Crime Thriller ‘Negotiator’ Gets International Trailer from Fremantle, Spiral, Boutique Filmes (EXCLUSIVE)

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody are reuniting on screen and this time they are starring in an adventure thriller!

EXCLUSIVE: Woody Harrelson (True Detective) and Owen Wilson (Loki) have been cast as leads in feature thriller Lips Like Sugar, which will be directed by Grammy-winner Brantley Gutierrez and has been written by Anthony Tambakis (Warrior). 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Maipo Film, the leading Norwegian banner behind “Heirs of the Night” and “Lykkeland,” has teamed up with Tel Aviv-based Spiro Films (“When Heroes Fly”) to develop “Blindspot,” a thought-provoking series about the enigmatic Lillehammer case of 1973. The gripping series unfolds in the aftermath of the tragic Munich Massacre, when a group of Mossad agents were dispatched to Lillehammer with the mission to eliminate Ali Hassan Salameh, the leader of the Black September organization. But upon their arrival, the agents mistakenly identified Ahmed Bouchikhi, a Moroccan waiter, as their intended target. On the evening of July 21, just a day after the misidentification, the Mossad agents carried out the assassination before Bouchikhi’s pregnant wife, ending an innocent life. What was initially intended as a swift and covert operation for the Mossad soon transformed into a political nightmare.

Tom Hanks turns 67-years-old today, and was saluted by his actor/singer wife Rita Wilson via Instagram.

Timothy Olyphant) and Sam Browne (Claire Danes) and their teen son Jared (Ethan Stoddard), who has a habit of losing his possessions (including his phone). He also makes an online acquaintance, another boy his age named Nicky (Lucian Zanes), who his parents don’t know about. Sam’s father, Chef Jeff (Dennis Quaid – donning a bewildering ponytail hairstyle) is a celebrity chef.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent O2 Play, the distribution-sales arm of Brazil’s O2 Filmes group, co-owned by “City of God” director Fernando Meirelles, has boarded “Broken” (“Partido”), which is co-directed by Oscar-nominated “City of God” DP César Charlone. O2 Play has acquired Brazilian and world sales rights to the doc feature. O2 Play founder Igor Kupstas will introduce “Broken” to buyers at Locarno Pro, which runs Aug.3-9. Charlone, also “The Two Popes” DP and director of “3%,” South America’s first Netflix series, has directed alongside Sebastián Bednarik (“Maracaná,” “Sangre de Campeones”) and Joaquim Castro (“Máquina do Desejo – 60 Anos do Teatro Oficina”).

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent TOLEDO, Spain — Carmen Machi (“Piggy,” “30 Coins”), one of the foremost performers of her generation in Spain, is attached to play legendary Barcelona agent Carmen Balcells, prime architect of the Latin American Boom and a key figure in the break out of Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa to worldwide renown.  Chile’s Invercine, producer of “News of a Kidnapping” which swept April’s Platino Awards, is teaming with Spain’s Abacus, Pausoka and Grupo Lavinia to develop and produce “Boom Agency” (“La Agencia del Boom”) which turns on Balcells extraordinary life, achievement and personality. The deal was confirmed to Variety at Conecta Fiction.

Alicia Vikander got the support of her husband Michael Fassbender while being honored at the 2023 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Brent Lang Executive Editor MTV Documentary Films has released a first look teaser for “The Eternal Memory,” a look at love and Alzheimer’s disease that won the grand jury prize for world documentary at this year’s Sundance. A U.S. theatrical release kicks off on Aug. 11 in New York. It will be followed by engagements in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Aug. 18, with a limited national roll out to follow. Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi directed the movie, which could be a contender for the documentary Oscar. Alberdi is the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind “The Mole Agent.” To that end, “The Eternal Memory” played at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was the runner up for the audience award. A robust international festival campaign is already in the works, including stops at CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, and DocAviv, Hamptons Summer Docs and DC DOX.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical has picked up rights to the crime thriller Mother’s Milk, directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (As You Are), with plans to distribute it in North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The film in which two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) stars opposite Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon) and Jack Reynor (Midsommar) will hit theaters across North America beginning September 1, debuting in the other territories shortly thereafter.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent TOLEDO, Spain — Adding to its bullish line-up of primetime dramas, Spain’s Atresmedia TV is set to adapt “Angela Black,” its second ITV drama makeover from “The Missing” creators, Harry and Jack Williams, after the Spanish commercial broadcaster’s reversion of “Liar.” Currently casting and set to go into production this fall in Bizkaia’s Bilbao, “Angela,” as the Spanish redo is known, is produced by Buendía Estudios Vizcaya with the participation of Atresmedia TV. An original idea of the Williams’ Two Brothers Pictures, “Angela Black’s” international distribution is handled by All3Media International.

EXCLUSIVE: Candle Media’s Exile Content Studio is partnering with acclaimed Colombian journalist Daniel Coronell and director Gaz Alazraki (Father Of The Bride) to produce a scripted feature about the incredible recent news story of the four children, including a baby, that survived a plane crash and 40 days in the Amazon Rainforest before being rescued by Colombian special forces.

The Princess of Wales indulged in her artistic passions last week as she joined musical royalty Sir Paul McCartney to reopen the National Portrait Gallery after an intensive three-year restoration project. As their patron, Kate – who was wearing a stunning Self Portrait white midi dress with pleated skirt and bouclé jacket – was invited along for the event before the London gallery welcomed back members of the public.

Debbie Gibson!The Long Island-born singer took the radio waves by storm in the 1980s, breaking through with her debut album,, in 1987, and she didn't slow down from there.ET was there for many steps along the way, and in celebration of some major milestones — the singer was unveiled on the most recent season of and is celebrating the 35th anniversary of her first No. 1 singer, «Foolish Beat,» this year — Gibson sat down with ET to look back at some of her biggest career highlights.From a background part in to becoming the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard number-one single, to touring around the world and starring on Broadway, Gibson's had plenty of major moments, and she was thrilled to take a walk down memory lane.«I mean, I'm a lucky and grateful girl,» she marveled.

EXCLUSIVE: Julie Soto’s debut novel Forget Me Not is being adapted into a TV series by Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Marking its first corporate step in international expansion outside Spain, Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producer of “Elite” and “García!” has named Marcelo Tamburri, one of Latin America’s preeminent TV execs, to the newly-created position of director of international content. Spun off from the sale of publishing house Grupo Zeta to Prensa Ibérica in 2019, and rebranded from Zeta Audiovisual, when it comes to individual titles., Zeta Studios boasts one of the biggest international reaches of any production house in Spain.   The appointment comes as Netflix preps the bow of “Elite” Season 7 on Oct. 20, making “Elite” one of the longest-running of streamer series and one of the most successful from outside the U.S., its Seasons 3 and 4 ranking in Netflix’s Top 10 of most-viewed non-English series ever on the OTT service with 334.8 million and 302.2 million hours viewed.   

Veneno” writer-director-creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo – popularly known as Los Javis – have dropped an international trailer for its sequel, “Vestida de Azul” (“Veneno 2: Dressed in Blue”)  sharing it in exclusivity with Variety. Sold to HBO Max for the U.S., where it aired to acclaim, “Veneno” was picked as one of Variety’s best international series in 2020.  This time round, Los Javis produce through Suma Content, the Madrid-based label they launched in 2021, where they also serve as its creative directors. The series is its fourth production after “Una navidad con Samantha Hudson,” a Christmas special, “Cardo,” and “Cardo 2.” An Atresplayer original series, “Vestidas de Azul” is produced for Atresmedia Television in collaboration with Suma Content. Atresmedia TV International Sales handles international distribution.  

Watch the trailer for the Zoey 101 reboot movie, Zoey 102 – Just Jared Jr There’s some drama surrounding Tori Spelling‘s marriage – Celebitchy Beyonce is doing something really great with her tour costumes – Popsugar Andrew Matarazzo has debuted a beautiful new song – Just Jared Jr Bring Change to Mind, an organization co-founded by Glenn Close to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, held their 2nd Annual Pride Celebration this past weekend at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Erich Bergen produced the event, which was hosted by Peloton star Cody Rigsby.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent India looks to be moving closer to hiking its recently inaugurated cash rebates on international shoot spend in the country, including on animation and VXF works. The confirmation came at last week’s Animation Film Festival, as India showed further signs of expansion in animation on various fronts: “Heirloom,” an Annecy Residency project from India’s Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, bowed at MIFA feature film pitches, the strongest in memory, and though it didn’t take a prize, it was regarded as one of the section’s standouts; Annecy-backed, AniMela, India’s first international festival for animation, VFX, XR, gaming and comics (AVGC-XR), revealed dates for its first edition in 2024.    

Napoli's president has claimed bids for Manchester United target Victor Osimhen will be considered this summer, but suggested the Nigerian forward has already agreed to extend his stay with the Serie A champions until 2027.