MipTV News Roundup: Planete Plus Sets ‘Munich,’ NBCU’s ‘The Ark’ Goes to Electric Entertainment

Damijan Vinter Nejc Gazvoda, whose previous films include “A Trip” and “Dual,” has started shooting “Father Figure” in his home town, Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The film will be shot in 25 days and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023, online news service Film New Europe reports.“Father Figure” is an absurdist tale, written by Gazvoda, which follows a mother and her son who move from Ljubljana to a small town after the mother’s divorce. Jan is in his final year of elementary school, and Maja is a psychologist at the same school.

Nicole Bass has announced she is pregnant with her first child in an emotional Instagram video.The 30 year old took to social media to share a black and white video of herself telling friends and family and showing off her growing bump. She quickly became a fan-favourite during her time on the popular ITVBe show, but was sadly axed during the controversial cast cull that let 10 cast members go last year.

Chicago Fire‘s season 10 is coming to a close, which means the cast is understandably concerned about their characters’ fates.

Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial suffered a disastrous outing for Sevilla against Real Madrid on Sunday.

Conversations With Friends,” the upcoming series adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel, will premiere on May 15 on Hulu, BBC announced today, in addition to dropping a new trailer for the show.The series follows 21-year-old Frances (Alison Oliver), who, after three years, is still best friends with her ex-girlfriend, Bobbi (Sasha Lane). The two are inseparable, but at one of their poetry performances in Dublin, they meet Melissa (Jemima Kirke), an older writer who is taken by them.

Netflix has revealed a slate of nine films and nine series that it has commissioned in Poland. Scroll down for the full list

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios, Screenplay, Disney Plus Hotstar Pact for “Doctor Foster” Indonesian AdaptationBBC Studios property “Doctor Foster” is being adapted by Screenplay Films for Disney Plus Hotstar in Indonesia. “Doctor Foster” is the story of a doctor whose life implodes when she uncovers her husband’s infidelity. The show title in Indonesia will be “Mendua” (Between Two Hearts) and Pritagita Arianegara (“Surga yang Tak Dirindukan 3”) will direct.

Marta Balaga As multiple opportunities open up in the changing market, it’s crucial to protect what’s special about the project first, Element Pictures producer Ed Guiney argued at a Canneseries panel.“You figure out what the scripts are, who is going to make it and how much it’s going to cost, and then you go out and choose the best partner. The dynamic is that we are making this thing, the train is pulling out of the station, so do you want to join us? Rather than ‘this is something we are thinking of doing, do we have your permission?’,” he said, citing collaboration on “Normal People” with the BBC.“When we were in contention for the rights, the BBC did a very bold thing – they greenlit the show before we had them.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Beyond Rights and Insight TV Team Up for New Branded BlockBeyond Rights and top millennial-targeted digital channels provider Insight TV have struck a new alliance, which will see the launch of Beyond branded blocks on Insight TV’s science and technology-centered InWonder channel. The Beyond branded blocks will initially play on primetime weekends in North America, drawing from Beyond Rights’s extensive catalogue of science and engineering programming with such titles as “How Hacks Work” and “Wicked Inventions.” “We will work closely together over the coming months to measure the audience response, looking to build towards a range of branded FAST channels,” said David Smyth, CEO of Beyond Rights.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBanijay has picked up multi-territory format rights to two Korean reality shows which it will begin pitching this week at the MipTV market in Cannes.From Korean broadcaster and producer MBC, Banijay has picked up format rights to competition show “Bloody Game” in France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands. From CJ ENM, it has acquired rights in the Nordics, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Australia to relationship format, “EXchange.”“Bloody Game” launched in Korea in November last year, helping draw subscribers to Wavve, a joint venture streaming platform, in which MBC is a partner. The show is nominated for a C21 Format Award, with the winner revealed during MipTV.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorLimonero Films, a boutique distributor of factual shows and documentaries, based in London, has announced a string of sales ahead of MipTV.Make Waves Media’s “Thirties in Color: Countdown to War” has been sold to Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Spain’s RTVE and Germany’s RTL, which also licensed “Victorian Britain on Film” and “Wild Relations.”The wildlife title “Wild Relations” was picked up by KBS in Korea and Radio Television Hong Kong.“Framed in Miami: The Versace Connection,” Limonero’s first true crime series, was picked up by Discovery in Italy, and their food and travel show “Hidden Flavors of India: North East” by Discovery Asia.Andy Cohen’s “Beijing Spring,” about the Chinese cultural revolution of 1979, was licensed to Sweden’s SVT and Switzerland’s RSI.

Last we heard, directing siblings Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, collectively known as The Coen Brothers, were going their separate ways. However, at the time, while Joel Coen was putting the finishing touches on “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, it appeared that Ethan Coen was done with movies altogether.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIn one of the biggest swings in Europe’s market, Erik Barmack, the former Netflix VP of international originals, is teaming with Benjamin Munz, producer of “Blood Red Sky,” Netflix’s most-watched non-English movie of all time, on a tentpole high-speed German action film, “The Chase.”Billed by Barmack as “‘The Fast and the Furious’ meets ‘Money Heist’” – which he helped bring to Netflix – “The Chase” marks the first movie out of the gate at Munz’s Berlin-based new label, Fright Zone, the first production company in Germany that will focus exclusively on developing and producing fantasy, action, horror and science fiction films as well as TV shows in and from Germany. Overseen by founder and CEO Munz, Fright Zone will produce with Barmack, who is now working out of his own L.A.

EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Patel (Wonder Woman 1984), Eric Edelstein (Creepshow) and Johnny Jay Lee (NCIS: Los Angeles) are set as series regulars in CBS comedy pilot Rust Belt News, from The Simpsons writer and The Mindy Project exec producer Matt Warburton. They join previously announced cast members Rich Sommer, Lauren Lindsey Donzis, Jayma Mays, Bailey Gavulic, Bentley Green and Angel Laketa Moore.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDisney Plus confirmed launch dates — and pricing — for the 42 countries and 11 new territories across Europe, West Asia and Africa.Disney’s flagship streaming service will bow in South Africa on May 18, followed by all other countries listed in June (see below for dates and pricing). The media conglomerate earlier this year announced plans for summer 2022 expansion to countries including Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.The countries set to get Disney Plus are: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine Territories, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.