Bille August to Direct Mediawan’s Ambitious Series ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ Starring Sam Claflin, Produced by Palomar (EXCLUSIVE)

Matthew Perry’s death has shocked Hollywood. The former “Friends” star died at his LA home on October 28. Sadly, he left behind family members, fans, and of course, his friends.

EXCLUSIVE:  LA-based Bleiberg Entertainment has picked up worldwide rights to Curse Of The Sin Eater, a horror pic starring Carter Shimp ((Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, The Year Between), Elizabeth Laidlaw (Good Guy with A Gun), and Marcelo Wright (Chicago P.D). 

Matthew Perry, star of the hit US comedy series Friends, has been found dead at his Los Angeles home aged 54.

Matthew Perry‘s Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler is remembering the actor following his death at the age of 54 on Saturday (October 28).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution (France), September Films (Benelux), Rialto Distribution (Australia), Future Films (Scandinavia), A Contracorriente (Spain), Lev Films (Israel), Aurora Films (Poland), Trigon (Switzerland), Alambique Films (Portugal) and Impact Films (India and Indian Subcontinent). Earlier this week, the crowdpleaser was also acquired by Roadside Attraction for the U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France’s Musée Grévin took Dwayne Johnson‘s comments and social media outcry over the star’s botched wax figure to heart. Within 24 hours, his figure was updated by artists who gave it a slightly darker skin tone with meticulous strokes of oil painting.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paramount+ in France has acquired “French Roulette – A Mother’s Ordeal,” Vincent Garenq’s (“Guilty”) limited series set in the 1970s. Under the deal, Paramount+ will have exclusive first-window rights in France to the series, which is represented internationally by France TV Distribution, and will premiere it on Dec.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Shawn Levy, whose limited series “All The Light We Cannot See” is premiering on Netflix on Nov. 2, was supposed to have a packed year, between the filming “Deadpool 3” and Season 5 of “Stranger Things” of which he’s an executive producer and director. With both productions paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, Levy has instead been busy promoting “All the Light We Cannot See,” an adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Justin Edgar, a well-established British filmmaker and advocate for disabled people, has pushed the boundaries for accessibility films with “The Letter,” a drama shedding light on a lesser known deaf community in Germany during the WW2. Now in post, “The Letter” was directed by Edgar, who is hard of hearing, with an entire cast and crew of deaf artists.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, German film master Wim Wenders said he shares Martin Scorsese’s deep concern over Hollywood’s obsession with sequels, and worries about AI in line with U.S. actors who are still on strike.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest points of contention in the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, back in France, Newen Studios has taken a deep dive into AI to deliver daily soaps, as well as source talent and pitch projects in their own metaverse space. During Mipcom, Newen’s head of innovation, Marianne Carpentier, launched the second edition of the banner’s Meta Pitch Contest.

Frozen star Samantha Barks has welcomed her first child with husband Alex Stoll.The Les Misérables actress announced that she has welcomed a baby boy as she shared a black and white picture of her newborn's hand on Instagram. Revealing his gorgeous name, she wrote: "Welcome Rafael Richard Barks-Stoll, born on 16th October. My heart could burst with happiness." Samantha – who plays Elsa in the West End production of Frozen – married fellow stage actor Alex Stoll in 2022.The new parents were inundated with congratulatory messages and well wishes from fans on social media after sharing their happy news.

Doctors will be permanently taken off air in 2024, after the BBC made the decision to axe the show following rising costs and decreasing viewing figures. The BBC soap has been a staple to our TV screens since 2000 but the final episodes of Doctors will air in December 2024, with filming wrapping up in March. Over the past 23 years, the hit TV show has helped to launch the careers of dozens of stars including the likes of Emilia Clarke, Jodie Comer and Claire Foy, who have all gone on to find serious fame.

EXCLUSIVE: Following sold-out and critically lauded runs in London’s West End and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Olivier Award-nominated play My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) starring writer and performer Rob Madge, will arrive on Broadway this spring for a 16-week engagement.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Sam Neill, best known for playing Alan Grant in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, revealed in March that he was being treated for stage-three blood cancer. Now in a new interview with Australia Story, the actor disclosed that he’s been in remission for 12 months thanks to the help of a rare anti-cancer drug that requires infusions every two weeks. The only issue is that this anti-cancer drug will stop working, Neill revealed doctors informed him.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has acquired a collection of films and TV series directed by Bruno Dumont, the award-winning French director behind “Life of Jesus,” “Slack Bay” and “Humanity.” The acquisition, unveiled during Mipcom Cannes, covers the bulk of the director’s work, spanning eight films and TV series including “Li’l Quinquin,” which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. MK2 Films will represent rights to these titles in France and international markets.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mipcom Cannes, the international TV conference, opened on a solemn note with market director Lucy Smith paying tribute to the “innocent victims in Israel and Gaza.” Smith addressed the reverberations of the Israel-Hamas conflict at the market and within the industry. Out of the 70 Israeli industry executives who had registered for Mipcom, only a few were able to attend due to the devastation brought by Hamas’ attack on Oct.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. Discovery will be launching its streaming service Max in France, one of its top European markets, next summer, Variety has learned. The launch in France will follow a rollout in Northern and Eastern Europe, which is expected to be unveiled by Gerhard Zeiler, president of international at Warner Bros.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Broadcasters in France, Germany and Italy have joined forces on “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure,” a family adventure series which will be produced under the Alliance, a partnership formed in 2018 by leading European pubcasters to finance ambitious, internationally-driven series. Commissioned by France Télévisions, ZDF and RAI, “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure” won the call for projects launched in 2022 by the Alliance.

Samuel West has been incredibly successful in the acting and entertainment business over the years. From starring in the long running series Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead and Poirot, to his stint in Netflix's The Crown, he now spends his time playing the role of eccentric veterinary surgeon Siegfried Farnon in Channel 5's popular period drama, All Creatures Great and Small.The 57 year old has been a staple part of the cast since the show premiered in 2020, with filming taking place in the quaint and quiet Yorkshire Dales.