EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video Italy has ordered a six-part comedy-drama in the “tone in the director of Fleabag” from Italian producer Groenlandia.
22.06.2023 - 20:39 / variety.com
Naman Ramachandran Paramount+ Australia has greenlit a second, eight-part season of hit crime drama series “Last King of The Cross.” Inspired by John Ibrahim’s autobiography, the series charts the rise of a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects to Australia’s most infamous nightclub mogul and is set in Sydney’s decadent Kings Cross district in the late 1980s and 1990s. Season 2 (8 x 60′) will further explore the dangerous world of Kings Cross, as Ibrahim expands his empire into the booming queer nightclub scene. Set against the backdrop of the ecstasy-fueled 2000s, the stakes are higher than ever before, and everyone wants a piece – including John’s two younger brothers.
Produced by Helium, with Cineflix Rights as exclusive worldwide distribution partner, “Last King of The Cross” has sold wide including a presale to Sky in the U.K., Italy, Ireland and Germany, together with Paramount+ in Canada and Warner Bros. Discovery in New Zealand, with more deals in negotiations. Helium’s Mark Fennessy said: “After the outstanding success of season 1, we are incredibly excited for ‘Last King of The Cross’ to return for an electrifying second season. Bigger, bolder, and even more action-packed, we are eager to share the next chapter of this compelling story. As is evident by the international sales, ‘Last King of The Cross’ has been embraced globally, which has fueled Helium’s commitment to telling gripping stories on a grand scale, delivering immersive and powerful narratives that resonate with audiences around the world. With unforgettable characters, explosive action, and complex relationships, the second season goes above and beyond in fulfilling this commitment – taking audiences on an
EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video Italy has ordered a six-part comedy-drama in the “tone in the director of Fleabag” from Italian producer Groenlandia.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Unlike in the U.K., Spain and Sweden — where kings and queens are still formally heads of state — Italy’s royal family, the House of Savoy, no longer rules. The last heir to the Italian throne, Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy and his family were forced into exile in 1946, when the prince was 9. That year, the Italian people voted in a referendum about whether the monarchy should continue. They chose to create a republic and punished the royals for failing to save their country from Mussolini’s fascist regime. The Savoys were allowed to return in 2003 after 57 years of exile. In 1978, Vittorio Emanuele – the king who never was – got into trouble while he and his wife and kids were living on the island of Cavallo, on the south coast of Corsica, France. As reconstructed from eyewitness interviews in a new Netflix documentary, on a hot August night he became enraged when some loud “shitty Italians” “borrowed” the dinghy off his yacht and tied it to another nearby boat. Fuming, he took a rifle, went to one of their boats and, after shots from his rifle rang out – that were just meant to scare – someone got hurt. Dirk Hamer, a 19-year-old sleeping on another boat nearby, died of gunshot injuries in early December. Though it was never legally proven that Vittorio Emanuele killed Hamer, this incident had a big impact on the prince’s life.
Barack Obama,61, Michelle Obama, 59, and their daughters, Sasha, 22, and Malia, 24, recently visited Greece. On their itinerary was dinner at Cantina, a glamorous waterfront restaurant on the island of Sifnos.
Rolling Loud have spoken to NME about how it became the world’s largest hip-hop festival ahead of the second-ever edition taking place in Portugal this weekend.Established in Florida eight years ago, the festival was created by hip-hop event promoters Matt Zinger and Tariq Chief. In 2010, Zingler and Cherif started to organise monthly parties in Miami headlined by some of today’s most successful rappers – such as Rick Ross, Travis $cott and Kendrick Lamar.Rolling Loud was first held in a Florida warehouse and had six headliners; Schoolboy Q, Curren$y, A$AP Ferg, Action Bronson, Juicy J, and $cott.
EXCLUSIVE: Fox is to adapt Dutch physical quiz show The Floor.
Naman Ramachandran Julia Fox, breakout star of “Uncut Gems” has signed on as executive producer for Luis De Filippis’ debut feature “Something You Said Last Night.” The Canadian-Swiss project bowed at Toronto in 2022 and won the Shawn Mendes Change Maker Award there and went on to win major awards at San Sebastian, Cairo and Rotterdam. It stars emerging performer Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano (“Due South”), Paige Evans (“Trapped With My Husband”) and Joey Parro (“Nikita”). The trans themed story follows 20-something aspiring writer Ren (Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Evans) as they reluctantly accompany their parents on a family vacation.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production is under way on a second season of lesbian drama “Fragrance of the First Flower,” an Asian drama series from Taiwan’s GagaOOLala. The first season, comprising six episodes that debuted in 2021, follows the life of Yi-Ming (portrayed by Lin ZaiZai), a married woman with a son, who finds herself reunited with Ting-Ting (played by Cheng Lyan), a girl from her past. Their encounter sparks a connection that opens the door to the possibility of escaping Yi-Ming’s monotonous married life. In season two, expanded to 12 episodes, Yi-Ming embarks on a new chapter as a newly divorced single mother and a career woman. This fresh start brings challenges as she navigates the hardships of single parenthood and societal pressures. Even though Taiwan has legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, this does not mean that LGBTQ+ relationships have been fully accepted in mainstream society. Yi-Ming grapples with whether she can truly follow her heart and pursue a life with Ting-Ting. The original cast will return and new characters will be introduced.
Netta is back, and it’s “Everything”!
Naman Ramachandran Following its run on Paramount+, the second season of “Queen of the Universe” will land on streaming platform WOW Presents Plus as a box set. Produced by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” producers World of Wonder, and hosted by BAFTA-winner Graham Norton, the Eurovision-style series finds countries going head to head with their top drag queens putting their real singing voices to the test. In the second season, former Spice Girl Mel B joins returning judges including recording artist, three-time Emmy-winning producer and judge of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ Michelle Visage, multi-Emmy and Grammy nominee Vanessa Williams and American drag superstar Trixie Mattel.
Boots has announced plans to close 300 UK stores in an effort to consolidate branches within "close proximity" of each other.
Pink is already having a stellar 2023 after scoring her fourth UK Number 1 album in February with TRUSTFALL. The bop-packed album increased her tally of Top 40 singles to 38 after Never Not Gonna Dance Again and the Fred again..-produced TRUSTFALL peaked at Number 19 and Number 14 respectively.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Eye Eye Pictures, the banner recently launched by the producers of Joachim Trier’s Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World,” has started filming “Armand,” a feature film starring Cannes prizewinning actor Renate Reinsve. Charades has come on board to handle international sales on the film. “Armand” marks the feature debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, whose short film “Fanny” was nominated for an Amanda Award, Norway’s equivalent to the Oscars, in 2017. The story follows a 6-year-old boy, Armand, who is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school. While no one knows what actually happened between the two boys, the incident triggers a series of events, forcing parents and school staff into a captivating battle of redemption where madness, desire and obsession arise.
Pink is already having a stellar 2023 after scoring her fourth UK Number 1 album in February with TRUSTFALL. The bop-packed album increased her tally of Top 40 singles to 38 after Never Not Gonna Dance Again and the Fred again..-produced TRUSTFALL peaked at Number 19 and Number 14 respectively.
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.
Paramount+ crime drama Last King of the Cross, about legendary Australian underworld figure John Ibrahim, is getting a second season.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Twelve,” an award-winning Australian crime drama series, has been greenlighted for a second season. It is backed by the Foxtel group and its streaming brand Binge. The show follows a controversial murder trial seen through the lens of the jurors, twelve ordinary Australians who are facing their own realities and struggles. The first season received ten nominations, and won three AACTA Awards in 2022 including best miniseries. In recent days, it became the most nominated drama series at the 63rd TV Week Logie Awards. Season two of “The Twelve” will be eight 1-hour episodes written by Sarah Walker, Anchuli Felicia King, Anya Beyersdorf and Anna Barnes. Local authorities in Western Australia described it as the state’s “biggest-ever screen production,” but divulged no specifics on budget. Filming will take place in the Wheatbelt and Metropolitan regions and create over 100 local jobs, the state government said.
A post shared by The Pretenders (@thepretendershq)The Pretenders released their new single, “I Think About You Daily,” featuring a string arrangement from Radiohead’s and The Smile’s Johnny Greenwood. “I Think About You Daily” is the second single from their upcoming album LP “Relentless,” which releases Sept.
Daisy Kelliher found herself in an incredibly awkward situation in bed when she thought Colin MacRae was actually Gary King.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Mother of all Lies, a docu-drama film that probes the secrets of Morocco’s 1981 Bread Riots, was Sunday named the best picture at the Sydney Film Festival. The jury, headed by Anurag Kashyap, called the Asmae El Moudir-directed film “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous.” It presented the A$60,000 ($41,100) cash prize film ahead at the State Theatre ahead of the Australian premiere screening of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” The film, which uses doll-like figurines, recently premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, where it earned the section’s best director prize. “Juxtaposing evidence from barely existent public materials with private family memory, this film reconstructs the history of the state, the family and the individual, in three distinct levels,” said the jury of Kashyap, actor Mia Wasikowska (Australia), film curator and journalist Dorothee Wenner (Germany), writer and director Larissa Behrendt (Australia) and filmmaker Visakesa Chandrasekaram (Australia – Sri Lanka).
The adventures of “Queen of the Universe” season 2 are about to get bigger and better than ever before.