Studiocanal and The Picture Company’s new psychological thriller Control is starting up production with its star James McAvoy. Deadline has also revealed the list of actors that will be rounding out the cast for the film. Julianne Moore has been added to the film, starring opposite McAvoy. In addition to McAvoy and Moore, Sarah Bolger, who is known for A Good Woman Is Hard To Find, joins the cast, along with Nick Mohammed from Ted Lasso, Jenna Coleman, whose credits include The Sandman, Rudi Dharmalingam, known for Role Play, Kyle Soller of the Disney+ show Andor, plus August Diehl and Martina Gedeck. The film will be directed by Robert Schwentke, whose resume includes the Bruce Willis action comedy Red.
The synopsis (per Deadline) reads,
“Control is based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie. The film revolves around a troubled doctor who wakes up one morning to...
The synopsis (per Deadline) reads,
“Control is based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie. The film revolves around a troubled doctor who wakes up one morning to...
- 5/9/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Studiocanal and The Picture Company have added seven names to the cast of the James McAvoy starrer Control as the pic enters production in Berlin.
Joining the cast are Sarah Bolger (A Good Woman Is Hard To Find), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Jenna Coleman (The Sandman), Rudi Dharmalingam (Role Play), Kyle Soller (Andor) August Diehl, and Martina Gedeck.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (Red), Control is based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie. The film revolves around a troubled doctor who wakes up one morning to the sound of a mysterious voice in his head. With his reality now in question, the voice makes a series of escalating demands he must follow or devastating consequences will unfold.
Rounding out the key crew is director of photography Roman Vasyanov (Fury), and BAFTA-nominated editor Sven Budelmann (All Quiet On The Western Front). Costumes were designed by prolific costume designer...
Joining the cast are Sarah Bolger (A Good Woman Is Hard To Find), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Jenna Coleman (The Sandman), Rudi Dharmalingam (Role Play), Kyle Soller (Andor) August Diehl, and Martina Gedeck.
Directed by Robert Schwentke (Red), Control is based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie. The film revolves around a troubled doctor who wakes up one morning to the sound of a mysterious voice in his head. With his reality now in question, the voice makes a series of escalating demands he must follow or devastating consequences will unfold.
Rounding out the key crew is director of photography Roman Vasyanov (Fury), and BAFTA-nominated editor Sven Budelmann (All Quiet On The Western Front). Costumes were designed by prolific costume designer...
- 5/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Christian Petzold’s anticipated Miroirs No.3 and Kaouther Ben Hania’s epic love story Mimesi are among the 19 projects awarded a total funding of almost €3.5m by Germany’s Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) at the second funding session of 2024.
Miroirs No.3 will star Paula Beer in her fourth collaboration with Petzold after Transit, Undine and Afire. She will play a young music student who has to restructure her life when her boyfriend dies in a car crash in the countryside.
The film, which is being produced by Petzold’s production company Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser, received €500,000 in production funding from Mbb.
Miroirs No.3 will star Paula Beer in her fourth collaboration with Petzold after Transit, Undine and Afire. She will play a young music student who has to restructure her life when her boyfriend dies in a car crash in the countryside.
The film, which is being produced by Petzold’s production company Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser, received €500,000 in production funding from Mbb.
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
What more could the heart want than a sweeping romantic drama dealing with grief, loss, love, and music? The Greatest Hits is a fantasy romantic drama film written and directed by Ned Benson, the Hulu film follows the story of a young woman Lucy who had a picture-perfect romance but an accident took him away from her. But she gets a second chance when she discovers that she can travel back in time through the music they love, but her excursions in her past are interfering with a new love interest. The Greatest Hits stars Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet, and Justin H. Min in the lead roles with Nelly Furtado, Andie Ju, Austin Crute, Tom Yi, Bryan Ferry, and Retta starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the sweeping love story and the time-traveling drama in The Greatest Hits, here are some similar films you could check out next.
- 4/25/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Exclusive: After nabbing a Golden Globe nomination for her turn in Todd Haynes’ May December, Julianne Moore has been tapped to star opposite James McAvoy in Control, an action thriller from StudioCanal and The Picture Company, on which we were first to report.
Based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, Control revolves around the troubled Dr. Conway (McAvoy), who wakes up one morning to the sound of a mysterious voice in his head. With his reality now in question, the voice makes a series of escalating demands he must follow or devastating consequences will unfold. While specifics haven’t been disclosed, we hear that Moore plays a pivotal character with which the doctor must contend.
Entering production this month under the direction of Robert Schwentke, Control will be produced by The Picture Company partners Andrew Rona & Alex Heineman under their long-term overall deal with Studiocanal.
Based on the podcast from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, Control revolves around the troubled Dr. Conway (McAvoy), who wakes up one morning to the sound of a mysterious voice in his head. With his reality now in question, the voice makes a series of escalating demands he must follow or devastating consequences will unfold. While specifics haven’t been disclosed, we hear that Moore plays a pivotal character with which the doctor must contend.
Entering production this month under the direction of Robert Schwentke, Control will be produced by The Picture Company partners Andrew Rona & Alex Heineman under their long-term overall deal with Studiocanal.
- 4/9/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Aislinn Clarke is set to direct Hellish Nell, the genre thriller for Studiocanal and The Picture Company.
From Black List writer Chris Basler, Hellish Nell is a chilling horror-thriller based on the real-life medium Helen Duncan, the last UK citizen convicted and imprisoned for witchcraft. Based on the book Hellish Nell: Last of Britain’s Witches by Malcolm Gaskill, the movie follows Helen’s harrowing journey as her innate powers change her life and those closest to her.
Aislinn Clarke is the first woman to direct a horror film in her native Ireland. There, she made her debut with The Devil’s Doorway. That film was released by IFC Midnight in 2018 after premiering at Sitges, where Clarke was nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award. She followed with Frewaka, and is in post production on the Irish language horror film produced by DoubleBand Films and Wildcard. She is the...
From Black List writer Chris Basler, Hellish Nell is a chilling horror-thriller based on the real-life medium Helen Duncan, the last UK citizen convicted and imprisoned for witchcraft. Based on the book Hellish Nell: Last of Britain’s Witches by Malcolm Gaskill, the movie follows Helen’s harrowing journey as her innate powers change her life and those closest to her.
Aislinn Clarke is the first woman to direct a horror film in her native Ireland. There, she made her debut with The Devil’s Doorway. That film was released by IFC Midnight in 2018 after premiering at Sitges, where Clarke was nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award. She followed with Frewaka, and is in post production on the Irish language horror film produced by DoubleBand Films and Wildcard. She is the...
- 11/30/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Mohamed Diab is set to direct Leap, a high concept action thriller script by Source Code writer Ben Ripley and produced by The Picture Company.
This follows Studiocanal’s recent acquisition of a minority stake in The Picture Company under an expanded overall deal made during Cannes. Leap is a priority project for both companies. Partners Andrew Rona & Alex Heineman will produce for The Picture Company.
Pic is set aboard the Eurostar train which runs high-speed between London and Paris. Leap is a high-concept action-thriller with a grounded sci-fi idea at the center. The story follows a daring rescue mission to save one of the train’s passengers, who is trapped onboard in a never-ending time loop.
Diab’s breakout turn came when he recently directed the Marvel Studios/Disney+ series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac. Diab made his directorial debut on Cairo 678, about a trio of female vigilantes...
This follows Studiocanal’s recent acquisition of a minority stake in The Picture Company under an expanded overall deal made during Cannes. Leap is a priority project for both companies. Partners Andrew Rona & Alex Heineman will produce for The Picture Company.
Pic is set aboard the Eurostar train which runs high-speed between London and Paris. Leap is a high-concept action-thriller with a grounded sci-fi idea at the center. The story follows a daring rescue mission to save one of the train’s passengers, who is trapped onboard in a never-ending time loop.
Diab’s breakout turn came when he recently directed the Marvel Studios/Disney+ series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac. Diab made his directorial debut on Cairo 678, about a trio of female vigilantes...
- 11/16/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Plucky announced the formation of Plucky Pictures and the option of two key properties to launch the division. This milestone is a major move for Plucky on its mission to create engaging content across all media.
This news comes as the company acquired options on two properties:
The Survivalist series of novels from the estate of author Jerry Ahern.
Calabrese the life rights to a member of the Chicago Outfit.
“On the eve of our tenth anniversary, we’re excited to expand our creative services to include longform content development and production” says Jeffrey J. Marks, Partner at Plucky. “Given our success in short form and our stellar reputation for crafting highly regarded main titles and motion content, combined with the opportunity to acquire the rights to a pair of exciting projects, this seems like the natural evolution at the perfect time.”
The Survivalist is an alternate history fiction,...
This news comes as the company acquired options on two properties:
The Survivalist series of novels from the estate of author Jerry Ahern.
Calabrese the life rights to a member of the Chicago Outfit.
“On the eve of our tenth anniversary, we’re excited to expand our creative services to include longform content development and production” says Jeffrey J. Marks, Partner at Plucky. “Given our success in short form and our stellar reputation for crafting highly regarded main titles and motion content, combined with the opportunity to acquire the rights to a pair of exciting projects, this seems like the natural evolution at the perfect time.”
The Survivalist is an alternate history fiction,...
- 11/16/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The legend of Dracula is explored from a new angle with The Last Voyage of the Demeter, based on “The Captain’s Log,” the seventh chapter in Bram Stoker’s influential novel.
The film’s home video release includes an audio commentary with director André Øvredal and producer Bradley J. Fischer, among other special features.
Here are eight things I learned from the Last Voyage of the Demeter commentary:
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter spent 21 years in development.
Phoenix Pictures acquired the rights to the film, originally titled Demeter, over two decades before the movie made its way to the screen.
“It’s been a solid 21 years since my producing partners, Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer, and I, optioned the screenplay that we adapted into this film,” Fischer explains at the beginning of the commentary.
“And I’ve been part of it for something like three years, I think,” adds Øvredal.
The film’s home video release includes an audio commentary with director André Øvredal and producer Bradley J. Fischer, among other special features.
Here are eight things I learned from the Last Voyage of the Demeter commentary:
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter spent 21 years in development.
Phoenix Pictures acquired the rights to the film, originally titled Demeter, over two decades before the movie made its way to the screen.
“It’s been a solid 21 years since my producing partners, Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer, and I, optioned the screenplay that we adapted into this film,” Fischer explains at the beginning of the commentary.
“And I’ve been part of it for something like three years, I think,” adds Øvredal.
- 10/30/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Mubi has unveiled their November 2023 lineup, featuring notable new releases such as Ashley McKenzie’s Queens of the Qing Dynasty and Alain Gomis’ Thelonious Monk documentary Rewind & Play. Also in the lineup is three stellar earlier films from Christian Petzold––Yella, Jerichow, and The State I Am In––along with John Cassavetes’ Husbands and Gloria, a Hayao Miyazaki short, and a retrospective dedicated to Argentinian-born, French-educated filmmaker and theorist Nelly Kaplan.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
November 1
A Very Curious Girl, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
The Pleasure of Love, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Charles and Lucie, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Papa the Little Boats, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Yella, directed by Christian Petzold | Phantoms Among Us: The Films of Christian Petzold
Jerichow,...
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
November 1
A Very Curious Girl, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
The Pleasure of Love, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Charles and Lucie, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Papa the Little Boats, directed by Nelly Kaplan | A Mischievous Rebellion: Films by Nelly Kaplan
Yella, directed by Christian Petzold | Phantoms Among Us: The Films of Christian Petzold
Jerichow,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Zurich Avenue, headed by producers and former Zurich Film Festival execs Karl Spoerri and Viviana Vezzani, has quickly amassed an impressive slate of projects since launching last year, including Annette Bening starrer “Nyad.”
Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s film, which chronicles the attempt by 64-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Florida, unspools at the Zurich Film Festival. Zurich Avenue co-developed the Netflix film, which was produced by Black Bear Pictures and Mad Chance.
Part of financing group SPG3 Entertainment, likewise co-founded by Spoerri along with Urs Wietlisbach and Alfred Gantner in 2020, Zurich Avenue has provided the producers with a more hands-on approach, allowing them to create their own slate. The company’s recent films include Bill Pohlad’s critically-acclaimed “Dreamin’ Wild,” starring Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel; Coky Giedroyc’s Take That musical “Greatest Days”; and the forthcoming Josh Margolin action-comedy “Thelma,” starring June Squibb...
Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s film, which chronicles the attempt by 64-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Florida, unspools at the Zurich Film Festival. Zurich Avenue co-developed the Netflix film, which was produced by Black Bear Pictures and Mad Chance.
Part of financing group SPG3 Entertainment, likewise co-founded by Spoerri along with Urs Wietlisbach and Alfred Gantner in 2020, Zurich Avenue has provided the producers with a more hands-on approach, allowing them to create their own slate. The company’s recent films include Bill Pohlad’s critically-acclaimed “Dreamin’ Wild,” starring Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel; Coky Giedroyc’s Take That musical “Greatest Days”; and the forthcoming Josh Margolin action-comedy “Thelma,” starring June Squibb...
- 9/30/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Filmfest Hamburg has 17 films funded by Moin screening at the festival.
Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein’s regional film fund Moin will have a strong presence at this year’s Filmfest Hamburg.
17 films funded by Moin will screen at the festival, including international productions such as Nicolaj Arcel’s King’s Land and Alice Troughton’s The Lesson as well as Isabal Herguera’s animated feature Sultana’s Dream and Leiv Igor Devold’s Norwegian Dream.
Other Moin backed features include new works by German filmmakers ranging from Sven Halfar (Heaven Can Wait - Wir Leben Jetzt) through to Stephan Rick (The Roots...
Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein’s regional film fund Moin will have a strong presence at this year’s Filmfest Hamburg.
17 films funded by Moin will screen at the festival, including international productions such as Nicolaj Arcel’s King’s Land and Alice Troughton’s The Lesson as well as Isabal Herguera’s animated feature Sultana’s Dream and Leiv Igor Devold’s Norwegian Dream.
Other Moin backed features include new works by German filmmakers ranging from Sven Halfar (Heaven Can Wait - Wir Leben Jetzt) through to Stephan Rick (The Roots...
- 9/28/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is many things – it’s a cracking good horror movie that is set almost entirely on a doomed ship traveling from Transylvania to London; it’s a refreshing expansion of “Dracula” lore; and it also is a nice nod to Universal Pictures’ classic monster-filled past. It’s existence, though, feels like a bit of a miracle, especially if you had followed the project’s development over the past 20 – yes, 20 – years. That might be the blink of an eye to an immortal creature of the night like Dracula, but in moviemaking terms, that’s an eternity.
Let’s take a look at where “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” started, with a spec script that shook up Hollywood, and where it ended up, as a big studio movie from Universal, with commentary from the eventual film’s director André Øvredal.
Just be warned: there are choppy waters ahead.
Let’s take a look at where “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” started, with a spec script that shook up Hollywood, and where it ended up, as a big studio movie from Universal, with commentary from the eventual film’s director André Øvredal.
Just be warned: there are choppy waters ahead.
- 8/11/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
A chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, set upon a ship, is expanded to a gory 2-hour film, an idea that works better in theory than in practice
As Universal continues to find creative ways to rework its iconic monster movies in the shadow of the iconically disastrous Dark Universe (a set of interconnected horrors cancelled after Tom Cruise’s Mummy wrapped up with a loss), there’s an alluring elevator pitch at the heart of their latest offering. Rather than retelling Bram Stoker’s Dracula in full once again, why not take one chapter, The Captain’s Log, detailing his journey on boat from Romania to England, and dig into what happened to the crew members he feasted on?
But coming just months after Renfield, this year’s other novel spin on Dracula, focused on the cursed count’s even more cursed aide, it’s another idea that works...
As Universal continues to find creative ways to rework its iconic monster movies in the shadow of the iconically disastrous Dark Universe (a set of interconnected horrors cancelled after Tom Cruise’s Mummy wrapped up with a loss), there’s an alluring elevator pitch at the heart of their latest offering. Rather than retelling Bram Stoker’s Dracula in full once again, why not take one chapter, The Captain’s Log, detailing his journey on boat from Romania to England, and dig into what happened to the crew members he feasted on?
But coming just months after Renfield, this year’s other novel spin on Dracula, focused on the cursed count’s even more cursed aide, it’s another idea that works...
- 8/10/2023
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
In bumper Cannes dealing, Paris-based European film-tv powerhouse Studiocanal has nearly sold out worldwide on Andrew Garfield-Florence Pugh romantic drama “We Live in Time,” executive produced by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Owned by Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, Studiocanal has also closed half the world on both James McAvoy’s “Control” and Thomas Cailley’s Un Certain Regard opening film “Animal Kingdom,” a critics’ favorite at this year’s festival.
The banner sales news, replicated across other titles on Studiocanal’s broad sales slate, follows quick on the heels of two signature deals at Cannes: A24’s U.S. pickup on “We Live In Time”; a pact with Sony Pictures for the U.S., Canada and much of the world for “Paddington in Peru.”
In further dealings, Studiocanal has seen first break-out sales on action comedy “Only 3 Days Left,” and smart genre slasher “Wake Up,” plus noteworthy additional sales on the Berlin-launched...
Owned by Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, Studiocanal has also closed half the world on both James McAvoy’s “Control” and Thomas Cailley’s Un Certain Regard opening film “Animal Kingdom,” a critics’ favorite at this year’s festival.
The banner sales news, replicated across other titles on Studiocanal’s broad sales slate, follows quick on the heels of two signature deals at Cannes: A24’s U.S. pickup on “We Live In Time”; a pact with Sony Pictures for the U.S., Canada and much of the world for “Paddington in Peru.”
In further dealings, Studiocanal has seen first break-out sales on action comedy “Only 3 Days Left,” and smart genre slasher “Wake Up,” plus noteworthy additional sales on the Berlin-launched...
- 6/5/2023
- by John Hopewell and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: StudioCanal has acquired a minority stake in The Picture Company, the production venture run by partners Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman that has generated a steady stream of genre and action hits under a first-look deal with Europe’s leading production and distribution studio.
Aside from the stake in the company, StudioCanal has closed a new five-year overall deal with the producers. The goal of all this is to scale up The Picture Company to be an even more prolific supplier of films with global appeal. The relationship between the companies began in 2015. Rona and Heineman will continue to make films, and lean in on TV series as well that they generate and that are part of StudioCanal’s vast library.
Deal was closed at Cannes by StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh.
Marsh said the development of The Picture Company as a major Hollywood-based supplier for StudioCanal coincides with a...
Aside from the stake in the company, StudioCanal has closed a new five-year overall deal with the producers. The goal of all this is to scale up The Picture Company to be an even more prolific supplier of films with global appeal. The relationship between the companies began in 2015. Rona and Heineman will continue to make films, and lean in on TV series as well that they generate and that are part of StudioCanal’s vast library.
Deal was closed at Cannes by StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh.
Marsh said the development of The Picture Company as a major Hollywood-based supplier for StudioCanal coincides with a...
- 5/22/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has picked up global sales rights to “Gina” (working title), by Ulrike Kofler, which follows her Netflix debut “What We Wanted.”
“Gina” tells the story of a 9-year-old girl longing for a home and family while having to take care of her younger siblings and mother, who is too overwhelmed to take care of herself, let alone her children.
The film, produced by Film Ag, is the second feature by Kofler, who is a long-time editor for Austrian director Marie Kreutzer. Kofler’s editing work includes “Corsage,” which won best film at the London Film Festival and three nominations for the European Film Awards in 2022, “The Ground Beneath My Feet”, and Josef Hader’s “Wild Mouse”.
Kolfer’s directorial debut “What We Wanted,” starring Elyas M’Barek and Lavinia Wilson, was sold by Pti exclusively to Netflix, and was Austria’s official entry for the Academy Awards in...
“Gina” tells the story of a 9-year-old girl longing for a home and family while having to take care of her younger siblings and mother, who is too overwhelmed to take care of herself, let alone her children.
The film, produced by Film Ag, is the second feature by Kofler, who is a long-time editor for Austrian director Marie Kreutzer. Kofler’s editing work includes “Corsage,” which won best film at the London Film Festival and three nominations for the European Film Awards in 2022, “The Ground Beneath My Feet”, and Josef Hader’s “Wild Mouse”.
Kolfer’s directorial debut “What We Wanted,” starring Elyas M’Barek and Lavinia Wilson, was sold by Pti exclusively to Netflix, and was Austria’s official entry for the Academy Awards in...
- 5/10/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: James McAvoy is set to star in Control, a high-concept action thriller that will be directed by Red helmer Robert Schwentke and backed by Studiocanal and The Picture Company. Shooting will begin in Berlin this summer.
Pic puts McAvoy back in action mode, where he has shone in films from Wanted to the X-Men installments to go with M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Glass. McAvoy just signed on for the Blumhouse thriller Speak No Evil.
Control is adapted from the award-winning podcast Shipworm from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie into a tense ticking-clock thriller revolving around a doctor who awakens one morning with an untraceable device planted in his head. He must follow a mysterious voice’s instructions or devastating consequences will unfold.
Robert Schwentke
The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce under their long-term overall deal with Studiocanal. It will be the fifth...
Pic puts McAvoy back in action mode, where he has shone in films from Wanted to the X-Men installments to go with M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Glass. McAvoy just signed on for the Blumhouse thriller Speak No Evil.
Control is adapted from the award-winning podcast Shipworm from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie into a tense ticking-clock thriller revolving around a doctor who awakens one morning with an untraceable device planted in his head. He must follow a mysterious voice’s instructions or devastating consequences will unfold.
Robert Schwentke
The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce under their long-term overall deal with Studiocanal. It will be the fifth...
- 4/26/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Germany’s impressive crop of crime drama, mystery, suspense, apocalyptic catastrophe, royal intrigue and tales of the supernatural is certain to attract buyers at this year’s MipTV in Cannes.
The selections of series, TV movies and unscripted shows offer a wide range of content but also remain heavy on crime — a favorite German genre.
Among the new offerings is Beta Film’s fact-based title “I am Scrooge.” Produced by Zeitsprung Pictures, the Cologne-based company behind the hit Netflix spy thriller “Kleo,” “I am Scrooge” chronicles the true story of Arno Funke, a frustrated artist who found fame as a bombmaking extortionist in the early 1990s.
Identifying himself as Dagobert Duck — the German name for the Disney character Scrooge McDuck — Funke targeted some of Germany’s biggest department stores, beginning with Berlin’s KaDeWe in 1988, while continually outwitting police and even becoming a local folk hero. The six-part series stars Friedrich Mücke,...
The selections of series, TV movies and unscripted shows offer a wide range of content but also remain heavy on crime — a favorite German genre.
Among the new offerings is Beta Film’s fact-based title “I am Scrooge.” Produced by Zeitsprung Pictures, the Cologne-based company behind the hit Netflix spy thriller “Kleo,” “I am Scrooge” chronicles the true story of Arno Funke, a frustrated artist who found fame as a bombmaking extortionist in the early 1990s.
Identifying himself as Dagobert Duck — the German name for the Disney character Scrooge McDuck — Funke targeted some of Germany’s biggest department stores, beginning with Berlin’s KaDeWe in 1988, while continually outwitting police and even becoming a local folk hero. The six-part series stars Friedrich Mücke,...
- 4/16/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Universal’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter is bringing Dracula back to theaters on August 11, 2023, and the film’s official trailer sinks its teeth into the internet this morning.
Based on Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel, the horror movie will tell a unique Dracula story on the high seas, and the trailer gives us our first look at this film’s incarnation of the iconic blood-sucker. Unlike many adaptations that depict Dracula as a human being, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is leaning into Dracula being a full-on bat monster, and we love to see it.
Watch the official trailer for The Last Voyage of the Demeter below.
Writer Bragi Schut’s script The Last Voyage of the Demeter has been floating around for many years now, with several different directors attached at various points. The director who eventually ended up board the ship is André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe,...
Based on Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel, the horror movie will tell a unique Dracula story on the high seas, and the trailer gives us our first look at this film’s incarnation of the iconic blood-sucker. Unlike many adaptations that depict Dracula as a human being, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is leaning into Dracula being a full-on bat monster, and we love to see it.
Watch the official trailer for The Last Voyage of the Demeter below.
Writer Bragi Schut’s script The Last Voyage of the Demeter has been floating around for many years now, with several different directors attached at various points. The director who eventually ended up board the ship is André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe,...
- 4/13/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Apple TV+ secured €10m for conspiracy-based psychological thriller drama series Constellation, the maximum amount that the fund can give to a single project.
The German Motion Picture Fund (Gmpf) paid out a record €84.4m in funding in 2022 to 43 high-end series projects by streamers and public broadcasters.
Netflix clinched the largest sum - over €10.38m - for five projects including Constantin Television’s six-part thriller series Liebes Kind, based on the eponymous novel by Romy Hausmann, Real Film’s six-part crime series Sleeping Dog, and W&b Television’s fairytale urban thriller series The Grimm Reality.
Sky was not far behind with...
The German Motion Picture Fund (Gmpf) paid out a record €84.4m in funding in 2022 to 43 high-end series projects by streamers and public broadcasters.
Netflix clinched the largest sum - over €10.38m - for five projects including Constantin Television’s six-part thriller series Liebes Kind, based on the eponymous novel by Romy Hausmann, Real Film’s six-part crime series Sleeping Dog, and W&b Television’s fairytale urban thriller series The Grimm Reality.
Sky was not far behind with...
- 4/6/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Non-profit Initiative
Real life husband and wife couple, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, are merging their respective foundations – Anushka Sharma Foundation and Virat Kohli Foundation – to launch SeVVA, a joint non-profit initiative aimed at helping those in need.
Sharma and Kohli said in a joint statement: “In the words of Kahlil Gibran ‘for in truth it is life that gives unto life – while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.’ With this sentiment in mind, we have decided to work together through SeVVA aiming to reach out to as many people as possible. SeVVA’s work won’t be confined to a particular issue as it will continue to strive for social good by championing humanity which is the need of the hour today.”
Next up for Sharma is “Chakda Xpress,” a Netflix film inspired by the life of one of women cricket’s all-time greatest players,...
Real life husband and wife couple, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, are merging their respective foundations – Anushka Sharma Foundation and Virat Kohli Foundation – to launch SeVVA, a joint non-profit initiative aimed at helping those in need.
Sharma and Kohli said in a joint statement: “In the words of Kahlil Gibran ‘for in truth it is life that gives unto life – while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.’ With this sentiment in mind, we have decided to work together through SeVVA aiming to reach out to as many people as possible. SeVVA’s work won’t be confined to a particular issue as it will continue to strive for social good by championing humanity which is the need of the hour today.”
Next up for Sharma is “Chakda Xpress,” a Netflix film inspired by the life of one of women cricket’s all-time greatest players,...
- 3/23/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Speaking at a panel organized by Series Mania’s Forum, executives from Sky Studios touted flexibility and autonomy as their keys to success, teasing further synergies with fellow Comcast-owned services like Peacock and SkyShowtime while emphasizing that such broadcast bids were but one option among many.
“[We take things] very case-by-case,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. “Not all projects that we develop as Sky Originals in Europe will go into the SkyShowtime cluster of territories, [but] they can. And we [welcome] this flexibility, because it allows projects to come to us with other territories attached.”
Prompted by Variety’s Manori Ravindran, and flanked onstage by colleagues Nils Hartmann, Tobias Rosen and Sonia Rovai from Sky Studios Germany and Italy, Lyvers accented Sky Studios’ wider commissioning activities, saying: “This is the team that develops, commissions, or buys series, and then [either] makes or programs them on Sky as Sky Originals.
“[We take things] very case-by-case,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. “Not all projects that we develop as Sky Originals in Europe will go into the SkyShowtime cluster of territories, [but] they can. And we [welcome] this flexibility, because it allows projects to come to us with other territories attached.”
Prompted by Variety’s Manori Ravindran, and flanked onstage by colleagues Nils Hartmann, Tobias Rosen and Sonia Rovai from Sky Studios Germany and Italy, Lyvers accented Sky Studios’ wider commissioning activities, saying: “This is the team that develops, commissions, or buys series, and then [either] makes or programs them on Sky as Sky Originals.
- 3/21/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage." As much as this may be the perfect kind of ridiculous film to dismiss and forget, I can't stop thinking about Seneca. Made by German filmmaker Robert Schwentke, who has been working in Hollywood for years, he has returned to his roots to make something much more intelligent and so much angrier than his action blockbusters. It is an exceptionally wacky, weird, linguistically loquacious, intellectually stimulating, amusing, strange film that is just as indescribable as it is thought-provoking. I can already tell that most critics, actually most people at all who dare to watch this film, will hate it. It's heavy-handed and direct, especially at the end, which always upsets most people. Yet also so funky and, well, for lack of a better word – philosophical – that it just won't sit well with most viewers. Even if it is far from perfect,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
German director Robert Schwentke’s directorial career has swung in a few directions; he has made Hollywood actioners like Flightplan with Jodie Foster, the adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife and a film that almost defines the idea of a personal movie, based on his own diagnosis with testicular cancer. He has both written and directed Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes, an eccentric competition choice, even by the inclusive standards of the Berlinale – starring John Malkovich as the eponymous Stoic philosopher. Over two hours, he delivers what is largely a monologue: as a performance, it has at least the strength of dogged determination. As a film, however, Seneca is almost unendurable.
Shot in and around an open colonnaded pavilion constructed in the Moroccan desert, Seneca draws on Roman historian Tacitus’ account of the great thinker’s reluctant suicide in Ad 65. A celebrated public figure, Seneca is also on...
Shot in and around an open colonnaded pavilion constructed in the Moroccan desert, Seneca draws on Roman historian Tacitus’ account of the great thinker’s reluctant suicide in Ad 65. A celebrated public figure, Seneca is also on...
- 2/20/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
There is one thing to be said for Seneca — On the Creation of Earthquakes, which has its world premiere in Berlin this week. It may be the first major film set in ancient Rome in a couple of decades. But those who are hoping for a vivid adventure like Gladiator or Spartacus or even a campy hoot like Quo Vadis will be sorely disappointed by this bizarre effort to create a historical fantasia. John Malkovich has a rare starring role and acquits himself solidly enough. But it is harder to understand what motivated director Robert Schwentke, who has some successful films to his credit (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Red, the Divergent series) but adds no luster to his resume with this head-scratcher.
Schwentke was born in Germany but has made most of his films in Hollywood. This German-financed effort was filmed primarily in Morocco and showcases a cast from all over the world,...
Schwentke was born in Germany but has made most of his films in Hollywood. This German-financed effort was filmed primarily in Morocco and showcases a cast from all over the world,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor John Malkovich is in Berlin to debut his latest pic Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes, and during a press conference Monday, he spoke to reporters about his relationship with his co-star, Julian Sands, who has been missing since January.
“Julian and I were very, very close,” Malkovich told reporters in Berlin.
“I’m a godfather to his first son from his first marriage to Sarah, who I know very well. I introduced him to his second wife, and we have been close since we met in 1983 on the set of The Killing Fields. It’s a very sad event.”
Related: Deadline’s Berlin Film Festival Coverage
Sands was reported missing on January 13 after he failed to return from a hiking expedition in California. Several searches by public and private parties have already been carried out. The actor is also an experienced hiker.
John Malkovich, Julian Sands, ‘The Killing...
“Julian and I were very, very close,” Malkovich told reporters in Berlin.
“I’m a godfather to his first son from his first marriage to Sarah, who I know very well. I introduced him to his second wife, and we have been close since we met in 1983 on the set of The Killing Fields. It’s a very sad event.”
Related: Deadline’s Berlin Film Festival Coverage
Sands was reported missing on January 13 after he failed to return from a hiking expedition in California. Several searches by public and private parties have already been carried out. The actor is also an experienced hiker.
John Malkovich, Julian Sands, ‘The Killing...
- 2/20/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The audiences at Berlin International Film Festival tend to be respectful and engaged. But at the press screening of “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” which plays as part of the Berlinale Specials strand at this year’s festival edition, several people cried “Just die!” at the screen.
Read More: ‘Disco Boy’ Review: A Great Performance From Franz Rogowski Cannot Save A Derivative Debut [Berlin]
Written and directed by Robert Schwentke, a journeyman director behind thrillers like “Flight Plan,” action fare “Red” and “R.I.P.D.,” two entries into the “Divergent” series and “The Time Traveller’s Wife,” this could be interpreted as a passion project.
The sparse plot concerns the death of the Roman philosopher Seneca (John Malkovich), first tutor and then advisor to Emperor Nero (Tom Xander), a vile and murderous ruler, shown here as an overgrown bully with a taste for violence and mommy issues (down...
Read More: ‘Disco Boy’ Review: A Great Performance From Franz Rogowski Cannot Save A Derivative Debut [Berlin]
Written and directed by Robert Schwentke, a journeyman director behind thrillers like “Flight Plan,” action fare “Red” and “R.I.P.D.,” two entries into the “Divergent” series and “The Time Traveller’s Wife,” this could be interpreted as a passion project.
The sparse plot concerns the death of the Roman philosopher Seneca (John Malkovich), first tutor and then advisor to Emperor Nero (Tom Xander), a vile and murderous ruler, shown here as an overgrown bully with a taste for violence and mommy issues (down...
- 2/20/2023
- by Anna Bogutskaya
- The Playlist
British actor Sands has been missing in California’s San Gabriel Mountains since January 13.
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Few directors have had as eclectic a career as Robert Schwentke. His 2002 German-language debut Tattoo — a slick Se7en-style serial-killer thriller — got the attention of Hollywood, and he initially appeared to be on the classic studio-director track, helming the Jodie Foster-starrer Flightplan, the all-star action hit Red and its sequel, and, most recently, the G.I. Joe movie Snake Eyes with Henry Golding and Andrew Koji.
But even from the start, Schwentke was a difficult director to pigeonhole. Best known for his action thrillers, he also took time to direct the romantic sci-fi drama The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, the supernatural comic-book adaptation R.I.P.D. with Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, and two films in the Divergent YA sci-fi franchise with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
He has also continued to make smaller, more personal, German movies. The Family Jewels, his 2003 follow-up to Tattoo, is...
But even from the start, Schwentke was a difficult director to pigeonhole. Best known for his action thrillers, he also took time to direct the romantic sci-fi drama The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, the supernatural comic-book adaptation R.I.P.D. with Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, and two films in the Divergent YA sci-fi franchise with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
He has also continued to make smaller, more personal, German movies. The Family Jewels, his 2003 follow-up to Tattoo, is...
- 2/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In his dark historical comedy “Seneca,” Robert Schwentke explores themes of power, corruption and hypocrisy as he traces the fateful final days of the Roman philosopher and dramatist that followed his souring relationship with the despotic Emperor Nero.
The film stars John Malkovich in the title role, Tom Xander as Nero and an ensemble cast that includes Geraldine Chaplin, Louis Hofmann, Mary-Louise Parker and Julian Sands.
The story of a morally conflicted, opportunistic character grappling with tyranny run amok can be seen as a continuation of the subject matter at the heart of his acclaimed 2017 World War II drama “The Captain,” says Schwentke. Both “are concerned with individual choice within a totalitarian system. They both deal with the theme of collaboration, opportunism and survival and how tainted one can become.”
Schwentke says he was most intrigued by the stark contradictions of Seneca, who he describes as a “complex character and a paradox.
The film stars John Malkovich in the title role, Tom Xander as Nero and an ensemble cast that includes Geraldine Chaplin, Louis Hofmann, Mary-Louise Parker and Julian Sands.
The story of a morally conflicted, opportunistic character grappling with tyranny run amok can be seen as a continuation of the subject matter at the heart of his acclaimed 2017 World War II drama “The Captain,” says Schwentke. Both “are concerned with individual choice within a totalitarian system. They both deal with the theme of collaboration, opportunism and survival and how tainted one can become.”
Schwentke says he was most intrigued by the stark contradictions of Seneca, who he describes as a “complex character and a paradox.
- 2/20/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
German cinema looks set for a major boom this year with a strong lineup of diverse works that span historical dramas, coming-of-age tales, high-octane nostalgia, animation and sci-fi fun.
The Berlin Film Festival is bowing a muscular selection of local titles, among them “Afire,” by Berlinale mainstay Christian Petzold (“Undine”), screening in competition. The films centers on a group of young people staying at a holiday house near the Baltic Sea during a hot, dry summer, exploring volatile emotions that start to sizzle when a wildfire spreads through the surrounding forest.
Likewise vying for the Golden Bear is Margarethe von Trotta’s biopic “Ingeborg Bachmann: Journey Into the Desert,” starring Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”) as the radical Austrian author. The film examines her relationship with Swiss writer Max Frisch and her 1964 journey of self-discovery through the Egyptian desert.
“Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything,” by Emily Atef (“More Than Ever”) and...
The Berlin Film Festival is bowing a muscular selection of local titles, among them “Afire,” by Berlinale mainstay Christian Petzold (“Undine”), screening in competition. The films centers on a group of young people staying at a holiday house near the Baltic Sea during a hot, dry summer, exploring volatile emotions that start to sizzle when a wildfire spreads through the surrounding forest.
Likewise vying for the Golden Bear is Margarethe von Trotta’s biopic “Ingeborg Bachmann: Journey Into the Desert,” starring Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”) as the radical Austrian author. The film examines her relationship with Swiss writer Max Frisch and her 1964 journey of self-discovery through the Egyptian desert.
“Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything,” by Emily Atef (“More Than Ever”) and...
- 2/19/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree Intl. has boarded Berlin Film Festival title “Measures of Men,” which focuses on the genocide committed by the German army against the Ovaherero and Nama tribes in Southwestern Africa. The trailer debuts (below).
The film is written and directed by Lars Kraume, whose credits include Berlin’s “The Silent Revolution” and Toronto’s “The People vs. Fritz Bauer.” It stars Leonard Scheicher, Namibian actor Girley Charlene Jazama and “Toni Erdmann” star Peter Simonischek.
The film has its world premiere on Feb. 22 in the Berlinale Special section, and will be released in Germany by Studiocanal in late March.
The film begins in Berlin at the end of the 19th century when a delegation of the Ovaherero and Nama tribes travels to the city. Alexander Hoffmann, a student of ethnology, is impressed by the intellect of their translator Kezia Kambazembi, and begins to question the racial theories of white supremacy.
The film is written and directed by Lars Kraume, whose credits include Berlin’s “The Silent Revolution” and Toronto’s “The People vs. Fritz Bauer.” It stars Leonard Scheicher, Namibian actor Girley Charlene Jazama and “Toni Erdmann” star Peter Simonischek.
The film has its world premiere on Feb. 22 in the Berlinale Special section, and will be released in Germany by Studiocanal in late March.
The film begins in Berlin at the end of the 19th century when a delegation of the Ovaherero and Nama tribes travels to the city. Alexander Hoffmann, a student of ethnology, is impressed by the intellect of their translator Kezia Kambazembi, and begins to question the racial theories of white supremacy.
- 2/17/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Sales
Chris O’Dowd (“Puffin Rock”), Amy Huberman (“Derry Girls”), Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (“Wolfwalkers”) lead the voice cast of “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” the film based on the TV series “Puffin Rock.”
Following their collaboration on Oscar nominees “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner,” WestEnd Films is teaming again with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears on the film and is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), where first footage will be shown to buyers.
“Puffin Rock and the New Friends” sees Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new characters Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger.
The film...
Chris O’Dowd (“Puffin Rock”), Amy Huberman (“Derry Girls”), Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (“Wolfwalkers”) lead the voice cast of “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” the film based on the TV series “Puffin Rock.”
Following their collaboration on Oscar nominees “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner,” WestEnd Films is teaming again with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears on the film and is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), where first footage will be shown to buyers.
“Puffin Rock and the New Friends” sees Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new characters Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger.
The film...
- 2/13/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
"Aim for virtue, happiness will follow." German distributor Weltkino Filmverleih has revealed two official trailers for the film Seneca, the latest from director Robert Schwentke who has been working in Hollywood for years (he last made Snake Eyes). The full title is actually Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes, and this is premiering at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival later this month, with a German release set in March. A look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Emperor he mentored since childhood and who accused him of plotting his assassination. The plot revolves around Nero telling him to kill himself, and how Seneca then responds. "Schwentke has made a pyrotechnic display of a film that is almost peerless in its use of over-the-top punchlines, splatter-sarcasm and love of verbal precocity. Stunning and incredibly topical, Seneca asks: is the educated elite a victim of tyranny or an opportunistic collaborator?...
- 2/8/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Festival to also honour French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with honorary Berlinale Camera.
The Berlinale has added the world premiere of documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer and a tribute to a century of Disney animation to its upcoming 73rd edition.
The additions complete the lineup for the Berlinale Special sidebar at the festival, set to run February 16-26.
Love To Love You, Donna Summer is co-directed by Roger Ross Williams, Oscar nominated in 2016 for Life, Animated, and US actress Brooklyn Sudano, who is the daughter of Summer and makes her directorial debut with the film.
The documentary will explore...
The Berlinale has added the world premiere of documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer and a tribute to a century of Disney animation to its upcoming 73rd edition.
The additions complete the lineup for the Berlinale Special sidebar at the festival, set to run February 16-26.
Love To Love You, Donna Summer is co-directed by Roger Ross Williams, Oscar nominated in 2016 for Life, Animated, and US actress Brooklyn Sudano, who is the daughter of Summer and makes her directorial debut with the film.
The documentary will explore...
- 1/30/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
2023 truly begins taking shape with next month’s Berlinale, which will run from February 16 to February 26 and feature more than a few of our most-anticipated films this year. Among them are Christian Petzold’s Afire (Roter Himmel), starring new muse Paula Beer; Hong Sangsoo’s In Water, which will appear in the Encounters section; and Philippe Garrel’s The Plough, once known as La lune crevée starring his three children Louis, Esther, and Lena, and (judging from the still) his first color feature since 2011’s A Burning Hot Summer. Meanwhile: Angela Schanelec will return with Music, and––six years after the wonderful Person to Person––it’s nice spotting a new feature from Dustin Guy Defa, The Adults.
Find the lineup below and head back next month for our coverage of the festival headed by Kristen Stewart’s jury.
Competition
20,000 Species of Bees (Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
The Shadowless Tower (Zhang...
Find the lineup below and head back next month for our coverage of the festival headed by Kristen Stewart’s jury.
Competition
20,000 Species of Bees (Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
The Shadowless Tower (Zhang...
- 1/23/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Will Lydia Tár conduct again?
“TÁR” writer-director Todd Field stayed mum on the plot of upcoming short film “The Fundraiser,” which is set in the same universe as the award-winning drama starring Cate Blanchett. As for what to expect from “The Fundraiser,” Field told IndieWire at the New York Film Critics Circle awards ceremony that it’s “the first three letters of that title.”
The fun won’t stop for Blanchett, as Field hinted that she will be reprising the role of the disgraced conductor, which is already earning Blanchett Oscar buzz.
“Is the entire cast in ‘The Fundraiser’? No, not the entire cast,” Field said of returning “TÁR” actors. “You’ll see a few faces and you’ll see some things that I think are surprising.”
“The Fundraiser” is set to debut at the 2023 Berlinale as part of a talk with Blanchett, Nina Hoss, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir.
“Showing...
“TÁR” writer-director Todd Field stayed mum on the plot of upcoming short film “The Fundraiser,” which is set in the same universe as the award-winning drama starring Cate Blanchett. As for what to expect from “The Fundraiser,” Field told IndieWire at the New York Film Critics Circle awards ceremony that it’s “the first three letters of that title.”
The fun won’t stop for Blanchett, as Field hinted that she will be reprising the role of the disgraced conductor, which is already earning Blanchett Oscar buzz.
“Is the entire cast in ‘The Fundraiser’? No, not the entire cast,” Field said of returning “TÁR” actors. “You’ll see a few faces and you’ll see some things that I think are surprising.”
“The Fundraiser” is set to debut at the 2023 Berlinale as part of a talk with Blanchett, Nina Hoss, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir.
“Showing...
- 1/5/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson and Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
German director Robert Schwentke’s drama “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” starring John Malkovich as the Roman-era Stoic philosopher, Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker doc, and high-end European TV series “The Swarm” are set for Berlin Film Festival world premiers.
The Berlinale on Tuesday announced several titles that will screen out-of-competition across various sections, most of them as Berlinale Special galas.
Besides “Seneca” and the Becker doc the galas also comprise the European premiere of Canadian chiller “Infinity Pool,” directed by Brandon Cronenberg and starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård; Todd Field’s “Tár” which premiered in Venice – and for which Field, Cate Blanchett and co-star Nina Hoss will hold an onstage concersation – Japanese thriller “#Mannhole” by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, and Peter Geyer’s animation feature “Loriot’s Great Cartoon Revue” about German multihyphenate Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot.
“The Swarm,” which is the first title announced for the Berlinale Series section,...
The Berlinale on Tuesday announced several titles that will screen out-of-competition across various sections, most of them as Berlinale Special galas.
Besides “Seneca” and the Becker doc the galas also comprise the European premiere of Canadian chiller “Infinity Pool,” directed by Brandon Cronenberg and starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård; Todd Field’s “Tár” which premiered in Venice – and for which Field, Cate Blanchett and co-star Nina Hoss will hold an onstage concersation – Japanese thriller “#Mannhole” by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, and Peter Geyer’s animation feature “Loriot’s Great Cartoon Revue” about German multihyphenate Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot.
“The Swarm,” which is the first title announced for the Berlinale Series section,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary are set to have their world premieres at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival next year. The projects are among the six titles which will play in the fest’s Berlinale Special Gala section, which also includes Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth and Cleopatra Coleman and Todd Field’s Tár.
Infinity Pool will get its European premiere at the festival while Field and Tár stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir will attend the festival to give a public talk as part of the Berlinale Talents section.
The festival also announced its first project from its Berlinale Series section: Zdf’s eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm), based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing. The project follows an international group of scientists who do research...
Infinity Pool will get its European premiere at the festival while Field and Tár stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir will attend the festival to give a public talk as part of the Berlinale Talents section.
The festival also announced its first project from its Berlinale Series section: Zdf’s eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm), based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing. The project follows an international group of scientists who do research...
- 12/20/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ahead of the Christmas holidays, the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled a number of films, and one series, that will screen out of competition at next year’s Berlinale.
Among the highlights are the world premieres of Infinity Pool, the latest horror feature from Canadian director Brandon Cronenberg, starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård; the Roman-era drama Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes from German director Robert Schwentke (Red, The Captain), starring John Malkovich as the famed Stoic philosopher; and Alex Gibney’s as-yet-untitled documentary on disgraced former tennis champion Boris Becker. Seneca and the Becker documentary will have their world premieres in Berlin in the festival’s Berlinale Special sidebar. Infinity Pool‘s Berlinale bow will be a European premiere.
Berlin will also roll out the red carpet for Todd Field’s awards-season favorite Tár, which premiered in Venice, where it...
Ahead of the Christmas holidays, the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled a number of films, and one series, that will screen out of competition at next year’s Berlinale.
Among the highlights are the world premieres of Infinity Pool, the latest horror feature from Canadian director Brandon Cronenberg, starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård; the Roman-era drama Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes from German director Robert Schwentke (Red, The Captain), starring John Malkovich as the famed Stoic philosopher; and Alex Gibney’s as-yet-untitled documentary on disgraced former tennis champion Boris Becker. Seneca and the Becker documentary will have their world premieres in Berlin in the festival’s Berlinale Special sidebar. Infinity Pool‘s Berlinale bow will be a European premiere.
Berlin will also roll out the red carpet for Todd Field’s awards-season favorite Tár, which premiered in Venice, where it...
- 12/20/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The full programme will be revealed in January 2023.
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 16-26) has announced six titles for its Berlinale Special Galas, including the world premieres of John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary.
The festival has also unveiled eight Forum titles, including world premieres of Fiona Tan’s Dearest Fiona and Vincent Dieutre’s This Is The End.
In addition, the festival has named the first title to play in Berlinale Series, the eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm) – based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing.
Robert Schwentke...
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 16-26) has announced six titles for its Berlinale Special Galas, including the world premieres of John Malkovich starrer Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes and Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker documentary.
The festival has also unveiled eight Forum titles, including world premieres of Fiona Tan’s Dearest Fiona and Vincent Dieutre’s This Is The End.
In addition, the festival has named the first title to play in Berlinale Series, the eco-thriller The Swarm (Der Schwarm) – based on the eponymous bestseller by Frank Schätzing.
Robert Schwentke...
- 12/20/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. has boarded Robert Schwentke’s historical drama “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” which has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival. The teaser (below) for the film, which stars John Malkovich, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Xander, “Dark’s” Louis Hofmann and Mary-Louise Parker, has been released.
The movie is a look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Roman Emperor he mentored since childhood, and who accused him of plotting his assassination.
As the foster father and mastermind of Nero, Seneca is instrumental in the rise of the self-indulgent young tyrant. The philosopher, known for his great speeches on renunciation and clemency, is himself one of the richest men in ancient Rome. But when one day the student tires of his teacher, Nero orders Seneca to kill himself. Is the latter ready for an honorable suicide,...
The movie is a look at the relationship between Seneca and Nero, the infamous Roman Emperor he mentored since childhood, and who accused him of plotting his assassination.
As the foster father and mastermind of Nero, Seneca is instrumental in the rise of the self-indulgent young tyrant. The philosopher, known for his great speeches on renunciation and clemency, is himself one of the richest men in ancient Rome. But when one day the student tires of his teacher, Nero orders Seneca to kill himself. Is the latter ready for an honorable suicide,...
- 12/20/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
When asked about R.I.P.D., Jeff Bridges said he was “a little underwhelmed” after finally watching the 2013 movie. “The studio made some, uh, choices that I wouldn’t have made,” he added. Bridges’ colorful performance was praised, but that was as much positivity critics could muster about this misfire of a comic-book adaptation. Adding insult to injury was the box-office report; Robert Schwentke’s action-comedy cost Universal 130 million and failed to break even. Despite the first movie’s failings, Universal went ahead with a sequel. Nine years later. It’s standard to dust off, kick around and spruce up old IPs these days, but surely no one was expecting another go at the Dark Horse comic book, much less one worse than the first attempt.
Like in the first movie, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned follows the otherworldly misadventures of two officers from the Rest in Peace Department. The most remarkable change here,...
Like in the first movie, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned follows the otherworldly misadventures of two officers from the Rest in Peace Department. The most remarkable change here,...
- 11/15/2022
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned is a Western directed by Paul Leyden, starring Jeffrey Donovan and Penelope Mitchell.
A blend of the wild west with a more mystical supernatural dimension.
Premise
When Sheriff Roy Pulsipher finds himself in the afterlife, he joins a special police force and returns to Earth to save humanity from the undead.
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned About the Movie
A rather banal production that might have an audience. It is difficult to foresee.
Bordering the B movie category, this is a feature that will neither be remembered nor leave a mark. The characters are unconvincing, the gimmicks are bad, but at the same time it is harmless entertainment.
Enjoy.
Sequel of R.I.P.D. (2013)
Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Peter M. Lenkov,David Dobkin,Phil Hay
Cast: Jeff Bridges,Ryan Reynolds,Kevin Bacon
Plot: A recently slain cop joins a team of undead...
A blend of the wild west with a more mystical supernatural dimension.
Premise
When Sheriff Roy Pulsipher finds himself in the afterlife, he joins a special police force and returns to Earth to save humanity from the undead.
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned About the Movie
A rather banal production that might have an audience. It is difficult to foresee.
Bordering the B movie category, this is a feature that will neither be remembered nor leave a mark. The characters are unconvincing, the gimmicks are bad, but at the same time it is harmless entertainment.
Enjoy.
Sequel of R.I.P.D. (2013)
Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Peter M. Lenkov,David Dobkin,Phil Hay
Cast: Jeff Bridges,Ryan Reynolds,Kevin Bacon
Plot: A recently slain cop joins a team of undead...
- 11/9/2022
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
One of the biggest box office bombs of the 2010s is getting a sequel in the form of "R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned." Yes, really, and we even have a trailer to prove that nobody is having their leg pulled. The folks at Universal Pictures thought there might be enough of an audience for this, nearly a decade after the original Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges two-hander lost a boatload of money (to the point where Reynolds re-thought his entire career). And they even got an actual known actor to take on the lead role in the form of Jeffrey Donovan ("Burn Notice").
Now, it is really important to point out that this is a direct-to-video sequel, meaning they presumably spent a whole lot less money on it. That is just about the only way in which a sequel to a bomb this big makes any sense.
Now, it is really important to point out that this is a direct-to-video sequel, meaning they presumably spent a whole lot less money on it. That is just about the only way in which a sequel to a bomb this big makes any sense.
- 10/20/2022
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of the G.I. Joe franchise. With two successful movies under its belt, fans are clamoring to see more of their favorite characters on the big screen. But with so many different films and spin-offs, keeping track of the G.I. Joe universe can be challenging.
We’ve created this blog post: to give you a definitive guide to watching the G.I. Joe movies. We’ll take you through all the films, from the original classics to the latest blockbusters, and help you understand the complex timeline of the G.I. Joe Universe.
The G.I. Joe movies are the perfect mix of action, adventure, and heroism--all rolled into one. The G.I. Joe team has the best action heroes, from Bruce Willis to Dwayne johnson. Based on Hasbro’s G.I. joe characters, comic, and media franchises,...
We’ve created this blog post: to give you a definitive guide to watching the G.I. Joe movies. We’ll take you through all the films, from the original classics to the latest blockbusters, and help you understand the complex timeline of the G.I. Joe Universe.
The G.I. Joe movies are the perfect mix of action, adventure, and heroism--all rolled into one. The G.I. Joe team has the best action heroes, from Bruce Willis to Dwayne johnson. Based on Hasbro’s G.I. joe characters, comic, and media franchises,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
Are you looking for a fantastic dystopian film series that explores the secrets of the dystopian world? Then look no further than the “Divergent” movie series.
The “Divergent” trilogy is based on the books by American author Veronica Roth. The series is a thrilling dystopian narrative with electrifying choices, dramatic consequences, unexpected love, and a deeply flawed “perfect society.”
The “Divergent” film narrates the story of Tris, who is one of the divers and has to fight to leave the city so that she can find out what happened. The three movies consist of sci-fi action films set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.
If you love suspenseful movies, you’ll love the “Divergent” series! The moral of the story is that you should follow your heart. Even though there are some flaws, overall, the “Divergent” series is an excellent choice for entertainment!
So, here we are with...
The “Divergent” trilogy is based on the books by American author Veronica Roth. The series is a thrilling dystopian narrative with electrifying choices, dramatic consequences, unexpected love, and a deeply flawed “perfect society.”
The “Divergent” film narrates the story of Tris, who is one of the divers and has to fight to leave the city so that she can find out what happened. The three movies consist of sci-fi action films set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.
If you love suspenseful movies, you’ll love the “Divergent” series! The moral of the story is that you should follow your heart. Even though there are some flaws, overall, the “Divergent” series is an excellent choice for entertainment!
So, here we are with...
- 9/14/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
Nine years ago, Universal released a supernatural action comedy called R.I.P.D.: Rest in Peace Department, which didn’t do much at the box office despite starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. Made on a budget somewhere in the 150 million range, R.I.P.D. only earned 78.3 million worldwide. It was considered a bomb… but that hasn’t stopped Universal from making a direct-to-video sequel. Made completely under the radar, the sequel is called R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned – and it has already been screened for the ratings board at the Motion Picture Association, earning a PG-13 rating for “sequences of violence, language, disturbing images and some crude/sexual references“.
According to IMDb, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned was directed by Paul Leyden (Chick Fight) from a screenplay he wrote with Andrew Klein. Since the film was made in secrecy, a plot...
According to IMDb, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned was directed by Paul Leyden (Chick Fight) from a screenplay he wrote with Andrew Klein. Since the film was made in secrecy, a plot...
- 8/17/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Commissions
Sky original drama series “The Lovers,” starring Johnny Flynn (“Beast”) and Roisin Gallagher (“The Fall”) has commenced production. The six-part series, written by playwright David Ireland (“Cyprus Avenue”) and directed by Justin Martin (“Together”), follows Janet (Gallagher), a foul-mouthed, disaffected Belfast supermarket worker and Seamus (Flynn) a self-centred, political broadcaster with what looks to be a perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend. It is produced by Drama Republic, in association with Sky Studios and will available on Sky Atlantic and streamer Now in 2023.
The series was commissioned by Gabriel Silver, director of commissioning for drama at Sky Studios, for Zai Bennett, MD of content at Sky U.K. Roanna Benn and Rebecca de Souza are executive producers for Drama Republic, with commissioning editors Liz Lewin and Manpreet Dosanjh as executive producers for Sky Studios. Hannah Pescod also serves as executive producer, with Chris Martin as producer. NBCUniversal Global Distribution...
Sky original drama series “The Lovers,” starring Johnny Flynn (“Beast”) and Roisin Gallagher (“The Fall”) has commenced production. The six-part series, written by playwright David Ireland (“Cyprus Avenue”) and directed by Justin Martin (“Together”), follows Janet (Gallagher), a foul-mouthed, disaffected Belfast supermarket worker and Seamus (Flynn) a self-centred, political broadcaster with what looks to be a perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend. It is produced by Drama Republic, in association with Sky Studios and will available on Sky Atlantic and streamer Now in 2023.
The series was commissioned by Gabriel Silver, director of commissioning for drama at Sky Studios, for Zai Bennett, MD of content at Sky U.K. Roanna Benn and Rebecca de Souza are executive producers for Drama Republic, with commissioning editors Liz Lewin and Manpreet Dosanjh as executive producers for Sky Studios. Hannah Pescod also serves as executive producer, with Chris Martin as producer. NBCUniversal Global Distribution...
- 6/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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