Universal International Studios Appoints Beatrice Springborn as President

The royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 29 March to attend a memorial service in honour of the late Prince Philip. The family came together to support the Queen, 95, as she marked the upcoming one year anniversary of her beloved husband's death. Her Majesty and Philip's four children were in attendance, as well as many of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

K.J. Yossman It was a quirk of fate that first set Cécile Frot-Coutaz on the path to becoming CEO of Sky Studios, to which she was appointed last year.“I think we all have [those] moments that have quite an impact on your trajectory,” Frot-Coutaz tells Variety. “You may not really realize it when it happens, but when you look back later on, you can see the thread.”For Frot-Coutaz, who is receiving Variety’s Intl.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Charlotte were among the many members of the Royal Family who showed their support to the Queen on Tuesday 29 March at the late Prince Philip's memorial. While the pair arrived at Westminster Abbey separately, they sat quite close to each during the service of thanksgiving.

READ MORE: Photos show Prince William struggling to take his eyes off Kate Middleton during their Caribbean tour Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined Prince William and Catherine at the memorial service for their great-grandfather this morning at Westminster Abbey (March 29). The pair looked shy as they arrived hand-in-hand with their parents but soon started to smile as they ventured into the Abbey. While the service was underway, many royal fans couldn't help but point out the adorable moment Princess Charlotte was scanning the rows behind her and saw her father's cousin, Princess Beatrice.

Princess Beatrice has broken down into tears as she sang a hymn at the memorial of her grandfather Prince Philip on Tuesday 29 March at Westminster Abbey. The 33 year old can be seen standing next to her cousin Prince William, 39, and her sister Princess Eugenie, 32, as she puts her hand up to her face to wipe away tears during the memorial.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie have been seen making their way into Westminster Abbey to show their support to the Queen for Prince Philip's memorial service. Beatrice, 33, was seen wearing a black ensemble as she was accompanied by her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, while her sister Eugenie, 32, donned a black floral dress as husband Jack Brooksbank, 35, stood close by.The couples walked their way into the venue with small smiles across their faces as they geared up to pay their tributes to their grandfather, Philip, who died on 9 April in 2021.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentEgyptian filmmaker Amir Ramses, who has tackled controversial social and political themes including pedophilia in works such as “Curfew” and the doc “Jews of Egypt,” has been appointed director of the Cairo Film Festival. The news that Ramses will head Cairo, which is the grande dame of Arab film events, follows shortly after prominent producer Mohamed Hefzy stepped down as Cairo fest president earlier this month.Hefzy was replaced as fest president by veteran Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy, 81, a local megastar, who is taking over the event’s presidency for the second time after a first term between 1998 to 2001. Ramses, who was previously artistic director of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival between 2017 to 2021, is now expected to take on a broader role at Cairo extending beyond artistic director into a general manager position.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios, the commercial arm of U.K. broadcaster BBC, has revealed a first look and development deal with London-based talent and entertainment company Diving Bell Group.Founded by Kim Butler and Justin Girdler in 2017, Diving Bell represents creators and innovators in the purpose-led space including model, trans activist and cultural figure Munroe Bergdorf; feminist author, illustrator and influencer Florence Given (“Women Don’t Owe You Pretty,” “Octopus”); Gina Martin, who successfully led the national campaign to make upskirting illegal; and Emma Gannon whose careers podcast “Ctrl Alt Delete” has amassed over 10 million downloads.The deal gives BBC Studios a first look at content ideas from Diving Bell clients for the purpose of collaborating to develop these ideas and pitch for commissions.

Amazon Studios Europe Boss Georgia Brown has revealed how the streamer “completely turned storymaking on its head” for upcoming hybrid grime/drill musical Jungle. 

Manori Ravindran International EditorUniversal International Studios has struck a first-look deal with “Call My Agent!” and “Parallèles” writer Quoc Dang Tran as it continues a charm offensive directed at international creators.UIS has inked a first-look deal with the French-Vietnamese writer and showrunner who will develop and produce English and French-language television projects with the studio for the global market. French-language series will be co-produced with the “Marianne” writer’s recently formed label, Daïmôn Films.“He really leads from themes that speak to his heart versus responding to the industry, so we’re excited to do business with a creator who listens to their gut instead of just what the network is mandating,” Beatrice Springborn, president of Universal International Studios, tells Variety ahead of a keynote at French TV festival Series Mania.

EXCLUSIVE: Call My Agent! and Marianne writer Quoc Dang Tran has struck a first-look deal with Universal International Studios, becoming the first French writer to sign such a deal with a major studio.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were spotted looking cheerful as they attended the Bahrain Grand Prix with their husbands. Royal sisters Beatrice, 33, and Eugenie, 31, attended the event with husbands Jack Brooksbank, 35 and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, with the family looking smart at the Formula 1 racing event.

Ellise Shafer The second installment of HBO’s “The White Lotus” has added Italian stars Beatrice Grannó, Sabrina Impacciatore and Simona Tabasco to its cast.As Variety exclusively revealed in January, the highly-anticipated Season 2 of Mike White’s social satire will take place at a luxurious resort in Sicily. Impacciatore will play Valentina, the manager of the White Lotus Sicily resort.

Naman Ramachandran Future Studios and women’s destination Marie Claire are teaming for digital true crime series “On the Record with Marie Claire.”The seven-part anthology series will feature female-focused stories of women seeking justice, told from the viewpoint of a central character directly linked to the case in question. Each episode, which is 7–12 minutes long, features archive film and stills and evidence from an individual case, alongside Marie Claire’s storytelling and investigative reporting.

Manori Ravindran International EditorUniversal International Studios has struck a deal with one of the hottest players in Spanish-language programming, Buendía Estudios.Under the deal, the company, whose recent credits include the hit dramas “Cardo” and “Veneno,” will co-develop and co-produce Spanish-language series with Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. Formed in 2020, Buendía Estudios is a joint venture between Atresmedia and Telefónica’s Movistar Plus, and incorporates the in-house player formerly known as Atresmedia Studios.The company, which is led by CEO Ignacio Corrales, told Variety earlier this year that, in addition to producing for Spain and Latin America, it’s looking to develop projects from the region that are global-facing, in the vein of international Spanish-language triumphs like “Money Heist” and “Velvet.” A slate of around 40 projects across various genres and formats is currently in the works.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Grown-ish co-showrunner Jeni Rice-Genzuk Henry has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, the venture launched last year by Paramount and BET to generate premium content from Black creators for Paramount+, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET+ and BET, as well as select third-party platforms.

Universal Studio Group has made permanent the interim roles held by Beatrice Springborn and David O’Donoghue, with Springborn becoming President of UCP and Universal International Studios and O’Donoghue taking on the Head of Universal International Studios post.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentHBO Max International head Johannes Larcher is set to give a keynote address at MipTV, the international TV showcase which will make a comeback as in-person market in Cannes after going virtual due to the pandemic. Larcher will discuss the launch of HBO Max, the WarnerMedia-owned streaming platform, in 61 territories worldwide.

Manori Ravindran International EditorTransatlantic production powerhouse Sister has hired Amazon Studios scripted executive Lydia Hampson as executive producer. The company has also struck a first-look deal with Hampson  and Amazon Studios U.K.Hampson most recently served as the head of U.K.

Sky Studios, the original programming arm of broadcaster Sky in Europe, has bolstered its UK Drama Commissioning team with a pair of hires.