Paramount+ Sets Launch Dates For France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland

EXCLUSIVE: Initial Co-Managing Director Cat Lynch is joining Amazon Studios in the UK, Deadline can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video Germany’s Country Director Kaspar Pflüger has left the Amazon streamer after just six months in post, we’ve learned.

EXCLUSIVE: France tv distribution has unveiled a first round of deals for best-selling French writer Gilles Legardinier’s feature directorial debut Mr. Blake At Your Service!, reuniting John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant on the big screen.

A reboot of the 1979 cult Punjabi classic, Maula Jat, Bilal Lashari’s The Legend of Maula Jatt is coming off of a record-breaking weekend for a Pakistan-made or Punjabi-language film. Opening on over 500 screens in 25 markets, the action fantasy grossed PRK 51cr ($2.3M) globally, a new benchmark launch for a Pakistani title worldwide. Check out the trailer below.

Viaplay Plans November 1 Launch Date For UK As Premier Sports Deal Closes

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australia’s SLR Productions has announced production on season two of the award-winning original CGI animated series, “Space Nova” for ABC ME. The 15 x 22-minute season has received significant production funding from both Screen Australia and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation as well as development funding from ABC ME and Create NSW. “Space Nova” will be co-produced with Giggle Garage in Malaysia and distributed internationally by ZDF Studios, with ACTF representing the series across Australia and New Zealand. Targeting a six- to ten-year-old global audience, the first season sold to broadcasters or streamers in Germany, the U.K., Norway, Finland, Sweden, Poland, the U.S, Singapore, East Asia, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Frank Doelger is helming a surveillance drama set that counts broadcasters ZDF, MBC and France Télévisions and streamer Hulu Japan as partners.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Banijay Rights has pre-sold “Marie-Antoinette,” the eight-part period series, to PPS Distribution in the U.S. The series will have its North American premiere in the Spring. The deal marks the latest international deal for the show which is produced by Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama and Les Gens. The series was commissioned by Canal +’s Creation Originale label and follows recent pre-sales to the U.K. public broadcaster BBC2 and BBC First in Australia. Created and written by Deborah Davis (“The Favourite”), “Marie Antoinette” tells the story of the avant-garde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle.

Phil Cohen has joined Paramount Pictures as Senior Vice President of Literary Affairs. Cohen comes to Paramount from Warner Bros., where he was a literary exec responsible for sourcing and developing books, comics, long-form articles and podcasts for Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. TV and HBO Max.  

France has for the first time started conveying natural gas to Germany, French gas network operator GRTgaz said Thursday, as Berlin strives to diversify its energy supply following the interruption of Russian gas deliveries. GRTgaz said in a statement the gas pipeline connecting both countries at the French border village of Obergailbach has began [sic] delivering an initial daily capacity of 31 gigawatt-hours.

The Berlinale has introduced an award for best TV series and set 2023 dates.

EXCLUSIVE: German doc maker Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion is lining up feature-length projects on former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another from the UK’s Lucy, the Human Chimp director Alex Parkinson.

Manori Ravindran International Editor New York’s South Asian International Film Festival has appointed Chayan Sarkar as its new president. A filmmaker, entrepreneur and festival director, Sarkar is also the founder of the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland in Australia. He takes over from SAIFF founder Shilen Amin, who will step down as president, but will remain a member of the festival’s board of directors. Sarkar joins SAIFF as the festival enters its 19th year as a leading film festival in the U.S. for new cinema from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, and within the Indian diaspora. In recent years, SAIFF has become increasingly influential as a platform for South Asian cinema, both in the U.S. and internationally. Fourteen of India’s submissions for the international feature film Oscar have had their North American premieres at the festival.

A starry group of global talent has been set to join Paolo Sorrentino on the main jury for the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival which runs from November 11-19 in the Moroccan city. 

Marta Balaga Scottish actor Alastair Mackenzie, recently spotted in “The Crown” and “Andor,” Jessica Frances Dukes and Debi Mazar have been added to the cast of Filip Jan Rymsza’s feature film “Object Permanence.” They join previously announced star Millie Brady, who plays Brooke Brooks: a former supermodel who becomes a successful lifestyle mogul and is the first person to IPO herself. Production is currently underway in Poland and will continue in Thailand and Germany. “Apples” DoP Bartosz Świniarski is lensing the film. Set in the near future, “Object Permanence” is produced by Friends with Benefits Studio, with co-financing by the Polish Film Institute. Marta Lewandowska and Rymsza – the latter also behind “Mosquito State” – are producing, while CAA is handling North American sales.

Arctic Monkeys have added European headline dates to their 2023 world tour behind new album ‘The Car’ – see the new dates below and find tickets here.The band’s seventh album will come out next week (October 21) and they have already confirmed details of a UK stadium tour and North American dates with Fontaines D.C. for next year.Across late April and early May of 2023, the band will play a number of gigs on the continent, reaching Germany, Norway, Sweden, France and beyond.The gigs kick off in Austria on April 24, running through until May 9 where they will wrap up the tour with a gig at Paris’ Accor Arena. Support on all gigs will come from Inhaler.Check out the band’s full 2023 touring schedule below, with new European shows in bold.

The Walking Dead’s Maggie and Negan spin-off series has unveiled its release date.The show, called Dead City, is currently under production in New Jersey.Now, show makers have revealed that it will have a release date of April 2023 (via Digital Spy).Dead City is one of several Walking Dead spin-offs in development. Recently, Norman Reedus revealed that his new Walking Dead spin-off series will be titled Daryl Dixon. Named after the iconic character played by Reedus, the upcoming series will see him (and his crossbow) venture off to France.Programme makers also announced a further spin-off show for Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) would be on the way.The Walking Dead premiered in 2010 and has run for eleven seasons. The season finale will air next month.Last month, Morgan shared a behind-the-scenes look at his and Cohan’s new spin-off Dead City – which will see their characters traverse a zombie-ridden Manhattan, years after the events of the main series.“I’ll say this… it feels like we’re making something special,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time.

Dawn French was "terrified" of dating again after her divorce from Sir Lenny Henry. The 'Vicar of Dibley' star tied the knot with therapist and charity co-founder Mark Bignell in 2013, but she has admitted she dreaded looking for love after her 25-year marriage to fellow comedian Lenny, 64, ended in 2010, because she's not very good at flirting. She told New Zealand's Woman's Weekly magazine: "Dating was difficult as I'm not an accomplished flirter.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Newen, the Paris-based international production and distribution group owned by France’s leading commercial network TF1, has acquired a majority stake in the Scandinavian outfit Anagram. Anagram, which was founded in 2002 by comedians Anders Jansson and Johan Wester, has offices in Sweden and Norway that mainly produce TV drama, comedy and live entertainment through subsidiary Anagram Live. Some of the banner’s best-known content include “Thin Blue Line” and “My Life as a Comedian,” which premiered at Toronto. The acquisition was unveiled by Newen Studios CEO Romain Bessi, Anagram executives Mats Alders and Miira Paasilinna. During the lengthy presentation, Newen highlighted the latest work from its major labels around the world, including Ringside Studios (U.K.), Pupkin (Netherlands), Capa Drama (France), De Mensen (Belgium) and Kubik Films (Spain).