and I didn’t know what to do with it and was sitting on it for a while.”They continued:“Then I played it to Ethel, and ‘Dying Star’ came out.

King Charles has an impressive portfolio of homes that stretch as far south as Tamarisk House on the Isles to Scilly to the Castle of Mey up in northern Scotland, with a few more fairly new additions to his collection.

“It’s a mad way to make a film, and I’m not sure it’s not something I would rush into again,” director Hope Dickson Leach said of the process behind her latest feature, the Edinburgh competition title The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

Netflix has announced four new productions as it ramps up its Australia originals slate, including movie Love Is In The Air, starring Delta Goodrem as a seaplane pilot falling for the man sent to sink her business.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has aimed a dig at football's schedulers for allowing other games which clash with the Women's World Cup final to go ahead.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is continuing to ramp up its slate of sports docuseries.

Disney has been going back and raiding its animated library for IP to turn into live-action productions. The folks behind the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ franchise have decided to do it the other way, taking the cast from the beloved live-action film and make an animated adaptation of the source material.

The Lionesses are one step away from making World Cup history after beating tournament host’s Australia in a thrilling semi-final. England beat Australia’s Matildas 3-1 in the nail-biting showdown at the Stadium Australia in Sydney on Wednesday.The Lionesses opened the scoring after 36 minutes when Ella Toone smashed the ball home from 10 yards after Australia failed to clear a cross from Lauren Hemp. England led at the break but the Matildas’ superstar captain Sam Kerr justified the pre-match hype with a rocket of an equaliser for Australia on 63 minutes.

The Wiz is heading back to Broadway in 2024, but first the musical will travel around the United States with nearly the full cast who will be seen in New York City!

The editor for Dahmer – Monster: A Jeffrey Dahmer Story is opening up about the scenes that were cut from the anthology series, and for good reason.