Dolly De Leon Sets Serial Killer Series Role as Philippines Producer CreaZion Studios Builds Film Slate

Jed Mercurio is behind some of the UK’s most successful dramas, and now it’s being reported that he is developing a new series based on the story of the country’s most notorious child serial killer.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Turkish director Tolga Karaçelic, who made a splash in the U.S. with absurdist comedy “Butterflies,” is getting ready to premiere his first English-language film, “The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer,” in which the offbeat serial killer in question is played by Steve Buscemi. The New York-set film, which takes Karaçelic’s comic streak in a new direction, will launch on Saturday from the Tribeca Film Festival.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Gospel of the Beast,” a film from The Philippines director Sheron Dayoc, was named the best narrative feature at the Bali International Film Festival (aka Balinale) which concludes Friday. The film features a 15-year-old boy who accidentally kills a classmate, runs away and sets up an unlikely relationship with a man he barely knows.

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, Anonymous Content has signed Anthony Caronna, the filmmaker behind HBO’s acclaimed docuseries Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, for representation. The company will look to support Caronna as they transition into narrative filmmaking.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Mark Johnson has produced some of the most distinctive movies and TV shows of the past 40 years. Think “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Rain Man,” “The Notebook,” “The Holdovers,” “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Yet Johnson was a surprise choice by AMC Networks to lead its massive investment in building out the Anne Rice literary universe in multiple TV series. AMC bought the TV rights to Rice’s literary vault of Southern Gothic vampire tales in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: The Chelsea Detective is back for more sleuthing on the glamorous streets of West London.

Netflix is putting toxic masculinity under the comedy microscope.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Los Angeles- and Bangkok-based film sales joint venture EST N8 is expanding into theatrical distribution in parts of Southeast Asia. As a first step, it will release the Michael Mann-directed “Ferrari” in Thailand on Thursday and in Myanmar on June 21. The film, which premiered in Venice in September last year, was released in other territories between December and February.

Dolly Parton has announced a new album, which will be accompanied by a four-part docuseries about her family history.Titled ‘Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables’, the album – produced by Parton’s cousin and touring band member Richie Owens – is due November 15.“I cannot believe that it has been 60 years this month since I graduated from Sevier County High School and moved to Nashville to pursue my dreams,” Dolly wrote in a statement on her official website.“My Uncle Bill Owens was by my side for many years helping me develop my music. I owe so much to him and all the family members past and present who have inspired me along this journey.

America’s favorite TV serial killer is back!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fresh from its Cannes premiere George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” dashed into the lead at the South Korea cinema box office. In doing so, it deposed “The Roundup: Punishment,” the local crime actioner that has dominated Korean cinemagoing for the past month. “Furiosa” earned $575,000 from 75,400 ticket sales on Wednesday, giving it a Korean total of $597,000, including a sprinkling of preview showings, according to data from the Kobis tracking service that is operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

A church in Glasgow where notorious serial killer Peter Tobin hid the body of one of his victims is to close for good.

EXCLUSIVE: Filipino producer-distributor CreaZion Studios is unveiling a slate of film and TV productions here in Cannes, including Severino: The First Serial Killer, which has Dolly De Leon joining Dennis Trillo in the cast.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Action choreographer Brahim Chab, who recently staged the action sequences for Deve Patel’s “Monkey Man,” has joined the crew of “Blood Passage.” To be directed by The Philippines’ Pedring Lopez, who recently completed the prison drama series “Sellblock.” “Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. It s tory follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces. The film is the first to emerge from the alliance between Lopez’s Blackops Studios Asia and Alaric Tay’s Very Tay Media.

Nicolas Cage never went away, but he’s had a recent career resurgence. “Pig” and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” were both critical successes for the star.

Selena Kuznikov Rupert Evans and Ewan Horrocks will lead the cast of a new four-part limited series, “Truth & Conviction,” for “Sound of Freedom” producer Angel Studios. Based on a true story, the follows Helmuth Hübener, a teenager who led a resistance group with his two friends during World War II in Hamburg, Germany. Evans will play Erwin Mussener, the SS Agent.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 27-member European Film Agency Directors Association and the Asian Film Alliance Network, which was established this time last year and currently has seven members, have agreed to work together on topics of common interest and to jointly develop a better world film ecosystem. At a meeting this week held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, EFAD and AFAN promised to enhance understanding and collaboration between Asian and European national film agencies. Topics included: dialog on policy and regulations; the development of the film industry in both regions; and addressing new media and challenges ahead. Separately, the founding AFAN members convened for a closed-door roundtable discussion on May 16.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Manila-based production outfit Parallax Studio and entertainment company Saga Film Studios have formed a joint venture that will distribute the two-part Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga” in the Philippines. The deal is the first of a number of acquisitions planned by the joint venture. The “Horizon: An American Saga” films are directed by and star Academy Award winner Kevin Costner.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korea’s Barunson E&A has picked up world sales rights to Vietnamese horror-comedy “Don’t Cry Butterfly.” Sales will be launched this week at the Cannes Market. Written and directed by Duong Dieu Linh, the Hanoi-set film follows a housewife who uses voodoo to try and get her cheating husband fall back into love with her, but instead invites a mysterious presence into the house.

Will Ferrell (SNL, The Shrink Next Door) is making a rare foray into scripted television in a big way.