TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Friday 24 January 2025
Oscar surprises, UAP cover-up at SXSW, Jeff Buckley doc, NBCU revamp, Yeoh's Star Trek, Luhrmann's Elvis, DiCaprio & Scorsese, Walking With Dinosaurs, Dark Mode, and South Park lawsuit updates.
Today’s Highlights:
97th Oscars Nominations Unveiled - Emilia Pérez leads with 13 nominations, making history as the most-nominated non-English-language film, with Best Picture contenders including Wicked and Dune: Part Two. Surprises include nods for The Apprentice stars. The Oscars air on March 2.
Warner Bros. Discovery Wins Partial Victory in South Park Lawsuit - A court ruled that Paramount must face claims in Warner Bros. Discovery's $500M lawsuit over exclusive streaming rights, with discovery proceedings potentially revealing key data.
Dark Mode Tech-Thriller Gains $100,000 Funding - Wooden Horse's series Dark Mode, exploring digital privacy and stalking, receives Screen Australia and Dynamic Television backing. Based on Ashley Kalagian Blunt’s novel, it’s set in Sydney.
The Age of Disclosure, an SXSW documentary, premieres during SXSW’s opening weekend. It reveals an alleged 80-year US government UAP cover-up and features insights from senators and military officials
Jeff Buckley's documentary Premieres at Sundance—It’s Never Over, produced by Brad Pitt, premieres at Sundance. Directed by Amy Berg, it chronicles Buckley’s life through archival materials, journals, and insights from notable artists.
Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 Becomes a Streaming Film—The project, initially a spinoff series, evolves into a Paramount+ movie directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. It features Yeoh’s ex-empress Georgiou facing an apocalyptic threat.
Baz Luhrmann’s New Elvis Documentary in Development - Combining unseen footage and audio, Luhrmann’s project promises fresh insights into Elvis Presley’s life and artistry, blending documentary and concert film formats.
DiCaprio and Scorsese Reunite for The Devil in the White City—The feature adaptation explores the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and serial killer H.H. Holmes. DiCaprio is in talks to star, and Scorsese may direct for 20th Century Studios.
Walking With Dinosaurs Returns for a New Series—The BBC will return Walking With Dinosaurs with cutting-edge VFX in a six-part series co-produced with PBS, ZDF, and France Télévisions, set for release later this year.
NBCUniversal Restructures Leadership with New Appointments—Under Donna Langley and Matt Strauss, NBCU has appointed Pearlena Igbokwe and Frances Berwick to key roles to streamline decision-making and boost collaboration across platforms.
Plus: News, Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals, Renewals, Cancellations & Jobs with France Télévisions, SkyShowtime & Sky.
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NEWS
97th Oscars Nominations: Emilia Pérez Leads Wide-Open Race
Nominations for the 97th Oscars reveal an unpredictable awards race, with Emilia Pérez leading the pack with 13 nominations, the most for a non-English-language film in history. Other Best Picture contenders include Wicked, The Brutalist, Conclave, and Dune: Part Two. Major surprises include nominations for The Apprentice stars Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan. The Oscars will air on March 2, hosted by Conan O’Brien. Read More
Warner Bros. Discovery Wins Ruling in South Park Streaming Dispute
A New York court has ruled that Paramount must face some claims in Warner Bros. Discovery's $500M lawsuit over exclusive South Park streaming rights. The suit alleges Paramount breached the deal by diverting specials to Paramount+. The ruling allows WBD to pursue discovery, potentially including Paramount’s viewership and subscriber data, as the trial progresses. The dispute centres on whether WBD was misled about the scope of its content rights. Read More
Dark Mode Tech-Thriller Secures $100,000 Development Funding
Australian production company Wooden Horse and executive producers Jude Troy and Richard Finlayson have secured $100,000 in development funding from Screen Australia and Dynamic Television for Dark Mode. This tech-thriller follows Dr Reagan Walton, a GP erasing her online presence to escape a stalker, only to confront a resurfaced serial killer in Sydney. Exploring digital privacy and online harassment, the series is based on Ashley Kalagian Blunt’s novel and aims for global appeal. Read More
INSIGHTS
Writers Tackle Nazi Collaborator Vidkun Quisling in Biopic, Balancing History and Humanity
Anne Bache-Wiig and Siv Rajendram Eliassen, known for their work on Utoya: July 22, are collaborating with director Erik Poppe on a biopic about Vidkun Quisling, Norway's infamous Nazi collaborator. To avoid portraying Quisling as sympathetic or heroic, they introduce a priest's perspective to anchor the narrative. Initially conceived as a film, the project has expanded into a five-episode TV series for TV2, adding depth to the story despite limited additional resources. Read More
Content Americas 2025: PlumResearch Highlights Shifts in the TV Streaming Market
PlumResearch revealed at Content Americas 2025 that Spanish-language content on streaming platforms has risen 73% over the past five years. LATAM content on Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video surged 300% since 2017, reaching over 450 billion viewing hours in 2024. Korean hits like Queen of Tears and True Beauty led first-run viewing globally, while Colombian series Yo Soy Betty and La Fea topped Amazon's library charts. Despite flat growth in 2024, sports IP and LATAM content remain key to driving audience engagement. Read More
SXSW Trailer Launch: The Age of Disclosure Unveils UAP Cover-Up
Dan Farah’s The Age of Disclosure, premiering during SXSW’s opening weekend, delves into an alleged 80-year US Government cover-up of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Featuring insights from 34 senior US officials, including Marco Rubio and Kirsten Gillibrand, the documentary highlights a secret global race to reverse-engineer non-human technology and its implications for humanity. The film offers unprecedented access to military, intelligence, and government insiders. Read More
2025 Oscars: Emilia Pérez Leads With 13 Nominations, Snubs and Surprises Galore
The 97th Oscar nominations, revealed today by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, spotlight a diverse race, with Emilia Pérez leading with 13 nods, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 each. Surprises included Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) and Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), while notable snubs included Denzel Washington (Gladiator II), Nosferatu, and Nicole Kidman (Babygirl). The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, airs on March 2. Read More
Brad Pitt-Produced Jeff Buckley Documentary It’s Never Over Premieres at Sundance
For over 20 years, filmmakers have pursued Jeff Buckley’s enigmatic story. Now, Amy Berg’s documentary It’s Never Over—executive produced by Brad Pitt—debuts at Sundance on January 24. Featuring archival materials, voicemail recordings, and journals, the film captures the musician's artistic brilliance and tragic end at 30. With appearances from artists like Aimee Mann and Ben Harper, the documentary corrects misconceptions about Buckley’s death and celebrates his enduring legacy. Read More
Shtisel Prequel Kugel Launches on IZZY Next Month
Israeli global streaming platform IZZY will debut Kugel, a prequel to the hit series Shtisel, on February 28. The new series, available in 12 languages across 194 countries, expands IZZY’s library, which already includes all three seasons of Shtisel. Co-founded in 2020 by CEO Nati Dinnar, IZZY has become a key platform for Israel-centric content, with plans for further acquisitions and global expansion. Read More
Ibero-American Studios Expand into English-Language Content
Ibero-American studios are expanding into English-language production, leveraging the global success of Spanish-language content and competitive production costs. Mediapro Studio launched a US division to produce for North America, while Secuoya aims for 30% of its projects in English by 2025. Leaders emphasized collaboration between Spanish and American talent despite cultural differences with Latin America. Due to growing opportunities, Telemundo’s Javier Pons called this the best time for global content creation. Read More
Michelle Yeoh’s ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Shifts from Series to Paramount+ Streaming Movie
Initially planned as a spinoff series in 2019, Star Trek: Section 31 evolved into a feature film after Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, the movie follows ex-empress Georgiou (Yeoh), now running a nightclub, as she joins Section 31 operatives to stop an apocalyptic threat. The morally grey Starfleet division, introduced in Deep Space Nine, continues to challenge the franchise’s optimistic ethos. Read More
Tom Blyth on His Role in ‘Plainclothes’ and Intimate Scenes with Russell Tovey
Tom Blyth, known for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, stars in Plainclothes, a Sundance-premiering indie film about Lucas, a closeted cop targeting gay men in 1990s Syracuse, who falls for one of his targets, played by Russell Tovey. Blyth shared his love for indie filmmaking and hinted at wanting to return for a future Hunger Games sequel, joking about prosthetics to age his character. Read More
Questlove’s ‘Sly Lives!’ Explores Sly Stone’s Legacy and the Struggles of Black Genius
Questlove’s documentary Sly Lives! delves into the life of funk icon Sly Stone, chronicling his groundbreaking music, cultural impact, and personal struggles. Premiering at Sundance, the film features interviews with collaborators like George Clinton and André 3000, highlighting the challenges Black artists face. Using archival interviews and insights, Questlove portrays Stone’s genius and vulnerabilities while reflecting on storytelling and the sacrifices required to create a compelling narrative. Read More
Cunk on Life Creator and Star Discuss New TV Special
Diane Morgan reprises her role as Philomena Cunk in a one-off TV special where the pioneering documentary filmmaker explores life, the universe, and everything in between. Directed by Al Campbell, the special covers complex topics like quantum physics, existentialism, nihilism, and AI. Morgan and Campbell will visit BFI Southbank to discuss the project, which showcases Philomena’s humorous take on art, science, and the mysteries of existence.
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