Filmax Boards ‘The Monster of Many Noses,’ A Smart Genre Movie Debut from ‘Ministry of Time’ Helmer Abigail Schaaff (EXCLUSIVE)

K.J. Yossman “White Lotus” star Theo James smoulders over a glass of liquor in the first images to emerge from Guy Ritchie‘s upcoming series “The Gentlemen.” Kaya Scodelario (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge”) and Vinnie Jones (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”) also star in the series, which is loosely based on Ritchie’s 2019 feature starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Jeremy Strong and Michelle Dockery.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent As U.S. and European sales agents and distributors gather in Buenos Aires next week for Ventana Sur, there will be a very large elephant in the room: the stunning victory in Argentina’s presidential election Sunday of far right Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist.” Milei won 55.8% of the vote promising to do away with inflation, running at over 140%, as part of “drastic changes” which include scrapping Argentina’s central bank, dollarizing the economy and slashing public spending by 15% of GDP.

There were so many celebs in attendance at the 2023 GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles this year, with Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, and Megan Fox among those bringing star power to the event.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Belgium’s Stenola Productions, behind Joachim Lafosse’s 2022 Cannes Competition player “The Restless” and this year’s San Sebastian’s Golden Shell contender “A Silence,” has boarded “Elena,” written by Cannes Camera d’Or winner César Díaz (“Our Mothers”) and a potential highlight at this month’s Ventana Sur Proyecta forum. Stenola, which looks set to handle part of post-production, joins Norwegian lead producer Staer, founded by Elisa Fernanda Pirir, and Lithuania’s Just a Moment on a film which marks the anticipated feature debut of Dalia Huerta Cano, whose “Flesh That Remembers” won best doc short at Mexico’s Morelia Film Festival and DF Docs.

Michael Nordine author Over the last couple years, Please Don’t Destroy has gone from little-known comedy troupe to “Saturday Night Live” mainstays. Their pre-recorded sketches, most of which involve that week’s celebrity host, are routinely a highlight of the show — bits like “Three Sad Virgins,” “Molly Shannon 2K23” and “Hard Seltzer” are as off-the-wall as they are hilarious.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Thanksgiving,” a cheerfully debased — or maybe I should say de-basted — slasher film directed by Eli Roth, marks the second time that one of the luscious mock trailers from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s “Grindhouse” has been spun into a feature film. The first such movie, Rodriguez’s “Machete,” worked better than anyone might have expected; it gave Danny Trejo perhaps the best lead role of his career, and it was tasty enough in its high-zooming vengeful action hyperbole to spawn a sequel. Roth’s trailer for “Thanksgiving,” on the other hand, was a bloody perfect, outrageously transgressive parody of the holiday horror genre that had long gone out of style.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Courteney Cox shared a personal tribute to her late “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry on Instagram alongside one of her “favorite” memories of him: an outtake from an episode of “Friends” in which Perry whispered a line for her to stay when it’s revealed that Monica is sleeping in Chandler’s bed. The clip was first released as part of the “Friends” reunion special on Max. “I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” Cox wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment announced today the acquisition of North American distribution rights to Katie Burrell’s feature debut Weak Layers.

Remember the bright shining light that was Captain Marvel when she showed up to shepherd Tony Stark to safety in the first few minutes of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame? Well, judging by this weekend’s projections for Carol Danvers’ latest outing, that light has dimmed. Disney/Marvel’s The Marvels is headed for an estimated global opening through Sunday of $110M-$115M, which would rep the lowest start ever for a Disney MCU title worldwide.

The Chase star Jenny Ryan has showed off her dramatic transformation as she took to the stage to play the Wicked Queen in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The 41-year-old quiz master revealed her new look, which is very different from her usual appearance as The Vixen on the ITV game show. The flame-haired star posted a video to her Instagram wearing a black feathered crown as she dressed in a sequined gown.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “It is undoubtedly the best debut in Spanish cinema for years,” Pedro Almodóvar announced of Alauda Ruíz de Azua’s movie “Lullaby,” as it began to prove one of Spain’s liveliest sleepers of 2022, going on to score a Spanish Academy Goya Award for new director. Having made such an illustrious first feature, what kind of TV debut could Ruíz de Azua make directing her first series? Some large inkling was given on Wednesday as Movistar Plus+ opened up the set of miniseries “Querer” to a select delegation of Spanish press.

EXCLUSIVE: Production is gearing up on Fruit of the Poisonous Tree, a true crime action-drama set to star Scott Haze (Horizon: An American Saga), Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall Of The House of Usher), Joel Courtney (Kissing Booth), Tait Fletcher (The Mandalorian) and British singer HRVY in his feature film debut.

Buckle up, Apple TV+ subscribers: Legendary‘s MonsterVerse hits the streamer later this month with “Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters.” And advance word on the series is, well, as buzzy as possible. With its cast, scale, and (of course) its kaiju, “Legacy Of Monsters” looks like one of 2023’s last must-watch TV series.

Nick Clement In the upcoming musical romantic comedy “That’s Amore!,” audiences will have their chance to see John Travolta doing what so many of his fans love to see him doing — singing and dancing with a smile on his face. The star’s enduring popularity certainly isn’t lost on writer-director Nick Vallelonga, who won two Oscars for writing and producing the 2018 hit “Green Book,” and is thrilled to be finally getting the film off the ground.

This year’s Tokyo Film Festival closes this evening with the world premiere of Godzilla Minus One, the latest edition in Toho’s monster franchise, directed by filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Barcelona-based studio Filmax has scooped international rights to “Just One Small Favor,” the new film from Zeta Studios, which is behind Netflix smash hit “Elite” and HBO Max Spanish banner title “García!” Released in Spain by Universal on Nov. 10, “Favor” will receive its market premiere at this week’s American Film Market.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent 2023’s American Film Market may be shaping up for “a rather quiet year,” says Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the executive board at Germany’s Constantin Film. That said, Moszkowicz will stay in Los Angeles for around 10 days. “We have so much business there – and much of it is not related directly to the market,” he says.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Bringing one of Spain’s biggest potential box office hits onto the market at the AFM, Filmax has secured international sales to “A Moroccan Affair,” the third installment in the most successful Spanish movie franchise in history. “Moroccan Affair” is produced by Telecinco Cinema and Lazona, the duo behind comedies “Spanish Affair” (2014) and “Spanish Affair 2” (2015), which still rank as the biggest, and third-biggest, respectively, Spanish-produced box office hits of all time at Spain’s box office, grossing a combined €90.9 million ($96.3 million).

Jacob Elordi plays Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola‘s Priscilla, a film that chronicles the life of Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “No Me Sigas,” the directorial debut of “Anything’s Possible” writer Ximena García Lecuona, and “Malamuerte,” from Caye Casas, a rising star of pitch black Spanish comedy, both feature in a rich and far-ranging 2023 Blood Window Lab, the project platform of Ventana Sur’s genre forum, which unspools Nov. 27-Dec. 1.