Amazon Prime Video is exploring more global franchise opportunities following the success of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel.
07.03.2023 - 14:07 / variety.com
Naman Ramachandran “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is launching a £100,000 ($120,000) Keep it Fringe fund, a new initiative to support artists at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Waller-Bridge serves as president of the Fringe Society. The fund, supported by the Fleabag for Charity campaign and funds donated to the Fringe Society, will distribute 50 bursaries of £2,000 to individual artists or companies bringing work to the Fringe in 2023. It seeks to protect artists’ prospects by removing some of the growing barriers to performing. “Fleabag” launched as a play at the Fringe in 2023. Waller-Bridge said: “For a creative, the festival is one of the most unique places on the planet to launch work, meet other artists and be discovered by audiences, agents, producers and the media. For me, today’s announcement is incredibly personal. Edinburgh Fringe gave ‘Fleabag’ a game-changing platform for everyone involved and we are thrilled that the show can continue to pay it forward to the creatives of tomorrow and contribute to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take their work to this amazing festival.”
The fund will launch March 10. The Fleabag for Charity campaign was launched in 2020 during the pandemic by Waller-Bridge, DryWrite, Soho Theatre and Annapurna Theatre in partnership with National Theatre Live and Amazon Prime Video. All funds were raised through streaming the NT Live production of “Fleabag” and donated to charities on the front lines of the pandemic. THE U.K.’s Scorpion TV has closed a string of sales on documentaries “Meeting the Beatles in India” and “A President, Europe and War.” “Meeting the Beatles in India,” produced by Emmy-winning director-producer Paul Saltzman, has been picked up
Amazon Prime Video is exploring more global franchise opportunities following the success of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel.
Naman Ramachandran Real life husband and wife couple, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, are merging their respective foundations – Anushka Sharma Foundation and Virat Kohli Foundation – to launch SeVVA, a joint non-profit initiative aimed at helping those in need. Sharma and Kohli said in a joint statement: “In the words of Kahlil Gibran ‘for in truth it is life that gives unto life – while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.’ With this sentiment in mind, we have decided to work together through SeVVA aiming to reach out to as many people as possible. SeVVA’s work won’t be confined to a particular issue as it will continue to strive for social good by championing humanity which is the need of the hour today.”
When you’re as talented as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, you can pretty much turn your hand to anything and make it work.The award-winning writer, actress and producer, famous for creating hit comedy Fleabag, is so in demand she can pick and choose projects and do whatever takes her fancy. Even so, her next choice could be a bit of a surprise for fans.
Jordan Moreau In a surprise cameo that nobody in a galaxy far, far away saw coming, Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best returned to the “Star Wars” universe in Wednesday’s episode of “The Mandalorian.” But instead of playing the infamous Gungan, Best made his return as a Jedi named Kelleran Beq. In the newest episode, titled “The Foundling,” Best appears briefly in a flashback to Order 66, when the clone troopers betrayed the Jedi and ruthlessly murdered nearly everyone. Best’s Jedi knight Kelleran saves a young Grogu, who found himself alone facing a group of clone troopers. Kelleran saves the little alien and dispatches the enemies with his two lightsabers, allowing Grogu to escape with him on a ship. The episode ends without showing where Kelleran and Grogu fly off to, opening up the possibility of Best to reappear later on.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti, who played Dr. Andrew DeLuca on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is set to star in “Inganno,” Netflix’s Italian adaptation of the U.K. TV series “Gold Digger” that starts shooting this week on the Amalfi coast. The taboo-breaking show – which was dubbed a “toyboy thriller” by the British press – depicts the passionate and turbulent relationship between an older woman and a man who is half her age. In this case the affair disrupts and subverts Italian social and family norms. A “Gold Digger” adaptation for Indian audiences is also reportedly in the works. “Inganno,” which means “deceit” in Italian, is being directed by Neapolitan auteur Pappi Corsicato whose “The Seed of Discord” competed at the Venice Film Festival in 2008. Corsicato’s visual style is often compared to Pedro Almodovar, of whom he has been an assistant.
Many of us who are food lovers with a taste for Eastern cuisine have come to know what to expect from an Indian restaurant by now. Pakoras, popadoms, and Rogan Josh are usually staple dishes we can find on any menu, but one not-so-traditional desi restaurant in Manchester is choosing to do things a bit differently.
podcast I’ve Got News For You about her stint working for a female-owned pornography company called Afterglow.The Aussie star said that while the content she worked on was “pretty intense” – the productions ran “just like any other film set.”She explained that she’d recently developed a film which was a play on mainstream perfume ads, which generally make “zero sense.”“But like, they’re always so sexy, and it always feels like sex is about to happen when they’re sniffing each other’s necks and like, licking each other’s wrists,” Stasey said.“So I kind of came up with the concept of a perfume commercial that then becomes a lesbian threesome.”The Aussie star added that the section of the adult film industry within which she worked has “a lot of women” behind the camera and that she found the experience to be “very warm and kind and patient.”Stasey – who had her breakout movie role as Ellie Linton in 2010s “Tomorrow When The War Began” – first revealed she was directing short pornographic films for a female-led erotic site in 2021 but has since also continued with her acting career.She’s currently part of the ensemble Aussie cast for “Class of ‘07,” a comedy that has just dropped on Prime Video.The show also stars Emily Browning and Steph Tisdell.During her interview with IGNFY, the actress also opened up to host Andrew Bucklow about appearing in the iconic “I Still Call Australia Home” Qantas ad when she was just a kid.“I was really lucky that was filmed before the evolution of the green screen … it was all practical back then. I went to India, I was in Africa, I went to China, I went all throughout Australia,” Stasey recalled.“It was truly one the most incredible experiences of my life, but I was like 10 years old.
Naman Ramachandran Netflix has renewed International Emmy-winning hit Indian series “Delhi Crime” for a third season. The streamer’s India operation has also renewed “Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives,” “Kota Factory,” “Mismatched” and “She” for third seasons. Netflix India has also commissioned a documentary on the life of hip hop artist and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh who will deep-dive into the reasons behind his sudden disappearance at the peak of his career. The documentary will be directed by Mozez Singh (Disney+ Hotstar series “Human”) and produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain‘s Sikhya Entertainment, 2023 Oscar winners for “The Elephant Whisperers.”
Naman Ramachandran “White Snow,” the latest project from celebrated Indian filmmaker Praveen Morchhale, is his “artistic revolt” against political systems that repress artists. The project has been selected for the 21st Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), the project market that operates concurrently with FilMart (March 13-16). Set in and around Kargil, a Muslim-dominated town in the Himalayas, where a war was fought between India and Pakistan in 1999, the film tells the story of Amir, whose short film gets banned due to a complaint from a religious leader, and his social media accounts gets blocked. His elderly mother Fatima sets out on an arduous journey in the Himalayan mountains to show the film in villages, which breaks her mentally and physically and brings her close to madness before she becomes a free soul.
EXCLUSIVE: Dav Patel is set to headline and executive produce The Key Man, a limited series telling the story of disgraced financier Arif Naqvi. Set in the Middle East, the project hails from Miramax Television. It is part of the company’s increased international focus, signaled by the hire three years ago of former NBCUniversal International Studios executive Marc Helwig — who has deep European TV industry ties — as Miramax’s Global Head of Television.
Roberto Stabile, head of special projects, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual-Ministry of Culture at Cinecittà, told Variety. “This support will increase the presence of Italian audiovisual content not only in cinemas, but also on streaming platforms, online distribution, television, everything,” he added.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is at the Oscars to support her longtime partner Martin McDonagh!
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 37, and Martin McDonagh, 52, are determined to keep their relationship closely under wraps.They’re both acclaimed creatives - she’s the creator and writer behind hit TV show Fleabag and he’s an Oscar winning Director whose latest hit film, The Banshees of Insherin, is up for the prestigious Best Picture award at the 2023 Oscars.They’ve been dating publicly since 2018 but have only made a few comments here and there about their private life.They were first pictured kissing in January 2018 at the Golden Globes, which they attended as a couple and posed for pictures on the red carpet. The pair reportedly first met in late 2017 and were spotted outside a screening of Martin’s hit film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, that same year.
The next great country star could come from anywhere.
Jimmie Allen’s Artists:Ale Aguirre | Chihuahua, Mexico Ale infuses herself into her music and bilingual lyrics with the mariachi, norteño, banda and other sounds she heard growing up in Mexico. At the age of 16 she taught herself how to play the guitar, and is now on the way to establishing herself as an independent singer-songwriter with a loyal following she’s gained from her popular YouTube channel. Dhruv Visvanath | New Delhi, India Dhruv, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer, started his musical journey at the age of seven.
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on industry players outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking with RRR star Ram Charan. The Indian actor and producer, who has long been an icon in the country’s Telugu industry, talks about collaborating with director S.S. Rajamouli again and how the film’s international reception has finally put Indian cinema on the global content map.
K.J. Yossman The Edinburgh International Film Festival is returning for its 76th edition following financial difficulties.
Indian actress Janhvi Kapoor has signed on star in the next film from RRR star N.T. Rama Rao Jr., (a.k.a. NTR Jr.), titled NTR 30.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”
EXCLUSIVE: For Banijay Asia’s Deepak Dhar, 2023 is shaping up to be one of the busiest in a three-decade career in Indian media. Not only has he just launched The Night Manager India on Disney+ Hotstar and is delivering several scripted and unscripted shows, he is also working to position India has Banijay’s Asian production hub.