Hideout Pictures Picks Up Kevin Steverson Sci-Fi Book Series ‘Salvage Title’

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLoco Films, the Paris-based world sales and production company, has unveiled the trailer for Yulia Trofimova’s feature debut “The Land of Sasha” which is premiering today at the Berlinale, in the Generation 14plus strand.“The Land of Sahsa” tells the story of an indecisive 18-year-old struggling to pursue his desire to become a painter as his mother urges him to choose a safer career path. The sudden appearance of the boy’s estranged father complicates things further. But when Sasha has an unexpected encounter with an unusual girl called Zhenia, he realizes he has no choice but to finally grow up.“The Land of Sasha” was produced by Katerina Mikhaylova and Konstantin Fam for Moscow-based Vega Film.

Rod Stewart serenaded fans with a special love song for Valentine's Day, but the rock star divided fans in the comments.

Anna Marie de la Fuente ZDF Enterprises, to be rebranded ZDF Studios in April, has snagged worldwide distribution rights to the topical post-WWII dramatic series “Between Two Worlds” (“Ein Hauch Von Amerika”).Skein is set in a fictional German town in the ’50s where a robust U.S. military presence is impacting the lives of its people, in particular the two young friends Marie and Erika, whose relationships with their family, community and each other are put to the test by the presence of a U.S.

Jamie Lang Norwegian broadcaster NRK has boarded Hummelfilm’s coming-of-age crime drama series “Nowheresville,” one of 10 projects participating in this year’s Berlin Co-Pro Series where producer Marte Hansen and series creator-director Rebecca W. Kjellmann are virtually pitching the series to potential partners, financers and broadcasters.Development on the project is already well underway, with four finished scripts and outlines for the show’s other four episodes already banked.“We are currently continuing the writing process, while working on the financing and production set-up for the series,” the partners explained to Variety before pitching in Berlin.

Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson have been announced as the hosts for the US' answer to Eurovision, the American Song Contest. 

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentZDF Enterprises and the U.K.-based Parsonage Productions are developing a new drama, “The Bronte Girls,” a fictional account of the last summer which the three Bronte sisters spent together.The drama is based on the stage play of the same name by New York-based playwright Caroline Franklin (“Last Night at the Carmine”). Franklin will adapt the drama for the small screen with the British writer-director Darcia Martin (“Riches,” “Shakespeare & Hathaway,”Call the Midwife”).The initial series, structured as a six-part drama, will be executive produced by Harvey Myman, Patty Lenahan Ishimoto and Patrick Irwin, who first worked together on A+E Networks’ U..K.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video and Germany’s Leonine Studios are expanding their existing partnership with a multi-year license agreement.Under the deal, Prime Video gets exclusive second window SVOD-rights for a six-month period to upcoming theatrical feature films and home entertainment titles from Leonine’s slate and also includes non-exclusive SVOD rights to titles from Leonine’s content library.Titles include Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick 4” and its spin-off “Ballerina,” starring Ana de Armas; Channing Tatum’s directorial debut “Dog”; Roland Emmerich’s “Moonfall,” starring Halle Berry; Nicolas Cage action-comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”; Guillaume Canet’s “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” with Gilles Lellouche, Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel and soccer star Zlatan Imbrahimović; Jennifer Lopez starrer “Shotgun Wedding”; and Leonine Studios co-production “The School of Magical Animals 2,” the sequel to Germany’s most successful theatrical release of 2021. Leonine Studios CEO Fred Kogel said: “It’s fantastic that we can expand our long-standing partnership with Prime Video by this agreement and achieve another important milestone for our licensing business with premium content.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNetflix has dropped the trailer for “Standing-Up,” the new show by Fanny Herrero, the creator of French hit series “Call My Agent!”“Standing-Up” follows Aïssatou, Nezir, Bling and Apolline, four artists from different backgrounds who are trying to break into the world of stand-up comedy. They meet every day at the Drôle, a Parisian comedy club, where they come to practice their art: making people laugh.

Marta Balaga Danish helmer Lone Scherfig is already developing the second season of “The Shift”, she revealed on Monday during an online Berlinale Series Market talk “From Film to Series.”Set in a maternity ward and starring Sofie Gråbøl and Pål Sverre Hagen, it’s the first series as a showrunner for Scherfig, who in 2019 opened Berlinale with “The Kindness of Strangers” and won a Silver Bear for “Italian for Beginners.”“It’s a tribute to the people who work in the healthcare system under extreme pressure, to the care and the love they show, even despite tough working conditions,” she said. “The Shift” is produced by Creative Alliance, with Beta Film handling the sales.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorBleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Harry Macqueen’s second feature, Supernova, starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci.The pic follows Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), partners of 20 years, who are travelling across England in their old campervan visiting friends, family and places from their past. Following a life-changing diagnosis, their time together has become more important than ever until secret plans test their love like never before.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorUniversal President of International Marketing, Simon Hewlett, will be leaving the studio in 2021.Earlier this year Universal began to assess its marketing and distribution structures in a multi-step process to integrate its domestic and international teams into a global organization based out of the Studio’s head office in Los Angeles. Universal is centralizing the core leadership by installing the head of international marketing alongside the studio leadership in LA.  The studio had hoped Hewlett, who is based in London, would continue his role as head of international marketing by relocating to the U.S.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE, Updated: IFC Midnight has acquired U.S. rights to filmmaker Keith Thomas’ supernatural horror feature debut The Vigil after a bidding war for the pic.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorOriginally set for an October theatrical release, the Robert Zemeckis-directed Warner Bros. feature Roald Dahl’s The Witches is heading to the studio’s streaming service HBO Max on Oct.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE:  Universal EVP of Distribution and Marketing John C. Hall has recently exited the studio after 25 years and he’s launching Cardinal Trio Pictures with Lokal Media co-founder Nick Scherma, and filmmaker Chasen Parker.The production company immediately has a number of projects in development:—The untitled Enron Project which is written and will be directed by Parker.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorSPOILER ALERT: This recap contains details about tonight’s series finale for CW’s The 100, “The Last War”In summing up the series finale of CW’s The 100 tonight, it’s like the lyrics to the Arthur Lee song “Everybody’s gotta live, and everybody’s gunna die.”Or as Levitt tells Octavia later in the episode, “transcendence or extinction” is in store for the humans.We headed into the finale wondering how Bill Cadogan would realize his idea of transcendence for all humanity; he having really bad intentions of starting a war which would wipe everyone out. Then, we were also worried about Maddie.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorSPOILER ALERT: This interview contains details about tonight’s series finale for CW’s The 100, “The Last War”We caught up with The 100 series creator Jason Rothenberg to ask him about some of tonight’s special guests, and what’s next in the series franchise.Tonight you brought back Lexa. After you killed her off, there was plenty of controversy, but was it always your intention to bring her back? Were there any loose ends you needed to tie up between her and Clarke?Jason Rothenberg: Once we decided that the role of the judge during the test was someone who assumes the shape of the person that was your greatest love, your greatest teacher, or your greatest enemy, then it was a no

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEntTelligence, a new corporation devoted to features and streaming audience analytics, has opened its doors today. Additionally, as of Oct.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorFormer WME Head of East Coast Music Samantha Kirby Yoh has joined UTA Music as co-head. She’ll work together with David Zedeck in leading the firm’s worldwide music operations.“Sam and David see eye-to-eye on how to build a great music business and will be strong partners in leading UTA Music,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorSony Pictures Classics has picked up North America and key foreign rights to Eva Husson’s Mothering Sunday based on the bestselling novel by Graham Swift.SPC will handle North America, Latin America, India, Pan Asia (excluding Japan), the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and airlines and ships for the movie which stars Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), Josh O’Connor (The Crown), Colin Firth, Olivia Colman and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù. Feature production began in the U.K.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorFocus Features and Magnolia Pictures have jointly announced that they’re re-releasing their respective Ruth Bader Ginsburg features, On the Basis of Sex and the documentary RBG, in tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorAs much as the world wants Damon Lindelof to return and take control of season 2 of HBO’s Watchmen, he just won’t budge — even after the series won the top Emmy limited series prize for a total of ten trophies.“It would feel like a huge betrayal of winning limited series to come back and say ‘it was only a limited series’,” teased Lindelof about Watchmen‘s future.But…“Watchmen is something I’ve loved since I was 13 years old. Someone else created it, and this was my run on it.