‘Ms Marvel’ Actor Asfandyar Khan Boards ‘Sapiens’; ‘Temptation Island’ France; APAC Market Grows To $145B; Sitcom Studio In Jordan – Global Briefs

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights to Lenny and Harpo Guit’s new feature “Heads or Fails,” the duo’s follow-up to Sundance comedy “Mother Schmuckers.” Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Agnes Jaoui, a beloved French actor, screenwriter and filmmaker, will receive an honorary Cesar Award during its 49th edition, which will be held at Olympia Concert Hall on Feb. 23. Jaoui formed a duo with the late Jean-Pierre Bacri for over three decades, collaborating on a number of films that were both critical and commercial hits.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jean-Claude Van Damme, the global martial artist turned action hero whose 2021 movie “The Last Mercenary” was a hit on Netflix, has another film on the horizon. He will star opposite Michaël Youn (“BDE”) in “Le jardinier,” another high-voltage action-comedy reuniting him with “The Last Mercenary” director David Charhon.

The health and wellbeing of French acting star Alain Delon is in the spotlight in France amid a bitter family feud between his three living children over the veteran star’s medical regime and control of his assets.

French cinema saw its fortunes rise at the international box office in 2023 after three difficult Covid-19 and post pandemic years, according to the annual report of export agency Unifrance released on Tuesday.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Sveva Alviti (“Dalida”) and U.S. actor Newton Mayenge (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”) are attached to star in Cannes-set romantic drama “The Other Side of Fame” to be directed by Erik Bernard (“Free Dead or Alive”).

Playtime has boarded Olivier Assayas’ “Suspended Time,” a COVID-era comedy about two couples spending lockdown together. Produced by Olivier Delbosc of Curiosa Films, and by Assayas’ own Vortex Sutra, the pandemic farce is hotly tipped for a Berlin premiere next month.

Ben Croll Orange Studio has boarded true-crime-tinged psychological thriller “An Ordinary Case” and will launch sales at this week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris. Top-lined, co-written and directed by French cinema stalwart Daniel Auteuil, this pulled-from-the-headlines drama also boasts “Borgen” and “Westworld” star Sidse Babett Knudsen alongside acclaimed actor Grégory Gadebois (“An Officer and a Spy”).

British songstress Dua Lipa is reportedly dating Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner, and the pair are said to be "mad about each other". According to PageSix, the pair were spotted dancing at an afterparty in LA for the premiere of his show “Masters of The Air” Wednesday night. A source told the publication: “It’s new, but but they’re mad about each other." Speaking about Dua Lipa, 28, being at 33 year old Callum's big event, the insider said: “She was at the premiere to support him." OK! has contacted Dua Lipa and Callum Turner's reps for comment.

Golden Globe-winning drama Anatomy Of A Fall, has been accused of rape.According to Variety, he was removed from a film he was directing, titled Je Le Jure, following a claim from a crew member that he was sexually assaulted by Theis. A French newspaper, Liberation, published in a report that the incident allegedly happened in July 2023 after a party.The crew member, who remains unnamed, claimed that he stayed at the apartment where the party was held, and was raped in the morning by Theis.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Temps Noir, the French documentary production powerhouse behind Mediawan Rights sales hits “Kubrick by Kubrick” and “Cinecittà: Making of History,” has boarded “Passengers for the Last Trip,” the fiction feature debut of Cuba’s Marta María Borrás (“Atardecer en el Trópico”). It will hit Spain’s Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF) this March as the most laureled of Latin America’s projects in the showcase.

Samuel Theis has been accused of rape by a crew member who worked on his upcoming movie Je te jure, which he directed.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent A record 54 market premieres will be hosted at the Rendez-Vous showcase held by the French film promotion org Unifrance in Paris which will kick off Jan. 16 with the world premiere of Pascal Bonitzer’s “Auction.” The biggest film market dedicated exclusively to French movies, the Rendez-Vous in Paris will welcome 420 buyers from 50 countries and 47 sales companies.

French actor-director Samuel Theis, best known for starring in Justine Triet’s awards season favorite Anatomy of a Fall, has been accused of rape by a crew member on Je te jure (I Swear), Theis’ latest directorial feature. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Samuel Theis, who played the husband of Sandra Hüller’s character in Justine Triet’s Golden Globe-winning film “Anatomy of a Fall,” was ousted from the shoot of his third directorial outing, “Je te jure,” after being accused of rape by a crew member, Variety has confirmed. For the remainder of production, Theis remained on location but directed the film remotely. The alleged sexual assault took place halfway through the shoot, in the aftermath of a party held at an apartment with the cast and crew on July 1, according to the French newspaper Liberation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Melvil Poupaud, an actor in Francois Ozon’s “By the Grace of God” and Maiwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” will receive the French Cinema Award from Unifrance, the French promotion organization. The ceremony will be held on Jan. 18 at the Culture Ministry during the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema market.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Renowned French auteur Arnaud Desplechin, whose latest film “Brother and Sister” competed at Cannes Film Festival in 2022, is currently wrapping his next directorial effort, “Spectateurs!” Les Films du Losange, which handles French distribution and international sales rights to the title, has unveiled a first still (above) in the run-up to the Unifrance Rendez-Vous With French Cinema market, where it will introduce the film to buyers. The hybrid project weaves documentary and fiction with a cast including Milo Machado Graner, the young breakthrough actor of Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” and well-known French actors Mathieu Amalric (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) and Françoise Lebrun (“The Book of Solutions”).

Pablo Sandoval Hollywood studio execs – including James Lin, Universal Pictures SVP physical production, Legendary TV’s Lily Tammy and Robert Ortiz, Paramount SVP, production – met with international location managers, scouts, and line producers and film commission reps at this year’s Shooting Locations Marketplace in Spain’s Valladolid. Among location managers, event ambassador Lori Balton (“Jack Ryan,” “Argo”) was joined by William Doyle (“Mank”) Mika Saito (“Tenet”) Michael Glaser (“Inception”) Les Fincher (“Over the Brooklyn Bridge”) John Hutchinson (“White Noise”) and John Rakich (“See”). David Williams (“Cobra Kai,” David Mckinney (“Batman v Superman”) Jeffrey Shepherd (“Straight Outta Compton,”) and Sandra Solares (“Point Break”) also attended.

Naman Ramachandran Banijay Productions France is reviving hit reality format “Temptation Island” for French network W9, marking its return to the country after five years. “Temptation Island” sees couples at a crossroads in their relationship embark on a journey to test their commitment. Separated in two different beach resorts, the couples interact with a group of singles to determine if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they will encounter on the island.

$3.5 million price cut four months ago, signaling a struggle to entice potential purchasers into this opulent Versailles-inspired penthouse.Situated on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on 62nd Street near Fifth Avenue, the abode once owned by the comedic legend until her passing in 2014 was initially sold for $24 million by her estate — a considerable dip from the original $28 million asking price. Its current proprietor, Prince Muhammad bin Fahd of the Saudi royal family, son of the late King Fahd, and former governor of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, attempted a resale in 2021 at a staggering $38 million.This exquisite property boasts breathtaking views of Central Park, a grandeur that justifies its lofty valuation.