TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Friday 7 June 2024

Circle of Confusion rebrands; UK horror fund; J.Lo's streaming success; Lithuanian drama wins; Melbourne fest opener; Mubi Fest in 9 cities; WGGB's calls; Fantasia opener; CAA summit.

Today’s Highlights:

• Circle of Confusion Rebrands: The management and production company has rebranded to Circle Management and Production.

• Range Studios International Fund: Launch of a UK and Euro horror development fund to commission English-language scripts.

• Jennifer Lopez's Streaming Success: Her film "Atlas" reaches nearly 60M global views on Netflix, her fourth No. 1 streaming movie in two years.

• Lithuanian Project Wins Content Warsaw CoPro Pitch: Dansu Films' drama series "F**k the Law" wins the inaugural prize.

• Melbourne Film Festival Opening Film: Oscar winner Adam Elliot's "Memoir of a Snail" will open the festival.

• Mubi Fest Announcement: Mubi Fest will occur in nine cities worldwide, including Manchester and Mexico City.

• Writers' Guild of Great Britain's Calls: WGGB calls for penalties on employers using free labour and stricter AI controls.

• Fantasia Film Festival's Opening Film: "Bookworm", starring Elijah Wood, will open Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival.

• FIDMarseille 2024 Line-up: The 35th edition of the festival includes films by Ghassan Salhab and Pierre Creton.

• CAA Amplify 2024 Speakers: Michelle Obama and Regina King are among the CAA Amplify summit speakers.

Want to stay informed with the latest in TV, film, and media? 

Subscribe to our daily news roundup for exclusive insights, early access to industry news, and the convenience of having the latest updates in one place. 

Our subscribers include executives from: 

• Streamers: Netflix, Apple, Viaplay, SkyShowTime, Amazon Prime.

• Broadcasters: NBC Universal, France Televisions, Sky, ABC, Channel 4, ITV, A+E Networks, CBC, TV2, SVT, ARTE, RTBF, SBS Play.

• Producers: Fifth Season, Banijay, Fremantle, Endemol Shine, Gaumont, Pathé, Warner Bros Television Productions, UFA Fiction, Vivendi, Entertainment One, BBC Studios, Paramount Television International, Warner Bros Discovery, Talpa Studios, Tiger Aspect, Wild Bunch TV, Red Planet Pictures, Go Quest Media, Eureka Productions, The Ink Factory, Nordisk Film, Reel One Entertainment, Bunya Productions, Beach House Pictures, Beyond, The Global Agency, Esha Bargate Productions, blue Entertainment, Paper Plane Productions, Paprika Studios, Playmaker, Off the Fence, Goalpost Pictures.

• Also: Aarhus Series Festival, The Wit, Norwegian Film Commission, New Zealand Film Commission, IMDA, MIA, Getty Images, Ottawa Film Office, Simkins, Harbottle & Lewis, Screen Brussels, Sheffield DocFest, FilmChain, Documentary Business, Zero Gravity Management.

NEWS

Circle Of Confusion Rebrands As Circle Management And Production

Circle of Confusion is no longer, as the renowned management and production company has rebranded and will now be known as Circle Management and Production.

From: Deadline

Range Studios International launches UK, Euro horror development fund

UK-based outfit plans to commission five-10 English-language feature scripts in the first year and move quickly into production.

From: Screen Daily

Jennifer Lopez Dominates On Streaming For A Fourth Time Over Two Years As Netflix’s ‘Atlas’ Reaches Near 60M Global Views

Jennifer Lopez continues to steamroll on streaming as the Netflix sci-fi film Atlas has clocked close to 60 million global views (or 119.4M hours viewed), keeping the No. 1 hold on the streamer’s top 10 film chart for the second week in a row. It also gives the multiplatinum-selling, two-time Emmy nominee her fourth No. 1 streaming movie over the past two years after Netflix’s The Mother and Prime Video’s This Is Me Now: A Love Story and Shotgun Wedding.

From: Deadline

Lithuanian scripted project wins inaugural Content Warsaw CoPro Pitch

The drama series F**k the Law, from Lithuanian production company Dansu Films, has won the inaugural Content Warsaw CoPro Pitch prize.

From: C21

‘Memoir of a Snail,’ by Oscar Winner Adam Elliot, Set to Open Melbourne Film Festival

“Memoir of a Snail,” directed by locally-born, Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot, has been set as the opening title of the Melbourne International Film Festival.

From: Variety

Mubi unveils Mubi Fest to take place in nine cities worldwide

Mubi Fest will occur in Manchester, Mexico City, São Paulo, Chicago, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Istanbul and Milan.

From: Screen Daily

Writers’ Guild of Great Britain calls for penalties on employers who use free labour, stricter AI controls

The calls are outlined in WGGB’s manifesto.

From: Screen Daily

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival Unveils ‘Bookworm’ Starring Elijah Wood as Opening Film, Plus Second Wave of Titles

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its second wave of titles, which includes the world premiere of Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm” as the opening night film. This year’s edition, the 28th for the festival, will run from July 18 to August 4. More titles will be announced on July 3.

From: Variety

FIDMarseille 2024 line-up includes Ghassan Salhab, Pierre Creton films

The 35th edition of the French festival takes place June 25-30.

From: Screen Daily

Michelle Obama Regina King Among Speakers at 2024 CAA Amplify

Padma Lakshmi, Colin Kaepernick, Cord Jefferson and 'Beef' creator Lee Sung Jin will also head to Ojai for the June 10-12 annual summit.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

INSIGHTS

Chris Storer Was a John Mulaney Fan Long Before ‘The Bear’

The creator and showrunner of the FX comedy shares his thoughts about John Mulaney's work on "The Bear" and "Everybody's in LA," for which Mulaney will receive the inaugural IndieWire Honors Innovation Award.

From: IndieWire

We Knew the 2024 Box Office Would Be Bad. But Not This Bad

June has new franchise entries for "Bad Boys," "Inside Out," and "A Quiet Place," but as tracking fails and theatres close, that's a lot of pressure on potential.

From: IndieWire

Streaming Bundles Are All the Rage — but They Can’t Bring Back Pay-TV’s Glory Days

What is the next evolution in the streaming wars? It’s a new spin on the old cable TV model: cross-company bundles of streaming services.

From: Variety

Why HarbourView Equity CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares Sees Opportunity in Showbiz’s Messy Transition

Big Media is having its “Napster moment,” says Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of Newark, N.J.-based investment firm HarbourView Equity, to explain why she’s motivated to invest in media at a time when the industry’s largest companies are struggling mightily with the transition to streaming.

From: Variety

Diane Von Furstenberg On Wrinkles, Wrap Dresses & Barry Diller As Doc About Iconic Designer Opens Tribeca Festival

The iconic creator of the wrap dress—who turns 50 this year—Diane von Furstenberg, strokes her face early on in a new documentary about her tumultuous, inspiring life, love, and career, insisting she loves her wrinkles.

From: Deadline

Genre-Bending Nigerian Thriller ‘The Weekend’ Drops First-Look Clip Ahead of Tribeca Premiere

The family that slays together stays together in Nigerian director Daniel Oriahi’s “The Weekend,” a bloody thriller about a woman who discovers a shocking secret about her soon-to-be in-laws.

From: Variety

Japanese Anime Is Growing Largely in Europe

According to a report from Ampere Analysis, seven out of the top 10 markets with the most significant growth in interest in watching anime are in Europe. These include Germany, Finland, Italy, the UK, France, Poland, and Spain, which have seen a 3% to 9% increase in anime enjoyment in the past five years. Asia Pacific markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea still show the highest interest in anime.

From: Señal News

How Amazon created a winning streaming formula: shows based on airport books for dads

With its renewal of James Patterson-based ‘Cross’ before the first season even has a release date, Amazon just bet big on this genre. Here’s why that’s a smart move.

From: Fast Company

Regeneration game

Doctor Who marks the latest stage of actor Michelle Greenidge's varied career on and off-screen. She talks about taking risks to land her dream job and working alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson on the BBC’s flagship sci-fi series.

From: Drama Quarterly

“The Worst Thing That Can Happen Is You Suck”: Jon Hamm, Nicholas Galitzine Get Real on THR’s Drama Actor Roundtable

What’s worse, a sex scene or a single tear? And who really listens to their agents’ advice? Matt Bomer, David Oyelowo, Clive Owen and Callum Turner debate all the big questions.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Will the North American box office recover in 2024?

An assessment of what already proves an uneven year for North American cinemas.

From: Screen Daily

Jennifer Aniston & Quinta Brunson: Actors on Actors

During the third seasons of their respective series, “Abbott Elementary” and “The Morning Show,” Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues and Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy overcame significant challenges.

From: Variety

What ‘House of the Dragon’ Boss Ryan Condal Learned When He Took On TV’s Most Stressful Assignment

Since he became the sole showrunner of the 'Game of Thrones' spinoff, the writer has been managing intense anxiety while shepherding one of the most valuable franchises in the world.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Variety’s Showrunners Sitdown: ‘True Detective: Night Country’ Creator Issa López on Shutting Down Haters and Putting ‘Dead, Naked Men’ on Screen ‘For Fun’

HBO’s “True Detective” franchise has been off the air for five years since its third season concluded in 2019. But all of that changed this year under the stewardship of Mexican filmmaker Issa López (“Tigers Are Not Afraid”) when the series came roaring back into the zeitgeist — with “True Detective: Night Country,” led by stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis.

From: Variety

Hoa Xuande Still Finds It 'Bewildering' That He's the Star of ‘The Sympathizer' | TheWrap Magazine

Hoa Xuande is probably not a name you’re familiar with—not yet, anyway. But that is all likely to change thanks to his lead performance in HBO’s "The Sympathizer," an ambitiously dense adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

Daniel Brühl & Théodore Pellerin on the Gay Fashion of Becoming Karl Lagerfeld | Interview

Daniel Brühl [Karl Lagerfeld] and Théodore Pellerin [Jacques de Bascher] spoke with MovieWeb's Greg Archer about their new Hulu series that follows the fashion icon.

Subscribe to read on for the latest in Executive Moves, In Development, Deals & Renewals.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ appoints Matt Barthow, senior director of content