TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Wednesday 12 June 2024

United Media backs script competition; Locarno honour Stacey Sher; Channel 4 probes producer's death; Howard Shore feted; Munich, NYAFF premieres; Netflix hits; Starbucks Studios; Redstone halts deal.

Today’s Highlights:

• United Media Backs Script Competition: United Media supports the Make the Scene! Pitch competition with €10,000 to develop a TV series from the winning script from Southeast European creatives.

• Locarno Film Festival Honors Stacey Sher: Stacey Sher, producer of "Erin Brockovich" and "Django Unchained," will receive the Raimondo Rezzonico Award at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival.

• Channel 4 Investigation: Channel 4 orders an investigation into the death of a producer who took his own life after working on the true crime series "In the Footsteps of Killers."

• Howard Shore to Receive Career Honor: "Lord of the Rings" composer Howard Shore will be honoured at the Zurich Film Festival in October.

• Munich Film Festival Premieres: The 2024 Munich Film Festival will feature six world premieres of international titles.

• NYAFF 2024 Opening: The Korean comedy Victory will open the New York Asian Film Festival, and Lee Hye-ri will receive the Screen's Rising Star Asia Award.

• Frontières Co-Production Market Line-Up: The 16th edition of the Frontières Co-Production Market will showcase projects including UK-set grief horror "Ginger" and Québecois coming-of-age sci-fi "He Who Sows Misery, Reaps Wrath."

• 'Baby Reindeer' Tops Netflix: Richard Gadd's limited series "Baby Reindeer" enters Netflix's all-time top 10 list, surpassing "The Witcher."

• Starbucks Launches Production House: Starbucks opens Starbucks Studios, joining brands like Nike and LVMH in establishing a production studio.

• Shari Redstone Scraps Merger: National Amusements halts the Skydance-Paramount merger following revised offers from David Ellison.

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NEWS

United Media backs script competition to develop Southeast European creatives

The content arm of major Southeast European telecoms and media provider United Group is set to contribute €10,000 (US$10,743) to a competition to develop a winning script and turn the pitch into a TV series. Projects from Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia have made it to the final six in the Make the Scene! Pitch competition and workshop, a partnership project between Pula Film Festival in Croatia and United Media.

From: C21

Locarno Film Festival to Honor ‘Erin Brockovich,’ ‘Django Unchained’ Producer Stacey Sher

The indie-producing legend will receive the Raimondo Rezzonico Award at the 2024 edition of the Switzerland event.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Channel 4 Orders Investigation After Producer On True Crime Series Takes His Own Life

Channel 4 has ordered an independent investigation into the death of a producer who took his own life after working on the UK broadcaster’s true crime series In the Footsteps of Killers.

From: Deadline

‘Lord of the Rings’ Composer Howard Shore to Receive Career Honor at Zurich Film Festival

The Canadian composer and three-time Oscar winner will receive the award at the 20th Zurich Film Festival in October.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Munich Film Festival 2024 secures six world premieres of international titles

The 41st festival is the first under the aegis of Christoph Gröner and co-artistic director Julia Weigl.

From: Screen Daily

Korean comedy-drama ‘Victory’ to open NYAFF 2024; Lee Hye-ri to receive Screen’s Rising Star Asia Award

‘Victory’ is set to receive its world premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival.

From: Screen Daily

‘Hit Man’ Debuts at #1 on Netflix as ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Makes a Swift Drop

Did that long delay before release hurt the Japanese Oscar-winning sleeper hit?

From: IndieWire

Frontières Co-Production Market unveils 16th edition line-up

Projects in next month’s Montreal showcase include UK-set grief horror ’Ginger’ and Québecois coming-of-age sci-fi ’He Who Sows Misery, Reaps Wrath’.

From: Screen Daily

‘Baby Reindeer’ Boots ‘The Witcher’ from Netflix’s All-Time Top 10 List

Richard Gadd's limited series has been viewed 84.5 million times and counting.

From: IndieWire

Shari Redstone’s National Amusements Scraps Skydance-Paramount Merger | Report

Discussions halted Tuesday after Paramount’s special committee was scheduled to vote on the documentation of David Ellison’s latest revised offer.

From: The Wrap

Starbucks Launches Its Own Production House, Starbucks Studios

The coffee brand joins the likes of Nike and LVMH in opening a production studio

From: Adweek

INSIGHTS

It’s the End of Paramount+ As We’ve Known It (and That’s Fine)

For many months now, Hollywood insiders and industry commentators have been talking about Paramount+ — at least the service as it currently exists — as a dead streamer walking. This week, however, the obituary notices started coming from within the building.

From: Vulture

Naomi Watts and Jonathan Bailey Get Empowered on TV, From Explicit Gay Sex Scenes to Crying While Filming ‘Erotic’ Moments

Jonathan Bailey studied “Mulholland Drive” in school, examining the nuances of Naomi Watts’ breakout performance. Now Bailey has the chance to grill the Oscar nominee about her process.

From: Variety

‘The Wild Robot’ Trailer Sees DreamWorks Channel ‘Bambi’ and Miyazki for Hand-Drawn Aesthetic

Director Chris Sanders tells IndieWire about his 2D-looking sci-fi adventure, in which robot Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) embraces kindness to survive in the wilderness.

From: IndieWire

The Duplass Family Isn’t Alarmist About a ‘Cratering’ Industry: Indies Have Always Been ‘You Must Destroy Yourself to Get There’

Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, and their daughter Ora talk about their film "Oh, Christmas Tree," why repertory theatres are vital in gaining new audiences, and how short films can survive in a compressed time for films of all shapes.

From: IndieWire

Francesco Manfio: "European Broadcasters Must Think Together"

Italian animation company Gruppo Alcuni has a consolidated place in Italy through their numerous productions with Rai, like "Cuccioli" and "Mini Cuccioli." "These series allow us to develop our brands, which are born from an Italian idea, and then, they have success all over the world," commented Francesco Manfio, CEO of Gruppo Alcuni.

From: Señal News

Variety’s Showrunners Sitdown: ‘The Crown’ Creator Peter Morgan on Almost Cutting Out Diana, Queen Elizabeth’s Death and Why His Next Project Will Have Guns

Even at its inception in 2014, Peter Morgan‘s “The Crown” was designed to be one of the most ambitious television projects of all time—and by the time it concluded last year, his vision for the show had proven monumental.

From: Variety

“Useful tool” or “phenomenally destructive”: What next for AI in TV drama?

Big TV players in Europe have been relatively open about their interest in AI.

From: Screen Daily

As Max Launches in France, Execs Casey Bloys and JB Perrette Talk Olympics Coverage, Tease ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Series and Confirm ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Time Jump

It’s shaping up to be a big summer for Max in France. Warner Bros. Discovery’s standalone streaming service is finally launching on Tuesday in France and Belgium with a splashy lineup, including “House of the Dragon” Season 2 and coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games starting on July 26.

From: Variety

Why ‘Girls5eva’ star Busy Philipps chose QVC to make her return to late-night TV

With a new show on QVC+, the iconoclastic actor talks shoppable content, ‘Freaks and Geeks’ lessons, and creating your own opportunities.

From: Fast Company

Cops and rockers

Lucie Shorthouse is currently starring in two primetime series, but they couldn’t be more different. She discusses becoming a detective for Rebus and returning to the beat of music comedy We Are Lady Parts for its second season.

From: Drama Quarterly

Can Mawaan Rizwan Unleash His ‘Bonkers,’ BAFTA-Winning ‘Juice’ on America? 

In his recent BAFTA TV Awards acceptance speech for best male performance in a comedy, British comic Mawaan Rizwan recalled a conversation with his therapist earlier that week about how he “needed to stop relying on external forms of validation… so, bad timing!”

From: Variety

Why Are Japanese Anime Films Enjoying Outsized Success in China? The Answer Is a Combination of Culture, Politics and the Past

Reminiscent of the outsized Chinese box office success once enjoyed by a particular genre of Hollywood movie – think “Expendables 3,” Pacific Rim” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction” – some Japanese anime films are now earning more in China than they are in their native Japan.

From: Variety

Alex Kurtzman talks about ‘Star Trek’ fandom, AI, and where the sci-fi franchise will boldly go next

It’s almost ironic that Star Trek was born on television. The sci-fi franchise, whose storyline is set in a far-off future where humanity has solved many of its most pressing problems, has now endured almost six decades despite a fickle medium that is constantly at the whims of ruthless disruption.

From: Fast Company

Apple Unveils AI Features, Touts Original Films And Series Ahead Of 5th Anniversary of Apple TV+

Before announcing its long-anticipated entry into artificial intelligence, Apple kicked off its worldwide developer conference (WWDC) Monday with a plug for Apple TV+, whose fifth anniversary is November 1.

From: Deadline

Andy Serkis Brings ‘Lord of the Rings’ Anime Movie’s First Footage to Annecy

Serkis moderated a panel for 'The War of the Rohirrim,' which will hit theatres in December. He also teased that he is "happily returning" for a new live-action film in the franchise.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

SIC Portugal’s Carlota Vieira Shares Drama Market Insights

The scripted scene varies greatly by territory, and the Portuguese market has its own set of audience appetites, challenges and advantages. Portugal’s SIC has been a critical destination for local and global audiences and buyers since its inception over three decades ago, with its titles maintaining mass appeal.

From: TV Drama

How ‘Shōgun’ team turned the classic novel into a gripping television

Shōgun showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks aimed to tell “10 short stories”.

From: Screen Daily

Sweet Dreams

What does the future hold for traditional soaps as viewers continue to move away from linear TV? Director Joan Noguera talks about launching the Spanish daily drama Sueños de Libertad (Dreams of Freedom) and why the genre still holds an essential position in television.

From: Drama Quarterly

Griffin Dunne’s “Season of Madness”

The actor, director, literary scion, and now memoirist time-travels through his beloved East Village and reveals how his famous family was riven by alcoholism and the killing of his actress sister: "What we didn't know was that we were actually pretty much crazy — clinically insane."

From: The Hollywood Reporter

DeVon Franklin Details How Creating A Marketing Campaign For ‘The Pursuit Of Happyness’ Led Him To Faith-Based Movies — AVPSummit

The Miracles from Heaven producer, who recently signed a multi-year deal with Tyler Perry, had interned for Will Smith since he was a freshman and worked with him for several years before being asked to forge a faith-based marketing campaign for 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness, Franklin told today’s AVPSummit in south Italy.

From: Deadline

BBC Children’s Commissioning In The Spotlight At Annecy

BBC Children’s Kate Morton and Sarah Muller outlined the commissioning and acquisition strategies for audiences 0 to 6 and 7-plus, respectively, during a session today at Mifa. Morton, BBC Children’s head of commissioning and acquisitions for ages 0 to 6, and Muller, senior head of children’s commissioning for the 7-plus audience, shared what they are looking for in programming targeting their respective demographics for CBeebies and CBBC.

From: TV Kids

M6 Group Execs Outline Programming Strategy At Annecy

M6 Group’s Coralie Boitrelle-Laigle and Fatoumata Diallo told Mifa attendees today about the content driving the success of its children’s channels and platforms in France. Boitrelle-Laigle, director of youth channels in France for the M6 Group, and Diallo, program advisor for youth channels for the M6 Group, highlighted the content strategies across Gulli, Canal J (8 to 12), TiJi (preschool) and the M6 Kid morning block, as well as Gulli.fr and M6+.

From: TV Kids

CBS Entertainment’s Amy Reisenbach Says She’s Looking Far Into the Future, Already Developing Shows for 2026-2027

CBS owner Paramount Global's fate remains uncertain, and the future of broadcast TV remains a big question mark. But as CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said on Tuesday at the Banff World Media Festival, that’s not stopping her from plotting her primetime development plans for the future.

From: Variety

It Starts On The Page: Read ‘Fargo’ S5 Premiere Script “The Tragedy Of The Commons” By Noah Hawley

Typically, a series of five seasons can show signs of wear and tear. However, a fifth time for Fargo creator Noah Hawley was a charm, not just in a more robust homage to the original 1996 multi-Oscar-winning movie but also in a deconstruction of current-day red-state attitudes.

From: Deadline & Read the Script

Watch ‘Discovery’ and ‘Strange New Worlds’ EP Alex Kurtzman Explain Why ‘Star Trek Will Go on Forever’

Alongside VFX supervisor Jason Zimmerman, the franchise’s current architect talked at IndieWire’s Consider This Event about how the series has always provided "a lens that allows us to understand who we are."

From: IndieWire

‘Made in England’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese Narrates Powell and Pressburger Documentary

David Hinton directed the feature, which debuted in Berlin in 2024 before screening at Tribeca.

From: IndieWire

Inside Disney’s ‘Area 51,’ Where Lightsabers and Other Tech Are Invented | WSJ

Disney’s most prolific inventor, Lanny Smoot, is behind some of the company’s most advanced tech, from “Star Wars” lightsabers to “magic” floors. Disney’s long-secretive R&D lab helps build creations crucial to the division’s $60 billion investment, including theme parks.

Big Banana Feet Q&A: Bill Paterson, Murray Grigor and Billy Johnson on the Billy Connolly tour film

The BFI's Douglas Weir talks to director Murray Grigor, actor Bill Paterson and Billy Connolly's former road manager, Billy Johnson, about a restored documentary that captures ‘The Big Yin’ on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland.

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