News

Newen Connect has boarded Pascal Elbé’s Lucky Star, one of four newcomedies the company will launch at Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris later this month.

Actor/filmmaker Elbé’s fourth feature as a director is set in 1940 France and stars Benoit Poelvoorde as an army deserter who hatches a plan to escape Nazi punishment and protect his wife and sonby pretending his family is Jewish, but ends up being swept into the Resistance.

Elbé also stars in the film with Audrey Lamy, Zabou Breitman and Hugo Becker. It is produced by Yze’s Yann Zanou and Adnp/Quad’s Nicolas Adassovsky.

Sony Pictures International Productions (Spip) has picked up remake rights to Arnaud Lemort’s French family comedy “Family Therapy” (“Jamais sans mon psy”) from Newen Connect.

Under the deal, Spip will develop localized versions of the French movie around the world, excluding China and France.

Produced by Mathieu Verhaeghe and Thomas Verhaeghe at Atelier de Production, “Family Therapy” follows Damien Leroy, a deeply anxious man who is challenged by his therapist Dr Beranger, to find a woman to share his life. When Damien unexpectedly falls in love with Alice, he soon discovers that his father-in-law is none other than his therapist who is determined to make his life a living hell.

The cast is headlined by well-known French comedy fixtures, Christian Clavier (‘Serial (Bad) Weddings,” “Asterix and Obelix”), Baptiste Lecaplain, Claire Chust, Cristiana Réali and Rayane Bensetti (“Let’s Dance”). TF1 Studio, Ugc and TF1 Films Productions co-produced the movie

“We...

Newen Connect’s French-language comedies Family Therapy, Open Season and Lucky Punch have lured a long list of buyers across the globe for theatrical distribution in more than 50 markets and a raft of remakes in the pipelines.

Arnaud Lemort’s Family Therapy (Jamais Sans Mon Psy) has sold to over 30 territories including Italy (Movies Inspired), Spain (A Contracorriente Films), Germany and Austria (Lighthouse), Benelux (Paradiso), Switzerland (Pathé Films), Canada (Tva Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Donart), Hungary and Romania (Vertigo Media), Ukraine (Total Film Distribution), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Estonia (Estin Film), Israel (Forum Film), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Greece (Spentzos), Middle...

The film adaptation of popular comic strip “Natacha (Almost) Air Hostess” boasts an all-star cast.

The cast includes Camille Lou (“Anthracite”), Vincent Dedienne (“We Can Be Heroes”), Fabrice Luchini (“The Empire”), Didier Bourdon (“Cocorico), Elsa Zylberstein (“Coup de Chance”), Isabelle Adjani (“Wingwomen”) and Baptiste Lecaplain (“Meet the Leroys”).

The film is loosely based on the comic strip of the same name created by screenwriter François Walthéry, which was published by Editions Dupuy, and which comprises 23 albums and has sold more than five million copies.

The story follows Natacha, who, since she was a child, has dreamed of becoming an air hostess so that she can break free from the constraints of an age where women are expected to remain at home. Just as her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality, she finds herself involved against her will on an adventure on the trail of a bunch of...

Gilles Bourdos’ Cross Away, starring Vincent Lindon, a French remake of Steven Knight’s 2013 film Locke that starred Tom Hardy, is being launched at the EFM by Newen Connect.

Lindon plays the head of a construction company who takes a series of telephone calls in his car during one long night. The voices of his wife, his mistress, his boss and his co-worker and will be played by Micha Lescot, Pascale Arbillot, Gregory Gadebois, Brigitte Catillon and Cédric Kahn. Curiosa Films is producing.

Also in post for Newen is Marie-Hélène Roux’s second feature Mending Lives about real-life Congolese doctors Denis Mukwege,...

Pair of comedies headline TF1-owned company’s 2024 French-language slate

Newen Connect is heading to Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous with two French-language ensemble comedies, Family Therapy and Start Me Up.

Family Therapy is the fourth feature from Arnaud Lemort. and follows a man with severe anxiety whose therapist decides he cannot stand him, kicks him out of his practice and challenges him to find the woman of his dreams Christian Clavier and Baptiste Lecaplain star with Claire Chust, Cristiana Réali and Rayane Bensetti.

Produced by TF1 Studio and TF1 Films Production with Atelier de Production, Ugc will release the film in...

Netflix/ITV’s hit thriller “Marcella” is set for a French adaptation produced by Elephant and commissioned by TF1. The deal was made by Cineflix Rights which has exclusive worldwide rights to the new series.

Hans Rosenfeldt’s “Marcella” was produced by Buccaneer Media and stars Anna Friel who won an International Emmy Award for her role in the series. Season 3 of “Marcella” is currently available on Netflix and will premiere on ITV in the U.K. the fall.

“Rebecca,” the French adaptation of “Marcella,” will be directed by Didier Le Pêcheur (“Innocents”), and was co-written by Le Pêcheur and Delphine Labouret (“Innocents”). The eight-part series is being produced by Elephant (Gaëlle Cholet and Sandra Ouaiss), and begins shooting this month around Paris.

The paranoid thriller will be headlined by Anne Marivin (“Ce soir je vais tuer l’assassin de mon fils”) in the titular role. Six years after abandoning...