‘Miraculous’ Creator to Reboot ‘Astroboy’ with Method, Shibuya Productions (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: UK production and distribution firm 108 Media has acquired a majority stake in Singapore-based animation studio Robot Playground Media (RPM).

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentCanal Plus’ longtime drama commissioner Fabrice de la Patellière has joined forces with Studiocanal to set up his production banner, 2e Bureau. De la Patellière, who stepped down from his position at Canal Plus in January, will be producing premium series and mini-series for French and international channels and platforms.

Deadline has confirmed local reports out of Italy that Legendary Entertainment’s Dune: Part Two is pre-shooting in Altivole, Italy in the Veneto region as early as tomorrow for two days. Full-on production with a bulk of the cast returning is scheduled for July 21 in Budapest, Hungary, which is where the 2021 title also filmed.

EXCLUSIVE: Kids TV specialist Sinking Ship Entertainment (SSE) has appointed Paris-based exec Karine Rubin as Director of Sales for Europe.

Manori Ravindran International EditorInternational TV market Mipcom is set to return to the Croisette in October, and major exhibitors have already signed up.Organizers RX France, formerly known as Reed Midem, revealed Monday that a tranche of 200-plus exhibitors are on board for Mipcom. The list includes super-indies such as Banijay, Fremantle and ITV Studios, as well as big international players such as Beta Film, Cineflix Rights, CJ ENM, Endeavor Content, Global Agency, Keshet International, Studiocanal and Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorKhaby Lame is now the official king of TikTok.The short-form comedy video virtuoso now has 142.8 million followers on TikTok, which puts him above previous top TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio (who currently has 142.3 million).Lame was born in Senegal and his family moved when he was 1 year old to Chivasso, Italy. He launched his TikTok channel and shared his first video comic in March 2020, after he was laid off in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.The 22-year-old’s comedy bits have gained a massive following and he’s become one of the most-recognized and loved TikTok creators globally.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has an exclusive track from Disasterpeace’s score for the anticipated stop-motion comedy Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which is set for digital release via Lakeshore Records tomorrow, as A24 releases the pic in North America. (A vinyl edition of the soundtrack is also forthcoming.)

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentParis-based Cottonwood Media and the Paris National Opera are re-teaming with U.S. streamer Hulu, Germany’s ZDF and  ZDF Studios and France Televisions, all partners on “Find Me in Paris,” for another premium live action tween series, “Spellbound.”Scheduled to commence production this summer in Paris, moving later to Brussels, “Spellbound” is created by Jill Girling and Lori Mather (“Ride”), the same original executive produces and showrunners of “Find Me in Paris.”Renaud Mathieu serves as line producer, a position he also held on “Emily in Paris.”Series lead director is Alexander Jacob (“Theodosia,” “4 O’clock Club,” “Hollyoaks”). Directors include Annie Bradley (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Expanse”), as well as Robert Burke (“Find Me in Paris,” “Free Rein”).

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival opened Friday with a phalanx of stars and TV industry execs walking the blue carpet for the event, attended by Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene. The opening screening was the world premiere of thriller “Last Light,” produced by MGM Intl.

Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran says on the sacrifices the cast of her hit show make to create the most successful Netflix series of all time. ‘Sometimes that’s like 12 hours in the corset and dress.

Naman Ramachandran The ongoing situation in Ukraine, international co-productions and an examination of post-COVID audience tastes are on the agenda at the 33rd Sunny Side of the Doc.The international marketplace for documentary and narrative experiences held annually at La Rochelle, France, is back as an in-person event this year following two pandemic-caused online editions. With Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine showing no signs of abating, Lejla Dedic, producer-selector at Al Jazeera Balkans and Philippe Muller, commissioning editor at Arte will discuss how they support Ukrainian films in a panel discussion.

Emiliano De Pablos Suggesting an appreciable recovery in the dynamism of international film markets, Madrid-based Latido Films has unveiled a raft of deals on its Cannes line-up, led by standout sales for Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Cannes Premiere player “The Beasts.” The Spain-set rural thriller was acquired by Movies Inspired in Italy and Imagine in Benelux. Co-produced by Spain’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Sorogoyen’s Caballo Films with France’s Le Pacte, “The Beasts” has also been taken by Kino Mediteran in former Yugoslavia territories and Transilvania Film in Romania.Meanwhile, fruit of Latido’s strengthening of its remake rights sales strategies, the company has optioned Mexican movie adaptation rights on Nicolás Postiglione’s drama “Immersion” to Paloma Negra Films and Whisky, as a French redo of Gastón Duprat’s Spanish-Argentine drama “Masterpiece” is moving into production.  Also, Latido is in advanced negotiations on further remake rights deals in France, Italy and Mexico, among other territories.“Our sales expectations are beginning to approach pre-pandemic levels,” said Antonio Saura, Latido Films managing director.“We saw a market with multiple signs of dynamism but, at the same time, we feel that less and less risks are being taken,” argued Juan Torres, head of international sales. “Projects with a commercial vocation today attract the attention of many buyers more quickly,” he explained. “On the other hand, films that are more fragile from a commercial point of view but which previously managed to find acceptance in various territories today seem destined more than ever for festivals or minor online exhibition,” he added.Regarding signs of dynamism, Saura points out, “we see that independent distributors,

Silent Hill movie, revealed in an interview that Konami is planning a large-scale reboot of the franchise.The Internet is awash with rumours of the return of the beloved horror franchise, with potential leaks circulating of an upcoming game and the strategic partnership Konami entered with horror specialists Bloober Team raising questions on whether they will be taking the reigns of a new Silent Hill game. Well, it looks like more fuel has been thrown on the fire from an unlikely source.Gans was the director of the original Silent Hill movie released in 2006 and in an interview given to French outlet JEUXACTU (thanks, PCGamesN), he revealed some interesting details about Konami’s upcoming plans for the franchise.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMediawan Kids and Family’s Method Animation, the prestige animation label behind “The Little Prince,” is set to reboot “Le Manège Enchanté” (“The Magic Roundabout”), the iconic 1960’s French stop-motion animation series.The new show, whose first season will comprise 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, will be aimed at a pre-school audiences. Founded by Aton Soumache, Method Animation has a stellar track record with reboots of cult franchises, from “Robin Hood” to “The Little Prince,” as well as with original IP’s such as “Miraculous” (produced with ZAG).

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Emilio Mayorga France’s “The Tern,” “Phil & Sophia” and “Nino Dino,” along with Spain’s “Zoey Oceans,” Poland’s “Happy not Lucky,” Ireland’s “Natu Natu,” and Romania’s “Karma” lead a packed 84-title line-up of animated TV projects to pitch at the 2022 Cartoon Forum.It will take place in Toulouse, Southern France, over Sept. 19-22.“The Tern” is a 10-episode half-hour from Paris-based family entertainment company Cyber Group Studios. Directed by Slimane Aniss, it tells the adventures of a fleet of massive dirigibles traveling endlessly above a devastated Earth, following the flight paths around the planet of a particular bird, the tern.Targeting preschoolers, “Phil & Sophia” is written by Martine Gasparov.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSND has closed a flurry of sales across its slate, including the animated feature “The Jungle Bunch: World Tour,” the French comedy “Ooh La la,” and the international melodrama “The Braid.” Produced by leading animation studio TAT Productions, “The Jungle Bunch: World Tour” is the sequel to the animated feature hit “The Jungle Bunch – The 3D Movie” which was one of the highest grossing French productions worldwide in 2017 and sold to over 70 territories. The spinoff movies expand on the popular animated series “The Jungle Bunch” which follows the adventures of a group of misfit animals on a mission to protect their kingdom.

star Stephanie Matto says she'll never let the hit franchise's cameras document her relationship again. The 31-year-old reality star, who's been making headlines for her unique business ventures including selling her farts and boob sweat, is currently dating a man from France, but has no plans to ever let viewers back into her dating life.Stephanie, who identifies as bisexual, made history with her now ex-girlfriend, Erika, for being the first LGBTQ couple to be featured in the franchise. Cameras saw her travel to Australia to meet Erika, though their relationship was troubled from the start and came to a dramatic end.