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An array of big name talent has joined Elle Fanning in “Rosebush Pruning” from “Motel Destino” and “Firebrand” director Karim Aïnouz for Mubi, The Match Factory and Fremantle company The Apartment.

Callum Turner (“Masters of the Air,” “The Boys in the Boat”), Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones & The Six,” “Zola”), Jamie Bell (“All of Us Strangers, Rocketman”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus,” “Euphoria”), Tracy Letts (“Lady Bird,” “Ford vs Ferrari”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In,” “MotherFatherSon”) and Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl,” the forthcoming “The Naked Gun”) are set to start in the film, which was first announced last year and is now shooting in Spain. Kristen Stewart and Josh O’Connor were originally attached to the project in lead roles alongside Fanning, but have been replaced by Keough and Turner, respectively.

Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou (“Kinds of Kindness,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,...

Richard Gere has joined the upcoming espionage thriller series “The Agency” at Paramount+ with Showtime, Variety has learned.

Gere is the latest big name to join the series, after Variety exclusively reported that Michael Fassbender would star in the show and Jeffrey Wright was confirmed as a cast member in June.

“The Agency” is based on the hit French series “Le Bureau.” In the English-language version, Fassbender stars as Martian, described as “a covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.”

Gere will star as Bosko, said to be “the London Station Chief with a storied past after serving as an 8-year undercover agent,” per the official character description.

“Richard...

Courtney B. Vance’s thriller, “61st Street” has landed at The CW. Brad Schwartz, The CW’s president of entertainment, shared the announcement on Friday.

The drama follows the story of promising high school athlete who gets swept up in a corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. The first season of “61st Street” will air on The CW in Fall 2023, with the second season making its television debut in 2024. Aunjanue Ellis Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green join Vance among the cast.

“’61st Street’ is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers,” said Schwartz in a statement. “We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.”

“There was a lot...

“Dear Edward” won’t be getting a second season on Apple TV+. The streamer has canceled the drama after one season, TheWrap has confirmed.

The series was a reunion for of “Friday Night Lights” showrunner Katims and star Connie Britton. The drama was based on Ann Napolitano’s 2020 novel of the same name, as it followed a preteen named Edward – played by Colin O’Brien of “Grey’s Anatomy” who was the only survivor of a plane crash that killed his family. Unexpected friendships, romances and communities are formed, as Edward and others figure out how to move forward in the wake of the crash.

Also Read:

‘Dear Edward’ First Look: Connie Britton Reunites With ‘Friday Night Lights’ EP for Apple’s Buzzy Screen Adaptation

In addition to Britton and O’Brien, Taylor Schilling “Orange Is the New Black,” Brian d’Arcy James “13 Reasons Why,” Anna Uzele “City on a Hill,” Jasmin Walker “Love Life,...

This four-part Netflix series isn’t the first time that Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage has been adapted for screen. In 1992, celebrated French director Louis Malle made a feature film of Hart’s book that welcomed Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Peter Stomare and Rupert Graves to this exploration of erotic obsession. The film earned Richardson a Best Actress nomination among many others at that year’s Academy Awards.

This serialised version was created by playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm with writer Benji Walters, and directed by Ordinary Love, Good Vibrations and Cherry Bomb‘s Lisa Barrow D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, updates the action to the modern day and remoulds the characters somewhat. Richard Armitage plays successful surgeon Will, husband to Ingrid and father to Jay and Sally, while Charlie Muphy’s character Anna Barton is expanded to explore her response to the fallout of the story’s scandalous central affair.

FX will drop its new FBI-set thriller limited series “Class of ‘09” in May on Hulu, the network announced on Wednesday. Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara star as a pair of FBI agents in a story told across three distinct points in time that chronicle with how the U.S. criminal justice system is grappling with artificial intelligence.

The first two episodes of the series will debut on Wednesday, May 10 exclusively on Hulu, with one new episode dropping weekly after that. The limited series consists of eight episodes in total.

“Class of ‘09” hails from creator and executive producer Tom Rob Smith, who previously served as creator and writer on FX’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” He also created the BBC Two series “MotherFatherSon.”

“Class of ’09” is described as a suspense thriller limited series that follows a class of FBI agents set...

Exclusive: Apple has rounded out the cast for its crime drama series Sinking Spring with the addition of Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible franchise), Dustin Nguyen (The Accidental Getaway Driver), Nesta Cooper (See), Idris Debrand (Dear Edward), Liz Caribel (Pussy Island) and Will Pullen (A Little Prayer).

The actors join an ensemble led by 2023 Academy Award nom Brian Tyree Henry (of the Apple drama Causeway) which also includes Michael Mando, Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew and Amir Arison, as previously announced.

Related Story ‘Presumed Innocent’: Chase Infiniti, Lily Rabe, Nana Mensah, Matthew Alan & Kingston Rumi Southwick Cast In Apple TV+ Series Related Story 'The Blacklist' Star Amir Arison Joins Ridley Scott's Apple Series 'Sinking Spring' Related Story Marin Ireland Joins Apple's 'Sinking Spring' TV Series

The eight-episode series created by Top Gun: Maverick scribe Peter Craig, entering production this week in Philadelphia,...

The very public catalyst that led to Prince Andrew’s dramatic fall from grace is heading to Netflix.

The streamer has acquired Scoop, a feature film based on the story behind the disgraced royal’s appearance on the BBC’s flagship news show Newsnight in 2019 — an hour of television that became one of the most significant, notorious and ridiculed interviews in recent years (and one that was then used against Andrew in the civil case filed by his sexual assault accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre).

Now in production, the film — which was first announced last year — will star Rufus Sewell The Diplomat, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) as Andrew and Gillian Anderson (Sex Education, The Crown) as Emily Maitlis, Newsnight’s former lead presenter who interviewed the prince. Meanwhile, Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, It’s a Sin) will play Amanda Thirsk, Andrew’s former private secretary, and Billie Piper (I Hate Suzie, Collateral) will star as Sam McAlister,...

Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva looked super elegant at a Spanish gala. Pic credit: ©Imagecollect.com/S bukley

Richard Gere and his much-younger wife Alejandra Silva looked absolutely amazing as they attended the Starlite Porcelanosa charity gala in Marbella, Spain.

The 72-year-old Pretty Woman actor attended the gala on Sunday with his 39-year-old wife, Spanish publicist and political activist Alejandra.

The pair pulled out all the stops to look amazing in their elegant evening wear.

Richard proved that age is just a number as the silver fox cut a dash in a black suit jacket and trousers, white shirt, and black bow tie.

Meanwhile, Alejandra looked gorgeous in a long yellow gown that featured a white floral print. She accessorized with a gold handbag, long golden earrings, and an elegant silver bracelet.

She wore her blonde hair long and down with a side parting and showed off a...

Debbie Tucker Green’s “Ear for Eye,” starring Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die”), will receive a multi-platform launch, premiering at the 65th BFI London Film Festival and on the BBC.

The film will world premiere at the festival on Oct. 16 and will bow the same evening on BBC Two and streamer BBC iPlayer. It is produced by Fiona Lamptey, who is also director of U.K. features at Netflix.

The cast also includes Tosin Cole (“The Souvenir”), Carmen Munroe (“Desmond’s”), Danny Sapani (“MotherFatherSon”), Nadine Marshall (“Sitting In Limbo”) and Arinzé Kene (“I’m Your Woman”).

Tucker Green has adapted her acclaimed 2018 Royal Court stage production for the screen, with backing from BBC Film, BBC Two and the BFI. It is the second feature film from the BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning writer and director after “Second Coming” (2014).

The film explores demonstrations vs direct action, violence vs non-violence, the personal vs structural across Black families,...

Exclusive: British actress Pippa Bennett-Warner, who currently stars in the crime series Gangs of London, is set to appear alongside Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, and David Oyelowo in the yet-to-be-titled murder mystery thriller which is set at Searchlight Pictures.

Directed by Tom George, the film is set in 1950s London, where a desperate Hollywood film producer sets out to turn a popular West End play into a film. When members of the production are murdered, world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Rockwell) and overzealous rookie Constable Stalker (Ronan) find themselves in the midst of a puzzling whodunit within London’s glamorous Theatreland and sordid underground.

Mark Chappell penned the screenplay which is being produced by Damian Jones.

Bennett-Warner is slated to reprise her role as Shannon Dumani when Gangs of London returns for a second season. She’s also known for stints on British series Harlots and MotherFatherSon, and stars in Amazon’s upcoming psychological thriller series Chloe.

Helen McCrory, the award-winning Peaky Blinders actress who also appeared in His Dark Materials and the Harry Potter and James Bond film franchises, died today in London. She was 52.

McCrory’s husband, the Billions actor Damian Lewis, announced her death on Twitter. He said she died peacefully at home after a “heroic battle” with cancer.

Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery

“She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you,” added Lewis. Below is his statement in full:

pic.twitter.com/gSx8ib9PY9

— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) April 16, 2021

McCrory was a hugely accomplished and in-demand performer, with stellar credits across stage and screen. She is perhaps best known for playing Aunt Polly in BBC drama Peaky Blinders, keeping...

Famed Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga is getting the biopic treatment, with ViacomCBS International Studios, a division of ViacomCBS Networks International, now developing a scripted series.

Director James Kent (Testament of Youth, MotherFatherSon, The Aftermath) and writers Rebecca Pollock and Kas Graham are signed onto the project, with award-winning independent film and TV producer, Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth, Disobedience) of Braven Films set to serve as executive producer.

Slated to begin production in 2021, the project is set to be the first made-for-television series to depict the life of one of the fashion industry’s most admired and influential designers. A deeply private ...

Famed Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga is getting the biopic treatment, with ViacomCBS International Studios, a division of ViacomCBS Networks International, now developing a scripted series.

Director James Kent (Testament of Youth, MotherFatherSon, The Aftermath) and writers Rebecca Pollock and Kas Graham are signed onto the project, with award-winning independent film and TV producer, Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth, Disobedience) of Braven Films set to serve as executive producer.

Slated to begin production in 2021, the project is set to be the first made-for-television series to depict the life of one of the fashion industry’s most admired and influential designers. A deeply private ...

Exclusive: One of BritBox UK’s first original dramas, The Beast Must Die, is ready to begin an 11-week shoot on the Isle Of Wight from next Monday. The series has also rounded out its cast, which is headlined by Jared Harris.

Produced by New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films, The Beast Must Die is an adaption of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, the nom de plume of poet Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

The five-part series will shoot with “comprehensive” coronavirus safety protocols, which include cast and crew being routinely tested for the disease and having to wear masks on set at all times, except when cameras are rolling. They will undergo daily temperature checks and health screenings, while on-...

The BBC and ITV’s joint-venture streamer BritBox has pulled the curtain back on its first slate of UK drama originals, just weeks after Deadline revealed that Damian Lewis and Dominic West will star in an adaptation of A Spy Among Friends for the streamer.

Building on the Kim Philby espionage thriller, which BritBox is co-producing with Spectrum Originals, the subscription video service has announced three fresh projects — all of which are literary adaptations with British writing, directing, and acting talent at their core. They will premiere in 2021.

First up, New Regency Television and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films will make The Beast Must Die, an adaption of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, the nom de plume of poet Cecil Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.

BritBox, the U.K. streaming service created by ITV and the BBC, has begun flexing its original programming muscles.

Alongside the previously announced Cold War thriller A Spy Among Friends, produced by ITV Studios and set to star Damian Lewis and Dominic West, the platform has greenlit three new scripted dramas.

The five-part British revenge thriller The Beast Must Die — being produced by New Regency Television and Ridley Scott's Scott Free — has BAFTA-, Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated Chernobyl star Jared Harris poised to lead a cast including Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife, The Good Fight), Billy Howle (MotherFatherSon, On Chesil ...

Sky Studios, the production arm of Comcast’s European pay-tv operator Sky, has taken a minority stake in The Lighthouse. The drama series production outfit was founded last fall by Hilary Salmon, Radford Neville and Nick Betts – three of the U.K.’s most experienced television professionals.

Salmon, former head of drama for BBC Studios, has developed and produced many hit dramas, including “Luther,” “Three Girls,” “MotherFatherSon,” “Rillington Place” and “Silent Witness.” Prior to this she was executive producer on both the BAFTA award-winning series “Criminal Justice,” and the multi-Emmy winning U.S. reversion of the show for HBO – “The Night Of.” Salmon has also co-produced other shows with HBO, including “Five Days” and “House of Saddam,” which won a Grierson Award.

Neville was previously managing director of drama at BBC Studios, and prior to this worked as head of production in drama, overseeing international hit series including “Doctor Who...

BBC America’s critical and fan darling Killing Eve is returning for a third season! Of course, there wasn’t even time for doubt, since the Killing Eve Season 3 announcement was made in April at the AMC Networks Summit (BBC America is co-owned by AMC and BBC Studios), only one day after the second season premiere. Interestingly enough, the network continued its preemptive renewal strategy in January 2020, giving an early order for Season 4!

Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw star in the series that follows MI6 operative Eve (Oh) as she tracks psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Comer)—or is it the other way around? It is based on Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle book series.

Killing Eve Season 3 is on its way shortly, and here’s everything we know!

Killing Eve Season 3 Release Date

Killing Eve Season 3 is now set to arrive on Sunday, April 12 at 9 p.m.

This new, earlier,...

Exclusive: Wme has signed Brit acting talent Billy Howle for representation in all areas.

Howle recently wrapped shooting a lead role in BBC and Netflix serial-killer drama The Serpent, alongside Jenna Coleman and Tahar Rahim. The show is expected to air this year. His TV credits also include BBC series MotherFatherSon with Richard Gere and Helen McCrory.

On the film side, Howle’s early roles include parts in The Sense Of An Ending, Dunkirk and On Chesil Beach. He more recently starred in David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King opposite Chris Pine, playing Edward, Prince of Wales, and in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker as Rey’s father.

The 30-year-old performer has also worked on the stage with names including Joe Wright and Richard Eyre.

Howle continues to be represented by Curtis Brown Group in the UK.

Emmy-winning actor Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story) is set to star in AMC’s 61st Street from BAFTA-winner Peter Moffat. The courtroom drama will be executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo of Outlier Society while AMC Studios will produce the series. 61st Street has been ordered as a two-season television event with eight episodes per season. It is slated debut in 2021.

61st Street is a very timely and relevant story that echoes projects such as Just Mercy, Clemency and When They See Us. It follows Moses Johnson, a promising, black high school athlete, who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as police and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of...

It looks like the cat's out of the bag: we finally learn the truth about Rey's parents in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (again). No, they weren't mere junk traders who sold her off for drinking money, as Kylo Ren said in The Last Jedi. Nope. In a retcon move from J.J. Abrams, Rey's parents chose to be nobodies, coming from a rather elite family in a galaxy far, far away. So, of course, their brief screen time should only be occupied by top-notch talent. Here's the scoop on Rey's heritage, plus a look at the actors who play her parents: two non-nobodies named Jodie Comer and Billy Howle.

So here's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: Rey is actually - drum roll please - a Palpatine. It's a contentious choice for sure, especially after Rian Johnson showed that anyone anywhere could wield the Force.

Amazon’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series has cast Joseph Mawle in a main role, Variety has confirmed with sources.

Mawle joins previously announced cast members Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh. Official details of Mawle’s characters are being kept under wraps, but sources say he will play a villain named Oren.

Amazon declined to comment. Reps for Mawle did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

Mawle is best known to American audiences for playing Benjen Stark on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” He also recently starred in the series “Troy: Fall of a City” as Odysseus, with his other TV credits including “Ripper Street,” “The Tunnel,” and “MotherFatherSon.”

He is repped by Troika and Anonymous Content.

The “Lord of the Rings” series is being developed by the writing team of Jd Payne and Patrick McKay. In addition, “Game of Thrones” alum Bryan Cogman has signed...

Exclusive: Game Of Thrones alum Joseph Mawle is set as a lead opposite Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh in Amazon Studios’ Lord of the Rings TV series, I have learned. Amazon had no comment.

The high-profile fantasy series, which hails from writers Jd Payne and Patrick McKay and director Juan Antonio (J.A.) Bayona, is set in Middle-earth and explores new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.

No details about the characters are being revealed but it is believed that English actor Mawle will play the series’ lead villain, Oren, opposite Poulter’s young hero Beldor and female lead Tyra (Kavenagh)

Amazon cast a wide net in its talent search for the big-budget project, reading actors around the world with casting directors in the Us, UK and Australia.

The Lord of the Rings series is produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust,...

Exclusive: BBC Studios drama supremo Hilary Salmon, who has overseen series including Luther and Richard Gere’s MotherFatherSon, is leaving the production arm of the British public broadcaster.

Deadline understands that Salmon, who has been with the BBC for over twenty years, is setting up a drama production company with her former BBC Studios colleagues Nick Betts and Radford Neville

Salmon, Betts, who was previously Director of Scripted at BBC Studios, having joined the BBC in 2007 from NBC Universal, and Neville, who joined the BBC in 2017 from The Crown producer Left Bank, have established The Lighthouse. It is understood that the trio, who are equal partners in the independent venture, will produce scripted series for UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms. Salmon and Neville will leave BBC Studios at the end of the year.

Salmon, who most recently was boss of BBC Studios’ London drama division,...

Exclusive: Producer-director Alan Poul (HBO’s Six Feet Under) has signed an exclusive overall deal with Endeavor Content to develop and produce premium scripted content for the indie studio owned by Endeavor.

Under the pact, Poul has joined Endeavor Content’s upcoming HBO Max drama series Tokyo Vice as executive producer.

The deal stems from Poul’s current collaboration with Endeavor Content; he is executive producing and directed two episodes of Oscar winner Damien Chazelle’s upcoming Netflix series The Eddy, which the studio is producing.

“Alan is not only one of the greatest producers around, but he is also a highly talented filmmaker and his illustrious production expertise makes him an invaluable partner to work with on The Eddy and Tokyo Vice,” said Endeavor Content Svp Television Joe Hipps. “With his extensive background at HBO, he also has impeccable taste in creating ground-breaking, high-end series that resonates with audiences on a global scale,...

Exclusive: Alessandro Nivola and Gemma Arterton head a killer cast for a three-part adaptation of the 1939 classic Rumer Godden literary novel Black Narcissus, a tale of sexual repression and forbidden love. BAFTA-winning writer Amanda Coe wrote the three hourlong episodes and renowned Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen makes her directing debut.

BBC One is producing with DNA TV and FX Productions. The exec producers are Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Coe for DNA TV and FX Productions and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Filming starts in October in Jomsom, Nepal and Pinewood Studios, UK.

Black Narcissus was previously adapted for screen in 1947 by Powell and Pressburger and subsequently won two Oscars for Cinematography (Jack Cardiff) and Art Direction (Alfred Junge).

Arterton plays Sister Clodagh, the leader of the nuns of St Faiths, who travel to Nepal to...

Updated: Apple will not be proceeding with its planned eight-episode drama series Bastards, starring Richard Gere based on the Israeli format Nevelot. The project, from Howard Gordon and Warren Leight, hails from Fox 21 Television Studios, Gordon’s 20th TV-based Teakwood Lane Productions and Keshet Studios.

I hear the decision was made several months ago, and Fox 21 had shopped the project to other networks.

The series, about two Army vets going on a killing spree to avenge the death of a loved one, had been an outlier at Apple from the get-go, considered darker in tone and edgier in subject matter than most of the rest of the streamer’s slate.

For a couple of years now, there had been talk about Apple’s family-oriented global brand and how its original scripted programming foray would fit into it. Disney had been open about only putting family-friendly fare on Disney+.

We have a photo to share with you today of Sophia Lillis in the title role in the upcoming Oz Perkins-directed film Gretel and Hansel.

The story for the film is set “a long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside,” and it follows a young girl who “leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.”

The film also stars Samuel Leakey (MotherFatherSon) as Hansel, Alice Krige as Holda, Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) as young Holda, and Charles Babalola (The Legend of Tarzan) as The Hunter.

Check out the photo and let us know if you’re intrigued by this iteration of the old classic!

British actress Harriet Walter has joined the cast of BBC America’s multi-award winning “Killing Eve” for its third season, which began production this week. Danny Sapani has also been announced to join the cast of the show, which stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.

The Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated Walter recently finished production on Julian Fellowes “Belgravia,” the “Downton Abbey” creator’s adaptation of his own historical novel. “Belgravia” is a co-production between ITV and Epix. She also starred as Clemmie Churchill in the first season of Netflix’ “The Crown,” which featured Sapani in its second season and recently appeared in Dexter Fletcher’s Elton John musical “Rocketman.”

Best known for his role in Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful,” Sapani recently co-starred in the BBC’s “MotherFatherSon” with Richard Gere and Helen McCrory.

“Killing Eve” has already proven an awards magnet for its stars with Oh taking home a best actress Golden Globe,...

Starz announced today that they went on a spree of acquisitions including the drama series MotherFatherSon starring Richard Gere, which premiered earlier this spring on BBC Two. The premium cabler also acquired and set debut dates for the feature film Drunk Parents starring Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek as well as the documentaries The Great Mother and Kleptocrats. Rounding out the acquisition slate are Out of Omaha and A Boy. A Girl. A Dream starring Omari Hardwick from Starz’s Power.

MotherFatherSon is an eight-part drama series created by Tom Rob Smith and also stars Helen McCrory. It is distributed by BBC Studios. In it, Gere plays the owner of a media empire in Britain where he holds dark secrets on everyone and uses it to fuel is power.

The feature A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. was a Sundance Film...

Kayti Burt Joseph Baxter Jan 17, 2020

BBC America's Killing Eve returns for Season 3 in April with a new showrunner steering the spy drama.

BBC America's critical and fan darling Killing Eve is returning for a third season! Of course, there wasn’t even time for doubt, since the Killing Eve Season 3 announcement was made in April at the AMC Networks Summit (BBC America is co-owned by AMC and BBC Studios), only one day after the second season premiere. Interestingly enough, the network continued its preemptive renewal strategy in January 2020, giving an early order for Season 4!

Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw star in the series that follows MI6 operative Eve (Oh) as she tracks psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Comer)—or is it the other way around? It is based on Luke Jennings' Codename Villanelle book series.

Killing Eve Season 3 is now in production, and here's everything we know!

Killing Eve...

BBC Studios, the British public broadcaster’s commercial arm, has announced a raft of territory sales for Richard Gere starrer “MotherFatherSon,” a drama series written by Tom Rob Smith, Emmy-nominated for “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” The show will screen Tuesday at Series Mania, France, in the International Panorama section.

Buyers for the eight-part thriller include HBO for Central and Eastern Europe, Tvnz in New Zealand, RTP2 in Portugal, Ruv in Iceland, Catchplay in Taiwan, Zee Café in India and Amedia in Russia. The show will be shown on BBC First in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa.

Gere stars in his first television role for 30 years alongside Helen McCrory and Billy Howle. The cast also includes Sarah Lancashire, Paul Ready, Danny Sapiani (“Black Panther”), Joseph Mawle (“Game of Thrones”) and Sinéad Cusack (“Call the Midwife”). The director is James Kent, who will attend the Series Mania screening.

About 2 million viewers tuned into controversial Michael Jackson documentary “Leaving Neverland” in Britain this week as the pop superstar’s fans took to the streets and plastered London buses with messages protesting his innocence, and his nephew sought funding for a series refuting the sex-abuse allegations made in the film.

The two-part documentary was broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday nights on free-to-air network Channel 4, which produced the film along with HBO. Part 1 peaked at 2.4 million viewers and averaged 2.1 million. The second part was down slightly with a peak of 2.2 million and 1.9 million average, which equates to a 12% share of the British audience. Those figures are more than double the usual audience for Channel 4’s 9 p.m. slot and eclipsed the viewership numbers on HBO in the U.S.

However, the documentary was beaten both nights by Jeremy Clarkson’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” reboot on ITV and...

Writer Tom Rob Smith tells of ‘wooing’ actor for state-of-the-nation BBC series MotherFatherSon

The first time Richard Gere appeared in a television series it was 1976 and the then little-known actor was in a single episode of the New York crime drama Kojak, playing a crook holding up a liquor store. Gere has since gone on to rather more illustrious parts, but now the Hollywood star is taking on his first major small-screen role in an eagerly awaited BBC Two drama.

Tom Rob Smith, the writer of MotherFatherSon, which starts next month, embarked on “a long wooing process” with Gere, eventually convincing him to take the part by assuring him it would be like performing on stage. “The question I asked was: when has Richard Gere recently had the chance to do a big two-page monologue?” Smith told the Observer.

Joseph Baxter Jan 14, 2020

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel TV series has rounded out its cast and begins filming soon.

Amazon’s mysterious, purportedly billion-dollar-budgeted Lord of the Rings TV series will take place Long before the events of Peter Jackson’s movies. Setting the tone for this small screen return to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the first two episodes will be directed by J.A. Bayona, who helmed Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

The Lord of the Rings TV series is set during Middle Earth’s Second Age – that’s thousands of years before Bilbo Baggins, Gollum or Aragorn ever existed! Moreover, the end of said age was a full millennium before the Wizards even arrived in Middle Earth, which makes the series a prequel in an epochal sense.

Amazon hopes the new Lord of the Rings TV show...

BBC Studios has taken a minority stake in Firebird Pictures, the new drama indie being set up by BBC execs Elizabeth Kilgarriff and Craig Holleworth.

Kilgarriff’s credits include “Luther,” “Poldark,” “McMafia” and upcoming Richard Gere-starrer “MotherFatherSon.” She commissioned breakout drama hit “Bodyguard.” Holleworth will be the new company’s COO, having run business and operations for BBC Drama, BBC Films and its program acquisitions over a number of years. He has brokered deals for shows including “Doctor Who,” “Peaky Blinders” and “Sherlock.”

BBC Studios has taken a minority stake in the new venture. The commercial and production arm of the U.K. pubcaster will have a distribution deal with Firebird and sell its programming internationally.

“Now feels like an exciting time to be stepping forward into a new venture and building bold and distinctive shows for a global market,” Kilgarrif said. “Craig and I share a vision to...

Richard Gere has an incredible IMDb filmography, filled with award-winning roles. However, outside of some festival films, the actor hasn’t really had a major part in a big film since 2015’s “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” and let’s be real, that’s not something to rave about. That being said, Gere is taking his talents to the small screen, to star in the upcoming BBC drama series “MotherFatherSon.”

Read More: The 50 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2019

The series marks the actors first foray into TV since the mid-’70s when he had a one-off role in “Kojack.” But this time, Gere is front and center in “MotherFatherSon,” playing a media mogul that goes to the UK to visit his estranged wife and his son.

Continue reading ‘MotherFatherSon’ Trailer: Richard Gere Is A Media Mogul In New BBC Drama Series at The Playlist.

MotherFatherSon Trailer BBC‘s MotherFatherSon (2019) TV show trailer stars Richard Gere, Helen McCrory, Billy Howle, Ciarán Hinds, and Elena Anaya. MotherFatherSon‘s plot synopsis: “Richard Gere plays Max, a charismatic self-made American businessman with media outlets in London and around the world. Helen McCrory plays Kathryn, a British heiress who has been estranged from Max following the [...]

Continue reading: Motherfatherson (2019) TV Show Trailer: Richard Gere’s Son May Destroy the Media Mogul’s Company [BBC]...

“We are all capable of disloyalty,” Richard Gere warns in his first role for the small screen in decades, in BBC drama “MotherFatherSon.” Gere plays media overlord Max, who can be seen as a kingmaker and family man in the show’s first trailer.

Max is a newspaper and media baron who can influence elections and shape politics. He has succession plans in place, in the form of his son, Caden (Billy Howle), but events take an unexpected turn as a family crisis hits, with far-reaching implications.

“Are you here to pick a prime minister or deal with your son?” an adviser asks in another sequence. The trailer also shows a glimpse of Howle and Helen McCrory, who plays Max’s ex-wife.

It is a family drama but is set “in the context of really exploring our world in terms of politics and media and power in general,” Gere said...

Variety is pleased to announce its annual list of 10 Brits to Watch, an honor the publication has bestowed since 2013.

For the third year, Variety is partnering with the Newport Beach Film Festival to recognize those selected at the fifth annual Newport Beach U.K. Honours evening, to be held at the Langham Hotel in London on Feb. 7. Talent selected include writers, actors, and singers appearing working in all mediums.

“The health and vitality of the U.K. filmmaking scene can be measured in many ways, from the unprecedented boom in physical production in London and across the British Isles, to the abundance of U.K. talent at the center of awards season,” said Steven Gaydos, VP and executive editor of Variety. “In movies such as ‘The Favourite,’ ‘A Private War,’ ‘The Children Act’ and in the many individual performances by brilliant British screen talents such as Richard E. Grant, Olivia Colman,...

Apple is finalizing an eight-episode order for a drama series starring Richard Gere. The project, from Howard Gordon (24) and Warren Leight (Law & Order: Svu), is based on the Israeli series Nevelot and hails from Fox 21 Television Studios, Gordon’s 20th TV-based Teakwood Lane Prods. and Keshet Studios.

Written by Gordon and showrun by Gordon and Leight, the untitled series centers on two elderly Vietnam vets and best friends — one of whom is played by Gere — who find their monotonous lives upended when a woman they both loved fifty years ago is killed by a car. Their lifelong regrets and secrets collide with their resentment of today’s self-absorbed millennials, and an act of self-defense snowballs into a tragic series of events.

Executive producing the series are Gordon, Leight, Gere, Dror Sabo, Lee Yardeni, Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Rachel Kaplan, Peter Traugott, Yoram Mokady and Mirit Toovi.

The project was referenced by Gordon’s agent,...

Fresh from winning best actor for his performance in “A Prayer Before Dawn” at the BIFAs, Joe Cole has joined Pulse Films’ upcoming drama “Gangs of London.” Sope Dirisu (“The Huntsman: Winter’s War”) has also signed up to the series, which will be on Sky in the U.K. and Cinemax in the U.S.

Production is underway on the show, which hails from writer-director Gareth Evans (“The Raid”) and is being produced by Pulse Films in association with Jane Featherstone’s Sister Pictures. The thriller follows the power struggle that ensues when a criminal kingpin is assassinated, creating a power vacuum, and international gangs battle for control of London’s underworld.

Evans created the show with Matt Flannery and will direct most of the 10 episodes, which will feature his hallmark complex, choreographed, fight scenes. Corin Hardy, fresh off the success of “The Nun,” will also direct several installments...

The TV sands are shifting and attendance numbers of 13,800 were flat, but the mood was upbeat at Mipcom this week. The stars came out, even if the sun mostly didn’t, and new shows were announced, sold, and financed even as the industry continues to grapple with the impact of digital and a wave of consolidation.

The studios were once the Mipcom power brokers – its October timing works well, with fall-season launches on U.S. broadcast networks – but the market chatter now centers on Netflix and Amazon as much as Warner Bros. or Disney. Reed Midem, which organizes Mipcom, captured the mood with the tagline for this year’s event: “The Big Shift.”

The rise and rise of the streamers, and their demand of global exclusivity, mean that some of the biggest shows in the world never come on the market. Lionsgate proved the exception to the rule with its...

Richard Gere hit Cannes on Monday with his upcoming BBC series “MotherFatherSon,” and the star told reporters that TV is now where the best work is being done.

“MotherFatherSon” marks the first time Gere has taken a role in a major series after a career in film. “The world has so turned upside down in terms of movies right now. The most interesting stuff being done for an actor is [on] television,” he said. “I don’t have to work; I do what I want to. This is something I thought is going to be five or six months of my life, but is going to be worth it.”

Gere also said that drama can shine a light on real-world events, particularly at this moment in time. “The reality-show president we have highlights the real stuff even more,” he said. “We have now become accustomed to seeing something that is false...

The title of Richard Gere's new show MotherFatherSon gives away both a little and a lot about BBC Studios' new drama.

It's the story of a media mogul, but the producers are billing it more as an “emotional thriller” surrounding a family's business and personal baggage — and there is a lot to unpack. Gere plays Max, an American baron with a “new money” fortune built on trashy tabloids, who purchased a British institution much to the consternation of the old elite. The magnate is also a kingmaker of sorts, deciding who to support in the ...

International TV drama’s golden age is continuing. As buyers and sellers from around the world congregate in Cannes, Variety speaks to the stars, writers, and distributors of 10 of the scripted series that will be the talk of the Croisette.

The Bisexual (pictured top left)

(All3Media Intl.)

Desiree Akhavan wrote the first draft of “The Bisexual” right after premiering her indie film “Appropriate Behaviour” at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and then spent a year developing it. Having moved to London she took the script out in the U.K. and partnered with Jane Featherstone’s hot indie, Sister Pictures. Just as her movie “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” was greenlit, Channel 4 ordered “The Bisexual” to series.

Akhavan and longtime collaborator Cecilia Frugiuele co-wrote the show. Akhavan also directs, and stars as Leila, a New Yorker in London. Having split with her girlfriend and business partner Sadie (Maxine Peake...

Some 14,000 international TV executives, including around 5,000 buyers from over 100 countries, will be cruising down the Croisette in Cannes this weekend for the annual Mipcom market.

The sun is set to shine in the south of France and the major international distributors, including the Hollywood studios, will hope this helps shift their latest high-end dramas and non-scripted entertainment formats.

The Americans will be back in town, having largely given Mip TV in April a miss, with high-profile buyers from the FAANGs joining traditional buyers from the broadcast networks and cable stations. The likes of Apple’s Morgan Wandell, Hulu’s Craig Erwich, Amazon’s Cj Yu and Euro chief Georgia Brown, Facebook’s Toby Faulkner and Mina Lefevre and YouTube’s Luke Hyams are expected to be joined by Fox’s Rob Wade and teams from Bravo, FX, A+E Networks, Nat Geo and Discovery.

Hollywood talent chief Ari Emanuel will be...

From Hollywood A-lister Richard Gere to contestants from reality hit “Love Island,” Cannes will host a panoply of stars at Mipcom next week.

The international TV market’s smaller equivalent in April, MipTV, was also a starry affair, in part because of its overlap and association with the inaugural Canneseries event. But October is a better time for the U.S. studios to come to Cannes – without the proximity to the May screenings and as their fall season shows launch – meaning they are in town with series and talent. The stars have also aligned on a raft of international dramas this year. While it’s still a long way from the Film Festival, there will be a number of big names, notably from the U.S. and U.K., in the south of France this time out.

Ben Stiller is in town with CBS Studios International and will be talking about “Escape at Dannemora,...

Richard Gere is headed to Cannes to launch “MotherFatherSon,” his upcoming series for the BBC. Gere will be in town for Mipcom, the international TV business’ annual October get-together, where BBC Studios will be selling his new show.

There are no deals yet for the series outside the U.K., but with Gere in his first TV role for almost 30 years there is sure to be interest from U.S. and international buyers. The first footage will be available at the market.

Gere plays Max, a media baron who has to deal with a family crisis that has wide-reaching consequences. Billy Howle (“On Chesil Beach”) plays Caden, his son heir apparent, and Helen McCrory (“Peaky Blinders”) is Kathryn, his estranged wife.

The show is penned by Tom Rob Smith, writer of FX’s Emmy-winning “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” Smith and Howle will also make the trip...