U.K.-based distributor Omega Global Media has boarded Brendan Foley’s Hans Christian Andersen-inspired crime drama “Fairytale Detective.” Each one-hour episode follows Andersen as he solves crimes in 1850s Copenhagen aided by a coterie of characters from his stories, who come to life to help him find justice. While embarking on his unusual hobby, he hopes to […]

Cineflix Rights has closed several deals for “Irvine Welsh’s Crime,” starring Dougray Scott (“Mission: Impossible 2,” “Batwoman”) in his International Emmy award-winning lead role. The series has been acquired by Telefonica’s pay TV platform Movistar Plus+ (Spain), SBS (Australia), RTE (Ireland), Blue Entertainment (Switzerland), and Canal+ for viewers in Luxembourg, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia […]

DR Sales, the international sales arm of Danish pubcaster DR, is launching at Mipcom in Cannes DR Drama’s latest event series “Generations,” mixing crime, mystery and family secrets. Making her debut in long-form serialised drama is Anna Emma Haudal, behind DR3’s hit youth series “Doggystyle” for which she won a national Robert Award for best […]

Beta Film’s thriller series “The Couple Next Door,” commissioned by the U.K.’s Channel 4 and Starz in North America, has taken the global market by storm. Beta Film secured major deals in more than 55 territories across the world, including RTL in Germany, RAI in Italy, Amazon in the Netherlands (first window) and RTL in […]

Shout! Studios has reached an agreement with Mercury Studios Media Limited to license exclusive U.S. and Canadian distribution rights including AVOD, SVOD, broadcast, theatrical and non-theatrical distribution rights for a catalog of Monty Python films, specials and performances. This includes perennial favorites such as the landmark sketch comedy TV series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” recently […]

Life swings between triumph and failure in the enthralling “El Gran Salto” produced by Atresmedia TV in collaboration with Banijay’s Diagonal TV, the force behind shows such as “Isabel” and “La Catedral del Mar.”  Spanish star Óscar Casas (“Instinto,” “Xtremo”) stars as Olympic Gold Medalist gymnast Gervasio Deferr. The series is written by “Bye” scribe […]

RTL+ Germany has acquired exclusive rights to the Dutch hit crime series “Mocro Maffia: Gangs of Amsterdam” from Amsterdam-based distributor Skoop Media for its streaming platform.  Belgian platform Streamz has also secured rights to “Mocro Maffia’s” latest – and final – sixth season, along with re-licensing the series’ previous five seasons as part of a […]

BBC Studios’ Scripted Formats, Documentaries Head Abroad BBC Studios Global Entertainment has licensed the drama “Doctor Foster” and comedy series “Ghosts” in Greece. The former, a BAFTA-winning psychological drama about a doctor whose outwardly perfect life implodes after she discovers her husband has been unfaithful, will star Marilita Lambropoulou in the lead role and Nikos […]

Grupo Globo, the biggest production force in Latin America, has sold the format of the major hit drama series “The Others” for Greece and German-speaking territories and the format for the anthology series “Justice” for Greece, Variety can exclusively announce. In Greece, “Justice: Life is Not Fair” will be produced by Primavisione and broadcast by Alpha. In […]

Paramount-owned U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 has acquired premium history docuseries “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,” a Keshet International (KI) and SandStone Global collaboration. The three-part series, which has just gone into production, is based on Professor Bettany Hughes’ best-selling book of the same name. Historian and broadcaster Hughes will travel across three continents for […]

While the upcoming “Harry Potter” TV series may be mostly shrouded in a cloak of invisibility while the show is being carefully developed, the head of TV at Warner Bros. offered a few morsels of information. Speaking at Mipcom in Cannes, Channing Dungey who serves as Warner Bros. TV Group’s chairman and CEO, said that […]

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Dubai Studios, which is a unit of Dubai Media Company, have forged a long-term partnership at the Mipcom TV market in Cannes.  The so called “Gala” partnership includes sponsorship of the International Emmy World Television Festival in New York, where over 600 television professionals from over […]

Two-time Academy Award nominee Alexander Rodnyansky (“Leviathan,” “Loveless”) was sentenced in absentia to 8.5 years in prison by a Moscow court on Monday, with the producer accusing Russian authorities of attempting to “instill more fear” among critics of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. “Dozens of Russia’s best writers and musicians have been sentenced for that […]

SXSW London is positioning its inaugural 2025 event as a nexus of technology, art and business. The festival, set for June 2-7, 2025, in Shoreditch, seeks to differentiate itself through its emphasis on creative convergence. Submissions are opening Oct. 28 for its conference, music and screen and film pillars. Katy Arnander, director of programming for […]

Victura Media, a new company focused on managing entertainment franchises, has launched at Mipcon with a slate of IP including a television adaptation of Dawn O’Porter novel “Paper Aeroplanes.”Victura will also distribute a number of titles from “The Walking Dead” producer Skybound Entertainment, including“PSI Cops,” “Super Dinosaur” and “Skybound Presents: Spike & Mike’s Festival of […]

Another round of lawsuits has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including the allegation that he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl with an unnamed “male celebrity” as an unnamed “female celebrity” watched. The Buzbee Law Firm, which said on Oct. 1 that it would be presenting 120 more lawsuits against Combs, filed five new […]

“The Last Kingdom” and “My Policeman” star David Dawson leads an international cast in the dystopian thriller “The Flaw,” the feature directorial debut of Theophilos Papastylianos, which is currently filming in Athens. Dawson is joined by U.K. actors Arthur McBain (“Napoleon”, “Interview with the Vampire”), Ralf Little (“The Royle Family,” “Death in Paradise”) and Danny John-Jules […]

U.K. public service broadcaster ITV has come under fire after a job advert for a “head of generative AI innovation” went viral. The advert, which was posted on LinkedIn as well as other job sites, says the role will include spearheading “AI-driven innovations in content creation for TV shows, films, and digital-first content across ITV […]

Ireland has long been home to many major Hollywood productions, but an upcoming comedy series goes a little meta, turning the focus on the chaos that ensues when an actual big-budget Hollywood TV show comes to a small Irish town.  “Small Town Big Story” — Sky Studios, Playground, FilmNation and Hot Cod Productions — was written and […]