France’s Superprod Group Acquires Luxembourg Animation Duo Studio 352 & Mélusine Productions

A suspected people smuggler has been arrested in Stockport as part of a series of dawn raids carried out by the Home Office. Four men, who are believed to have smuggled 50 people into the UK illegally, were detained on Wednesday (April 18).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, will be the subject of a biopic series produced by French mini-major Gaumont. The six-part show is being penned by Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, who previously teamed on the thriller series “J’ai menti.” Titled “Brigitte, une femme libre” (“Brigitte, a free woman”), the series will chart the life of French President Emmanuel Macron‘s wife. Gaumont is keeping the plot of the show under wraps and will be announcing the cast in the next few weeks.

EXCLUSIVE: Lumanity Productions announced that a feature film adaptation deal has been inked with Christine Mangan for her novel The Continental Affair.  

Studiocanal’s The Copyrights Group Bolsters Exec Team

EXCLUSIVE: Tom Payne, the British actor who starred in Fox drama series Prodigal Son, has new representation.

EXCLUSIVE: La Haine filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz is returning to the director’s chair to make English-language passion project The Big War, which will mark the first movie he has helmed in 13 years.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Apple TV+’s “Franklin,” which stars Michael Douglas, has its world premiere at series festival Canneseries on April 10 in Cannes, France. The show is produced by ITV Studios America and Apple Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: MGM+ has cast Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark) as the female lead opposite Alexander Ludwig in Earth Abides, a limited series that promises to offer an imaginative new take on George R. Stewart’s classic sci-fi novel of the same name.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Qatar-based powerhouse BeIN Media Group, a co-owner of U.S. indie studio Miramax, has taken distribution rights across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to live-action pre-school series “Saïd & Anna,” which has been nominated for this year’s Banff World Media Festival‘s Rockie Awards.

Kurt Cobain‘s death, photography duo Guzman (aka husband and wife Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock) have spoken to NME about their new book of unseen images of the late Nirvana icon.The book Family Values takes its name from an infamous Spin magazine cover with Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and their then-five-week-old daughter Frances Bean. Published in December 1992, it was been dubbed the ‘family values’ shoot because Kurt scrawled the phrase on Courtney’s belly.The words had dual meaning.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Ari Wallach has made his living as a professional futurist for more than 20 years. What does that mean? “I work with really large organizations, mostly helping them think about tomorrow — the far-off tomorrows,” Wallach explains on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” Wallach’s forward-looking intellect is on display in the new PBS docu series “A Brief History of the Future,” which premiered April 3 on PBS in the U.S. He hosts the series and is an executive producer with Kathryn Murdoch, Wendy Schmidt and DreamCrew, the production banner headed by hip hop superstar Drake.

Glass Animals have announced details of their new ‘Tour Of The Earth’, which will see them play live shows in the UK, Europe and North America later this year. Find ticket details below.The new dates come following the band sharing news of their highly anticipated fourth studio album, ‘I Love You So F***ing Much’ yesterday (April 3).

Twofour Hires ‘007: Road To A Million’ Producer & ‘Circle’ Exec

Studiocanal has signed the person responsible for setting up Netflix production hubs around Europe as its new TV boss.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In an acquisition which underscores the often shared sensibility between Canal+, France’s biggest pay TV operator, and Movistar Plus+, the largest Spanish pay TV player, Canal+ has acquired Canneseries winner “The Left-Handed Son” (“El hijo zurdo”), a Movistar Plus+ original series. The series will bow on Canal+ on April 5 in a deal brokered by Movistar Plus+ International. A psychological thriller with a lyrical undertow which surfaces to moving effect in key scenes, “The Left-Handed Son” marks the auspicious directorial debut of Rafael Cobos, the career-long co-scribe of Alberto Rodríguez, from 2005’s “7 Virgins” through international hit “Marshland” to 2017’s “The Plague,” still one of the biggest series which Movistar Plus+ has ever made.

EXCLUSIVE: MPI Media Group has acquired North American distribution rights for Saïd Belktibia’s French thriller Hood Witch starring Golshifteh Farahani and Denis Lavant.

EXCLUSIVE: Top Belgian distribution and production company Belga Films Group is teaming up with French director Cédric Nicolas-Troyan on an English-language, live action adaptation of the iconic, European comic book The Yellow M.

K.J. Yossman Fremantle has completed its acquisition of global production studio Asacha Media Group, the company confirmed today. Fremantle acquired the group from founding partners, managers and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management Fremantle’s group COO and CEO for continental Europe Andrea Scrosati spearheaded the acquisition.

Fremantle Completes Asacha Deal

Canal+ Group has acquired a stake in Senegalese production company Marodi TV, which is a key player in the West African drama series scene.