News

More than a year old at this point, Eternal Sunshine has solidified itself as an evolutionary step in Ariana Grande’s career. Not only did the album produce two No. 1 hits — "Yes, And?" and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" — and amassed more than 4 billion Spotify streams, but it’s perhaps Grande’s most confessional, being largely inspired by tumultuous times in her personal life and public persona as a whole. Eternal Sunshine had a largely positive reception, including a combined score of 84 on Metacritic. On Friday, Grande, now a huge movie star and Oscar nominee thanks to Wicked, broke the internet by dropping Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, a reconfigured version of the album featuring nine bonus tracks (including six new songs), alongside a short film.

Grande is credited as the sole lyricist of all new tracks, giving Brighter Days Ahead an even more confessional, introspective tone.

What would the release of Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Deluxe be without Peaches? Her beloved character returns to star in the new short film Brighter Days Ahead.

Like the videos for the singles “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” and the Penn Badgley-starring “The Boy Is Mine,” the 26-minute film is directed by Grande and Christian Breslauer, and inspired by 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

70 years after the “We Can’t Be Friends” video — in which Peaches erased all memories of her ex,...

Ariana Grande has been more creatively busy than ever. Following the release of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, last year and her well-received performance as Glinda in the Jon M. Chu-helmed Wicked film (which will soon return for a second part this November 21), the Grammy winner is officially closing the door on a past era to usher in a new one with the release of the futuristic brighter days ahead short film. The 26-minute visual, written and directed by Christian Breslauer and Grande herself, comes shortly after the release of Eternal Sunshine’s deluxe edition.

The short film brings viewers back to Peaches, a character first seen in the Evan Peters-starring “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” music video, and what transpired after she decided to wipe her memories off at the Brighter Days center. Only this time, 70 years after the events of the first video,...

A year after her powerful Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande still can’t let go of the lingering romantic dreams and bitter nightmares she was exploring in those songs. In her self-described “really vulnerable concept album,” she set out to make her answer to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, in a hazy psychedelic break-up suite of love and grief. But she keeps the story going in the extended version Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, with a short film of the same title.

Eternal Sunshine was her sixth Number One album, with...

Ariana Grande is getting into naughty territory with her new song “Dandelion” from the deluxe version of the Eternal Sunshine album.

The Grammy winner gets sexual on the new song, in which she makes a lot of innuendos relating to a dandelion flower.

“I got what you need / I’m thinking you should plant this seed,” she sings in the pre-chorus.

She continues, “Boy, just don’t blow this / Got me like, ‘What’s your wish list?’ / You can get anything you’d like / I’ll be your dandelion, mm-mm.”

There’s a myth that if you blow the fluff off a dandelion flower, you’ll get your wish granted. Ariana sings in the track that she’ll grant the wishes of her man!

Keep reading to find out more…

You can listen to the full song below.

Read the lyrics below.

Read “dandelion” by Ariana Grande on Genius

Read...

Ariana Grande has released one of her most emotional ballads ever.

The Grammy winner dropped the new song “Hampstead” on her album Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead and it’s going to bring you to tears.

Ariana seemingly sings about finding love again with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater while living in the Hampstead neighborhood of London during filming.

“I was in Hampstead when I was here, and I loved my walks on the Heath,” she told Radio 1. “I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs.”

Ariana seems to address the allegations of cheating that she and Ethan faced when their romance started soon after their divorces went public.

“I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead / And I misplaced my mind in a good way / Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache,” she sings.

Check out the sweet photos of Ariana...

Ariana Grandehas had a busy start to 2025. After returning to her acting roots in Wicked, for which she was honored with her first-ever Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actress" as Glinda, Grande is now doubling down on her slate of talents, dropping a special deluxe version of her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine, featuring six brand-new songs.

Titled Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead, the extended album will be unveiled on Friday, March 28. Ahead of the record's release, the "thank u, next" songstress took to Instagram for a special unveiling of the new track titles. This includes an extended version of the first track on the main record, "Intro (End of the World)" and new songs: "Twilight Zone," "Warm," "Dandelion," "Past Life," and "Hampstead." The song titles lean into the ongoing themes of both the record and the upcoming short film, very much alluding to someone getting flashbacks of a previous life.

By the power of Grayskull, Netflix’s list of new releases for July 2021 is here!

As you may have been able to tell by that clever opening, July is the month that Masters of the Universe: Revelation arrives on Netflix. This animated series from Kevin Smith continues the classic stories of He-Man and his buff friends. If nostalgia not be what ye seek, Netflix has plenty other original series this month as well. The amazingly hilarious sketch series I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson returns for season 2 on July 6. Also returning for a second season are Beastars, Never Have I Ever (both on July 15), and Outer Banks (July 30).

Netflix’s movie offerings are pretty thick this month since July marks the real beginning of the summer blockbuster season. The streamer is bringing not one, but three Fear Street films based on R.L. Stine’s classic book series. They...

Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”) and Pierce Brosnan (“Mamma Mia!”) will star in “Not Bloody Likely,” from writer/director Joel Hopkins (“Hampstead”).

The film will explore the true story behind the 1914 West End production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” which was later re-made into Oscar-winning musical “My Fair Lady.”

Cornerstone Films is handling the worldwide sales rights and will commence sales at the American Film Market.

“Not Bloody Likely” was developed and is produced by Adam Rolston and David Braithwaite (“A Street Cat Named Bob”)

under their new banner Studio Pictures. It will go into production in the U.K. in the spring of 2021.

Rolston and Braithwaite said: “This is exactly the kind of film the world needs right now. A feel-good story that will make you laugh and make you cry for the right reasons.”

Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder of Cornerstone said: “Joel’s wonderfully entertaining script...

Diane Keaton and Jeremy Irons are set to star in “Love, Weddings & Other Disasters,” Dennis Dugan’s ensemble comedy which will be introduced to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Fully financed by Align, filming will begin Sept. 16 in Boston. Diego Boneta, Dnce guitarist JinJoo Lee, Jesse McCartney and Veronica Ferres also star.

“Love, Weddings & Other Disasters” is a female-driven romantic comedy about the people who work on weddings while their own relationships and personal lives are far from perfect.

Also Read: 'Hampstead' Review: Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson Ignite Senior Sparks

This is Dugan’s first independent feature, but his box office hits include “Happy Gilmore,” “Just Go With It,” “Big Daddy” and “Grown Ups” and “Grown Ups 2.” His lifetime box office has surpassed the $2 billion mark. He also wrote the screenplay.

Nadine de Barros of Fortitude, Mike Rachmill, Dan Reardon, Adrian Politowski and Martin Metz are producers.

Hampstead centers on Emily (Diane Keaton), a widow who’s living in the upper class confines of London’s most desirable neighborhoods. Emily’s sheltered life takes a turn for the unexpected after she meets an Irish squatter named Donald (Brendan Gleeson) who has been living off the land across her apartment. For years Donald has lived off [...]

The post CinemAddicts Podcast Spotlights Diane Keaton Romantic Comedy ‘Hampstead’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Calling a film “Hampstead” invites immediate comparisons with “Notting Hill,” the Richard Curtis-penned rom-com that put that particular West London enclave on the global map back in 1999.

Director Joel Hopkins may be hoping for similar success, although I doubt the fine residents of Hampstead itself are looking forward to an influx of foreign tourists along their leafy and quaint streets.

In any case, the area of north London’s Hampstead on which this film focuses is the Heath, a great expanse of wood and wild park land that immediately features in the movie’s twinkling opening sequence, following a child’s kite as it flies across the Heath’s famous views of the city skyline, floating above picnicking families, striding dog walkers, pert joggers and recumbent lovers. It’s a shot, I suppose, intended to rival Hugh Grant’s “walk through the seasons” along Portobello Market in “Notting Hill.

It’s often said that when you reach a certain age in Hollywood, especially as a woman, the roles become more and more limited. In fact, many would say that the age that this begins to happen is well under 40. But for Diane Keaton, the Academy Award-winning actress has been adding to her filmography for decades, with no sign of slowing down. Her latest, “Hampstead,” actually puts her in a rom-com setting, which is far from new territory for the actress.

Continue reading ‘Hampstead’ Trailer: Diane Keaton & Brendan Gleeson Prove That Opposites Attract In New Rom-Com at The Playlist.

I’m beyond excited to announce that booking has opened for Open Graves, Open Minds: ‘Some curious disquiet’: Polidori, the Byronic vampire, and its progeny. A symposium for the bicentenary of The Vampyre, 6-7 April 2019, Keats House, Hampstead. We’ll be celebrating 200 years since the vampire first entered fiction in 1819. The programme boasts coffin …

The post Polidori’s Vampyre at 200 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

The star of Hampstead and Alone in Berlin on his Flann O’Brien obsession, the most thrilling piece of theatre he’s ever seen, and discovering Caravaggio

Born in Dublin in 1955, Brendan Gleeson worked as a secondary school teacher of Irish and English before turning to acting full-time in 1991. He is best known for his roles in Calvary, In Bruges and The Guard. He has also appeared in Braveheart, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, Gangs of New York, and the Harry Potter films. His portrayal of Winston Churchill in the television film Into the Storm won him an Emmy award in 2009, and he has been nominated for three Golden Globes. Two of his four sons, Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, are also actors. Gleeson stars opposite Emma Thompson in Alone in Berlin, based on Hans Fallada’s second world war novel, and in Hampstead, both out now.

Continue reading...

Fifth instalment of the rampaging-robots franchise topples Wonder Woman, while Diane Keaton lights up Hampstead in a kooky romance

Transformers: The Last Knight, the latest in a seemingly endless series of sequels and brand exploitations this summer, had no problem shoving Wonder Woman off the top spot after a three-week stay, nabbing first place with £4.64m, including £734,000 in previews. That’s almost as much as the weekend box office for the rest of the top 10 put together.

Continue reading...

Based on a case of a real-life Hampstead Heath squatter, this treacly romcom starring Brendan Gleeson and Diane Keaton lacks Notting Hill sparkle

More proof that Richard Curtis’s style of comedy-drama is very difficult to imitate. This placid, silver-years heartwarmer, set in a picturesque and pricey part of the capital – in this case, Hampstead – is pretty obviously inspired by Curtis’s 1999 hit Notting Hill, though actually taken from the true-life case of Harry Hallowes, a reclusive man who in 2007 claimed squatter’s rights to a patch of ground in Hampstead Heath in London where he’d set up camp and legally saw off some property developers who’d tried to oust him.

Related: From Notting Hill to Hampstead: why do directors get London so wrong?

Continue reading...

Diane Keaton’s new film is set in, and named after, the prosperous London district of Hampstead; she co-stars with Brendan Gleeson in a romantic comedy about an American woman who strikes up a relationship with an eccentric itinerant who lives in a shack on Hampstead Heath. Directed by Joel Hopkins and also featuring Simon Callow and James Norton, Hampstead is released on 23 July

Continue reading...

Author: Stefan Pape

There’s something rather charming and uncynical about Joel Hopkins’ romantic drama Hampstead – and to mark the film’s UK release we spent some time with the affable filmmaker.

The film – which centres around the relationship between an eccentric American widow and a man who has built a shack in the corner of Hampstead Heath – features two accomplished displays from Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson, and Hopkins discussed the joy in working with such a remarkable cast.

He also discusses the importance of the location, and whether he can see the appeal in Donald’s way of life, to live off the land and refuse to conform to a more traditionalist way of getting by. He also speaks about the pressure in semi-basing this tale on a real life story, and why he just let Diane Keaton, be Diane Keaton.

Watch the full interview below…

Hampstead is released on June 23rd.

Author: Stefan Pape

Though hardly a regular in the romantic comedy genre, Brendan Gleeson could not have been left in better hands, collaborating with one of the true innovators of the genre, Diane Keaton – as the pair share the screen in Joel Hopkins’ Hampstead.

We had the pleasure of speaking to the affable Irish star, on the glorious sense of unpredictability that comes with working with Keaton, and whether this experience has changed the way he now watches her movies. Gleeson also discusses his diverse range of projects, which has Paddington 2 coming up (we can’t wait for that) while we also asked for an update on the third and final endeavour in the aptly named ‘glorified suicide’ trilogy alongside John Michael McDonagh, following The Guard and Calvary.

Watch the full interview below…

Our good friends at Cameo – and in this instance, Phoebe Winter, spoke to Diane Keaton too...

Author: Stefan Pape

London is the most expensive city to live in, in the world. Not only is rent extortionate, but gentrification is squeezing the soul out of the capital, losing some of its identity as new indefinable flats are constantly being built. So naturally the narrative to Hampstead – of a man sticking his middle finger up to the establishment and building a home in the park – should have great appeal, and resonate with viewers, and yet it delves into a world that feels so far removed from reality.

Based on real events, Diane Keaton plays Emily – an American widow pressured by her neighbour (Lesley Manville) to encourage the local community to support the endeavour to build a new apartment building across the road in front of the abandoned old hospital, based in the corner of Hampstead Heath. Sat in her attic, peering out the window with an old pair of binoculars,...

Calling a film “Hampstead” invites immediate comparisons with “Notting Hill,” the Richard Curtis-penned rom-com that put that particular West London enclave on the global map back in 1999. Director Joel Hopkins may be hoping for similar success, although I doubt the fine residents of Hampstead itself are looking forward to an influx of foreign tourists along their leafy and quaint streets. In any case, the area of north London’s Hampstead on which this film focuses is the Heath, a great expanse of wood and wild park land that immediately features in the movie’s twinkling opening sequence, following a child’s kite as it.

The pairing of bearish, formidable Irish actor Brendan Gleeson with professionally ditzy, ageless ingenue Diane Keaton as a romantic item may sound bizarre, but luckily for the London-set comedy-drama Hampstead, these yin and yang performers complement each other nicely, like tangy rhubarb and sweet, thick custard. It’s just a shame that the vehicle which has brought them together is so insipid. Offering a mix of property porn and sentimental liberal values that will appeal to residents of the titular North London suburb where the story is set (think New York’s Upper East Side) and similar demographics worldwide, it’s got enough...

by Seán McGovern

Annie Hall turns 40 this year and Diane Keaton will be the recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award next month (June 8th to be exact). Keaton, a perennial A-lister, reminds us every few years about the extent of her talents. She's been enjoying recent success in The Young Pope and her upcoming projects Hampstead and Book Club sound promising at least. Since Annie Hall turns 40 this year so too will Keaton's other '77 triumph, Looking For Mr. Goodbar. 

Though Goodbar is remembered for Keaton in a dramatic role (which this author will pay attention to here at a later date), the film is definitely what we'd call in contemporary parlance "problematic". I recently watched Goodbar for my own podcast, but amongst the reprehensible moments I finally understood why so many women of a certain age (i.e. my mother) swooned over Richard Gere - who we get...

Diane Keaton loves on-screen kisses!

"It's the best. Quite frankly it doesn't get better than on-screen romance," the 71-year-old actress explained during an appearance on an upcoming episode of BBC America's The Graham Norton Show. "Because, frankly, think of all the men you get to kiss and you don't pay the price. In other words, you don’t actually have to have a relationship!"

Watch: On the Sets of 10 '80s Movies That Launched Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon & More!

She makes a good point.

"There's nothing better than kissing a man in a movie," Keaton added. "People say it's difficult but the're wrong. They're dead wrong."

The Annie Hall actress, who was on the British talk show to promote her upcoming movie, Hampstead, went on to demonstrate just how much she loves screen kisses by doling out a few smooches to her fellow celebrity guests, Jessica Chastain and Kevin Bacon!

"Can I just...

May 2015 was the last time Harvey Weinstein hosted a Cannes presentation at the Majestic Hotel. Among the titles was a preview of Justin Chadwick’s “Tulip Fever,” with the then white-hot Swedish actress Alicia Vikander on hand. A romantic triangle period piece costarring Christoph Waltz and Dane DeHaan, Weinstein later pushed the release from July 2016 to February 2017. Now, two years later, it’s booked for August 25 — the dog days of summer.

Last year, the Weinstein Co. had so few bonafide Oscar contenders on the docket that they didn’t mount their usual Cannes show-and-tell at all. Garth Davis’s “Lion” did yield six nominations and, like critics’ darling “Carol” the year before, no wins. The lengthy awards season did pay off for “Lion” at the box office; it’s made $103 million worldwide. However, it also represents a rare tick in the ‘win’ column for TWC, which is struggling to maneuver in these challenging times.

May 2015 was the last time Harvey Weinstein hosted a Cannes presentation at the Majestic Hotel. Among the titles was a preview of Justin Chadwick’s “Tulip Fever,” with the then white-hot Swedish actress Alicia Vikander on hand. A romantic triangle period piece costarring Christoph Waltz and Dane DeHaan, Weinstein later pushed the release from July 2016 to February 2017. Now, two years later, it’s booked for August 25 — the dog days of summer.

Last year, the Weinstein Co. had so few bonafide Oscar contenders on the docket that they didn’t mount their usual Cannes show-and-tell at all. Garth Davis’s “Lion” did yield six nominations and, like critics’ darling “Carol” the year before, no wins. The lengthy awards season did pay off for “Lion” at the box office; it’s made $103 million worldwide. However, it also represents a rare tick in the ‘win’ column for TWC, which is struggling to maneuver in these challenging times.

"They really don't want you here." "It's a shame, if only they'd got to know me." An official UK trailer has debuted for a romantic drama titled Hampstead, taking place on Hampstead Heath, a large grassy public park in London. The film stars Brendan Gleeson as a man living in the wild in a hand-built shack in the park. An American woman, played by Diane Keaton, meets and falls in love with him and joins in his fight to save his home. The full cast includes James Norton, Jason Watkins, Lesley Manville and Alistair Petrie. This looks like a quirky, charming, totally-British romantic drama that may win over a few people. Here's the first international/UK trailer for Joel Hopkins' Hampstead, direct from YouTube (via Tmb): An American widow (Diane Keaton) finds unexpected love with a man (Brendan Gleeson) living wild on Hampstead Heath when they take on...

There’s bereavement, bonding and a Hairy Biker lookalike in the trailer for Diane Keaton’s romcom, which threatens to ‘do a Notting Hill’ for leafy north London

It’s been almost two decades since Notting Hill became flooded with foreign tourists who do nothing but stand around in Notting Hill purely because someone once made a film called Notting Hill. And now, finally, someone has decided to send them somewhere else.

In June, a film called Hampstead will be released. Like Notting Hill, Hampstead is a geographically specific romcom. Like Notting Hill, it is likely to send visitors into a frenzy. And, like Notting Hill, it’s probably going to annoy the locals quite a lot. But does Hampstead really have what it takes to become the new Notting Hill? Let’s find out.

Continue reading...

Author: Jon Lyus

Diane Keaton is one of those actresses whose presence in a film immediately piques the interest. Director Joel Hopkins’ latest film follows up the similar themes of Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson and The Love Punch with Pierce Brosnan and Thompson again. Hampstead has Keaton and Brendan Gleeson as two people who live by the famous London landmark. One in a magnificent townhouse and the other in a shack. The film kicks off when a property developer wants to demolish the shack, and the pair find their differences melt away as they realise they have more in common than they thought.

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson in Joel Hopkins’ new film Hampstead

James Norton, Simon Callow, Jason Watkins, Lesley Manville, Will Smith, Phil Davis and Hugh Skinner are the main supporting cast and the new trailer sets the scene perfectly. There’s the typical postcard London show,...

The three days of glorious sunshine and blue skies that London enjoys each year have been taken full advantage of in the first trailer for Hampstead, the upcoming romance starring Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson. 

The story sees Keaton play an American widow living near the picturesque Hampstead Heath in the British capital, who one day stumbles upon Gleeson's reclusive, shack-dwelling recluse.

When his home comes under threat from property developers looking to build luxury flats on the land, the two join forces to fight off the threat. James Norton, Lesley Manville, Jason Watkins and Simon Callow also star. 

Hampstead is...

Decider Joe Reid on the repetitive lie that Oscar shuns popular movies

Interview shared a Winona Ryder interview from 1990. I can't tell you how formative this was for me. I had the photoshoot plastered all over my bedroom. I was obsessed with her quotables.

Playbill Broadway aimed Moulin Rouge! will be trying to cast its Satine (!!!), or at least a temporary Satine for readings and such, on February 17th at an Equity-only audition

Mnpp Great Moments in Movie Shelves visits The Royal Tenenbaums game closet 

Av Club IMDb is shutting down its message boards 

 

Deadline file this under "it's about time" - Sarah Paulson is finally getting lead roles in features! She'll headline Lost Girls, a serial killer drama in which she plays a mother searching for her daughter

i09 revisits Suspiria before the remake by Luca Guadagnino

The Guardian we need to be listening to Middle Eastern cinema right...

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson star in London-set romance; TWC acquired from a promo reel.

The Weinstein Company has moved on North American rights to the Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson romance in a deal with Cornerstone Films.

Joel Hopkins directs Hampstead from a screenplay by Robert Festinger about an American widow who falls for the inhabitant of a hut on London’s Hampstead Heath that is under siege by property developers. James Norton also stars.

Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films are producing the feature, which is financed by Motion Picture Capital and Silver Reel. TWC acquired the film after watching a promo reel.

TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said the film was “a great example of the power we all can have when we stand up for our beliefs and fight for the people and things we care most about, something that is especially important these days.”

“We’re delighted...

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

-The Weinstein Company has acquired the distribution rights for the U.S. and Canada to director Joel Hopkins’s upcoming film “Hampstead.” Written by Robert Festinger, the film stars Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson and James Norton. The project was produced by Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae at Ecosse Films. “Hampstead” focuses on an American widow and her relationship with an unkempt man in the Heath whose lifestyle comes under siege by property developers.

“We’re thrilled to work with Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae and the incredible Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson on this film,” TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said in a statement. “‘Hampstead’ is a great example of the power we all can have when we stand...

The Weinstein Company has acquired North American distribution rights to Hampstead after sparking to a short promo video for the drama insipred by real events. Joel Hopkins is directing the film penned by Robert Festinger and Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson and James Norton topline, and Lesley Manville, Jason Watkins and Simon Callow co-star. Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae at Ecosse Films are producers. The pic was financed by Motion Picture Capital and Silver Reel, with…...

The Weinstein Company has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to “Hampstead,” a drama starring Diane Keaton as an American widow in London. Keaton plays Emily Walters, who has been living on the edge of London’s Hampstead Heath, when one day she sees a group of hooligans attacking a man who lives in a ramshackle dwelling in the massive park. The following day, Walters goes out in search of the man, whose home is now the target of aggressive real estate developers. The film also features Brendan Gleeson and James Norton. Joel Hopkins directed the movie and Robert Festinger wrote the screenplay.

Cornerstone Films will introduce the project to buyers at the Efm.

Adam Shankman (Hairspray) has signed up to direct Kate Beckinsale in the film adaptation of Ashley Prentice Norton’s novel The Chocolate Money.

Beckinsale will also produce with Leslie Urdang of Mar-Key Pictures, alongside Miranda de Pencier and Kelly E. Ashton. The film is scheduled to shoot in New York in Spring 2017.

London-based Cornerstone Films is handling international rights and will commence sales at next month’s European Film Market (Feb 9-17). UTA is overseeing Us sales.

The novel, adapted for the screen by Emma Forrest and co-written by Beckinsale, is set in 1980s New York, following the heiress to one of American’s largest chocolate fortunes. The twisted comedy-drama tale follows the heiress’s daughter, who develops a crush on her mother’s married lover.

Leslie Urdang commented: “Emma Forrest wrote a profoundly witty and moving script with a role that could easily become [link=nm...

The Hammer Films Eis Fund will back film and TV projects.

UK financier Motion Picture Capital, the Reliance Entertainment Group subsidiary, has formed a partnership with iconic UK production company Hammer Films.

The two companies are teaming on a new film fund called The Hammer Films Eis Fund which will offer private investors the opportunity to invest in a slate of Hammer branded film and TV productions.

The new fund will sit alongside Motion Picture Capital’s existing Eis fund and will only be accessible through a financial adviser.

Iconic horror label Hammer, best known for gothic horror films of the 1950’s including The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy and Christopher Lee’s Dracula, made a splash in 2012 with UK horror The Woman In Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, which became the highest-grossing British horror film on record, taking £21.3m in its home territory and going on to gross over $130m worldwide.

2014 productions included...

Exclusive: Motion Picture Capital acquires movie rights to new account of WWII raid.

UK financier Motion Picture Capital has acquired the screen rights to historical novel Operation Suicide: The Remarkable Story of the Cockleshell Raid.

The story, based on real events, is written by military historian Dr Robert Lyman and depicts the daring raid of a German shipping base in Bordeaux by 12 British royal marines in 1942.

Retrospectively dubbed by historians as Operation: Suicide, it will retell the ambitious raid of the dockyards and the British sabotaging of six German ships in the dead of night.

The raid, officially known as Operation Frankton, was previously dramatised in 1955 British war film The Cockleshell Heroes.

Leon Clarance will be developing and producing the movie.

Motion Picture Capital’s credits include Wachowski series Sense8, 2017 Sam Worthington sci-fi Titan, drama Hampstead and the upcoming American road-trip movie, Kodachrome, which stars Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen and Ed Harris.

The movie will...

Jason Watkins and Simon Callow have also joined Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson in the Joel Hopkins drama.

Lesley Manville (Another Years), James Norton (Rush), Jason Watkins (The Golden Compass) and Simon Callow (Amadeus) have all signed up for Hampstead.

Inspired by a true story, the plot follows an American widow (Keaton) who becomes involved with an unkempt man (Gleeson) after she sees him attacked by a group of thugs, employed by property developers looking to evict him.

Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey) will direct from a screenplay by Robert Festinger (in The Bedroom). Producers are Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae for Ecosse Films.

Executive producers are Leon Clarance, Mark Woolley, Laure Vaysse, Jo Monk, Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder.

Cornerstone Films is handling international sales. Motion Picture Capital will fully finance the production.

Lesley Manville, James Norton, Jason Watkins, Simon Callow have joined Diane Keaton And Brendan Gleeson in Hampstead with Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey) directing from a script by Robert Festinger (In The Bedroom). Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae from London-based banner Ecosse Films are producing. Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder's Cornerstone Films is handling worldwide sales. Motion Picture Capital will fully finance the production. Hampstead will shoot this…...

Diane Keaton is filming in Hampstead Heath, providing a cinematic sheen to a new part of the capital. But it’s a big city: here’s where Hollywood should go next

Notting Hill (the movie) is now 16 years old. That’s 16 years of attention that Notting Hill (the place) never really deserved. The success of that film meant that hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists must have found themselves travelling three stops further down the Central line than they really needed to, only to spend 15 minutes getting drizzled on outside M&S while they looked for Hugh Grant, then glumly going home again.

But all that might be about to end. The director of Last Chance Harvey – itself a Notting Hill for the South Bank in all but name – has just persuaded Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson to star in a film called Hampstead. It’s about an American widow...