Paris-Based Luxbox Expands, Restructures Its Acquisitions, Sales Team (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Apple TV+ will be tapping into France’s lavish culinary heritage with “Carême,” a new original series about the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, which will be directed by Martin Bourboulon (“The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan”). Set in the 19th century, the eight-episode French drama will chart the sprawling story of Carême, who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. He not only became an iconic chef, he also became a spy for France as his talent and ambitions attracted the attention of powerful politicians, including Napoleon. The series will shed light on the miserable reality of 19th century kitchens, contrasting with the opulence of the mansions and sophisticated of aristocrats.

Marta Balaga Oscar winner Andrew Ruhemann has returned to the director’s chair for “The Day I Became a Bird.” His first short in 13 years, based on a book by Chabbert Ingrid, will see a boy who falls in love – with a girl that only has eyes for birds. Desperate to get her attention, he comes up with a rather unusual plan. “I was at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and that’s where I found this book. I thought it was a very intriguing image: Why is there this kid in a bird costume? It moved me,” he says. Ruhemann’s previous short, “The Lost Thing,” brought him an Academy Award in 2011, shared with Shaun Tan.  

Hunter Ingram The first season of AMC’s “Interview With the Vampire” builds a textured, vibrant world, only to watchit burn and bleed. Anne Rice’s beloved story of long-dead vampire Lestat (Sam Reid) and his latest creation, Louis (Jacob Anderson), chronicles a relationship baptized in blood, fueled by passion and gutted by betrayal. Thanks to the series’ crafts teams, Louis and Lestat’s bond lives and dies (and lives again) according to a visually cohesive language that congeals around one thing — color. Production designer Mara LePereSchloop and costume designer Carol Cutshall spent days with fabrics in hand, curating the color palette for the series, which shifts Rice’s 19th-century New Orleans story to the early 20th century and the city’s redlight district Storyville.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent French CGI studio TeamTO, one of the biggest animation studios in Europe, has initiated development on “Jade Armor” Season Two. The move comes as TeamTO has produced on a service basis third party IPs ranging from “Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes” to Netflix hit “The Creature Cases.”  Progress on “Jade Armor” TeamTO is made in the wake of its moving last December into a brand new 2,700 square-meter (29,063 square-foot) studio facility in the Bastille district in Paris, as, in its busiest year ever, TeamTO is producing five third-party shows. Five more, all TeamTO original series, are airing around the globe.

EXCLUSIVE: Add Etoile to the list. The ballet drama from Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino, which was handed a two-season order by Amazon’s Prime Video earlier this year, is the latest series to be impacted amid the writers strike.

Emily in Paris season four is not so "tres chic." Watch Below: Emily In Paris | Season 3 TrailerProduction on season four has been delayed due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.Whilst Netflix has declined to comment, Variety first reported that filming has already been delayed by two months, with the fourth season initially set to start in late summer or early fall in Paris. Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Emily’s French boss in the series, seemingly confirmed the reports during an interview on the red carpet of Kering's Women in Motion gala dinner during the Cannes Film Festival. When Variety asked if the writer's strike could affect the upcoming season she replied: “A little bit.

K.J. Yossman London publicity firm WDW Entertainment has rebranded as WDM Entertainment and unveiled a new leadership team. The arts and entertainment communications agency, which was co-founded by CEO Amy Dowd in 2017, has welcomed industry veteran Daniel Maynard as managing director while Frankie Mendola and Sarah Wareing have been upped to associate directors. The agency’s new name reflects the surnames of WDM’s revised leadership and shareholders. Dowd and Maynard will also sit on the outfit’s board alongside CFO Evi Dennison. Maynard, who boasts over 20 years experience in media and entertainment in both in-house, consultancy and agency roles, previously worked as VP for communications (television and DTC) at Walt Disney EMEA, where he launched Disney+ across 17 markets, among other initiatives. Maynard has also held senior roles at 21st Century Fox, National Geographic, Freuds, BBC and Microsoft and is a member of the BAFTA television committee.

Find out why Emily in Paris has been delayed – Just Jared Jr Find out who was snubbed on her birthday – Celebitchy Jessie J confirms the father of her child – Popsugar Find out which Teen Wolf star got engaged! – Just Jared Jr

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Julian Lennon will host and executive produce a docuseries on how our surroundings influence the making of art. The series, entitled “Inspired,” will be co-produced with New York-based documentary specialists Cargo Film & Releasing. The show will explore the way new places influence and shape the creative process of contemporary artists. In each episode, Lennon — the son of late Beatles member John Lennon — will meet top artists to uncover a “rich tapestry of inspiring stories and allow the viewer to visit a city, region or country through their eyes.”

Studiocanal has nearly sold out worldwide on Andrew Garfield-Florence Pugh romantic drama “We Live in Time,” executive produced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Owned by Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, Studiocanal has also closed half the world on both James McAvoy’s “Control” and Thomas Cailley’s Un Certain Regard opening film “Animal Kingdom,” a critics’ favorite at this year’s festival.   The banner sales news, replicated across other titles on Studiocanal’s broad sales slate, follows quick on the heels of two signature deals at Cannes: A24’s U.S. pickup on “We Live In Time”; a pact with Sony Pictures for the U.S., Canada and much of the world for “Paddington in Peru.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The fourth season of “Emily in Paris” was initially set to start in late summer or early fall in the French capital that gives the show its name, but filming has been delayed by two months due to the writers strike, Variety has learned. That could stretch longer if WGA members remain on the picket line. Netflix declined to comment. The plan is still to start shooting by the end of fall, according to a source close to the streamer. Netflix announced the renewal of Darren Star’s Emmy-nominated romantic comedy in January 2022. Season 3 dropped on the streamer on Dec. 21, 2022 following a massive premiere event in Paris, which lured crowds of overjoyed fans and was attended by Star and the entire cast, including Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Kate Walsh, Camille Razat, Lucas Bravo, Lucien Laviscount (who wore a shiny purple suit), Bruno Gouery and Samuel Arnold.

Kathy Hilton won’t be returning to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” for season 13.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In a show of force, English-language “Spellbound,” the live-action tween series from “Find Me in Paris” creators and production partners will get a Season Two.  Produced by Cottonwood Media, with ZDF, ZDF Studios and the Opéra national de Paris, the 13 new episodes of the ballet/witchcraft series will go into production in August.  The “Spellbound” renewal news comes as Season One is set to roll out in international markets across broadcasters and streaming services from this fall.  Federation Kids & Family, the sales arm of Cottonwood Media parent Federation Studios, and ZDF Studios, the commercial company of German public broadcaster ZDF, will handle worldwide sales. 

Jason Oppenheim and Marie-Lou Nurk have ended their relationship, citing long distance as a challenge they couldn’t overcome.

Jason Oppenheim has confirmed his split from his much younger girlfriend, Marie-Lou Nurk, after 10 months of dating. The Selling Sunset star, 46, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the news with his 1.4M followers, where he claimed the long-distance relationship was not working for them. In the heartfelt post on his story, the real estate agent shared a snap with Marie-Lou, 25, as they looked out at the sunset together while out at sea.

Jason Oppenheim and Marie-Lou Nurk have ended their relationship, citing long distance as a challenge they couldn't overcome.The  star, 45, and model, 25, took to their Instagram Stories and shared the same photo and statement which read, «While we still love and care about each other very much, the distance between us has prove to be too great a challenge to overcome. We remain close friends and continue to talk often and support each other and we want the very best for one another.

Sisters forever! Beyoncé invited eldest daughter Blue Ivy to show off her dance moves on her Renaissance tour while her youngest children cheered them on from the crowd.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Bikini Blue” director Jarek Marszewski will direct the 1920s-set euthanasia drama “Iron Ribbon,” for which Los Angeles-based Egyptian actor Mohamed Karim is attached and Tom Hughes (“The English”) is in advanced talks.  The English-language romantic thriller, which is being produced by London-based Daniella Gonella and Jay Michaelson’s DG Productions, is based on the true story of rising Polish stage star Stanislawa Uminska, who in 1924 killed her cancer-stricken fiancé (the dashing painter, critic and writer Jan Zynowski) in Paris upon his request as an act of euthanasia. She then stood trial, but was set free by the French court.

Broadway box office for the 2022-23 season – the first full season since the industry’s return from the Covid closure – reached $1,577,586,897, a big increase over the last two hard-hit seasons but still about 14% lower than the pre-pandemic high of $1.8 billion.

K.J. Yossman Barbara Neri’s LGBTQIA+ play about a woman who claims to be Tennessee Williams heroine Blanche DuBois is set to be adapted as a feature film, with sales launching at Cannes. Neri has partnered with Ango-American filmmaker Jaclyn Bethany’s BKE Productions for the adaptation. According to the logline, “Unlocking Desire” tells the story of “an institutionalized woman who claims to be Tennessee Williams’ iconic heroine Blanche DuBois and must unravel the tragic circumstances that brought her there.” Nancy Oswein (“Betrayed”) is on board to produce the feature, which is set to shoot on location in New Orleans and Detroit later this summer.