‘House of the Dragon,’ ‘This Is Going to Hurt’ Lead Winners at BAFTA TV Craft Awards

Emiliano De Pablos Arguably, no other established Spanish film and TV industry has grown faster over the last decade than its service sector for international shoots. Some of the world’s most favorable tax incentives have helped propel business to historic heights. Kicking off in 2015, tax regs rose muscularly during mid-pandemic in 2020. But in December, the Spanish government took it up another notch, establishing tax advantages for international productions of up to €20 million ($22.2 million) per movie and $11.1 million for a TV series episode. That increase went into effect Jan. 1. With a special tax regime, the Canary Islands’ ceiling is $40.0 million for a film and a $20 mil- lion per series episode, some of the highest in Europe.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “My Life As a Zucchini” director Claude Barras has set up his latest stop-motion animated feature, “Savages!” Production company Gebeka International — a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company formed in 2021 — and production, financing and sales studio Anton are behind the project, which will be written by Barras and Catherine Paille (“Magnetic Beasts”). The project will be shopped to buyers in Cannes next week. “Savages!” follows the emotional journey of a girl, her father and a rescued baby orangutan. The film has a strong environmental and conservationist message, exploring the crisis of the destruction of rainforests.

Jordan Moreau George R.R. Martin’s world of Westeros from his “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels is one of the most sprawling fantasy universes ever created. There are countless complex characters (with confusing names) that lived across dozens of generations in which they fought, killed, allied, betrayed and had children with one another.

The writers strike, so far, has not affected production on Amazon series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO’s House of the Dragon, both of which are currently shooting in the UK.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International After several writers told Variety they’ve been frustrated about the lack of clarity around the rules for projects set up with the U.K. branches of “struck” companies like Disney or Netflix, but aren’t covered by WGA terms, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has attempted to clarify the rules of play. On Thursday, the WGGB emailed members and provided an update on its website FAQ section, and all signs seem to indicate that “pre-existing” projects can continue, but new work for the U.K. subsidiaries of “struck” companies will be discouraged. One question reads: “I am currently partway through a series/contract with a U.K.-based U.S. producer who is a WGA MBA signatory company — what should I do?”

WGA strike is not set to affect Season 2 of “House of the Dragon,” TheWrap has confirmed. Filming on the HBO hit is expected to continue in the UK.A source close to production tells TheWrap that all of the scripts for the HBO drama series’ next installment have been finished for some time, and that the show remains in production. It’s believed the season will not be affected by the strike, which began Tuesday.

Woody Harrelson has told another story that just might have everyone convinced Matthew McConaughey is his brother — one that was so explosive, it stopped Justin Theroux dead in his tracks.During an «Explain This» segment for, Theroux straight-up asked Harrelson if he and McConaughey are actually brothers. Harrelson, who co-stars alongside Theroux in the new HBO limited true-crime series, , said he's not sure «because we haven't done the testing.»The DNA testing is an idea that's been previously thrown around, but apparently hasn't come to fruition yet.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Christina Hendricks will lead the psychological thriller “Reckoner,” which will be sold at the Cannes Film Festival this month. The project is written and directed by Nissar Modi (“Z for Zacharian”), who will be making his big screen directorial debut. In the film, an affluent woman’s carefully constructed life is disrupted by a young man connected to a tightly-held secret from her past. The film is based on a short story by late writer Rachel Ingalls and will be produced by XYZ Films and Two & Two Pictures, with XYZ Films financing. XYZ Films has also added “Reckoner” to its New Visions slate of films, with world sales launching in Cannes.

With an official budget surpassing all others, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is officially the most expensive series ever produced.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Sony Pictures Television has appointed Matthew Justice as executive VP and head of U.K. and Europe. In the newly created role, he will report into Wayne Garvie, president of International Productions. Justice will directly manage SPT’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with SPT International Production’s wholly-owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which includes Bad Wolf, Eleven Films and Left Bank Pictures. Justice most recently served as managing director at ITV Studios-backed Big Talk. He will start at SPT later this year.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Bleecker Street has acquired the North American rights to “Jules” from director Marc Turtletaub (“Puzzle”) and starring Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters, Jade Quon and Jane Curtin. Written by Gavin Steckler (“Review”), “Jules” made its world premiere at this year’s Sonoma International Film Festival where it was the opening night film and won the Stolman Audience Award for Best Feature. Bleecker Street will release the film in theaters on August 11. “Jules” follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.”

Princess Catherine AKA Kate Middleton is going viral for a hilarious new signature shuffle!

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Joel Kinnaman is set to lead the alien abduction thriller “They Found Us,” from director Neill Blomkamp, for AGC Studios. AGC fully financed the project, and will launch sales via AGC International in Cannes next month. UTA Independent Film Group is co-repping U.S. rights. “They Found Us” is based on an original screenplay by Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”) and will be produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen for Temple Hill Entertainment (“Smile”). Ford is on board as an executive producer along with Temple Hill’s John Fischer. The film will shoot in Australia this year.

“House of The Dragon” is adding new cast members for season 2.

Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin & Abubakar Salim have joined the cast of HBO’s House of the Dragon for Season 2.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Magnolia Pictures International has acquired worldwide sales rights — including U.S. sales rights — to heist comedy-drama “The Delinquents” from Argentinian writer-director Rodrigo Moreno (“The Custodian”). The film will world premiere as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. In “The Delinquents,” the routine lives of two bank employees, Morán and Román, break down when Morán steals a small fortune from the bank’s vault. On the run, he glimpses a possible alternative to the gray life he’s been living and, in addition, falls in love. But he is forced to choose between this radical alternative and following through on his heist plans, so he resigns himself to a short prison stint. His colleague Román, unwillingly in possession of the stolen money, feels trapped by the secret he’s keeping; his paranoia increases until he too finds a way out, and also discovers a new love. But, bound by their common destiny (highlighted by the similarity of their names), the two protagonists are inevitably drawn together again.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Long-time “Dancing With the Stars” and “Strictly Come Dancing” judge Len Goodman has died. He was 78. Goodman’s manager confirmed his death to the BBC on Monday. The judge was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2021. He died on Saturday at a hospice in Kent, surrounded by his family. Goodman was a mainstay as the head judge on popular BBC dance competition “Strictly Come Dancing” from its 2004 launch right up until 2016. He also served as a judge on the U.S. adaptation of the show, “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC, from its launch in 2005 through to 2022. The BBC released a statement just minutes after Goodman’s death was first announced by the public broadcaster, with director general Tim Davie calling him a “wonderful, warm entertainer who was adored by millions.”

Celebrating the talent behind-the-scenes the BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2023 in London honored House of the Dragon and This is Going to Hurt with each winning three trophies.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The Kardashians are heading back to E! — sort of. The NBCUniversal-backed cabler has acquired two-part series “The Kardashians: A Billion Dollar Dynasty,” which will air on E! in the U.S. on May 1. The show marks the family’s return to E!, which was the home of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” for more than 20 seasons. After the reality behemoth concluded in 2021, the clan struck a deal with streamer Hulu for “The Kardashians,” which launched in 2022 and was recently renewed for Season 3. The Optomen-produced two-part “specialty” series, which is being sold internationally by All3Media International, details how the family became one of the world’s most recognized brands, and changed the face of social media while achieving extreme wealth.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The BBC has unveiled a new look at “Doctor Who” stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. Gatwa, who’s playing the 15th Doctor, and Gibson’s Ruby Sunday are clad head to toe in ‘60s garb in a series of new photos revealed Thursday. The broadcaster is keeping mum on any additional details about the shoot, other than the fact that filming is now underway on the “Doctor Who” special that features the pair. The BBC revealed the official first images of its new Doctor and Ruby in December. The first look photographs included a solo shot of Gatwa in a cozy orange sweater and patterned coat, as well as a duo shot with him and his companion Ruby Sunday.