Wilson Chapman editorLily Collins’ love life is set to get even more complicated in Season 3 of “Emily in Paris.” At the Paley Fest panel for the show on Sunday, series creator and executive producer Darren Star announced onstage that Lucien Laviscount, who recurred in the second season of the hit Netflix comedy as the title character’s new love interest Alfie, has been promoted to a main cast member for the show’s upcoming third season and fourth seasons.Star, Laviscount and Collins were joined on the panel by “Emily in Paris” cast members Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo and Camille Razat, as well as director and executive producer Andrew Fleming. During the panel, Star also revealed that the show is set to begin production for Season 3 this June, jokingly asking if Laviscount was free for filming.
France’s UGC Series Develops Thriving Drama Strategy With Stakes in Headline Pictures, Itineraire & More Outfits (EXCLUSIVE)
24.03.2022 - 09:51 / variety.com
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentUGC, the long-running French film studio whose biggest hits include “Amelie Poulain,” has successful branched into TV series by acquiring stakes in a flurry of talent-driven production companies such as Itineraire Productions (“HPI”) and Headline Pictures (“Call My Agent!’s” British remake) in the U.K.Opting for a different approach to Gaumont’s or large media groups like Mediawan, the company has been building its label UGC Series as a coalition of independently-ran production companies under the leadership of Laurence Lenica, a veteran UGC executive, and Franck Calderon, a well-known writer, producer and former boss of TF1 Productions.So far, UGC Series comprises six banners. Along with Headline Pictures and Itineraire Productions, these include Henri Debeurne’s Next Episode whose credits take in “Christmas Flow” for Netflix and “J’ai tué mon mari” for NBCU and TF1; UGC Fiction, which Calderon is leading with Karine Evrard and Sophie Exbrayat, and which has delivered the ratings hit ”Jacqueline Sauvage, It was Him or Me”, and most recently “La Traque” for TF1.
The other banners are Aura Productions, newly-launched by Sarah Aknine and Aurélien Molas, and Nabi Productions which is led by Clément Birnbaum and Joachim Nahum. Through this strategy, UGC has diversified its activities while avoiding the costs of launching companies from scratch.
“All these companies are driven by passionate creatives and producers, and they have forged their own identity and complementary editorial lines,” said Lenica, who has worked closely with UGC’s managing director Brigitte Maccioni for over two decades. She said UGC Series’ role is “essentially to provide them with equity financing, some cash
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‘Emily in Paris’ Ups Lucien Laviscount to Series Regular for Season 3
“Emily in Paris” stars Collins as the titular character, an American who lands a dream job doing the social media strategy for a luxury marketing company in Paris. Season 2, which dropped on the streamer in December, saw Emily “getting better at navigating the city but still struggling with the idiosyncrasies of French life,” per a logline from Netflix.In January, the show was renewed for Seasons 3 and 4.
'Emily in Paris' Promotes Lucien Laviscount to Series Regular for Season 3
on the new season this summer, series creator Darren Star announced Sunday evening during PaleyFest.Additionally, Lucien Laviscount, who joined the series in season 2 as Alfie, has been promoted to series regular.In the second season, Laviscount's Alfie — a London native — meet in French class and their friendship grows into a romantic relationship. By the finale, the future of Alfie and Emily's romance is left up in the air.
‘Emily In Paris’: Lucien Laviscount Upped To Series Regular, Reprising Alfie Role In Season 3
Emily’s love life will continue to be complicated in Darren Star’s Netflix dramedy Emily In Paris. Lucien Laviscount, who played Emily’s (Lily Collins) Season 2 love interest Alfie, will be back next season and has been promoted to a series regular. The announcement was made during Emily In Paris‘ panel at Paley Fest.
Walter Hill Gets Festival Tribute; ‘ClearMind,’ ‘Second Chances,’ ‘Project Dorothy’ Set Casts; Acquisitions By Greenwich, Dark Star, Uncork’d, Gravitas, Freestyle, Gkids; EarthX Lineup; More — Film Briefs
EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Walter Hill was honored with a Tribute Ceremony in France on Tuesday evening, which marked the opening night of the International Thriller Film Festival – Reims Polar.
JoJo Siwa’s ‘Bounce’ With Will Smith as Producer Bounced Off Paramount Development Slate
Siwa told late-night host Jimmy Fallon. “Of course, not everybody in the world is going to accept it right now, but there are so many people who are going to accept it right now.
Berlinale Title ‘Nobody’s Hero’ Finds North American Distribution With Strand Releasing (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentStrand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Alain Guiraudie’s “Nobody’s Hero” which is handled by Films du Losange and world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. The movie, which opened the Berlinale Panorama section, is set in Clermont-Ferrand revolves around Frederic, a 35 year-old man who falls in love with with a middle-aged sex worker who is married.
‘Harry Wild’ & ‘To Olivia’ Writer Dave Logan Developing Crime Drama In Malta With Jo Spain
EXCLUSIVE: Dave Logan, creator of Acorn TV’s Harry Wild and writer on Roald Dahl film To Olivia, is developing a crime drama TV series set in Malta with his Harry Wild co-writer Jo Spain.
Eagle Eye Drama & Beta Film’s ‘Hotel Portofino’ Commissioned For Second Season – Mip TV
Walter Iuzzolino’s Eagle Eye Drama and Beta Film’s Hotel Portofino has been commissioned for a second series.
Cooking with the Stars renewed for a second series
Cooking with the Stars has been renewed for a second series. The show, fronted by Emma Willis and Tom Allen, will see eight new celebrities be taught to cook by a professional chef.
Composer Jeff Danna Channels “Positivity” Of Legendary TV Chef Julia Child With ‘Julia’ Score – Hear An Exclusive Track
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has the first exclusive track from Jeff Danna’s score for Julia, which is set for release tomorrow via Watertower Music.
Zendaya, Rosé and Bill Murray Attend Saint Laurent’s First Oscar Party, Taylor Swift Dances at CAA Bash
Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorSaint Laurent has entered the Oscar party race.The legendary French fashion house held its first pre-Oscar soiree on Friday night. Hosted by Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, the evening began with a VIP dinner for about 50 people at the Harvey house, a John Lautner-designed architectural gem in Los Feliz owned by Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch. A late-night reception for about 150 included a performance from indie band Wet Leg and waiters who passed around steak tar tar on potato chips and tomato crostini.
‘Fashion Babylon’ Pays Homage to the Kings, Queens and Courtiers of Couture as Jean Paul Gaultier Bids Farewell (EXCLUSIVE)
Leo Barraclough International Features EditorParis-based Italian director Gianluca Matarrese took a deep dive into the world of fashion for his latest documentary feature, “Fashion Babylon,” which world premieres on Saturday at CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen. Ahead of the premiere, he spoke to Variety about the film and upcoming projects.The idea for “Fashion Babylon” came to Matarrese after he met American musician and artist Casey Spooner in a bar in the Marais district of Paris, where the director lives.
AVOD Platforms Are Here to Stay, Say Series Mania Experts
Marta Balaga Advertising revenue makes up 60% of all online video revenue, with the online video market reaching $236 billion last year, while free platforms continue to dominate the video market, Maria Rua Aguete, senior research director at Omdia, said Thursday at a discussion about AVOD at Series Mania TV festival in Lille, France.“Something consistent is that people love YouTube. I know that many broadcasters and studios don’t want to call it AVOD, but the reality is that they offer video and people watch it, also on the big screen,” she said, kickstarting the discussion titled “Advertising Strikes Back: Are AVOD Platforms the New Big Thing?”In many countries, Netflix comes as the second favorite service (in the U.K., it’s public broadcaster BBC, for example), but Roku Channel (pictured, Roku comedy “Reno 911!”) and Samsung TV Plus also emerge as contenders, the latter in countries like Brazil and India.
Princess Diana’s Death and Conspiracy Theories Explored in Mini-Series by Headline Pictures, Itineraire Productions (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLondon-based Headline Pictures (“Kin”) and French banner Itineraire Productions (“Oussekine”) are set to produce together “Who Killed Lady Di?,” a drama mini-series set in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death in Paris in 1997. The series re-teams Itineraire Productions with Julien Lilti, the up-and-coming creator and screenwriter of Disney Plus Star’s original series “Oussekine” and Canal Plus hit show “Hyppocrates.” Lilti is writing the scripts for “Who Killed Lady Di” with the collaboration of Martine Monteil, who led the criminal investigation division of the French police at the time of Diana Spencer’s death.
French Doc Distributer Java Films Takes International Rights to Malaga Entry ‘Robin Bank’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Emilio Mayorga Award-winning French documentary distributor Java Films has grabbed world rights to Anna Giralt’s “Robin Bank,” a doc competition entry at this year’s Malaga festival.Produced by Jorge Caballero at Catalan-Colombian Gusano Films, Germany’s Indie Film and Catalan pubcaster TVC, in partnership with Arte France – La Lucarne, “Robin Bank” tells the story of Catalan activist Enric Durán who, between 2005 and 2008, managed to take out €500,000 ($550,000) in loans from 39 different banks which he never reimbursed, instead using the money to fund social projects.Imprisoned for two months, Durán was released on bail, and while he awaited trial, fled the country, declaring himself a fugitive. The film received warm a welcome from audiences at its recent world premiere at Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival.‘‘ ‘Robin Bank’ is a unique story that really speaks to our times.
Italy’s Picomedia Developing High-End Cambodia-Set Spy Thriller ‘The Supernotes Affair’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian producer Roberto Sessa (“The Sea Outside”) has snapped up rights to bestselling spy thriller “Supernotes” about a CIA-trained Italian intelligence officer who winds up in a Cambodian prison after investigating a sensitive scheme to print counterfeit $100 bills in North Korea.Picomedia chief Roberto Sessa plans to turn the book – which had previously been optioned by Alexandra Milchan’s Los Angeles-based Emjag Productions — into a high-end TV series that he is pitching to prospective partners during France’s Series Mania festival.“Supernotes,” which has been published in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., U.K. and France, is the purportedly true story of an Italian secret agent known as Agent Kasper who while on a mission during the mid-90s to investigate perfectly counterfeited $100 bills that were flooding Southeast Asia stumbles into an explosive secret behind them involving the CIA.
Watch Duran Duran light Capital Tower up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag
Duran Duran lit up the Capitol Records building in blue and yellow – the colours of the Ukrainian flag – and dedicated their 1992 song ‘Ordinary World’ to the people of Ukraine.The band performed to an intimate crowd of 250 – mostly friends, family and industry professionals – on the rooftop of the Aster nightclub on Thursday (March 17). Capitol Tower is in clear eyeshot of the Aster, and with Duran Duran having previously been signed to Capitol Records, it made a perfect backdrop for their message of solidarity with Ukraine.In a statement shared alongside a clip of the performance, bassist John Taylor said: “We are appealing to our fans in Russia to have an open heart and to support peace.
Series Mania Bows with a Tribute to Ukraine, Celebrates 20th Anniversary of ‘The Wire’
Marta Balaga Returning barely six months after its 2021 edition, which wrapped in September, French TV festival Series Mania welcomed Jury President Julia Sinkevych,who arrived in Lille from war-torn Ukraine.“I didn’t know if I would be lucky enough to be here tonight,” said Sinkevych to a standing ovation, with Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania general director, observing that culture cannot be insensitive to what is happening.“The whole world is now admiring our resistance, the resistance of the Ukrainian people. But there is another battlefield, which is culture, and I want us to be noticed, recognized and admired on the cultural battlefield, too,” added Sinkevych.“This [conflict] has been going on for a long time and there have been many episodes in this TV series.
Kino Lorber Acquires Mathieu Amalric’s Cannes Film ‘Hold Me Tight’ From Gaumont (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Mathieu Amalric’s “Hold Me Tight,” an engrossing family drama starring “Phantom Thread” actor Vicky Krieps. Co-produced and sold by Gaumont, the movie world premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.Adapted from Claudine Galea’s stage play, “Hold Me Tight” follows Clarisse (Krieps), a mother who has abandoned her family for mysterious reasons and is coping with great emotional upheaval.