Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all US rights for The Beast (LA BÊTE), the latest feature from French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello (Saint Laurent) starring Léa Seydoux.
22.09.2023 - 15:29 / variety.com
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Iconic Spanish show “Pocoyo,” the Stephen Fry-narrated animation about a little boy in blue, is up for a revamp. The 20-year old brand has been acquired by Animaj, the London and Paris-based kids’ media company recently co-founded by former Google and YouTube’s senior executive Gregory Dray. Since launching in May 2022, Animaj has raised €100m (in equity and debt), with major investors including U.S.
fund Left Lane Capital, and European VC funds Daphni and X-Ange. The company’s mandate is to acquire international IPs with potential and turn them into global franchises. “Pocoyo” is already available across free and pay TV, VOD, mobile apps, and games, as well as a massive following on YouTube with more than 40 million subscribers.
The show itself is available in 17 different languages with a voice cast that includes Stephen Hugues and José María del Río, as well as Fry. “Pocoyo’s” critical laurels include the top award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, and BAFTA in the U.K. plus three Pulcinella awards in Italy.
But the brand could be much bigger, said Dray who launched the company with Sixte de Vauplane. Animaj will look to bolster and modernize “Pocoyo” and turn it into a “global multi-generational franchise that can appeal to today’s pre-school children.” The fifth season of “Pocoyo” will bow next year with a “significant refresh” that will include new character designs and the introduction of a new female character, Pocoyina, who is the sister of Pocoyo, said Dray. “Pocoyo is a symbol of Spanish and European cultural excellence that has a clear potential to become a global franchise, through increased content investment,” he added.
Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all US rights for The Beast (LA BÊTE), the latest feature from French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello (Saint Laurent) starring Léa Seydoux.
Stephen Graham's been a regular fixture on our screens for years and currently, he and wife Hannah Walters are in four-part drama Boiling Point together. The show, created by Philip Barantani, James Cummings and Stephen, picks up seven months after the film Boiling Point ends. It is a fictional series about a high-pressure restaurant, in which the Head Chef Andy Jones, played by Stephen, 50, turns to drink and drugs after a tough situation in the kitchen.
Pablo Sandoval As earning significant profile for shows in a packed marketplace has become one of Europe’s most pressing industry concerns, a new and ambitious TV series festival is launching in Cadiz, southern Spain, as an initiative of Mediaset España and backed by shows from other key players on the Spanish TV scene, such as The Mediapro Studio and Movistar Plus+. Speakers announced by the festival include Peter Morgan’s “The Crown,”“Billy Elliot’s” Stephen Daldry and “Fleabag” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Emiliano De Pablos Spanish star Miguel Ángel Silvestre (“Los enviados,” “Sense8,” “Narcos”) is set to topline in miniseries “Lucio’s Treasure,” a real-life inspired project co-produced by Spain’s Vértice360 and Friki Films with Red Arrow International Studios. Silvestre will play the leading role of Lucio Urtubia, considered a modern Robin Hood who nearly bankrupted Citibank of America in the 1980s. Whether he was caught is another matter.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety has been given access to the international trailer for animated film “The Peasants,” which is Poland’s entry for the international feature category of the Academy Awards. The film had its world premiere in the Special Presentation section of Toronto Film Festival last month, and screens next week at the London Film Festival.
Brent Lang Executive Editor Fusion Entertainment has signed on to manage Joanna Arnow, an acclaimed acclaimed writer, director, actor and editor whose narrative feature debut “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed” impressed audiences and critics when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section.The film was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures. It will be released domestically in 2024 after having its U.S.
My Mum, Your Dad stars Roger Hawes and Janey Smith's relationship looks to be going from strength to strength as they shared snaps from a romantic walk, with fans calling them "genuine". Widower Roger, 58, became a firm favourite with fans of the ITV dating show who labelled him a "silver fox" and cheered him on as he found love again with fellow contestant Janey, 47.
Refresh for latest…: Here we are with a sort of hybrid weekend at the international box office: there were fresh entries from the Hollywood studios, as well as major new titles timed to holiday play in local markets, and a holdover that’s continuing to rack up records.
Singer Taylor Swift stepped out with glamorous friends Blake Lively and Sophie Turner for a much-needed girls night on Saturday.The stunning trio were photographed holding hands and arriving to Italian restaurant Emilio’s Ballato in Soho, New York.Taylor, 33, opted for a black mini dress with a matching handbag and black strappy heels, while Blake wore a beige crop top and a multicolored striped skirt. She paired it with a tweed blazer thrown over her shoulders and tan suede boots.
Holly Willoughby was allegedly 'told not to wear a bra' during the early days of her career while appearing on children's TV. Before garnering national fame at the helm of This Morning, the presenter appeared on S Club TV - a kids TV movie by the band S Club 7 - and co-hosted Ministry of Mayhem, a children's entertainment programme with Stephen Mulhern.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards kicked off the first of two nights on Wednesday in New York, with CNN, Vice and the New York Times as among the big winners. CNN led the news portion of the Emmys, with ten wins — followed closely by Vice, with nine, and then the NYT with five.
CNN, Vice, and the New York Times were among the big winners on the first of two nights for the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. CNN led the news portion of the Emmys with ten wins, with trailing Vice winning nine and the New York Times with five.
Italian actress Luisa Ranieri has joined the cast of Johnny Depp’s upcoming Amadeo Modigliani bio-pic Modi as filming gets underway in Hungary.
Angelina Jolie is staying stylish while commuting through the city.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Neo Sora’s concert documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” a standout at the Venice Film Festival, has sold for theatrical distribution in North America to Janus Films ahead of its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival. The theatrical release will be followed by a Blu-ray Disc release on the “Janus Contemporaries” label. This is the latest deal inked by London and Paris-based production, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation, following a slew of sales to Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Germany and Austria (Rapid Eye), Scandinavia (NjutaFilms), Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), South Korea (Media Castle), China (JL Vision Films), Hong Kong and Macau (Edko Films), Taiwan (Cai Chang) and Singapore (Anticipate Pictures).
just got messier. According to new court documents obtained by , Turner is suing her estranged husband to have the couple's two children, ages three and one, to return to her “forever home” in England.
Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny decided to dress the part during their elegant dinner date in New York City. The celebrity couple are going strong in their romantic relationship, and this time they elevated their looks for a special occasion, entering 4 Charles Prime Rib restaurant, and showing off their monochromatic ensembles.BAD BUNNY OPENS UP ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH KENDALL JENNER: ‘I COULDN’T TALK TO HER BEFORE’KENDALL JENNER AND BAD BUNNY SPOTTED AT THEIR GO-TO NYC RESTAURANTThe Puerto Rican singer looked dapper in a black suit paired with leather boots, completing the look with black sunglasses, a blue Yankees baseball cap, and a scarf around his head to go incognito from the paparazzi.
For their latest date night, Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny enjoyed a casual night out in New York City.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charades has closed multiple deals on “There’s Something in the Barn,” Magnus Martens’s (“Fear the Walking Dead”) comedy horror movie from “Dead Snow” producers at 74 Entertainment and XYZ Films. The English-language movie is headlined by Martin Starr (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Spider Man”), Amrita Acharia (“Game of Thrones”) and Jeppe Beck Laursen (“The Last Kingdom”).
Pete Doherty documentary Stranger In My Own Skin have been revealed. Watch full trailer for the film above.Previously announced as debuting at Zurich Film Festival, Peter Doherty — Stranger In My Own Skin is directed by the Libertines and Babyshambles singer’s wife Katia deVidas, who also plays in his other solo outfit band The Puta Madres.Now, it has been announced that the film will hit cinemas from November 9, 2023 – with screenings taking place in the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Canada, Ireland and Austria.A synopsis describes the feature-length documentary as “following English punk singer-songwriter and Libertines’ legendary frontman, Peter Doherty, as he plunges into the depths of addiction at the very height of his popularity.“Over a period of 10 years, the artist was intimately filmed by director-musician Katia deVidas who shot more than 200 hours of exclusive footage.