Science-Based Documentary Series ‘Evolve’ Sells to Multiple Territories (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Bush Hager, co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna, has hired seasoned development executive Ben Spector as President of Film and Television as part of her first-look deal with Universal Studio Group, which was announced in February.

according to The Hollywood Reporter.Amazon Studios and Skydance Sports are reportedly in the midst of finalizing the deal for the flick alongside the two Oscar winners.The “Ford v Ferrari” star will play Vaccaro and Affleck will portray Nike co-founder Phil Knight.The story will revolve around the sports sneaker company and Vaccaro attempting to sign basketball player Michael Jordan in the mid-eighties for an endorsement deal. The partnership seemed impossible at the time, however, the deal became one of the most significant in sports history.

Trinidad Barleycorn A miner in Germany’s last coal mine undergoing a gender change, a prima ballerina fighting to keep her status after becoming a mother, a repentant hooligan turned kickboxing champion, a father who fled the former Uruguayan dictatorship, rejected refugees awaiting deportation, and stuntwomen taking hit after hit for the film industry: to say that the 5th Swiss Films Previews at doc film fest Visions du Réel introduced us to strong characters is an understatement. Six promising films soon to be launched on the festival circuit and the international market were selected for the event and pitched at VdR-Industry. Five of them were directed (co-directed for “Red”) by women.

From today, April 15th, Operation Mincemeat is in cinemas. Colin Firth takes the lead role in this blockbuster portrayal of a bonkers operation carried out by British intelligence during World War II.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDubai-based broadcaster and streamer MBC is ramping up production with several new high-end shows.These include “Rise of The Witches,” being touted as the biggest-budget Saudi Arabian TV series to date, “The Devil’s Promise,” created by U.K. writer Tony Jordan, and crime thriller “1001 Nights.”MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett in an interview said MBC Studios now has 65 projects in various stages and reiterated the the Saudi-owned company is committed to serve as a driver to help kickstart the kingdom’s nascent industry.“Rise of The Witches” (first look image, above) is based on a Saudi novel described by Barnett as “a fantasy novel set 1,500 years ago in a time of witches” with a strong female empowerment theme.

Justin Bartha is bringing Riley Poole back to the small screen.

th anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, but learning that one of the groups to reach that milestone is the Norwegian trio a-ha might warrant not so much an achoo as a gasp, double take, or “Come again?”Since 1985, we’ve all lived with the sparkling earworm of syncopation, synth, and pop crooning that is the single “Take On Me,” the kind of breakout chart-topper (in 36 countries) that you just knew was going to define an era’s sugary, youthful romanticism. The dynamically conceptualized half-animated music video didn’t hurt its immortality campaign either, with lead singer Morten Harket’s chiseled, sensitive, pouty-rebel presence — someone, please, help him! — destined to adorn teenage walls everywhere.

EXCLUSIVE: REinvent International Sales has inked a North American deal on The Dark Heart, the Swedish true-crime series from The Guilty director Gustav Moller, with streaming service Topic taking U.S. rights and public broadcaster CBC Gem grabbing Canada.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has greenlit the pyschological thriller series “Constellations” with Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks attached to star, Variety has learned.In “Constellation,” Rapace stars as Jo, a woman who returns to Earth after a disaster in space only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The series is further described as a space adventure, an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and for her to recover all that she has lost.Apple has given the show a 10 episode order.

Emiliano De Pablos Beta Film’s high-concept spy thriller cycle “Agent Hamilton – New Missions” has scored a series of territory deals, including the U.S. and Northern Europe.The stand-alone reboot of the “Agent Hamilton” series has been sold to MHz for the U.S., TV2 in Norway, DR for Denmark, NPO for Netherlands and Syn for Island.Based on the iconic novels and characters by best-selling author Jan Guillou, as was its predecessor “Agent Hamilton,” “New Missions” is produced by Dramacorp Pampas Studios in co-production with TV4/C-More, Beta Film and ZDF.In further deals on its 2022 MipTV slate, the Munich-based international distributor has sold to France Télévision and Israel’s Hot Network the Norwegian YA series “Rod Knock,” a Fenomen and Storyline Studios production for NRK, which is back for Season 3, and was honored with seven Gullruten awards in 2021.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA Vice Studios documentary series on the 2014 disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370 has been sold to History Channel in the U.S. and a raft of broadcasters in Europe.Vice Distribution, the global distribution and licensing arm of Vice Media Group, pre-sold the three-part series, entitled “MH370: The Lost Flight,” into A+E Networks’ History, TV2 in Denmark and Viaplay across its European territories (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Poland and the pan-Baltics).

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAlong with its premium scripted lineup, Newen Connect is launching a pair of timely investigative documentaries, “Ukraine” and “Wagner,” which are providing insight into the current war. Now filming, “Ukraine” is being co-directed by Ksenia Blochakova, the Russia correspondent of the news channel France 24, and Philippe Lagnier, a journalist working at Newen-owned production banner Capa.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefRoku has picked up a second season of “Cypher,” an FBI-themed crime drama series, for which it was the exclusive North American carrier of the first seven-episode season.In territories outside the U.S. and Canada, the show is represented by Screen Media Ventures, which is launching it at the MipTV market this week.“Cypher” tells the story of an FBI code-breaking specialist who discovers a secret organization’s hit list and must navigate the murky waters of loyalty and betrayal among an underground ring of hackers, assassins, and government agents spanning a global conspiracy.Created by Mohamed Sayed Bisheer and directed by Majdi Smiri, the first season was shot in Los Angeles and produced jointly by Cairo-based Aroma Studios and United Brothers along with Los Angeles-based production companies AZ Films, Thriller Films and Taiwan’s Organic Media Group.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThree-part documentary series “Delphine: My Story” tells how the artist Delphine Boël, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, fought for legal recognition, and is now known as Princess Delphine of Saxe-Coburg. It has been sold to multiple territories, Warner Bros. announced at MipTV in Cannes Tuesday.HBO Max has picked up the show in numerous territories in Europe.