Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon Nazi Historical Thriller ‘Nuremberg’ to Launch Sales Through WME Independent in Cannes – Film News in Brief

EXCLUSIVE: First came Cocaine Bear and Cocaine Shark. Now meet Cocaine Werewolf.

As sci-fi fans around the world excitedly countdown the final few hours until Doctor Who returns to our screens, all eyes will be on Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa as he becomes the fifteenth iteration of the world renowned Time Lord. Joined by new companion Millie Gibson in the role of Ruby Sunday, the dynamic duo will be exploring the universe - both time and space - while coming face to face with some of their most formidable foes yet. But while Ncuti is new to the role, show runner Russell T Davies was so impressed by his performance he even revealed that he believes the star may be destined to join another global franchise in the coming years! In an interview to promote the new series, Russell opened up about what made him choose Gatwa for the role and where he thinks the star will end up.

Coronation Street star James Laurenson, renowned for his long-standing career in TV and film, has sadly passed away at the age of 84.

The Last Of Us and Game Of Thrones star Bella Ramsey is taking on a challenging and provocative role as they have been set to play the British terrorist Sherafiyah Lewthwaite, aka the White Widow, one of the West’s most wanted terrorism suspects.

EXCLUSIVE: London-based sales outfit Rapt Films International has acquired worldwide sales rights to Benjamin Howard’s debut US film Riley and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Market. 

Alex Ritman Paul Walter Hauser has added another project to a packed upcoming slate. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner, who in the last few weeks alone has been tapped to play Chris Farley in Josh Gad’s biopic and has joined the cast of both “Fantastic Four” and the “Naked Gun” reboot, is to lead “Press Your Luck,” a drama-thriller based on the true story of Michael Larson. Protagonist Pictures has unveiled the drama-thriller — from Plenty Good in co-production with Fabula — alongside a first look image and will handle international sales, while CAA Media Finance represents North American rights.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) will re-team with his Unhinged director Derrick Borte on the action-thriller Bear Country.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell lead the nominations for the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards, both picking up nods in each of the three categories in which they were eligible — album of the year, song of the year and artist of the year. Longtime favorite Childers is up for “Rustin’ In The Rain” for album and “In Your Love” for song. Ferrell, who has risen quickly through the ranks to become an Americana queen, is nominated for “Trail of Flowers” for best album and “American Dreaming” for top song.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Olivia Colman and John Lithgow head the cast of “Jimpa,” a multi-generational family tale involving a nonbinary teenager and her mother who take a trip to see their gay grandfather. The Australia- and Europe-set film is directed by Sophie Hyde, whose most recent film was the breakout “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.” The film is now in its third week of production in Amsterdam and will later shoot in Adelaide, Australia and Helsinki, Finland. Rights to the film are being handled by Protagonist Pictures in much of the world and by CAA Media Finance in North America, with sales kicking off at the Cannes Market next week.

The number of police officers in Scotland has dropped again to its lowest level in more than 15 years, with almost 260 officers having left the force in the last year alone.

EXCLUSIVE: Erik Osterholm, longtime Bourdain producer/director and Down To Earth co-creator Michael Simkin launch Ultra Boom Media. The two producers are joining forces to create Ultra Boom Media alongside Oscar/Emmy nominated filmmaker Omar Mullick and veteran media and creative exec Carrie Kaylor.

Alex Ritman Samuel L. Jackson and Henry Golding are set to lead the cast of psychological sci-fi thriller “Head Games,” to be directed by Anthony Mandler (“Surrounded,” “Monster”) from a script by Colin Liddle (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”) Range Media Partners’ Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger will produce with Brillstein Entertainment Partners’ Josh Glick and Everlast Pictures’ Adonis Tountas.

Brent Lang Executive Editor FilmNation and Charades are teaming up to present “Alpha,” the new film from Julia Ducournau, to buyers at Cannes. It’s the same place where Ducournau caused a sensation with 2021’s “Titane,” her subversive and divisive body horror film, which won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top award.

Louis Leterrier (Fast X) will direct and produce 11817, a sci-fi horror film scripted by Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying) that is being presented to buyers at Cannes by Rocket Science.

Niamh Algar (Mary & George) and Tom Hollander (White Lotus) are leading a Sky thriller series about a code-breaking genius from Luther creator Neil Cross.

Simon Curtis’ upcoming comedy Encore, about a group of veteran actors whose passion for their profession is reignited through a retirement home production, has gathered a quartet of Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy winning stars for the ensemble cast.

EXCLUSIVE: Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) and Abbie Cornish (Three Billboards) have come aboard to star opposite Kal Penn in Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, a new film from writer-director Thane Economou (The Wedding Party) that will launch sales at the Cannes Market.

Shogun director Jonathan van Tulleken will lead a TV adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley‘s debut novel, The Loney.

Naman Ramachandran “Joyguru,” a fictionalized account of the life of Indian mystic artist and music icon Parvathy Baul, will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Parvathy Baul is a leading exponent of the syncretic Baul minstrel music tradition that is hugely popular and culturally influential across eastern India and Bangladesh. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Soumyajit Majumdar (“#Homecoming”), the film will follow folk music icon Radhika Das Baul and popular Bollywood film music director Ritwik during their unlikely collaboration for a pioneering music album of Baul songs transcreated in Hindi, where they form a unique bond, a few days before her sudden and mysterious disappearance from her ashram near Shantiniketan, India.

Kate Hudson is opening up about where things stand with her father, Bill Hudson.