‘Three Wishes for Cinderella,’ Starring Pop Star Astrid Smeplass, Sells to Shout! Studios in North America (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Animation studios Slingshot USA and Sunrise Animation Studios have partnered with Christian streamer Minno to produce faith-based shows for kids and families, starting with Young David, about the early years of the biblical king who defeated Goliath.

Christopher Vourlias Ariztical has taken North American rights to “All Our Fears,” a gay drama based on the life of Polish artist Daniel Rycharski that won the top prize at last year’s Gdynia Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s international trailer.“All Our Fears” tells the story of Daniel (Dawid Ogrodnik), a young artist torn between his small village community, urban art galleries, the Catholic Church and his gay identity.

A documentary feature is in the works based on the 2020 Sports Illustrated story about alleged sexual abuse scandal at the Ohio State University that spanned three decades.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAllison Williams has boarded the upcoming Showtime limited series “Fellow Travelers” alongside Matt Bomer, Variety has learned exclusively.The series was picked up at Showtime back in April with an eight-episode order. It is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon.The show is described as an epic love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington.

EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to screen adaptation The Magic Flute, which is executive-produced by Roland Emmerich.

EXCLUSIVE: Erin Moriarty (The Boys), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), Dina Shihabi (Archive 81) and Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon) have signed on to star in Catching Dust—an upcoming Texas noir marking the feature debut of writer-director Stuart Gatt, which will enter production in the Canary Islands this month.

Reteaming after last year’s collaboration on Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning Drive My Car, Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired North American rights to veteran auteur Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, which won the Jury Prize in Cannes this past weekend. A fall theatrical release is planned.

It’s the end of an era!

Naman Ramachandran Deaf Crocodile Films and Gratitude Films have acquired Indian films “Lalanna’s Song” and “Dhuin” for North American distribution. The deals were completed during the Cannes Market.“Dhuin” is one of six Indian titles selected by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a market screening.

After six seasons on This Is Us, Milo Ventimiglia‘s net worth has reached an all-time high. Clearly, it pays to be papa Pearson on the beloved NBC series.

Antonio Ferme editorThe 2022 PEN America Literary Gala featured remarks from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and other notable figures who emphasized the importance of protecting free speech.“I see freedom of speech as a hope of democracy,” Booker told Variety on Monday night at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

EXCLUSIVE: Lucifer’s Lesley-Ann Brandt is joining Hulu musical pilot History of a Pleasure Seeker.

Florida, PEN America paid tribute Monday night to democracy and free expression and warned about the dangers faced in the U.S. and abroad."Instead of being able focus on menial responsibilities such as school work, my generation has been forced to rapidly mobilize and fight for our future,” Florida teenager Jack Petocz, a prominent opponent of the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, said Monday. “If our collective voice couldn't make a difference, then they wouldn't be trying so hard to silence it."Marking its 100th year, the literary and human rights organization held its annual fundraising dinner gala, as some 650 authors, publishers, editors and others gathered at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefCinema box office this year in North America is poised to overtake theatrical revenues in China, the country that has been the world’s largest movie market for the past two years.Before the latest weekend, gross revenues in the year to date stood at $2.38 billion for the North American compared with $2.43 billion for China, according to data from ComScore.U.K.-based research firm Gower Street Analytics forecast that the North American figure would overtake China’s revenues over the weekend or early this week. That reflects business growth in North America and the current reversal in China, where anti-COVID measures are causing renewed cinema closures.Gower Street says that some 85% of global cinemas are now open for business, compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Neon has landed North American rights at Cannes to La Chimera, the tomb-robbing drama from writer-director Alice Rohrwacher that stars Josh O’Connor and Isabelle Rossellini.

Sarah Wayne Callies, James Saito, Tim Chiou, Freda Foh Shen and Felicia Terrell are set as leads in ABC drama pilot The Company You Keep, starring Milo Ventimiglia and Catherine Haena Kim, from 20th Television.

Christian Cooper — the black man and avid bird-watcher at the center of the 2020 “Central Park Karen” fiasco — has scored a TV gig at National Geographic.Cooper, 59, will host a series for the nature channel called “Extraordinary Birder.”The lifelong bird enthusiast will take viewers “into the wild, wonderful and unpredictable world of birds,” according to National Geographic.The channel has yet to announce a release date.“Whether braving stormy seas in Alaska for puffins, trekking into rainforests in Puerto Rico for parrots, or scaling a bridge in Manhattan for a peregrine falcon, he does whatever it takes to learn about these extraordinary feathered creatures and show us the remarkable world in the sky above,” the network said in a statement. Cooper, a Harvard University graduate, has been an avid warbler-watcher since he was 10.

Burna Boy has announced that he’ll be heading out on a tour of North America this summer – get tickets here.Hitting the road in support of his forthcoming album ‘Love, Damini’, the Nigerian Afrobeats star has added a string of US and Canadian dates to his previously announced tour, which includes dates in Europe and the UK.Kicking off on July 17, Burna Boy’s North American tour leg will kick off in Bridgetown, Barbados. It will continue through the summer with stops in Chicago, Houston and more before the finale in Atlanta, GA on July 31.The tour announcement follows Burna Boy’s appearance at last weekend’s Billboard Music Awards, where he performed new single ‘Last Last’ and ‘Kilometre’, both taken from the forthcoming ‘Love Damini’,due for release on July 1.Tickets for Burna Boy’s North American tour go on sale Friday (May 20) at 12pm local time – get them here.

Gorillaz have announced details of a North American tour. The animated band, led by Damon Albarn, will hit the road in September with 21 dates in the diary.