Ex-Netflix Exec Juan Mayne Launches N&L Films (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Lopez touches is a global sensation? The critically-acclaimed actress, chart-topping singer and businesswoman just found herself another big hit with Netflix’s The Mother. The action thriller has been topping the streaming service’s most watched list the past month, and it has now become the latest original Netflix movie to crack the top 10 Netflix films of all time. Following the numbers coming in, JLo is thanking fans for the milestone.

Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series executive Peter Friedlander gave an insightful interview that subscribers might be interested in.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix’s “Sacred Games,” Prime Video’s “Mirzapur” and SonyLIV’s “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” are the top three shows among the 50 all-time most popular Indian streaming series on Amazon’s online film database IMDb. The rankings are determined by the page views of IMDb customers in India between Jan. 1, 2018 to May 10, 2023. The list has representation from 12 platforms including Amazon’s Prime Video and miniTV, Netflix, SonyLIV, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube, ZEE5, Voot, MX Player, JioCinema, TVF Play and ALTT. Crime drama is the most popular genre represented on the list, occupying 30 out of 50 slots, including the top four positions — “Sacred Games,” “Mirzapur,” “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” and “The Family Man.” Pankaj Tripathi played prominent roles in three out of the top 10 series on the list — “Sacred Games,” “Mirzapur” and “Criminal Justice.” Four shows released in 2023 — “Farzi,” “Taaza Khabar,” “The Night Manager” and “Rana Naidu” — made the most popular list.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s Stigma Films has snapped up TV rights for Jeffrey Boakye’s “I Heard What You Said,” an Amazon Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2022. Told via a series of encounters based on the challenging and outrageous things people have said to him or about him, Boakye, a Black, male English teacher who has had to teach problematic texts, recounts how it feels to be on the margins of the British education system. The deal was brokered by the Sarah Such Literary Agency. Stigma’s film credits include “Daddy’s Head,” “T.I.M.,” “The Score,” upcoming Romola Garai project “Monstrous Beauty” and Netflix original “Choose or Die,” starring Asa Butterfield. The acquisition of “I Heard What You Said” follows on from Stigma branching out from feature films to television in the last year. Their first project is Steven Knight/Kudos series, “This Town” for BBC and the company is in active development with Ringside Studios on Iain Banks novel “The Business.”

2023 Tribeca Festival in June, Robert De Niro made a splash at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival, where the Oscar-winner's 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, made her debut on the carpet. Additionally, the actor's latest film,, made quite the impression on audiences during its world premiere. «It was great,» De Niro told ET's Rachel Smith about walking the carpet at the Cannes event with Chen in May.

A fresh collection of films and TV shows will be dropping in Netflix this month, so you can stream to you're heart's content.

Issa Rae spoke to ET's Ash Crossan at the  premiere Tuesday, where she spilled the tea on hanging with her  co-stars after filming.«We went out together at a club night, we had a couple of other crazy nights, so, she was all about facilitating bonding time,» Rae said of the film's director, Greta Gerwig, who hosted Barbie and un-Barbie events for the star-studded cast, which includes the likes of Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu and more. «I'm grateful for it.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Germany’s Beta has licensed Spanish special ops thriller “La Unidad – Kabul,” to Max for the U.S., the third instalment in one of Movistar Plus+’s longest running franchises, “La Unidad,” whose six episodes deliver an engrossing and sometimes shocking take on the 2021 Fall of Kabul. With the purchase, all 18 episodes of Spanish series “La Unidad” are now available to stream on Max in the U.S.   Beta has previously sold the thriller, spangled by action scenes and haunting in its sudden deaths, to 50 territories including France, Latin America, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Australia.  

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has unveiled “King of Clones,” a sensational documentary film featuring unprecedented access to South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk, and set a June streaming date. From human cloning research to a scandalous downfall, the documentary tells the story of Korea’s most notorious scientist Hwang Woo-suk. Armed with a degree in veterinary science and a masters and doctorate in theriogenology, the study of animal reproduction, Hwang’s rise to prominence started with his successful cloning of cows and pigs. In 2002, Hwang embarked upon human cloning research and partnered with Moon Shin-yong, an obstetrician with expertise in in-vitro fertilization. Their collaboration led to a major announcement in 2004, claiming the successful cloning of human embryos, with the potential to cure some diseases. The announcement fueled a heated debate on bioethics, despite Hwang and Moon emphasizing that their work focused solely on therapeutic purposes and strongly opposing reproductive cloning.

Netflix will send out emails to thousands of Netflix users today, warning them that they may lose access to their accounts.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Álvaro Morte, immortalized by his performance as the Professor in “Money Heist,” has inked a multi-year producing deal with Sony Pictures Television through his Madrid-based production company 300 Pistolas, which he founded alongside Blanca Clemente. The accord sees 300 Pistolas, a theater company, making the transition into producing scripted TV, with Morte developing English-language scripted series exclusively with SPT, which he and Clemente will serve on as producers via 300 Pistolas.  Morte and Clemente will have access to SPT’s development teams. SPT will serve as exclusive production and distribution partner to any projects produced under the deal, SPT confirmed Wednesday.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Ithra Film Productions has launched a new film fund that aims to attract international filmmakers to shoot fully-financed movies in the kingdom on which local talents and crews can cut their teeth. Ithra Film — which is a unit of The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, financed by Saudi Aramco Oil Company to promote cultural development – is looking to commission and fund up to five films annually. The level of funding was not disclosed, nor was the criteria for selection besides the requirement that they contribute to foster the growth of Saudi Arabia’s embryonic film industry. “We invite international filmmakers to collaborate with filmmakers in the kingdom and join us on our journey to accelerate talent and sector development in Saudi,” said Majed Z. Samman, who is head of performing arts and cinema at Ithra, announcing the fund at the Cannes market during a panel at the Saudi pavilion.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent CANNES —  Belinda, one of Mexico’s biggest popstars and a star of Netflix hit “Welcome to Eden,” is attached to headline “The Red Diamond,” the latest project from Erik Barmack’s L.A. and Mexico City-based Wild Sheep Content. One of the fastest-growing of production companies in international markets, Wild Sheep has a production alliance with The Mediapro Studio.  “The Red Diamond” is also set up at Mexico City’s Wild Sheep Content Latin America, headed by producer Jimena Rodríguez who produced “3 Idiots,” the second highest-grossing Mexican movie of 2017. Rodríguez was instrumental in helping bringing Belinda to the project.

Angourie Rice is ready for fans to see her take on Cady Heron. In an interview with ET, the 22-year-old actress reflects on her part in movie, which was originated by Lindsay Lohan in the 2004 flick.«I think no matter what, no two people are going to do the same thing the same way. So I think no matter what, it's going to be different,» Rice tells ET of her take on the part versus that of Lohan's.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Spain’s Nostromo Pictures, producer of “Through My Window,” one of the most-watched non-English movies ever on Netflix, is producing “Control Room,” a female-led sci-fi action movie pitched by producer Adrián Guerra as “‘Aliens’ meets ‘The Guilty.’” Based on an original screenplay from Julien Deladrière, “Control Room” is directed by Luiso Berdejo, helmer of “The New Daughter,” starring Kevin Coster, and writer of horror smash hit “[REC”].” Produced by Guerra, Nuria Valls and Miguel Angel Faura for Nostromo Pictures, “Control Room” is currently in post-production. Film Factory is launching worldwide sales at Cannes.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Well Go USA Entertainment has taken North American distribution rights to “Mercy Road,” a new psychological thriller from Arclight Films. The film stars Australian actor Luke Bracey, who was most recently seen in Baz Lurhman’s “Elvis” and the re-make of “Point Break.” “Mercy Road” follows a flawed everyman who commits an impulsive and vicious crime. In this ultimate journey to redemption, he discovers how far he is willing to go to save his child.   It was written and directed by John Curran, the director of such acclaimed dramas as “Chappaquiddick” and “The Painted Veil.”  Chris Pelletier and Jesse Heffring penned the script. Susie Porter (“Cargo”) and Huw Higginson (“The Nightingale”) co-star with Toby Jones (“Poor Cow”). Well Go USA will release “Mercy Road” in late 2023. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Spanish genre producer Filmax, which is behind such films as “The Machinist,” “Darkness” and “[REC],” is bringing Carlota Pereda’s “The Chapel,” the Spanish director’s follow-up to “Piggy,” to the Cannes market. Bowing at 2022’s Sundance, “Piggy” was hailed by Variety as a “viciously impressive debut.” A Filmax and Bixagu Entertainment production backed by Netflix, RTVE and EiTB, “The Chapel” is written by Albert Bertrán Bas, Carmelo Viera and the director. It turns on Emma, 8, who seeks out Carol, a fake medium, to communicate with the spirit of a little girl which has spent centuries trapped in a chapel.  Contact, Emma thinks, will allow her to still talk with her own terminally ill mother when she dies. What Carol doesn’t realise is that Emma has a real gift and, if she goes on trying to use it without Carol’s help, will put her young life in mortal danger.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “Lobo Feroz,” the latest film from “La Casa Muda” director Gustavo Hernández, has sold to getting on half the world, underscoring the market punch of high-profile genre movies from name directors. Sold by FilmSharks International, “Lobo Feroz” has closed Australia and New Zealand (Palace Film), the U.S. and Spanish-speaking Latin America (ViX) and Russia/CIS (Nashe Kino).  A Spanish-language remake of Israel’s “Big Bad Wolves,” “Lobo Feroz” has also a licensed Taiwan (AV-Jet Intl. Media), Eastern Europe (AMC for TV/SVOD) and Uruguay (Alvaro Caso-ENEC Cine).  The Palace, Nashe Kino, AV-Jet and ENEC deals all have a theatrical component, said FilmSharks’ Guido Rud. France, Italy, Japan, Korea and Germany/GAS are in discussions, he added.

Jennifer Lopez has another hit on her hands with “The Mother”.

Gregg Goldstein Start your engines! Virgil Films has acquired North American rights to the Ewan McGregor-narrated documentary “Speed Is Expensive: Philip Vincent and the Million Dollar Motorcycle,” featuring Jay Leno, Clash bassist Paul Simonon and seven-time world championship racer John Surtees. Lighbulb Film Distribution will release the doc in the U.K. and Ireland. Virgil is repping sales in almost all other international territories at the Cannes Film Market. Writer/director David Lancaster’s feature tells the story of Vincent, a flawed genius who began designing speed record-breaking bikes in England nearly a century ago. It follows Philip Vincent-Day as he embarks on a search for answers about his grandfather’s life and work. Leno, Simonon, Surtees and other Vincent bike aficionados offer their expert perspectives.