Sky U.K. CEO Stephen van Rooyen Steps Down, Team Will Report to Group CEO Dana Strong

Blur To Release Two Films With Altitude 

BAFTA-winning Once Upon a Time In Northern Ireland creator James Bluemel has found his next project, an exploration of space.

Naman Ramachandran Altitude is launching international sales on two films featuring iconic British band Blur at the Berlin European Film Market. The band, consisting of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, was formed in 1988 and tasted considerable success until it went on hiatus in 2015. The first film is an untitled feature-length documentary depicting the return of Blur, captured across a year in which the band made a surprise return with their first record in eight years, the #1 album “The Ballad of Darren.” It follows the relationship of the bandmates of over three decades as they come together to record 10 new songs ahead of their sold-out shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2023.

meets Just My Luck. The second of her two-picture creative partnership with the streaming platform, Irish Wish is a tale of luck and romance sprinkled with supernatural elements.

Carlos Aguilar Bursting with unruly energy that practically escapes the confines of the screen, “Kneecap” is a riotous, drug-laced triumph in the name of freedom that bridges political substance and crowd-pleasing entertainment. The three members of the eponymous Irish rap group — Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh — play themselves in this liberally fictionalized reimagining of their origin story set in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Shortly after the Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan recalled watching Cillian Murphy transform into J. Robert Oppenheimer for the first time. “It was really in the hair and makeup tests, which we shoot on Imax and in black-and-white,” Nolan told Variety.

Green Day are currently outselling the rest of the UK albums chart’s top 10 combined with ‘Saviors’.The pop-punk trio released their 14th studio record last Friday (January 19), with NME praising it as “their best work since ‘American Idiot'” in a four-star review.According to the Official Charts‘ latest update, Billie Joe Armstrong and co. are on course to earn their fifth UK Number One album during the next chart rundown this Friday (January 26).‘Saviors’ is outselling the rest of the top 10 combined at the midweek point.Green Day are followed in the top five by Neck Deep‘s self-titled album (Number Two), Saxon’s ‘Hell, Fire And Damnation’ (Number Three), Noah Kahan‘s ‘Stick Season’ (Number Four) and The Weeknd‘s ‘The Highlights’ (Number Five).Should the group clinch victory, ‘Saviors’ will follow ‘American Idiot’ (2004), ’21st Century Breakdown’ (2009), ‘Revolution Radio’ (2016) and ‘Father Of All Motherfuckers’ (2020) in reaching Number One in the UK.This week’s Official Chart is due to be announced live on BBC Radio 1 from 4pm GMT on Friday.Green Day are set to embark on their 2024 ‘Saviors world tour in May.

There is more bad weather on the way for the United Kingdom as it prepares for another round of high winds and heavy rain just hours after Storm Isha. The Met Office has confirmed that Storm Jocelyn is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (January 23).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Lindsay Lohan and Kristin Chenoweth will star in the Netflix romantic comedy “Our Little Secret.” Stephen Herek is directing the film, which follows two resentful exes (Lohan and Ian Harding) who are forced to spend Christmas together after discovering their current partners are siblings. Lohan will reunite with her “Mean Girls” co-star Tim Meadows, as well as star alongside Jon Rudnitsky, Chris Parnell, Dan Bucatinsky, Henry Czerny, Katie Baker, Ash Santos, Jake Brennan and Brian Unger. It’s unclear who anyone else is playing in the cast.

Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) and Kristin Chenoweth (Schmigadoon!) have been set to star in Our Little Secret, a new holiday film that Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) is directing for Netflix.

Sky UK & Ireland’s CEO and Group CCO, Stephen van Rooyen, will step down at the end of next month.

Berlin Film Festival is unveiling its full competition lineup. Berlin’s previously announced opener is Ireland-set drama “Small Things Like These” starring “Oppenheimer’s” Cillian Murphy and directed by Tim Mielants (“Peaky Blinders”).

Storm Isha is set to batter Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK this weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Film and TV Producers’ Groups Call for Government Regulation of Streamers, Protection of Indie Sector Against ‘Market Failure’ and Loss of IP Streaming platforms could be subject to tighter regulation and forced to loosen their control of intellectual property if national governments heed a call for action launched Thursday by film and TV producers’ trade organizations around the world. The “global screen producers’ statement on streaming platform regulation and intellectual property protections,” was published by some 20 groups including Australia’s Screen Producers Association, Germany’s Produzentenverband, Screen Producers Ireland, multinational Spanish-language group Federación Iberoamericana de Productores Cinematográficos y Audiovisuales and Belgium’s Union des Producteur.ices Francophones de Films & Series. They say that they, “share a commitment to securing regulation from our respective governments that will ensure that our industry continues to both be sustainable and maintains our nation’s cultural sovereignty.” Among the nine principles, that the groups want governments to follow, two stand out and would likely require regulation.

starring in “Gladiator 2.”The Oscar-nominated actor rose to fame with roles in “Normal People,” “Aftersun,” “All of Us Strangers” and “Foe,” but his star will indeed explode when the Ridley Scott-directed sequel, co-starring heavy hitters Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, hits theaters Nov. 22. In an interview with the Times UK, the 27-year-old Irish actor said he is quite scared of the possible impending global attention headed his way.“I don’t know what the difference will be,” Mescal explained.

The Motion Picture Association has renewed chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin‘s contract for another three-year term.

The Met Office's latest weather radar map shows how cold it will be across the UK overnight for the rest of the week.

Alex Ritman Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to “Unicorns,” the romance drama co-directed by BAFTA nominee Sally El Hosaini (“The Swimmers”) and her long-standing collaborator James Krishna Floyd, who starred in both “The Swimmers” and her directorial debut “My Brother the Devil.” From a script written by Floyd, “Unicorns” is described as a “visually daring and heartfelt portrayal of modern masculinity” and follows a queer South Asian club performer living a double life who meets a straight, single-father mechanic, with whom unexpected sparks begin to fly.

Peacock has set May 2 as the premiere date for The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the streamer’s original limited series based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Heather Morris. Additionally, the series will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the same day.

Alex Ritman Paris-based sales house Charades has acquired international sales rights to “In a Violent Nature,” the debut feature film from writer and director Chris Nash that is set to premiere in Sundance‘s Midnight Section on Jan. 22.