Rome Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Sky Italia is launching a high-profile documentary series with international ambitions titled “The Overlooked Serial Killer,” reconstructing a true-crime case that has gripped millions of Italians. The documentary investigates the connection between Elisa Claps, an Italian teenager who disappeared in 1993, and Heather Barnett, a British woman whose mutilated body was found in Bournemouth in 2002.

Ben Croll Anonymous Content, whose recent productions include Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan’s film “Foe” for Amazon Studios, is looking to expand its international footprint, with new ventures planned in Poland, Germany and Australia, top execs announced on Wednesday. Speaking at a panel held at the MIA Market in Rome, Anonymous Content international president David Davoli and chief creative officer David Levine made clear their group’s vigor for global joint ventures, promising upcoming additions to a portfolio that boasts partnerships with companies in the U.K., France, Scandinavia, Spain and Brazil.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Philippe Bober’s Coproduction Office, whose recent films include Jessica Hausner’s Cannes Competition title “Club Zero” and Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” has kicked off international sales on Gust Van den Berghe‘s “The Magnet Man.” The Paris and Berlin based production and sales outfit is attending this week’s MIA Market in Rome. Van den Berghe’s previous films, “Blue Bird” (2011) and “Little Baby Jesus of Flandr” (2010), have both premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. “The Magnet Man,” which is in post-production, tells the tragicomic tale of how our greatest talents can become our greatest flaws, and how unpredictable our lives can be.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian distribution and production company Notorious Pictures is expanding into the TV series sphere by snapping up rights to buzzy literary property “Forbidden Notebook,” a 1952 novel by Italian-Cuban writer Alba de Céspedes that has been recently rediscovered and successfully republished in English. De Céspedes has been described by the New York Times as “a bestselling novelist and political activist in her native Italy” admired for her sensitive depictions of women whose recently rediscovered work “has lost none of its subversive force.” She is considered a source of inspiration for Elena Ferrante, the Italian writer with legions of fervent fans around the world and whose four “Neapolitan Novels” have been adapted into the long-running “My Brilliant Friend” TV series by Italy’s RAI and HBO.

Fans are convinced that Holly Ramsay, the daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, is 'engaged' to her Olympic swimmer boyfriend, Adam Peaty.The assumptions come after Holly, 23, posed a snap to Instagram, in which she is holding up her left hand, which has a ring on the wedding finger. Holly shared three snaps as she promoted her new skincare range, wearing a grey dressing gown and minimal makeup as her blonde hair hung down her back. She could be seen applying a product to her face with her left hand that bore the ring, whilst she flashed a sweet smile at the camera.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent ROME — Film Factory Ent. – a sales agent on “Wild Tales,” “The Clan,” “Close Your Eyes” and “The Kings of the World” – has boarded “Jokes & Cigarettes” (“Saben Aquell”), the latest movie from Spain’s David Trueba which is fast-emerging as one of Spain’s late year Goya Award contenders after a San Sebastian sneak-peek and the bow of a trailer.

Florence Pugh and her boyfriend of nearly one year, Charlie Gooch, have reportedly called it quits.

Ben Croll Home to the Taylor Sheridan stable and to the “Star Trek” franchise, Paramount+ is looking for “populist” dramas that hold a wider sway and can span several seasons, said Paramount TV president Nicole Clemens at her keynote at MIA Market in Rome on Tuesday. “We’re not looking for shows that just play to New York and Los Angeles,” Clemens explained. “That doesn’t mean they’re not edgy, that doesn’t mean [they can’t be] dark.

Naman Ramachandran Devashish Makhija’s survival thriller “Joram,” which is playing at the Busan International Film Festival, will be released theatrically worldwide by Zee Studios in December. The film, which premiered at Rotterdam earlier this year, is in Busan’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand. Eminent actor Manoj Bajpayee, who previously starred in Makhija’s 2016 short “Taandav” and played the title role in “Bhonsle,” plays Dasru, a tribal migrant worker in Mumbai whose past catches up with him and he must flee with his infant daughter Joram.

Dreaming Whilst Black brought a new, diverse audience to the BBC in droves, according to the buzzy comedy’s EP Dhanny Joshi, who was speaking on a panel of diverse creatives at MIA Market.

With a budget less than 20 times that of The Boys and “barely” any marketing, Amazon Prime Video‘s Invincible has succeeded through word of mouth and attracting new viewers to the genre, according to its EP Marge Dean.

Ben Croll Bi-continental production outfit LSPG (Luca Severi Production Group) has boarded “Eco Village,” a gonzo musical comedy led by Sidney Flanigan, the star of Sundance and Berlinale prize winner “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” Nearing completion, the project is eyeing a festival launch early next year. Marking the feature debut of playwright Phoebe Nir – who adapted her own Off-Broadway play – the off-kilter film follows a young drifter (played by actor-musician Flanigan) who makes her way first onto an anarchic and uninhibited artists colony, and then into the thrall of the utopia’s manipulative leader, played by Lindsay Burdge (of “Thirst Street” and “Her Smell”).

All local Israeli TV productions, excluding broadcasts providing news updates, have been placed on hold following a directive from the Israeli army as the bloody conflict between the country and Hamas fighters heads into a third day. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s MIA Market, dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films, documentaries and more, kicked off Monday in the Eternal City’s 17th century Palazzo Barberini. There were some 2,300 registered industry execs on day one – roughly 300 of which are buyers – more than 120 selected projects on display, and plenty of panels.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent With the writers’ strike over, a new studio brand and new management in part of international, Paramount Global execs are attending Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria, Rome’s MIA market and Mipcom as they talk up their competitive assets and priorities to the international market. In one move, five months after it the launch of Paramount Television International Studios in May, Paramount Global’s Darío Turovelzky delivered a keynote on Thursday at Iberseries & Platino Industria.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are taking some time to relax and take in the sights while exploring Venice, Italy.

Emiliano De Pablos Spanish star Miguel Ángel Silvestre (“Los enviados,” “Sense8,” “Narcos”) is set to topline in miniseries “Lucio’s Treasure,” a real-life inspired project co-produced by Spain’s Vértice360 and Friki Films with Red Arrow International Studios. Silvestre will play the leading role of Lucio Urtubia, considered a modern Robin Hood who nearly bankrupted Citibank of America in the 1980s. Whether he was caught is another matter.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Gael Garcia Bernal is set to preside over the jury of the upcoming Rome Film Festival. The Mexican actor, director and producer will be judging entries and bestowing prizes in the rebooted fest’s main section, which is now known as Progressive Cinema. Films competing for Rome prizes include Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s “Un Amor,” about a young woman socially and sexually exploited by a rural patriarchy; Iranian director Farhad Delaram, in which a former filmmaker turned medic decides to help a female political prisoner escape from a psych ward; and French director Mehdi Fikri’s “After The Fire,” which turns on a French woman of North African descent who seeks justice after her younger brother dies suspiciously after being stopped by the police.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s upcoming MIA market dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films and documentaries is set to run Oct. 9-13 in central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini, which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub. Now at its ninth edition, this innovative pre-Mipcom event (the MIA acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) aims to boost the Italian industry by strengthening its international ties.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based genre specialist Reel Suspects has boarded sales on Japanese horror director Takeshi Kushida’s My Mother’s Eyes and will launch the title at the upcoming MIA Market in Rome.

Marco Chimenz, Co-CEO of Italy’s Cattleya the prominent ITV-owned outfit behind “Gomorrah” and “ZeroZeroZero,” will be leaving the company in January to join pan-European powerhouse Federation Studios. At Federation Chimenz will serve as group co-managing director of the expanding production and distribution studio that currently comprises 35 production companies, working closely with founder and CEO Pascal Breton and Federation co-director Lionel Uzan.

Mac DeMarco has shared his new collaborative song with Ryan Paris called ‘Simply Paradise’ – check it out below.DeMarco has long expressed his admiration for the ‘Dolce Vita’ singer, including in a 2014 Pitchfork documentary called Pepperoni Playboy, in which he cites the Italian artist as an inspiration and dances down the street to his song.Paris saw the video and later invited DeMarco to “do a remix of ‘Dolce Vita’ together”. “Very interested in working with you,” DeMarco responded.

One of the most significant strands at Rome’s MIA market is its Co-Production Market and Pitching Forum, which has fast become one of the leading co-production forums in the industry calendar. 

As Italy has ramped up its efforts in the last year to lure in international productions, so too has Rome’s MIA Market been making big strides in attracting global companies and executives to its annual five-day industry confab. The innovative Italian event, which has fast become a top destination in the TV market calendar, is returning for its ninth edition on October 9-13, 2023 and this year looks set to be bigger than ever with top execs from Paramount, Imagine, Banijay and Skybound Entertainment all set to attend. 

Francis Ford Coppola has spoken out on a recent trend — women asking men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire.

Michaela Zee Francis Ford Coppola is joining the Roman Empire TikTok trend by answering the question: “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” “How often do I think of Ancient Rome? Quite a lot, as the Roman Republic served as the example for my country America and its institutions, and was the inspiration for my upcoming film ‘Megalopolis,'” the “Apocalypse Now” and “Godfather” director wrote on Instagram Friday. In the recent trend on TikTok, women ask the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire, with most men claiming that they think about it daily or multiple times a week.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Some of the world’s best golfers are in Italy this weekend for the 2023 Ryder Cup tournament. The biennial event brings together golfers from Europe to compete against golfers from the U.S.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent U.S. actor Elena Kampouris (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3”) is set to star in the Sicily-set “Here Now,” a romantic thriller marking Italian director Gabriele Muccino‘s return to English-language filmmaking.

Holly Jones Barcelona-born director Sara Gutiérrez Galve is following up her 2018 Malaga award-winning debut effort, “Yo La Busco,” with forthcoming dramedy “Mala Gent” (“Bad People”), a wry depiction of the disparate stories of three protagonists living in the town of Gironès, who attend the same wedding. Among five projects selected at Madrid’s 5th ECAM Incubator, the project follows each of its leads 10 days prior to the nuptials as they navigate their inner turmoil, all eventually forced to grin and bear the festivities, their lives intersecting momentarily throughout.

EXCLUSIVE: Roland Emmerich is heading to next month’s Mipcom Cannes to present first-look footage from upcoming Gladiator epic Those About to Die.

It may still be September, but that hasn't stopped John Lewis from upping the Christmas game by unveiling its lavish Beauty Advent Calendar for 2023.

Italian actress Luisa Ranieri has joined the cast of Johnny Depp’s upcoming Amadeo Modigliani bio-pic Modi as filming gets underway in Hungary.

Bob MacIntyre admits he’s like a kid in a sweetie shop with his Ryder Cup jammies.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent French multi-hyphenate Lou Doillon, who is Jane Birkin’s daughter, is set to star in Italian comedy “Quasi a casa” directed by Carolina Pavone, a former assistant director on several Nanni Moretti films. Shooting is underway in Rome on the sophisticated comedy, in which Doillon — a model, actor and singer-songwriter, like her half-sister Charlotte Gainsbourg — plays an eclectic, successful singer who strikes up a turbulent friendship with a younger female musician who idolizes her.

Downton Abbey and The Gentlemen star Michelle Dockery has tied the knot with Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brother.

Marta Balaga “Death Is a Problem for the Living,” now also in Italy. The Finnish black comedy, directed by Teemu Nikki of “Euthanizer” fame, will premiere at the Rome Film Festival in October. “I am so proud of everything we have made together, especially ‘Euthanizer’ and [Venice Horizons Extra winner] ‘The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic,’ but this one is certainly the most consistent.