Michael Winterbottom: Last News

A dramatization of the life of Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan/Renault CEO who escaped from arrest hidden in a music case, is in the works from Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón and This England’s Michael Winterbottom.

UK director Michael Winterbottom has suggested that his 2022 Gaza documentary Eleven Days In May had a tougher time securing a UK broadcast partner following an article in the London-based Jewish Chronicle linking his Palestinian co-director to Hamas.

Playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton, producer David Parfitt, Dune costume designer Jacqueline West and directors Lynne Ramsay and Michael Winterbottom are to set attend the Qatari Doha Film Institute’s ninth talent incubator event Qumra in March.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Doha Film Institute has recruited an impressive mix of film directors and talents comprising Christopher Hampton, David Parfitt, Jacqueline West, Lynne Ramsay, and Michael Winterbottom who will hold master classes and act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator. The event, which is back in person after a two-year hiatus, will run physically March 10-15 in the Qatari capital of Doha, followed by an online program March 19-21. Qumra, which means “camera” in Arabic, blends together a creative workshop, co-production market, and festival elements. The event, now at its ninth edition, was established by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to help foster first and second works, mostly by Arab directors and to create curated networking opportunities between the Arab and international film communities.

Fremantle has promoted Christian Vesper to CEO of Global Drama, handing him oversight of a number of scripted labels acquired in the past few months.

EXCLUSIVE: Fremantle has acquired True Detective and This England exec Richard Brown’s Passenger, with Brown landing a role within the super-indie’s Global Drama division.

Naman Ramachandran The crisis of leadership Britain has been plunged into over recent years merits sustained study as a cautionary tale. But it demands deeper and sharper analysis than is available in “This England,” a curiously indifferent six-part miniseries notionally centred on former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak, currently limping out on Sky’s U.K. arm. When Winterbottom’s Revolution Films announced the project (originally titled “This Sceptred Isle”) last year – with Kenneth Branagh unveiled as the project’s Johnson – speculation was rife. Would the series be an ensemble satire, along the lines of Winterbottom’s rambunctious “24 Hour Party People”? Or an artfully sober inquiry, in the vein of the director’s Amanda Knox-inspired “The Face of an Angel”? In fact, it’s neither: what we’ve got is a hurriedly assembled primetime procedural that undermines its claim to rigorous accuracy from the off by misspelling the name of Johnson’s soon-to-be-wife Carrie Symonds in its opening credits.

Sir Kenneth Branagh when he was not in character as Boris Johnson on set of the Covid drama. Formerly titled This Sceptred Isle, the six-parter follows the 58-year-old’s tumultuous first months as prime minister, leading up to the beginning of the coronarvirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Covering one of the most challenging periods in recent history, the series, co-written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, will also include stories from the medics and care workers working on the frontline.

Naman Ramachandran In the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, the U.K. has postponed several scheduled events as a mark of respect. Sky has postponed the scheduled launch of Michael Winterbottom’s Boris Johnson drama “This England,” starring Kenneth Branagh, from Sept. 21 to until after the official period of mourning, to Sept. 28. The Premier League has postponed this weekend and Monday evening’s soccer games. The FA has confirmed that soccer fixtures across the Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, and the Isuzu FA Trophy, will be postponed this weekend and that all soccer fixtures across the National League System, Steps 1-6, including the Vanarama National Leagues, the Women’s Football Pyramid, Tiers 3-7, and matches across grassroots soccer in England will be postponed.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin and Fremantle Group COO and CEO Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati are set to deliver a keynote address at Mipcom. The session comes on the heels of Fremantle Group’s recent high-profile acquisitions, including Element Pictures (“Conversations With Friends”), Lux Vide (“Medici”), Dancing Ledge Productions (“The Salisbury Poisonings”) and Eureka (“Holey Moley”). alongside talent partnerships with globally-renowned creatives including Angelina Jolie, Neil Cross, Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino, Michael Winterbottom, Jimmy Fallon, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Simon Cowell, Penelope Cruz, Pablo and Juan De Dios Larrain and Cara Delevingne.

When it was announced that Michael Winterbottom would be making a series about the first pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2022, many assumed—or perhaps hoped—that the politically committed director would be holding the British government to account. However, speaking to Deadline at the 38th Sarajevo Film Festival, 25 years after his acclaimed war drama Welcome To Sarajevo screened there, Winterbottom revealed that, in common with many of his fictionalized but factual feature films, the six-part Sky series This England , which debuts 21 September, will be an ensemble piece, taking a bird’s-eye view of the British authorities’ initial response to COVID.

Naman Ramachandran Fremantle has scored a raft of sales on “The Trip” director Michael Winterbottom’s drama on outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, “This England.”The 88 territories closed for “This England” include Movistar+ (Spain), Viaplay (Nordics and Baltics, Poland and the Netherlands), Cosmote (Greece), OSN TV and OSN+ (MENA), M-Net (South Africa), BBC First (Australia) and TVNZ (New Zealand).

Sky’s Kenneth Branagh-starring Boris Johnson drama This England has been sold to 88 territories worldwide by distributor Fremantle.

Naman Ramachandran As the race to choose his successor heats up, broadcaster Channel 4 has revealed plans for a documentary series on outgoing U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson.

Manori Ravindran International EditorIf you thought Kenneth Branagh was heading back to make-up to shoot scenes as a belligerent Boris Johnson fighting for his premiership against a government uprising, think again.Sources tell Variety that the highly anticipated Sky drama series “This England” won’t be filming any more scenes despite the last chaotic 48 hours for U.K. government, which have culminated in Johnson’s resignation.

This England, starring Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson.The series, co-written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, is based on Johnson’s first months as prime minister and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.A synopsis reads: “The drama takes us inside the halls of power, as Johnson grapples with COVID-19, Brexit, and a personal and political life wracked by controversy.“The events in government are interwoven with first-hand testimonies from around the UK, from the experts and scientists racing against time to understand the virus; the doctors, nurses and care-home workers on the frontline working tirelessly and heroically to contain and overcome it; and ordinary people whose lives were thrown into turmoil.”Alongside Branagh, the show stars Ophelia Lovibond (Feel Good) as Carrie Johnson and Andrew Buchan (The Crown) as former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.While an exact release date is yet to be announced, This England is scheduled to be released on Sky Atlantic and NOW later this year.Branagh was recently cast in Christopher Nolan’s next film Oppenheimer, alongside Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh and Rami Malek.The film follows theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy) and his contributions to the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentBritish director Michael Winterbottom will start shooting his long-gestating “Promised Land,” a thriller set during the leadup to the 1948 partition of Palestine and the subsequent creation of the state of Israel, this fall in Italy.U.K. actors Douglas Booth (“The Dirt,” “That Dirty Black Bag”) and Harry Melling (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”) and Russia’s Irina Starshenbaum, who was in Cannes in 2018 with Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Leto,” are attached as the pic’s main cast. Italy’s Vision Distribution, which is headed by veteran sales agent Catia Rossi, is launching pre-sales on “Promised Land” in Cannes.Based on real events, “Promised Land” is a political thriller that unfolds during the British Mandate in 1930s Tel Aviv.

Naman Ramachandran British critic, writer, producer, commissioner and director Catherine Bray and film acquisitions executive and festival program advisor Paul Ridd have launched a weekly podcast dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” “Not Another F**King Elf” is a character guide podcast that takes an hour-long deep dive into each “The Lord of the Rings” character, with clips from different adaptations of the work from films to audiobooks to radio adaptations. Each episode begins with a recap of the character arc of the chosen subject.

Steve Coogan has spotlighted his and Sarah Solemani’s use of comedy to tackle the #MeToo debate in upcoming Channel 4 show Chivalry and talked openly about playing Jimmy Savile, stating: “Things are better talked about than not talked about.”

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentFremantle has sold out most major territories worldwide on the Martin Freeman-led BBC One smash hit “The Responder,” consolidating the acclaimed crime drama’s contention, even at this early stage, to become one of Europe’s top series of 2022. Banner deals take in France (Canal Plus), Italy (Disney Plus), Germany’s (Magenta TV). Spain (Movistar Plus) and Russia & CIS (Viasat), all leading pay/SVOD operators.