Cirque du Soleil Teams Up With Flower Shop to Launch Debut Fragrance (EXCLUSIVE)

Addie Morfoot Contributor Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham (“Crip Camp”) is at work on her next documentary — “Tunnel 29,” about a secret escape tunnel built under the Berlin Wall in 1962. The film, co-produced by NBC News Studios and Story Force Entertainment, will chronicle the story of a group of students who risked their lives and defied the Iron Curtain by digging a tunnel under the Berlin Wall, enabling 29 East Germans to escape to the West. “‘Tunnel 29’ will cinematically immerse the audience in the fraught and tense time when the world grappled with the trauma and consequences of the Wall and the Cold War — a time that bears an astonishing resemblance to today,” says Newnham.

EXCLUSIVE: Since being launched in 2017 by a quartet including Jesse Armstrong, Various Artists Limited (VAL) has made shows ranging from Michaela Coel‘s I May Destroy You to Julia Davis’ Sally 4Ever,but bosses now see the comedy landscape heading in a somewhat different direction.

Timothee Chalamet teamed up with famed director Martin Scorsese to film a commercial for Chanel‘s Bleu De Chanel fragrance.

ITV Studios Rejigs Distribution Team With Tom Clark Promoted

Fremantle, the company behind top-rated unscripted shows such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent and Password, continues to expand its unscripted development team. On the heels of the company’s appointment of Jimmy Fox as EVP of Unscripted Development and Sales, Fremantle has named Megan McGrath Senior Vice President of Unscripted Development. Additionally, Fox has brought on Stephanie Valentin and Emily Bon as Vice Presidents of Unscripted Development. The three will team with Fox to strengthen existing properties and pave the way for new programs and formats.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabian director Shahad Ameen, whose feminist fable “Scales” made a splash after launching from Venice in 2019, is back behind the camera on “Hijra,” an ambitious drama centered on the bond formed between different generations of Saudi women during a journey across the desert. CAA is handling North American sales on “Hijra,” which is being shot in a vast swathe of desert and in several Saudi cities and urban areas including Jeddah, Medina, AlUla and Neom.

EXCLUSIVE: German actor Matthias Schweighöfer, who most recently starred in Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, is joining forces with German director Erik Schmitt for upcoming project The Life of Wishes (working title). 

Alex Ritman Guy Ritchie has another film in the works that doubles down on the British upper class. The prolific director — already behind this year’s Netflix hit “The Gentlemen” and WWII action thriller “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” — has unveiled his 18th feature film, “Wife and Dog,” with Black Bear launching sales in Cannes.

Naman Ramachandran Tarf Media has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding North America, for “Lonesome Soldier” and will represent the film at the Cannes Film Market. The film is directed by Nino Aldi (“Who Killed Copper Dunn?”), stars John Ashton (“Gone Baby Gone”), Allison McAtee (“The Haves and Have Nots”), Steve Monroe (“Promising Young Woman”) and Patrick Y. Malone (“The Tomorrow War”) and introduces actor-writer Alexander Randazzo.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed entertainment creative advertising and marketing specialist, Once Upon a Time, and brand consultancy and creative agency, BigSmall, for the European launch of streamer Max.

Lexi Carson NBCUniversal’s Emmy FYC House is set to return for its third annual pop-up activation at The Aster in Los Angeles from May 16 through May 22. Additionally, on Wednesday night, Peacock will host their official FYC event for “The Traitors,” a reality show where contestants move into a castle and compete on challenges to earn money for a prize pot.

There are not many franchises that have a steeper drop off in quality than “Speed.” The first film is a fun, somewhat silly romp that boosted the star power of both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. The second film, “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” is, well, not good.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sandra Hüller, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Anatomy of a Fall,” and four-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”) are set to co-star in Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” reteaming “May December” co-screenwriter Samy Burch and producer Killer Films. One of the hottest packages set for a Cannes Launch, “Late Fame” has been boarded by MK2 Films which is hot off an Oscar win for “Anatomy of a Fall” and will represent worldwide sales outside of North America.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Studio 100 Intl., in collaboration with Germany’s Caligari Film and Studio Isar Animation, and Spain’s 3 Doubles Producciones, is to produce action-comedy CGI movie “Dougie Dolittle.” Targeting a core demographic of 8-12 year olds and a family audience, the movie is planned for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026. Studio 100 Film is handling global sales and will introduce the film at Marché du Film in Cannes.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter “The Fall Guy,” an action-comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, kicked off the summer movie season without much sizzle. The film, backed by Universal and directed by David Leitch, fell just short of expectations with $28.5 million from 4,002 North American venues in its debut. Heading into the weekend, “The Fall Guy” was projected to earn at least $30 million to $40 million.

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali‘s Netflix original film “Amar Singh Chamkila” is a hit for the streamer, bowing at No. 1 across South Asia and No. 5 on its global Top 10 chart.

Naman Ramachandran The Jeffrey Archer Company and Dream Bay Entertainment have entered into a strategic partnership to adapt the bestselling author’s works for television and film internationally, with an initial focus on Indian, Asian and the Middle Eastern markets. DBE was founded in 2023 by former Amazon Studios executive Thomas Drachkovitch. Former CAA agent Jason Hafford recently joined as co-founder and head of DBE Management.

Roku had a busy Tuesday leading up to its annual NewFronts presentation for advertisers, announcing an Olympics team-up with NBCUniversal as well as measurement and ad pacts with iSpot and The Trade Desk.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Oprah Winfrey is off the board of WeightWatchers — but she’s continuing to work with the company as part of her efforts to change the cultural conversation about weight. Winfrey will host “Making The Shift: A New Way to Think About Weight,” a three-hour event on Thursday, May 9, from 6-9 p.m.