Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentFremantle has acquired a 70% stake in Italy’s Lux Vide, the prominent TV production company that has been steadily raising its standing in the international arena, most recently with the high-end TV series “Medici,” “Devils” and “Leonardo.”The long-gestating Lux Vide deal, which closed on Thursday, marks the latest acquisition by the expanding RTL-owned production and distribution giant. Fremantle, which has been on a buying spree, now owns or controls a panoply of independently operated production shingles across Europe, as well as in Israel, Australia and the U.S.Their stated goal is to invest and grow in the global scripted arena where, by their count, Fremantle delivered 81 scripted shows in 2021, including BBC One hit “The Responder,” HBO Max series “Lust,” from Sweden’s Miso Film, and Italian dystopian drama “Anna.” Previous Fremantle investments include acquiring the 12 former Nent Studios production labels in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark (now rebranded This is Nice Group); Australian-American television production company Eureka Productions; U.K.-based Naked Entertainment; French label Kwai; and Israel’s Abot Hameiri, among others.The Lux purchase also marks Fremantle’s third acquisition of a production company in Italy, where the company already owns Wildside and The Apartment, the outfit behind Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated “The Hand of God.” Fremantle also recently inked a pact with Italy’s Cinecittà involving the long-term rental of six sound stages at the iconic Rome studios.Founded in 1992 by Ettore Bernabei, who was a long-time former chief of Italian pubcaster RAI, Lux Vide has since been headed by his progeny, Matilde and Luca Bernabei.
Luc Montagnier (1932–2022), Nobel winner who co-discovered HIV
11.02.2022 - 21:49 / legacy.com
Luc Montagnier was a virologist who shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for co-discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.Montagnier was the founder of the Viral Oncology Unit at the Pasteur Institute, a renowned facility where infectious diseases are studied. After founding the unit in 1972, he worked as its director, and it was in that capacity that he was sent a tissue sample that would lead to his crucial discovery.
In 1983, as AIDS was still a disease that baffled doctors, Montagnier received a piece of lymph node from a man with AIDS. He and his team identified a new retrovirus in the sample, initially calling it lymphadenopathy associated virus (LAV).
The virus was later renamed HIV after a bitter feud between Montagnier’s team and a team of Americans doing similar research. Years later, in 2008, Montagnier was honored with the Nobel Prize for his work.
He also worked on a therapeutic vaccine for AIDS.In later years, Montagnier embarked on more controversial work. This included a study in which he claimed that DNA emits electromagnetic radiation, a conclusion that many of his scientific colleagues condemned as unsupportable.
He invited further controversy in 2021 when he spoke out against COVID-19 vaccination programs.“[E]ven after 20 years we are still fighting this virus, very strongly, the AIDS epidemic… is still spreading in Africa… so the fight is not finished. And I appreciate that the Nobel Committee has put on the air this important disease which is not finished, and my message is that we should continue the research.” —from a 2008 interview for Nobelprize.orgFull obituary: The New York Times
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Fremantle Takes 70% Stake In Lux Vide, Italian Producer Of ‘Medici’, ‘Leonardo’ and ‘Coco Chanel’
Fremantle has acquired 70% of Lux Vide, the 30-year-old Italian producer of Medici, Leonardo and Coco Chanel.
Producers Of Netflix Series Blood Of Zeus, Screenwriter Dan Gordon, And Artist John Stanisci Partner For Graphic Novel And TV Series ‘Gladiatrix’
Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, the dynamic duo of writer/producers behind Immortals and hit Netflix animated series Blood of Zeus, have tapped Oscar-nominated screenwriter Dan Gordon (The Hurricane) and New York Times bestselling writer and artist John Stanisci (Batman Beyond) to develop a new property based on the bloody gladiator battles of 5th century Rome with Gladiatrix, in simultaneous development as an original graphic novel and television series!
‘Euphoria’ Season 2 Finale Measures 6.6M Viewers Across HBO & HBO Max, Marks New Highs
Euphoria rose to new highs with the dramatic and messy season 2 finale, drawing in 6.6 million viewers across all HBO platforms.
Gaspar Noé’s Meta Mockumentary ‘Lux Aeterna’ Sells to Yellow Veil Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)
Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaYellow Veil Pictures has acquired all North American rights to Gaspar Noé’s meta mockumentary “Lux Aeterna.” The studio is planning a theatrical release for the film this spring. “Lux Aeterna” made its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was later selected for the Tribeca Film Festival prior to its cancellation due to the pandemic.“Lux Aeterna” unfolds backstage at a French film production and is stylistically daring, in the manner of many of Noé’s movies.
John Wells Productions Acquires Rights To ‘Notes On An Execution’ Novel For Series Adaptation
EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, John Wells Productions has landed the rights to Danya Kukafka’s recently published suspense thriller novel Notes on an Execution for series adaptation.
Graphic novel by Miyazaki to be issued in the US
Japan.Miyazaki's “Shuna’s Journey,” originally released in 1983 and the basis for his films “Princess Mononoke” and “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” will be published Nov. 1 by the Macmillan imprint First Second.
Former Modeling Agent & Jeffrey Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel Found Dead In Prison Cell
[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Prabal Gurung Sends A ‘NY Love Song’ To Homeland Of Nepal
Prabal Gurung blended his love for his adopted city of New York and his homeland of Nepal in a Fashion Week show featuring psychedelic flower prints imbued with a New York edginess.
Larry David reflects on his life and career in new HBO documentary trailer
HBO – check out the trailer below.Set to be released on March 1, The Larry David Story is a two-part documentary where he’ll discuss his childhood and career breakthroughs with director Larry Charles.“I never thought of myself as being funny,” David says in the trailer. “Anything I was associated with that could be successful was a shock.”The writer, producer, actor and comedian is known as the co-creator of Seinfeld along with Jerry Seinfeld.
Hillary Rodham Clinton And Louise Penny’s Novel ‘State Of Terror’ To Be Adapted Into Feature Film
Madison Wells, Gigi Pritzker’s award-winning, independent entertainment company, has acquired and will develop a feature adaptation of State of Terror, the best-selling novel by former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York Times best-selling novelist Louise Penny. This high-stakes thriller of international intrigue follows novice Secretary of State Ellen Adams, who is unexpectedly brought into the administration by a newly-elected President, her political and personal adversary. Events soon erupt that sweep her into a world of global intrigue and diplomacy where the stakes could not be higher and the potential consequences, both personal and global, could not be greater.
Michael Mann ‘Heat 2’ Novel Sells Publishing Rights In 13 Offshore Territories
Following Deadline’s story about Michael Mann’s forthcoming prequel/sequel novel to his landmark film Heat — he cowrote the book with Edgar winner-Meg Gardiner — has quickly sold rights in major markets around the world. The novel, which hits bookstores August 9, has already sold in 13 major territories including Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Czech Republic and the UK. The international rollout of Heat 2 is mirroring Harper Collins’ launch of Quentin Tarantino’s #1 bestselling novelization of his film Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood.
The Gilded Age Has Been Renewed for Season Two on HBO
The Gilded Age, from creator Julian Fellowes, for a second season. On February 14, 2022, HBO announced the renewal, which is currently in the midst of airing its nine-episode first season. The series stars veteran actors , , and Carrie Coon, as well as breakout newcomers Louisa Jacobson and .
Twins planning to sue Playboy say Hugh Hefner gave them 'leg spreader' drugs
Twin sisters have claimed Hugh Hefner gave them drugs dubbed "leg spreaders" due to the hypnotic effect as they plan to sue to the Playboy brand for emotional distress and trauma.
‘All The Secrets Of The World’ Novel Being Adapted For Television By The Gotham Group, Jon Feldman & 20th TV
EXCLUSIVE: 20th Television has optioned Steve Almond’s forthcoming novel All The Secrets of the World to adapt as a television series. The Gotham Group, which is under a first-look deal at 20th, would produce, and Jon Feldman (Monarch, Designated Survivor) is attached as showrunner. 20th Television is the studio. A search is underway for a writer.
‘All The Secrets Of The World’ Novel Being Adapted For Television By The Gotham Group, Jon Harmon Feldman & 20th TV
EXCLUSIVE: 20th Television has optioned Steve Almond’s forthcoming novel All The Secrets of the World to adapt as a television series. The Gotham Group, which is under a first-look deal at 20th, would produce, and Jon Harmon Feldman (Monarch, Designated Survivor) is attached as showrunner. 20th Television is the studio. A search is underway for a writer.