Georgia Lawmakers Move to Limit Nation’s Largest Film Incentive

Peak intellectual property doesn’t have the same ring to it as peak TV. Drama based on tried-and-true ideas, however, removes risk for commissioners in challenging international markets and is in vogue. But producers be warned: the best ideas don’t come cheap.

Slow Horses actress Catherine McCormack is to star alongside Colin Firth in Sky and Peacock‘s retelling of the 1988 terror attack on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

It’s only been two months since 90 Day Fiancé star Michael Ilesanmi moved to the United States from his native Nigeria to live with his American wife who is more than two decades older than him. And he’s already flown the coop!!

the Screen Actors Guild Award for life achievement at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Saturday.“This is such a wonderful award to get, because you know in advance you’re gonna get it,” began Streisand, 81, at the 2024 SAG Awards. “And you don’t have to sit there and squirm.”The singer-actor-director spoke movingly to the celebrity crowd of her early days growing up in Brooklyn with dreams of being a performer.“I wanted to be in the movies, even though I knew I didn’t look like the other women on the screen,” she recalled.

Anatomy of a Fall French producer Marie-Ange Luciani put in a flying appearance at the Berlinale this week with Claire Burger’s coming-of-age drama Langue Étrangère which received a warm reception in competition.

Beleaguered youth-skewing media company Vice is eliminating “several hundred positions” and moving away from online news.

Angelique Jackson Warner Bros. has found a new release date for “Mickey 17,” moving Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson‘s highly-anticipated collaboration to 2025. The sci-fi movie will now debut on Jan.

Thania Garcia Universal Music Group has acquired a 25.8% interest in Chord Music Partners — whose portfolio includes music from the Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, John Legend, Kid Cudi and more — for $240 million. Chord, which was formed in 2021 by KKR and Dundee Partners, will work with UMG and Dundee as part of a long-term partnership where UMG will handle distribution and publishing administration for Chord’s existing catalog through Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and UMG’s Virgin Music Group (VMG).

BAFTA has said it is taking “very seriously” a security breach in which a prankster gatecrashed the Oppenheimer best film speech.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla has announced it is adding a state-of-the-art music recording studio alongside its moviemaking studios. The film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that also comprises a lush oasis and vast sandstone canyons currently has filmmaking facilities that include two large soundstages, a backlot, and production support buildings.

EXCLUSIVE: Production has wrapped on indie feature Bad Man, starring Seann William Scott (American Pie) alongside Johnny Simmons (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street), Chance Perdomo (After We Fell), Andre Hyland (Barry), and Lovi Poe (Chelsea Cowboy).

Ed Meza @edmezavar Germany’s film and TV sectors are eagerly awaiting the biggest reform in the history of German film funding this year, and while the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz struggles to navigate a major budget crisis, leading industry representatives are confident the planned overhaul will improve business despite the hurdles. Overseen by Claudia Roth, the federal government commissioner for culture and media (BKM), the plan aims to create a more centralized film funding system to support production, distribution, world sales and cinemas.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S-Asian sales company EST N8 has picked up the international rights for “30 Minutes,” a Korean sci-fi thriller film that is currently in production. The story revolves around a middle-aged man trapped in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the Christmas Eve of his murder.

Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his first goal of 2024 in a new way. He scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Al-Nassr nine minutes from time to lead his team to a 1-0 victory against Al-Fayha in an Asian Champions League round-of-16 clash on Wednesday.

Christopher Vourlias Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits” has been tapped as the opening film at the sixth Joburg Film Festival, which takes place Feb. 27 – March 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon.

Angelique Jackson In “Madame Web,” Isabela Merced stars as Anya Corazon, a teenager who learns she’ll one day develop spider-like superpowers. But given Merced’s incredibly busy production schedule over the next few months, she might want to look into the power of teleportation. On Monday night, Merced posed on the black carpet outside the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood with “Madame Web” stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Connor for the world premiere of Sony and Marvel’s superhero movie.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Films has boarded international sales for select territories to Shudder original film “Oddity.” Written and directed by Damian McCarthy (“Caveat”), the supernatural film will have its world premiere at SXSW 2024 as part of the Midnighter section. Blue Finch will introduce the title in advance to buyers at the Berlin European Film Market (EFM). “Oddity” follows Darcy, a blind medium, who uncovers the sinister truth behind her sister’s death with the help of a frightening wooden mannequin.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Paris-based sales and production outfit Totem Films has closed a slew of sales ahead of the Berlinale premieres of their Competition title “My Favourite Cake,” and the Panorama opening film “Crossing.” Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha‘s “My Favourite Cake” sold to Cherry Pickers for Benelux, Camera for Denmark, Arizona for France, Triart for Sweden, Cineworx for Switzerland and BIR for Turkey. Levan Akin‘s “Crossing” sold to Imagine for Benelux, New Story for France, Lucky Red for Italy, Avalon for Spain and Cineworx for Switzerland. As announced previously, a multi-territory deal was also signed with Mubi.

widespread drug abuse an extremely relevant issue in America? Obviously. But just as screamingly apparent is that a kilo of deflating, predictable movies about narcotics and dope are not going to bring hesitant audiences back to struggling movie theaters.

It was a career year in 2023 for character actor David Dastmalchian. He had six onscreen film roles last year, including voice work on a DTV DC animated movie.