Ncuti Gatwa, Asif Kapadia, Terri White to Judge BMW, BFI U.K. Filmmaking Competition – Global Bulletin

K.J. Yossman The BBC has acquired the Australian version of hit gameshow “The Traitors” for broadcast and streaming this summer. “The Traitors Australia,” which sees contestants compete for a prize of AUS $250,000 in a luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands, is set to drop on BBC Three and iPlayer on July 9. It is hosted by Rodger Corser. “’The Traitors’ is an addictively fiendish format and I am so pleased that viewers can get their summer fix of treachery and suspicion as we head Down Under for the Australian version of the show on BBC Three and iPlayer,” said Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three.

Naman Ramachandran The return of long-running Australian soap “Neighbours” will see a new family, the Varga-Murphys, featuring mums, Remi (Naomi Rukavina) and Cara (Sara West) and teenage sons, JJ (Riley Bryant) and Dex (Marley Williams), moving to the iconic Ramsay Street. West said: “Cara has a bold, impassioned love for her family and I love that her intentions have, so far, always been good. I hope having the Varga-Murphys on telly will help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community that I’m proud to be a part of and I can’t wait to share the family with you.” Rukavina added: “As a stalwart of Australian drama television, the show is on the front foot of showcasing diverse and real representations of Australian families, not in a tokenistic way.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actor Jefferson Hall (“House of the Dragons,” “Oppenheimer”) will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed. Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand. Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.

K.J. Yossman Riccardo Vannuccini has set a sequel to his feature “Commedia.” Titled “Tarzan,” the project will see him again team up with “This England” star Greta Bellamacina, with whom he starred in “Commedia.” The duo will reprise their roles as Rocco and Irene, this time in a post-industrial landscape. Manolo Cinti is on board as DP. “Tarzan,” which begins shooting in Italy this November, is co-produced by Artestudio in Rome and Sulk Youth in the U.K. “Commedia” is set to be released on Prime Video in the U.K. and U.S. this month. “Our heroes have managed to mysteriously escape from where they were – but where were they?” says Vannuccini. “They are busy doing nothing, making small acts, to leave imaginative traces of their passage, imagined signs of being in the world. Scratches, noises, silences, poses, runs, drinks, wounds, escapes, kisses, stealing. The world they inhabit is our own post-industrial landscape, a world scarred by the industry and sadness of the twentieth century, but in it they find beauty, and they create beauty. They are the archetypal romantic runaways.”

Naman Ramachandran Paramount+ and Tving‘s Korean series “Bargain” has won the critics’ choice award at the Serien Camp Festival in Cologne. In April, “Bargain” became the first-ever Korean series to win best screenplay at the Canneseries Festival in France. The series stars actors Jun Jong-seo (“Money Heist: Korea”) and Jin Seon-kyu (“Extreme Job”) and is an adaptation of director Lee Chung-hyun’s 2015 short film of the same name. Director Jun Woo-sung, who was part of the production team of the short, picked up the story and developed it into a six-part series. “Bargain” revolves around a group of strangers who gather at a remote motel with ulterior motives – seeking to bargain. Unlike the original film, the series follows the characters after an unexpected earthquake traps them inside the building. With no one to trust, they must find a way to survive.

Jinkx Monsoon. Cementing their place in the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Hall of Fame by winning “All Stars 7,” Monsoon strutted their stuff on Broadway, making herstory as the first drag performer in “Chicago” on the Great White Way. Now, the “internationally tolerated” star has an upcoming tour, and they just landed a part in “Doctor Who.” Monsoon spoke with Variety over Zoom from London, where they were preparing to film a role in the beloved sci-fi series alongside new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa. Even from across the pond, Monsoon makes it clear that fighting against the wave of anti-trans and anti-drag bills being passed in the U.S. is a top priority.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that Swiss-based, Chinese-owned Infront Sports & Media would handle broadcast right sales in much of Asia for the next series of Summer and Winter games. The deal covers 22 territories including Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam – but not China, Japan or South Korea, and runs 2026-2032. That means it will cover the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Summer games. The 2030 Winter Olympics, which have yet to be allocated a host, and all Youth Olympic Games during this period will also be covered.

K.J. Yossman “Doctor Who” has just added another star to its roster: 14-year-old Lenny Rush. Rush is set to join the fourteenth season of the re-booted series as a mysterious figure called Morris. He’ll star alongside Ncuti Gatwa, who will take the mantle from David Tennant as the new Timelord, and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Indira Varma also stars as a new character known only as the Duchess while Jonathan Groff joins in “a mysterious and exciting guest role,” according to the BBC. In May, Rush won a BAFTA award for best male performance in a comedy for his role in “Am I Being Unreasonable” alongside Daisy May Cooper.

Sex Education once spoke to him about ad-libbing lines of dialogue in character.During the first series of the show, he said he was approached and told people wouldn’t understand them.“There were producers coming up to me like, ‘This ad-lib, I don’t feel like white people will understand it,’” he told Vogue.“And I was like, ‘It’s not for white people to understand. There are many white people in this show for white people to understand, but I want this other group of people to understand Eric.

Naman Ramachandran The world premiere of Scottish writer-director Johnny Barrington‘s debut feature “Silent Roar” will open the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival on Aug. 18. Billed as a “teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire” set in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, the film stars emerging actor Louis McCartney as Dondo, a young surfer struggling to accept his father’s recent disappearance at sea. Caught up in grief, he is brought to his senses by rebellious crush Sas (Ella Lily Hyland), a high achiever who dreams of escaping the island. When an oddly-behaved new minister arrives on the island, Dondo begins to have cosmic visions. The film is produced by Scottish producer Chris Young (“The Inbetweeners Movie”) and was made with the participation of Screen Scotland, BBC Films and BFI. MK2 Films is handling sales.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hong Kong icon Johnnie To will head the jury of the sixth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) next month. Other jurors include: Truong Ngoc Anh from Vietnam, Ryuichi Hiroki from Japan, Zizan Razak from Malaysia, and Eric Khoo from Singapore. The event will open with the world premiere of “Eraser,” directed by Mark Lee See Teck. The Malaysian film features the final on-screen appearance of the late Adibah Noor, a beloved Malaysian gem known for her timeless charisma. MIFFest will play “See You at the Rally,” directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kanny Chang as its closing title. The festival is set to take place at LaLaport BBCC from July 23-29 and will play a total of 42 films from 15 countries.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Ncuti Gatwa is gearing up for a busy back half of 2023 thanks to his supporting role in “Barbie” (opening in theaters July 21), his fourth and final season of Netflix’s “Sex Education” (coming in the fall) and his introduction as the title character of “Doctor Who” (coming this Christmas). Gatwa touched upon all of these roles in a new British Vogue interview, revealing that a producer on the first season of “Sex Education” once approached him with a warning about ad-libbing lines of dialogue in character. “There were producers coming up to me like, ‘This ad-lib, I don’t feel like white people will understand it,’” Gatwa said. “And I was like, ‘It’s not for white people to understand. There are many white people in this show for white people to understand, but I want this other group of people to understand Eric. And that’s what you want too.’ And they got that. We were all constantly learning on that job.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief German filmmaker Wim Wenders is to be the president of the jury that decides the main competition prizes later this year at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Wenders has frequent connections with the Japanese capital and last year shot his “Perfect Days” film in the city. The film recently appeared in competition in Cannes and earned Yakusho Koji the best actor prize. The Tokyo festival confirmed plans to host a celebration of Japanese director Ozu Yasujiro, who was born 120 years ago and died exactly 60 years later. Wenders previously shot 1985 documentary “Tokyo-ga” as a tribute to Ozu.

K.J. Yossman One Direction star Niall Horan is set to cameo on rail-themed Channel 4 digital series, “Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois.” Produced by Untold Studios, the series sees TikTok creator Bourgeois introduce celebrities to the obscure hobby. Horan will join Bourgeois for a “day of locomotive escapades” starting at Liverpool Street Station in London – but will a series of train cancelations and delays scupper their plans? During the episode, which is available from June 14 on Channel 4’s YouTube, Horan reveals a very personal connection to trains, telling Bourgeois that his grandfather was a train driver. Movie buffs will also be thrilled to discover Horan’s grandfather drove the train in “The Great Train Robbery.”

Netflix this week announced six new Korean romance titles slated for the rest of 2023. They are: “See You in my 19th Life,” “King the Land,” “Behind Your Touch,” “Destined With You,” “A Time Called You,” and “Doona!” The titles were unveiled at an in-person event called “K-romance obsession” in Seoul. Guests were mostly K-drama influencers from around the Asia Pacific region and the event was decked out with reds, pinks and vast numbers of heart decorations. Guests were offered snack food that had been featured in earlier hit K-drama shows including “Crash Landing on You,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Business Proposal” and “Alchemy of Souls.”

Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as Melanie Bush in the forthcoming season of “Doctor Who,” starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, the BBC announced Wednesday. Langford joined the “Doctor Who” universe in 1986 when she played the companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors as portrayed by Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. She then went on to appear in a cameo role in Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor.  “I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back. To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T Davies is a career highlight,” said Langford. “I’m so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal.” 

Doctor Who star Bonnie Langford is returning to the show for its upcoming 14th series, over three decades after she originally boarded the TARDIS. The actress, 58, is reprising her role as Melanie Bush for the new series alongside incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, with her return set to hit screens in 2024. Bonnie made her debut on Who back in 1986 as Melanie alongside the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, and went onto be the companion for the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.

A familiar character will be returning to Doctor Who. Bonnie Langford will once again reprise her legendary role as Melanie Bush, joining Ncuti Gatwa who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in the new series, the BBC revealed today.

Naman Ramachandran BBC Studios has licensed the immensely popular “Top Gear” format to Finland’s Nelonen channel and Ruutu streaming service to create a Finnish adaptation of the long-running and Emmy-winning series. The Finnish adaptation will be presented by comedian, musician and author Ismo Leikola, former elite Ice hockey winger Teemu Selänne and actor Christoffer Strandberg. It will air in the spring of 2024. Set in the world of cars and driving, the show will see Leikola, Selänne and Strandberg compete in various car-related challenges to determine who among them is the ultimate driver. The license to Finland is the 11th adaptation of the format globally. “Top Gear” began in the U.K. in 1977, where it has run for 33 seasons. However, the U.K. version has been paused after host Andrew Flintoff was involved in an accident on the show’s test track in December 2022.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Women Talking,” which won Sarah Polley an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, was this weekend named best narrative feature at the Bali International Film Festival (aka the Balinale).Ashen Nadeem’s “Crows Are White” won the feature documentary prize and “The Tone Wheels,” by Yuda Kurniawan, was named winner of the Gary L Hayes Award for Indonesian Filmmaker. The festival jury called “The Tone Wheels” “an outstanding endeavor that transported us into the backstreets of Jakarta on a captivating musical journey.” The film depicts a busking village where dreams flourish, despite the scarcity of resources and equipment.