International Insider: Cannes Deals Frenzy; Paramount+ Launches; West End Closure Fury; Time’s Up For Bullies

Christopher Vourlias Ukraine’s Film.UA has closed a raft of deals during the Cannes Market, as the production and distribution heavyweight has defiantly continued to do business on the Croisette despite the ongoing war back home.Headlining the company’s Cannes slate is “Mavka. The Forest Song,” an animated feature about a magical spirit who’s responsible for protecting the forest from the outside world but faces her greatest challenge when she falls in love with a human.Manymore Films will be releasing the film in theaters across Scandinavia and has also acquired the rights to other projects in the Film.UA catalog.

Gemma Collins has pulled out of her role in West End musical Chicago following a knee injury.

Hello and welcome back to Deadline’s International Insider. If you’re not in Cannes enjoying the sun-soaked days and balmy evenings along the Croisette, allow us to provide you with everything you need to know, plus provide the lowdown on another big week in international entertainment.

Dame Arlene Phillips has heaped praise on Peter Andre for taking to the stage after suffering public humiliation about the alleged size of his manhood.The Grease choreographer branded the actor “remarkable” as he showed his resilience by performing as Vince Fontaine at The Dominion Theatre in London hours after being dragged into the Wagatha Christie high court drama. Pete’s name took centre stage in the trial after Rebekah Vardy’s historic interview about their alleged night together was brought up in the courtroom, in which she talked about “having had sex” with the star and that he was “hung like a miniature chipolata”. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.

When she was 23, Sonia Friedman was—to use her expression—thrown into a rehearsal room with Harold Pinter at London’s National Theatre. She was his deputy stage manager during production for the premiere of his one-act play Mountain Language starring theatrical royalty Michael Gambon and Eileen Atkins.

Denise Van Outen was spotted with her daughter, Betsy, at The Savoy Theatre in London on Sunday as they celebrated the youngster's 12th birthday.The mother-daughter duo marked the occasion in style as they went to see Pretty Woman the Musical. Betsy was spotted planting a sweet kiss on her mother's shoulder during the outing.

Paramount Global has handed Marco Nobili and Olivier Jollet key new roles as its seeks to turbo-charge expansion of its international streaming services.

Afternoon all! It’s been a manic week but fortunately one that can be summarized neatly in several paragraphs, as evidenced below. Read on International Insider crew.

EXCLUSIVE: Australian sales firm Odin’s Eye Entertainment has acquired Jonathan aux der Heide (Van Diemens Land) film Devil Inside and will launch the Ryan Kwanten-starring picture at the Cannes Market.

Manori Ravindran International EditorRichard Linklater is set to tell the true story of an undercover hitman, played by “Top Gun: Maverick” star Glen Powell.The Oscar-nominated “Boyhood” helmer will direct and co-write action comedy “Hitman,” which is based on a Texas Monthly magazine article by journalist Skip Hollandsworth. AGC International, the distribution arm for Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, will launch international sales for the pic at the Cannes market.

The Old Vic’s production of Amy Herzog’s play 4000 Miles, which was to have featured the West End debut of Timothée Chalamet in a co-starring role opposite Dame Eileen Atkins, has been canceled, the theater company announced today, citing a two-year pandemic-caused delay.

Timothee Chalamet‘s West End debut has officially been cancelled.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) will star with Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey in comedy Maria, we can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Actress, model and singer Bella Thorne (Midnight Sun) has been set to star in thriller Saint Clare, co-scripted by Guinevere Turner (American Psycho).

Exclusive.

Taron Egerton and “Bridgerton’s” Jonathan Bailey.The pair were starring together in West End play “Cock” but the show’s actual title has been censored in Tube advertisements by governing org Transport for London (TFL), Variety can reveal.Posters for the play (pictured) that have been widely advertised across TFL depict (a fully clothed) Bailey and Egerton — the latter actor withdrew from the play in early April citing personal reasons and was replaced by Joel Harper-Jackson — with their names boldly printed, along with the play’s venue and a snippet of a critic’s review that reads “A Seriously Hot Ticket!” However, there’s no other information indicating what exactly they’re starring in. A TFL spokesperson told Variety: “All advertising running on across the [TFL] estate needs to comply with both our own advertising policy and the Advertising Standards Authority’s codes and rulings.