Netflix Strikes Multi-Pic Deal With Japanese Animation Company Studio Colorido

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Snowpiercer” producer Tomorrow Studios has struck a first-look deal with Frank Spotnitz’s London-based production company Big Light Prods.Under the deal, Tomorrow Studios will tap into Big Light’s network of established and emerging writers and its pursuit of IP for projects to produce together under one development slate.Big Light Prods. specializes in returning and limited dramas for the global market.

In today’s traditional doubleheader opening of the upfronts in New York, Fox and NBCUniversal execs took digs at the “paywall” strategy of Netflix and Disney, in the first of many salvos expected this week.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System network is partnering with Naver Webtoon, South Korea’s leading digital comics platform, and Tokyo-based manga production house Shine Partners to launch a new webtoon company. Called Studio TooN and based in South Korea, the joint venture will plan and make webtoons with Japanese and Korean creators for the global market. One of TBS’s aim in launching the company, its first such venture in Korea, is to produce TV dramas, anime and other content from the webtoons.  Studio TooN will begin operations in June of this year with Shine Partners president Keita Iwamoto serving as CEO.     “When webtoon works are visualized, there is a synergy effect as the number of readers increases,” said Naver Webtoon CEO Kim Junkoo.

A Rhode Island dog whose inspiring story of going from shelter dog to lifesaving police K-9 which became the subject of a recent Netflix movie has been euthanized.

Canadian unscripted producer Sean Connolly has set up his own production business and tied up a multi-year strategic deal with compatriot firm Great Pacific Media.

comedy festival, the streamer confirmed which performances will be available to view in the coming weeks, including tributes to late comedians such as Bob Saget and Robin Williams and the yet-to-be-announced date for Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias’s groundbreaking set at Dodger Stadium.Featuring a wide range of events and stars, the festival also made headlines for some of its comedians’ jokes, such as Pete Davidson’s digs at Kanye West. But the biggest news of the fest was when Dave Chappelle was tackled on stage during his set at the Hollywood Bowl, with the attacker being charged with four misdemeanor counts.

Robbie Praw, VP of Stand-up and Comedy Formats at Netflix, announced on Monday that the streamer will be showcasing highlights from the 11-day “Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival” stand-up comedy event held in Los Angeles, including Pete Davidson riffing on Kanye West’s bizarre social media onslaught, Amy Schumer telling a joke she wasn’t allowed to do at the Oscars, and David Letterman commenting on the recent attack on Dave Chappelle.The month-long comedy rollout begins with “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up,” on May 19, which has John Mulaney paying tribute to Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle on Richard Pryor, Chelsea Handler on Joan Rivers and Jon Stewart to George Carlin. The remaining programs are as follows:Also coming up is a Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias special filmed in front of Netflix’s largest-ever audience at a sold-out Dodger Stadium.“These shows represent some of the best work we’ve done at Netflix, with the best comedic talent on the planet. We’re so grateful to everyone who performed, helping to create the biggest comedy festival in U.S.

From the cutting room floor! Amy Schumer is continuing to share jokes she hoped to tell while cohosting the 2022 Oscars — before they were axed from the script.

Rita Ora has joined the voice cast of “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” at Netflix.The pop singer will voice the Wandering Blade character, described as a “tough English bear knight that joins Po on his globe trotting adventure.”James Hong will return to the franchise, once again voicing Mr. Ping, Po’s adoptive, over-protective father who is always filled with pride for his boy.“Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” stars Jack Black as the voice of Po.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentA nationwide referendum is to be held in Switzerland on May 15 on a proposed law that would force streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to re-invest 4% of their local revenues in Swiss film and TV productions.Dubbed “Lex Netflix,” the Swiss law –– which is modeled on European regulations that don’t apply in the country as it’s not part of the E.U. –– is sparking plenty of controversy.“Lex Netflix” is being opposed by Swiss groups of different political stripes who say it goes against the principles of the country’s fiercely free-market economy.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix has ordered a docuseries from Shawn Levy, Vox Media Studios and The Verge about how technology will affect the basic aspects of our lives in the future, Variety has learned exclusively.Titled “The Future Of…,” the show asks: “What if we could look into the future to see how every aspect of our daily lives — from raising pets and house plants to what we eat and how we date — will be impacted by technology?” Per Netflix, “We can, and should, expect more from the future than the dystopia promised in current science fiction. ‘The Future Of…’ will reveal surprising and personal predictions about the rest of our lives — and the lives of generations to come.”The series will be released globally in two batches, with the first six episodes premiering Tuesday, June 21, and the remaining six episodes on Tuesday, June 28.

Dave Chappelle has been attacked by a man during a Netflix stand-up show at the Hollywood Bowl.Footage has surfaced online from last night’s show (May 3) which appears to show a man charging and tackling the comedian.The man was then said to have been dragged away by security, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Following the incident at the Netflix Is A Joke festival, Chappelle regained his composure and joked that “it was a trans man” in reference to the backlash last year over his stand-up special The Closer, where he described himself as “team TERF” as he spoke on the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling.Dave Chappelle just got attacked on stage pic.twitter.com/E4gAfmkPgQ— Hoodville (@Hoodville_) May 4, 2022Here is a video of the aftermath.

It was announced last year that Netflix is working on a That ’70s Show sequel series and now the cast has been confirmed!

J.A. Bayona, director of “The Impossible” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” is close to wrapping production on the Spanish leg of Netflix’s “Society of the Snow,” (“La sociedad de la nieve”), one of the Spanish-speaking world’s most ambitious upcoming features for 2023.Turning on a 1972 air crash in the Andes that forced its survivors to highly extreme measures, the film, marks Bayona’s return to Spanish-language filmmaking for the first time in 16 years since his 2006 feature debut, “The Orphanage.” What looks set to be a celebration of extraordinary human fortitude in a harrowing intensely physical disaster movie harks back, however, to Bayona’s “The Impossible,” for many still the director’s finest achievement.  “Society of the Snow,” which hosted a set visit for select media a few weeks back, was shot in Andalusia’s Sierra Nevada, mainland Spain’s highest mountain range, using the 15,000-pound fuselage wreckages of three Fairchild Hiller FH-227 passenger aircrafts.

Tudum — the streaming service’s hub for news about its original content and additional marketing arm — began layoffs on Thursday, less than six months after its launch in early December. About 10 full-time staffers and contractors were laid off, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.Named after the streamer’s signature opening sound, the site offers news and deep dives tied to Netflix’s series and films, featuring stories about renewals, exclusive interviews and other fan-oriented content.

Several films and TV shows have been cancelled by Netflix as the streaming giant loses thousands of subscribers, it has been reported. Despite some huge hits like Squid Game and Bridgerton, Netflix revealed a shock fall in subscribers of 200,000 users in the first quarter of the year and its stock price soon dropped by more than 35 per cent.

Persuasion is in the works for Netflix. And we see much lingering eye contact and hand grazing in our future.WATCH: Bridgerton Cast On Edwina And Kate's RelationshipDakota Johnson (50 Shades of Grey) is leading the upcoming period drama as Anne Elliot, the heroine of Jane Austen's final novel.She's joined by Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) in the role of Mr.