Global Agency Chief Izzet Pinto on Launching Singing Show ‘Beat Me If You Can’

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has extinguished rumours that Manchester City have submitted a bid for Erling Haaland.

Refresh for latest…: It’s no secret that Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore had a less than magical opening domestically this weekend, coming after early overseas rollout began last frame. Still, offshore this weekend, the threequel was again the top movie and ranked No. 1 in 52 markets, including 41 of the 44 new openers. The overseas sophomore frame added $71.7M for a cume of $150.4M, bringing global just shy of $200M at $193.4M. In like-for-likes Dumbledore is running 38% behind the previous installment and 42% off the original.

Banijay Launches French Format Fund

Film Independent today announced the names of the 30 filmmakers, from 11 nations, selected to participate in its 2022 Global Media Makers LA Residency, taking place in person this month.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new contender in the arena.As Discovery begins its new era of operating Warner Bros., HBO and Turner, all eyes are on how the new company will navigate the media sector’s streaming wars with thousands of hours of content from popular TV brands like TLC, TBS, TNT, CNN and HBO. Behind that effort, however, could look a new sports giant that is poised to add another deep-pocketed player vying for major league negotiations that it previously ignored.Warner Bros.

MipTV returned to Cannes after two years with a much-reduced list of exhibitors, a compact agenda and bare Palais exteriors, devoid of its usual quirky advertising. Organizer RX had the “pandemic effect” on its side, with most delegates on the ground — just over 5,000 in all, they say — appreciative of in-person meetings and reconnecting with long-lost contacts.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking to Romain Bessi, CEO of French group Newen Studios. The company, which is producing Liaison, the first English and French language original for Apple TV+, is ramping up its global ambitions and Bessi takes us through the overall strategy. 

Wilson Chapman editorIn the HBO Max series “Julia,” celebrity chef Julia Child (Sarah Lancashire) has many allies in her quest to bring French cooking to public television. Chief among them are her loving husband Paul (David Hyde Pierce) and her sharp-tongued best friend Avis DeVoto (Bebe Neuwirth).

Refresh for latest…: New blood in the form of Sony’s Jared Leto-fronted Morbius led the global box office this weekend with an $84M debut, while Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 got off to a booming $25.5M start from its first 31 offshore markets. Warner Bros/DC also has something to crow about as The Batman topped $700M worldwide.

French actress/singer Soko and Cameroonian-American singer Vagabon are all smiles during UGG’s intimate dinner on Friday (April 1) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

NEW YORK -- David Hyde Pierce returns to TV this spring playing a familiar part — an erudite man who adores fine food, wine and art. But this has nothing to do with “Frasier.”Pierce is playing Peter Child, husband and chief cheerleader of Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to American home cooks through her TV series and books.“These are two people of great depth, of great complexity of character, who found each other, and I think we all are luckier for it,” said Pierce.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe battlegrounds in the streaming wars are shifting fast, just as real-life battle lines are being dug out in Eastern Europe.Russia has drawn near-universal condemnation because of its unprovoked attack on its neighbor Ukraine, launching a war with the country. The conflict has also rattled world markets and made investors nervous about geopolitical instability as the entertainment industry is banking more than ever before on the value of building platforms with global reach.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has the first exclusive track from Jeff Danna’s score for Julia, which is set for release tomorrow via Watertower Music.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticThe first thing you need to do whilst watching HBO Max’s “Julia” is to get all other versions of Julia Child out of your head. That proves easier than might be expected, given such enduring depictions as Meryl Streep’s lauded turn in Nora Ephron’s “Julie and Julia” (2009) or, most cartoonishly, Dan Aykroyd’s “Saturday Night Live” performance of Child as a careening agent of chaos who constantly bleeds out like a geyser.

BBC Greenlights Drama On Football Sexual Abuse Scandal; Nick Rowland & Matt Greenhalgh Attached

Naman Ramachandran Vice Distribution has struck a content partnership deal with French media group M6 to bring over 100 hours of premium Vice content to the TV network’s AVOD platform, 6play.The lineup of Vice shows set to roll on 6play comprises the fourth season of the hit psycho-analytical documentary franchise “Thérapie,” the acclaimed documentary “Real par Soul Sisters” and the street food series “Au Camion.” Some Vice franchises are also part of the deal, notably “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Rise Up” and “The Story Of,” as well as award-winning content such as “Gaycation,” “The Trixie” and “Katya Show” and “What Would Diplo Do?”“Vice produces and distributes premium content that resonates with young audiences around the world,” said Bea Hegedus, Vice global head of distribution. Vice Distribution launched in 2020 with a catalogue of over 1,000 of programming.