Viaplay Group Sets New Operating Model, Management Team in Nordics to Face Economic Downturn

easyJet has launched some new flights from two Scottish airports this festive season, including a new route from Edinburgh to Lapland. The budget airline has also put some brand new holiday packages on sale for six of the eight routes, reports Wales Online.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline spoke to Nordic distributor Scanbox about why it made sense to join new European film and TV studio Vuelta Group, which we revealed earlier this morning.

EXCLUSIVE: A significant shakeup in the European indie film space is underway with the formation of new studio Vuelta Group, Deadline can reveal.

K.J. Yossman In 2012, a Dutch company called Mars One announced grand plans to colonize the red planet. Over 200,000 people applied to participate in the effort and become the first humans in the universe to establish a permanent colony on Mars. Seven years later, Mars One collapsed into bankruptcy among accusations of mismanagement and the dream to send humans to live on Mars died. Now Ridley Scott Associates (RSA Films), the “Alien” director’s commercial production company, is set to make a documentary series about the enterprise after signing an exclusive access agreement with Mars One founder Bas Lansdorp, Variety can confirm.

Eva María Daniels, producer on the 2020 Mark Wahlberg-starrer Joe Bell and EP on the recent Sydney Sweeney vehicle Reality from HBO, has died. The news was announced by friend, filmmaker and fellow Icelander Börkur Sigthorsson. She was 43.

Tyler Labine, who starred as Dr. Iggy Frome on all five seasons of NBC medical drama New Amsterdam, is facing his own personal medical situation. The actor says he’s slowly recovering from a “potentially fatal blood clot” in his intestines and liver, that fortunately was caught in time. Labine shared the news in an Instagram post on Saturday.

Marta Balaga Once again, 10 promising directors are making their way to Karlovy Vary Film Festival thanks to European Film Promotion’s Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema initiative, ready to burst onto the international film scene. “Over the past few years, we have established a reliable label with Future Frames,” says Sonja Heinen, EFP’s managing director, adding that the goals have remained the same: spotlighting talent, creating visibility for the emerging directors, and helping them access the market. “Being selected gives them a certain stamp of approval. They get a platform to exchange and experience, and are equipped with coaching which they can use later in their career,” adds Nora Goldstein, project director.  

Charli XCX has shared a brand new single ‘Speed Drive’, which is set to feature in the soundtrack for the Barbie movie. Check it out below.The track is the latest to be taken from the film’s upcoming soundtrack, and follows hot on the heels of ‘Barbie World’, a recent hit by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice.Adding to the singer’s growing collection of songs about cars, ‘Speed Drive’ may be brief — coming in at less than two minutes long — but still manages to pack a punch as one of the most energetic songs on the soundtrack.Kicking in immediately with electronic melodies and a highly boosted bass, the pop star bursts into the song with a nod to the Toni Basil hit 1981 single ‘Mickey’ — “Oh, Barbie, you’re so fine / You’re so fine you blow my mind,” she sings.

James Blake has announced his new album ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven’ and shared its lead single ‘Big Hammer’.‘Playing Robots In Heaven’ is set for release on September 8 via Polydor/ Republic. The album will see Blake return to his electronic roots seen within his earlier works, such as 2013’s ‘Overgrown’ and 2010’s ‘Klavierwerke’.Blake also released its first single ‘Big Hammer’ from the LP.

Viaplay has unveiled a new operating model as it battles the economic downturn.

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.

The BBC is bringing Enid Blyton's The Famous Five books to life through a new TV series. The three-part series will be the first time the BBC has ever adapted The Famous Five for the screen.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Prime Video has unveiled 12 new unscripted reality and entertainment series coming to the Nordics, including an adaptation of the hit format “LOL: Last One Laughing” for Denmark and Norway. The streamer has also renewed the Swedish version of “LOL: Last One Laughing” for a second season. All Nordic versions of “LOL: Last One Laughing” are filmed and produced in Sweden by Jarowskij in Sweden, Metronome in Denmark and Nordisk Banijay in Norway. New Prime Video shows also include the Norwegian docu-reality series “Girls of Oslo,” a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of of well-known influencers Sophie Elise, Isabel Raad, Nora Haukland and Anniken Englund Jørgensen. “Girls of Oslo” is produced by Salto Film and will launch this Fall on Prime Video in Norway.

Prime Video’s unscripted originals push in the Nordics is continuing.

Dove Cameron is rocking a new look these days! – Just Jared Jr Sarah Jessica Parker explains why she never wore nail polish on Sex and the City – Celebitchy Bethenny Frankel is getting dragged on social media – DListed Rachel Zegler has booked a fun new movie role – Just Jared Jr

Gwen Stefani has just dropped her new single, “True Babe”.

Manchester City captain and former England Lioness skipper Steph Houghton continues to voice her unwavering support for her international teammates ahead of this Summer’s World Cup - despite her own squad snub.

A man said he has been left 'really upset' after renewing his passport to find that his new travel document still mentions the late Queen. Ian Thompsett described the situation as a "disgusting total insult to her memory" and said British passports should "respect Charles as the King".

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is in production on a documentary series about Paolo Macchiarini, a disgraced surgeon convicted of gross assault for implanting artificial windpipes in patients who later died.

K.J. Yossman Embracer Group, the Swedish gaming conglomerate that snapped up the rights to “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” in a surprise deal last summer, has finally revealed how much it paid – and it seems like they got a bargain. The Karlstad-headquartered company has confirmed it spent SEK 4.2 billion – $395 million at today’s conversion rates – to acquire Middle-Earth Enterprises from the Saul Zaentz Company last August. At the time the deal was announced, Embracer and Saul Zaentz declined to say how much the “Lord of the Rings” holding company had sold for. But estimates at the time projected the rights – which include worldwide rights to films, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions – were worth up to $2 billion.