Paramount+ Acquires ‘French Roulette’ Series, Crime Family Saga Set in 1970s French Riviera (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent More than 180,000 people across France, including approximately 105,000 in Paris, took part in a civic march against antisemitism on Sunday, according to figures released by the interior ministry and police prefecture. Major political figures such as former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, as well as prime minister Elisabeth Borne and culture minister Rima Abdul Malak attended the march.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jasmina Kuhnke, a German-born writer, actor, author and activist, has signed with CAA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. Kuhnke’s debut novel, “Black Heart,” is a bestseller. The semi-autobiographical book recounts her experience growing up on the outskirts of the Ruhr region in Germany in the ’90s, and how she grappled with racism.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Hengameh Panahi, the celebrated French-Iranian producer who founded Celluloid Dreams and forged long-standing bonds with auteurs around the world, has died. She was 67.

EXCLUSIVE: Four years after his fourth acclaimed comedy special The Great Depresh premiered on HBO, comedian Gary Gulman has set his latest, Born on Third Base, to debut on Max. Directed and produced by James Webb (Mark Normand: Soup to Nuts), his new hour will debut on the streaming platform this December.

Christopher Vourlias HBO Max has acquired Central and Eastern Europe rights to “I Know Your Soul,” the crime drama series by Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić (“Quo Vadis, Aida?”). The show, which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is currently playing as part of the Agora Series TV strand of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Also included in the deal, which was brokered by Munich-based production and distribution outfit Beta Film, is the Serbian thriller “Children of Evil,” based on the best-selling novel by Miodrag Majić.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Consent,” an adaptation of Vanessa Springora’s bestselling book which sparked a belated #MeToo moment in France, has lured major distributors while thriving at the local box office and stirring social media buzz. Represented in international markets by Paris-based outfit SND, the film marks the sophomore outing of Vanessa Filho whose debut feature “Angel Face” stars Marion Cotillard and played at the Cannes Film Festival. Inspired by Springora’s real-life story, “Consent” tells the story of a teenage girl who is manipulated and sexually abused by a celebrated writer in his 50s.

Valerie Wu Intern Skybound Entertainment, the company behind animated TV series “Invincible,” has acquired the historic Spike & Mike’s animation events, with plans for a revival. Marge Dean, head of studio at Skybound Entertainment, announced the news at Toronto’s Animation Industry Conference (TAAFI) on Saturday. Spike & Mike began in the 1970s as a curator of animated shorts.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paris-based company 2425 Films, recently acquired by Mediawan, is working with a pool of rising filmmakers on timely movies, including Charly Delwart’s “1,5 degré,” Ilan Duran Cohen’s “Le coup d’apres” and Thomas Kruithof’s “Les Braises.” 2425 Films, founded by Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber, has been thriving with smart, high-concept commercial movies, such as Yann Gozlan’s “La boite noire” and “An Ideal Man,” as well as the thriller “Burn Out.” The company also presented Gozlan’s latest film, “Visions,” a thriller starring Diane Kruger (co-produced by Eagle Team Entetainment) at this year’s Angouleme Film Festival. Duran Cohen’s “Le coup d’apres” is a film set in the world of French politics, with a duo of French stars, Marina Fois and Laurent Laffite, who previously co-starred in “Papa ou Maman,” a French hit comedy franchise.

Emily Longeretta It turns out, you don’t have to wait — or pay. All 128 episodes of “Dawson’s Creek” are now available to stream on The CW app, Variety can exclusively announce. The fully ad-supported app, which has more than 96 million downloads, is available for free on all major platforms.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Aria Mia Loberti, the breakout star of Shawn Levy‘s Netflix limited series “All the Light We Cannot See,” has narrated a new audio edition of Jules Verne’s classic novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” Loberti, a writer, human rights advocate and Fulbright Scholarship recipient, made her acting debut in “All the Light We Cannot See,” an adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning novel which will premiere on Netflix Thursday. In the show, Loberti plays Marie-Laure, a courageous blind teenager living in Nazi-occupied France during WWII.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Gaumont is launching “Night Call,” a high-concept thriller set over the course of a night, directed by rising filmmaker Michiel Blanchart. Blanchart, who is repped by WME and Itaka Media, previously directed the short film “You’re Dead Hélène,” which was a festival standout and played at Clermont-Ferrand and Sitges, among other festivals. It also made the live action Oscar shortlist last year.

Matthew Perry never married or had children, but he had a large family that he was very proud of. After the sudden death of the famous ‘Friends’ actor at the age of 54, millions of fans around the world are in shock, and his loved ones are still struggling to come to terms with an unexpected farewell that has left them broken with grief.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Amazon MGM Studios, the renamed joint venture of Amazon Studios and MGM, has acquired rights to James Ponti’s popular children’s book series “City Spies” and is developing a film based on the first novel. The idea is for the initial installment to launch a global franchise, described by the company as a “four-quadrant action-adventure that will delight audiences of all ages and as a universe-building property for the studio.” The story follows a 12-year-old coding prodigy, who is recruited by an eccentric MI6 agent to join the City Spies, a team of kids from around the world who feel unnoticed in their own lives.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Legendary singer and songwriter Barry Manilow is set to star in a Christmas special at NBC, Variety has learned exclusively. Titled “Barry Manilow’s A Very Barry Christmas,” the one-hour special will air on NBC Dec. 11 at 10 pm ET/PT and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution (France), September Films (Benelux), Rialto Distribution (Australia), Future Films (Scandinavia), A Contracorriente (Spain), Lev Films (Israel), Aurora Films (Poland), Trigon (Switzerland), Alambique Films (Portugal) and Impact Films (India and Indian Subcontinent). Earlier this week, the crowdpleaser was also acquired by Roadside Attraction for the U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest points of contention in the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, back in France, Newen Studios has taken a deep dive into AI to deliver daily soaps, as well as source talent and pitch projects in their own metaverse space. During Mipcom, Newen’s head of innovation, Marianne Carpentier, launched the second edition of the banner’s Meta Pitch Contest.

Jaden Thompson Shane Brady’s upcoming horror-comedy “Hacked,” starring Chandler Riggs, Owen Atlas, Collin Thompson and Augie Duke, is set to begin production in Los Angeles and Tampa. The indie film was granted an interim agreement by SAG-AFTRA to begin production amid the union’s ongoing strike.

Netflix is developing a limited series inspired by John F. Kennedy’s life.Variety reported last Friday (October 13) that the series will be based on the book JFK: Coming Of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956 by Fredrik Logevall. Published in 2020, it is the first part of a two-volume biography of the former president, and details his birth up until his role as the junior U.S.

Paris-based pan-European production and distribution company Newen Studios has acquired a majority stake in independent production Felicita.

Caroline Brew editor Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment company, has acquired the U.S. rights to Connie Cocchia’s coming-of-age drama “When Time Got Louder.” The film will be released on Nov. 17 in select theaters and on VOD.