Waterside Studios Finds First Project in ‘The Last Wish of Sasha Cade’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Country music drama limited series George & Tammy, starring Oscar winner Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), is headed to Showtime. 

EXCLUSIVE: Newen Connect has unveiled a raft of deals on Canadian director Christian Duguay’s new feature Ride Above, starring Carmen Kassovitz as a teenager raised in a horse racing milieu who rises above the challenges of a tragic, life-changing accident.

A former high-ranking official in the Church of Scientology said Friday that the organization never forgets its enemies “until they are destroyed,” and he said that filmmaker Paul Haggis, who quit Scientology, remains one of its biggest targets. 

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor After two straight quarters of subscriber losses, Netflix returned to growth in the third quarter of 2022 — and told investors it’s expecting a strong Q4 to finish the year, even though it doesn’t expect big gains right away from the launch of its cheaper, ad-supported plans. The streaming giant reported 2.41 million net new paid subscribers in Q3, including a gain of 100,000 in the U.S./Canada region, to stand at 223.1 million worldwide as of the end of September. That handily topped Netflix’s previous forecast of a 1 million pickup for the period. For Q4, Netflix expects to gain 4.5 million new streaming customers, compared with 8.3 million in the year-earlier quarter. Netflix Basic With Ads is slated to launch in the U.S. on Nov. 3 and priced at $6.99 per month — three dollars less than the regular Basic plan. Similar ad tiers are also coming next month to 11 other countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain and the U.K.

EXCLUSIVE: Olga Kurylenko-starrer (Black Widow) Boudica has wrapped shoot in the UK for Bleiberg Entertainment, which has today revealed an official first look image from the movie.

Viaplay Plans November 1 Launch Date For UK As Premier Sports Deal Closes

Liza Foreman CANNES  — TV series “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” has been picked up by streamer Topic for North America and by the Australian channel SBS, ZDF Studios announced Tuesday at Cannes Mipcom trade fair.  “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” is being sold as both a 45-minute series and four feature-length stories.  Topic has taken exclusive rights for the U.S. and Canada. SBS, a multicultural Australian broadcaster, has also closed an exclusive deal for the drama series. Additionally, ZDF Studios has licensed the program to VOD platforms  Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Deutsche Telekom and Huawei for German speaking territories, as well as Germany’s public broadcaster, ZDF. 

ITVX and Viaplay four-partner Litvinenko, which will see David Tennant playing the doomed Russian dissident, has sold into 80 territories ahead of its launch. AMC+ and Sundance Now have taken rights in the U.S., while Prime Video bagged Canada from distributor ITV Studios. 

Andrea Iervolino’s Social Media App TaTaTu Lists On Euronext

Liza Foreman CANNES  —  The four-part drama “Litvinenko,” starring Scottish actor David Tennant, has sold to more than 80 international markets, ahead of its debut on the new ITV streaming service, ITVX in the U.K., and on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in the Nordics, Netherlands, Poland and the Baltics. AMC Networks’ Sundance Now and AMC+ have acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to the drama, and Prime Video has taken the series in Canada.  In Europe, “Litvinenko” will air on M6 in France, ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany, and Sky Italia, amongst others.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s MIA, a market dedicated to international TV series, feature films, animation and documentaries, wrapped its eighth edition on Saturday on a positive note boasting a 20% rise in attendance compared with 2021, having attracted more than 2,400 registered industry execs from 60 countries, more than half of which from Italy. However, the pandemic was still limiting travel last year, which makes comparisons difficult. The mood was undoubtedly upbeat in the halls and terraces of central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini – which besides being Italy’s national ancient art gallery is also the market’s main hub – and in the adjacent state-of-the-art Cinema Barberini movie theater during five days of curated dealmaking and dozens of panels and project pitching sessions involving 70 TV, film, doc and animation projects.

Marta Balaga Italian production company Lux Vide, also behind “Medici” and “Leonardo,” will make its first move into unscripted TV with “Italian Food Tour.” TikTok’s “Condiment Claire” Dinhut and chef Max Mariola will co-host the 12-episode show, exploring culinary – and cultural – characteristics of various Italian regions. Introduced to international buyers during MIA Market, “Italian Food Tour” will start shooting in the spring. Antonio Azzalini has been tapped as showrunner. “At Lux Vide, we like to promote our country. Also because Italians are so bad at marketing,” CEO Luca Bernabei tells Variety at the show’s unveiling in Rome. The company was acquired by Fremantle in March.

Marta Balaga Sky Studios has confirmed its commitment to premium content at MIA Market in Rome. “When we say premium, we talk about mature, provocative, sophisticated storytelling,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. Noting the company’s interest in prestige, high-end limited series (“‘Chernobyl’ was an incredible example of that”), “blockbuster” event series, but also ones that can potentially return. An adaptation of Heather Morris’ novel “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is in the works, which will see Sky partnering up with Peacock. TNT has acquired “The Lazarus Project,” while crime series “A Town Called Malice,” created by Nick Love and launching next spring, will be a “love letter” to the 1980s.

K.J. Yossman Entertainment One (eOne) have sold their first Soanish language series “Operación Marea Negra” to over 60 territories including the U.S. and Mexico (Roku), Austarlia (SBS), Latin American (AMC Networks Intl), Canada (TELEUS) and Spain (Disney-owned FOX channel). The four-part series is based on the true story of Europe’s first intercepted narco-submarine in November 2019, when three smugglers crossed the Atlantic in a home-made sub-aquatic vessel carrying more than 3,000 kilos of cocaine. After boarding in the middle of the Amazon, they sailed to Europe while enduring terrible conditions including hunger, engine problems and storms before finally being captured on the Galician coast by the Civil Guard.

International co-productions are all the rage right now, and Europe’s top players are looking to the U.S.

The fourth and final season of CBC drama “Diggstown” is right around the corner, and on Tuesday, Oct. 11 a new trailer for the upcoming season dropped to bring viewers a first look at how the journey of crusading lawyer Marcie Diggs (Vinessa Antoine) will conclude.

billion minutes watched in its first week, in 2.5 million households. The movie tells the tale of Meilin (Rosalie Chiang), a Chinese-Canadian tween girl who is entering puberty and discovers that when she gets too excited, she turns into a giant red panda.

Paramount+ has a set a premiere date for the upcoming Teen Wolf: The Movie. The film, written and produced by Jeff Davis, will debut Thursday, January 26, 2023 exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada, and the following day on Paramount+ in the UK, Latin America, and Australia. Premiere dates for other Paramount+ international markets will be announced at a later date.

This fall, tip your basket to William Blaxton when you pluck a plump apple from a tree, bob for apples on Halloween or cherish your grandmother's amazing apple pie on Thanksgiving. Reverend Blaxton, among other claims to fame, planted the first seeds that would fuel a pioneering nation and give apples an image of all-American wholesomeness.

EXCLUSIVE: Ireland’s Lighthouse Studios is developing its first original series, Savage Town.