‘The Artful Dodger’ is a bloody and quirky take on Charles Dickens: review

It’s been an eventful 2023 for international TV and film. As the strikes shut down Hollywood and streamers retrenched from the mega-spends of the Covid era, shows and movies from far and wide came were already in demand like never before, as viewers look to new countries for inspiration. Call it the Squid Game effect, or whatever you want, but neither subtitles nor geographical boundaries are an impediment to content getting seen any more. Here, we run down each Deadline International journalist’s top pick from the year, for the most part avoiding spoilers (there are some though, so this is a fair warning). You’ll find big-ticket U.S. fare, Japanese anime, restaurant TV dramas and Australian newsroom stories among our eclectic selections.

Princess Mary has posted a cryptic message about loneliness and the importance of positive human connection before Christmas.The post comes after rumors of an affair between her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, and Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, which surfaced a month ago.The pair hit deadlines after Spanish publication Lecturas published photos of them spending a day exploring Madrid last month.They were spotted wandering around the city’s El Retiro park, enjoying a Picasso exhibit, and going out for dinner.Despite the rumors, the Danish royal family has presented a “business as normal” attitude as they enter the festive season.Princess Mary’s letter, shared on the Mary Foundation website, reflects on the past year, describing it as shorter than previous years and filled with significant events.An excerpt from the letter emphasizes the need for human connection, in which she states: “We need each other if we are to succeed.”“And at the same time, so much has happened that it is impossible to put it all into words,” she wrote.“We have put a spotlight on the many faces of loneliness with a large conference.

In a heartwarming moment from rehearsals for his Coronation, King Charles can be seen making jokes about his so-called "sausage fingers" sending his son Prince William into fits of laughter. The king's so-called 'sausage fingers' have drawn much attention from eagle-eyed royal watchers over the years - and now the monarch has been seen to joke about them himself.

Spy x Family arrives in cinemas in Japan this year.Based on the manga by Tatsuya Endo, Spy x Family is an anime action-comedy series which follows master spy Twilight, who has to disguise himself and build a mock family in order to investigate political leader Donovan Desmond.The show’s first season debuted in April 2022, with the second season set to conclude on December 23, 2023.At the time of season two’s announcement in December 2022, a feature film titled Spy x Family Code: White was also revealed.At the time of writing (December 19), there is no announced UK release date for Spy x Family Code: White.The film hits cinemas in Japan on December 22, 2023. As announced in November, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment is set to bring Spy x Family Code: White to theatres worldwide at some point in 2024, with confirmed territories being North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

Timothée Chalamet‘s Wonka has topped the global box office.The musical prequel directed by Paul King pulled in a whopping $92.6million (£73.1million) over the weekend, topping the box office in 60 of its 77 international markets, according to Screen Daily. Its worldwide total currently stands at $150million (£118.4million).In the US, it made its debut pulling in $39million (£30.8million) over the weekend to top the box office and enjoyed strong openings in France at $5.1million (£4million) and Australia $4million (£3.2million).The UK/Ireland leads the international pack with $23.2million (£18.3million) after 10 days, ahead of Mexico with $11.2million (£8.3million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Guy Pearce (“LA Confidential,” “Memento”) has recently wrapped production on “Inside,” an Australian crime thriller and coming of age drama film. The picture is the debut feature of Charles Williams, whose short film “All These Creatures” won the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The story sees after a young man transferred from juvenile to adult prison, where he is taken under the wing of both Australia’s most despised criminal, and a soon-to-be-a-paroled inmate.

Jamie Dornan-starrer The Tourist has moved to Netflix in the U.S. after being dropped by Max.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The first and second seasons of the hit thriller series “The Tourist,” starring Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald, will shift to Netflix starting next February. The first season originally saw Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max as a co-producer and local streaming partner.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will be available to watch at home from December.Directed by Sam Wrench, the concert film documents Swift’s latest tour which runs through her biggest hits and rarities across all ten of her studio albums.After it was released in cinemas in October, the film has become the highest-grossing concert movie ever, earning $249million at the worldwide box office. It also landed a nomination at the 2024 Golden Globes for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.In the US, Canada, UK and Ireland, the film will be available to rent digitally from December 13 (to coincide with Swift’s birthday).Other confirmed territories include Australia and New Zealand from December 14, and Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil from December 21.As listed on Swift’s website, the film will be available from Apple TV+, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xfinity, YouTube and Sky.The extended version on streaming services will include songs which were cut from the cinematic release, including ‘Wildest Dreams’, ‘The Archer’ and ‘Long Live’.In a four-star review of the film, NME wrote: “It’s a staggering feat.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Anne Hathaway appeared on the latest “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and called it “lucky” that her iteration of the “Barbie” movie never got off the ground considering the phenomenon that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” became over the summer. Back in July 2017, Hathaway was announced as the star of Sony’s “Barbie” movie. Comedian Amy Schumer was originally cast, but Hathaway took over the role after Schumer departed.

Neighbours, the returning soap that has been playing elsewhere (Channel 5 and previously the BBC in the UK, has been released by its new home – streamer Freevee.The series will return to screens on 18 September, with new episodes releasing daily, Monday-Thursday, at 7 a.m. BST, on Amazon Freevee in the UK and the U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian streamer Stan has acquired rights to both seasons, totaling 20 episodes, of the Malaysian adaptation of Scandinavian crime series “The Bridge.” The agreement, brokered by Lyle Bettson-Barker, SVP Australia and New Zealand from Banijay Rights, represents the first time that Stan has acquired a Malaysian drama series. The Asian version of “The Bridge” was initially commissioned by Viu and HBO Asia in 2018, after Double Vision, part of the Vision New Media group, introduced Viu to the format. It broadcast to across 23 territories in the combined footprints of Viu and HBO Asia and was also shown on Viu in South Africa.The title has garnered more than 20 regional awards and nominations across its two seasons, making it the most awarded drama in Malaysian history. Season one faithfully follows the original show, and sees a dead body found on the border between Malaysia and Singapore, necessitating an investigator from each country to work together to solve the crime.

A cycle-hating Scottish couple completed an epic around-the-world biking fundraiser in aid of a children’s hospice yesterday.

A+E‘s survivalist format Alone is headed into Germany.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Something Special, the Seoul-based international format agency founded by format specialists Jin Woo Hwang (president and executive producer) and Kim In Soon (EVP & head of content) announce that ITV Studios has optioned the hit Korean celebrity format “Battle in the Box” for France, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The deal was unveiled on Wednewday, the first full day of the Asia Television Forum and Market (ATF) in Singapore. “Battle in the Box,” created by Korea’s NMedia and represented globally by Something Special, has previously seen deals announced with Fremantle for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.

Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir has made history at the 20th edition of Morocco’s Marrakech Film Festival as the first local director to win its top prize with her hybrid documentary The Mother Of All Lies.

The Weeknd has directed $2.5million (£1.9million) to pay for four million emergency meals in Gaza.Yesterday (November 1), the UN announced that the Canadian musician was sending the hefty donation through his XO Humanitarian Fund. The money will fund 820 metric tons of food parcels, which the UN claimed could feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.As of December 1, the conflict has taken the lives of more than 15,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to Al Jazeera.

Troye Sivan has announced details of a huge UK and European tour for 2024. Check out all the details below.The tour is in support of Sivan’s acclaimed album ‘Something To Give Each Other’, which was released back in October.

K.J. Yossman Raw TV, the production company behind “The Tinder Swindler,” have set a new true crime documentary with Amazon Prime Video about the 1978 murders of Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton. Titled “Dead in the Water,” it follows the story of Farmer and Frampton, a young British couple who went missing in 1978 after going backpacking in Central America.

UK agency Casarotto Ramsay & Associates has hired Sara Johnson and Julie Fernandez, co-founders of Bridge06.