‘Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer’: U.K.’s MetFilm Sales Boards Worldwide Rights to EFM Doc

filmmaking is a real honor. Thank you to Michael and Tom for embracing our story about flawed, complex human beings, who happen to be Asian American, just trying their best.

Japanese streamer U-Next has renewed its content deal with Warner Bros Discovery, under which it will continue to be the SVOD streaming home of HBO programming in Japan. 

Gogglebox star Ellie Warner revealed the gender of her unborn baby in a super sweet moment that saw her niece Bessie and nephew Bobby talking to her bump.The Channel 4 star announced her news as she encouraged little Bobby to be excited for another boy in the family during Friday night's episode. Sharing a look at her now-blossoming baby bump while sat on the sofa with her sister Izzi, Ellie pulled up her jumper to give the children a glimpse. Viewers were overjoyed for the 32 year old star, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Nat Eddleston, as they watched her coo over the reveal.

“All I wanted to do this morning was get up and bake a pie,” says Judd Hirsch. Sadly, the 87-year-old actor’s plans to make his specialty — apple and blueberry — on a day off from ABC’s The Goldbergs have been interrupted by publicity duties for The Fabelmans. In Spielberg’s not-so-veiled memoir about his teenage years, Hirsch stands out as Uncle Boris, a distant relative who barges in, like the ghost of Christmas Past, while Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) and his family are mourning their late grandmother. His youthful enthusiasm makes it hard to believe that, if the gods smile on him, Hirsch will become the oldest ever Best Supporting Actor winner. He will certainly be among the most talkative…

Gogglebox star Izzi Warner has been flooded with support after she proudly shared her latest achievement with fans. The TV star returned to the small screen at the end of last week as the Channel 4 hit show made a comeback after months off air.

Seven months after landing the highly coveted top jobs at Warner Bros. Motion Picture studios, Co-Chairpersons Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were bestowed with the PGA Milestone award tonight and paid respect for their mega industry mentors, remembered emotionally their cinematic NYC and New Jersey youths, and gave a huge shoutout to their new boss, Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

The Wrap.“But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film. The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-Earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure.”The cost of the deal made between Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Embracer Group — the current rights holders to Tolkien’s novels — has yet to be released.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery continued to work on making all its various pieces, merged together last year, into a cohesive whole. The New York owner of the TNT and TBS cable networks, the HBO Max streaming service and the Warner Bros. production studio reported a net loss of $2.1 billion for its fiscal fourth quarter after the company wrote down $1.85 billion in assets and faced nearly $1.2 billion in restructuring expenses. Revenue fell 9%, excluding the results of foreign exchange, and the company saw ad sales decrease 14% as its TV networks, even as it worked to add subscribers to its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming outlets.

Warner Bros. Games Hogwarts Legacy, the open-world, action role-playing game has sold more than 12 million units and hit $850 million in sales globally and 280 million hours played in its first two weeks of launch, the company said, confirming a major hit as parent Warner Bros. Discovery prepares to release quarterly earnings shortly.

Katie Reul editor The Elephant Whisperers Kartiki Gonsalves’ documentary debut, “The Elephant Whisperers,” released on Netflix, shines a spotlight on the ways in which climate change and human encroachment are rapidly destroying the habitats of Asian elephants. The film’s dire warning is subtly woven into a heartfelt narrative about forging family in unlikely places with elephant caretakers Bomman and Bellie at its core. The duo raise an orphaned elephant named Raghu, whom they’ve cared for since infancy, as well as another calf named Ammu. “[Bomman and Bellie] are still understanding the process of what the Oscars exactly are, but they’re just overwhelmed with messages and calls and really happy to share their lives with such a large audience,” Helmer Kartiki Gonsalves told Variety. “I don’t think they’ve ever had this kind of recognition before.”

EXCLUSIVE: Banijay Rights has acquired global distribution rights to 72 Films’ four-part doc series on former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

EXCLUSIVE: Black Bear International has closed a raft of international deals on EFM titles Longlegs and Fred & Ginger, we can reveal. The two projects were among the most in-demand with foreign buyers and the deals account for the lion’s share of each film’s budget.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent DR Sales has boarded “Always Be Closing,” a drama series about the dynamics, dominance, and discrimination within the telemarketing industry. The youth-skewing series will premiere on DRTV, the Danish broadcaster’s streaming service, on Feb. 24. “Always Be Closing” is created by Frederik Dirks Gottlieb, Kasper Lundberg, and Andrea Moyo, who themselves were part of the telemarketing industry in their youth. The cast is led by Danish star Anders Heinrichsen (“Follow the Money,” “Borgen — Power & Glory”) and upcoming talent Andreas Bruun Pedersen and Tarek Zayat. The series is directed by Svend Colding and produced by Laura Valentiner-Bohse for DR.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s MetFilm Sales has closed a raft of deals on Becky Hunter’s debut feature documentary “Fashioned Reimagined” at Berlin’s ongoing European Film Market (EFM). The film has sold to Sky (U.K, Germany, Italy) NonStop Entertainment (Scandinavia, Baltics), Avrotros (Netherlands), Flag Co. (Japan), LevelFilm (Canada), Spain (Movistar) and Israel (DBS). “Fashion Reimagined” follows fashion designer Amy Powney of cult label Mother of Pearl, who embarks on a three-year journey to create a sustainable clothing collection from field to finished garment, and transform her entire business. Raised off-the-grid in rural England by activist parents, Powney has always felt uneasy about the devastating environmental impact of her industry. When she wins the Vogue award for the Best Young Designer of the Year, Powney decides to use the prize money to create a sustainable collection and transform her entire business.

At tonight’s DGA Awards, directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert landed Best Theatrical Feature with their A24 smash Everything Everywhere All At Once — besting competition that included Todd Field (Tár), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) in their first time out at the ceremony.

EXCLUSIVE: Argentinian crime thriller A Singular Crime (Un Crimen Argentino), directed by Lucas Combina, has landed a series of international distribution deals on the third day of the EFM.

EXCLUSIVE: Saban Films has taken worldwide rights to action-thriller Hellfire, starring Stephen Lang, Harvey Keitel and Dolph Lundgren here at the European Film Market. 

EXCLUSIVE: Principal photography has wrapped in New York state on COUP!, a period satire starring Peter Sarsgaard and directed by Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman.

EXCLUSIVE: 101 Films International has taken worldwide distribution rights on live-action Paul McGann-starring movie Mia and the Dragon Princess, which will launch at EFM.