Taleseed develops Contempo Series Inspired by Dumas’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Christopher Vourlias Russia’s Wizart Animation has closed pre-sales in multiple territories ahead of AFM for its animated feature “The Snow Queen and the Princess,” and has inked a package deal across Scandinavia for the first four titles in the successful “Snow Queen” franchise.The fifth movie in the series, which will be released in 2022, has been acquired by KLB SAS for France and French-speaking territories in Europe and Africa.

Emilio Mayorga Alê Abreu’s ‘Perlimps’ and Milton Guerrero’s ‘Kai’ are among the five selected projects to be presented at the Animation! Works in Progress by Annecy showcase at Ventana Sur 2021, the biggest film and TV confab in Latin America.The Animation! WIPs by Annecy sidebar is curated by the French festival and its MIFA market.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrance’s most famous Catholic priest, Abbé Pierre, will be portrayed in a €15 million ($17.5 million) biopic movie produced by SND and Wassim Beji, who previously teamed on “Yves Saint Laurent.”Titled “Abbé Pierre, a Century of Devotion,” the movie will be directed by Frederic Tellier (“Goliath,” “Through the Fire”) with Benjamin Lavernhe (“The Speech”) playing the title role, alongside Emmanuelle Bercot (“Mon Roi,” “Polisse”).SND, the commercial arm of

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based sales agency Global Screen has closed a raft of sales on its live-action family adventure “Jim Button and the Wild 13.” The adaptation of Michael Ende’s best-selling novel – which has been translated into 25 languages – is one of the most expensive feature films in the history of German cinema, with a budget of more than $24 million.Global Screen, part of Telepool, has sold the film to France (Megalys Productions), Middle East (Salim

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorFrench media conglomerate Mediawan is to adapt Leonine Studios’ digital event show “YouTopia” for the French market. The deal is an early example of a pan-European collaboration between the two companies, who recently set up a European studio that united 61 production companies from France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the U.K.“YouTopia” is an innovative format, developed by i&u TV – a Leonine Studios company.

Perfectly Parisian! If you’re obsessed with the French girl glamour on Emily in Paris, you’re in luck. Because Lancôme plans to launch an entire, limited-edition line inspired by the fan-favorite show. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Lupin” star Omar Sy is re-teaming with Gaumont on his big screen comeback with “Father & Soldier,” a politically minded WWI action-drama about family bonds and Africa’s forgotten war heroes.Shooting now in France, the action-packed film is being helmed by Mathieu Vadepied, who made his directorial debut with “Learn by Heart,” which world premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Buenos Aires-based Bikini Films, led by Edson Sidonie, has boarded “Ofelia,” the sophomore pic of Juan Pablo Felix whose acclaimed feature debut “Karnawal” won best direction at last year’s Guadalajara fest and best Ibero-American film at the Malaga Film Festival in June.France’s Luz Verde has also come on board as a producer.“Ofelia” has been selected to participate in Ibermedia’s Ibero-American Project Development Course currently taking place in Madrid.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA new film about the development, regulation and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines from “How to Survive a Plague” director David France has scored a raft of international sales.Documentary specialists Dogwoof have sold the film — which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2022 — into Sky in the U.K., Germany and Italy; NRK for Norway; DR for Denmark; SVT for Sweden; Channel 8 and YesDocu for Israel; and HBO and HBO Max in Latin America.Filming on the documentary,

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMusic Box has acquired Xavier Giannoli’s “Lost Illusions,” a sprawling costume drama with Benjamin Voisin (“Summer of 85”) and Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”), that competed at the Venice Film Festival and played at San Sebastian.A critically acclaimed film adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s literary masterpiece, “Les Illusions perdues,” the movie has now been sold in key markets by Gaumont.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentWarnerMedia International has appointed well-respected Canal Plus executive Vera Peltekian as VP and commissioning editor of original production for France. Based in Paris, Vera will commission original programming for HBO Max.Peltekian will join the company in November and will be part of HBO Max’s pan-regional team responsible for commissioning and producing drama, comedy, documentary and unscripted content in the EMEA region.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“History of the World, Part I” is finally getting a Part II, with Hulu ordering a variety series followup to the classic Mel Brooks comedy film, Variety has learned exclusively.“History of the World, Part II” is described as a sequel to the 1981 film. The film was made up of segments set during different periods of world history.

We Happy Few developer, Compulsion Games, is working on a new third-person narrative-focused single player game.The news comes from an interview with French gaming website, Xbox Squad, and via VGC. In the interview, community manager, Naila Hadjas, explained that “I think we gave ourselves a little time to learn.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItaly’s RAI Com, which is the sales arm of Italian state broadcaster RAI, is scoring sales to key territories on Gabriele Mainetti’s “Freaks Out,” following the genre-bending film’s launch in competition at Venice.Mainetti’s lavish historical fantasy set in 1943 Rome, where four “freaks” who work in a circus are left to their own devices when the Eternal City is bombed by Allied Forces, has been sold to Metropolitan Film for France and to The Klockwork

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSybel, France’s rising subscription-based podcast platform, has reached a two-year agreement with the French audio producers guild (PIA) to set up a revenue sharing model for content creators. The service is also expanding with the launch of a freemium model which will be financed by advertising and will include 500 more podcast titles.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentRomain Quirot’s “Paul W.R.’s Last Journey,” an ambitious film mixing science fiction and ecological tale, has been sold by Kinology (“Annette”) to major distributors, including Samuel Goldwyn Films in North America.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentEuropean pay-TV platform Sky will unveil an Italian adaptation of French hit series “Call My Agent,” and thriller series “Europa,” directed by German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel, who helmed the Oscar-nominated “Downfall,” at an event Friday at the Rome MIA Market.The Italian “Call My Agent” remake is being produced by Palomar, the Rome-based company controlled by France’s Mediawan, which originated the hit show set at a Parisian talent agency

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAmazon Prime Video is launching the Victorine Narrative Lab, a new mentoring program for aspiring writers, in collaboration with the French Riviera city of Nice and the top-ranking French film school Louis-Lumiere.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThierry Ardisson, a famous French TV journalist, host and producer known for roasting some of the biggest stars and political figures in modern history, has teamed up with Mediawan’s 3eme Oeil Productions to resuscitate late icons in “L’hotel du Temps.” Pioneering the use of an A.I.-generated tool called FaceRetriever, “L’Hotel du Temps” has allowed Ardisson to fulfil his wildest dream: Travel back in time and bring back legendary figures, including