VR Production Company Atlas V Signs With CAA

Cristiano Ronaldo could reportedly be reuniting with his former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos in Saudi Arabia as Al-Nassr are said to have expressed an interest in the Paris Saint-Germain player.

The production company behind the film Rust has agreed to pay a fine of 100,000 US dollars to the New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB) following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021, The bureau issued a fine of 136,793 US dollars (£104,810) to the production company last April, the maximum allowable by state law in New Mexico. Under the settlement, which is pending approval, the bureau downgraded its claim from “wilful-serious” to a “serious” violation.

Aamu Film Company will invest in Jenni Jauri’s new production company Silmu Films, Variety has found out exclusively. Aamu, founded in 2001 and co-owned by Jussi Rantamäki and Emilia Haukka, has become a local arthouse powerhouse thanks to its festival-friendly slate, especially Juho Kuosmanen’s “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” and Golden Globe-nominated “Compartment No. 6,” awarded the Grand Prix in Cannes. “We had a good film with decent sales and we started to think about what we should do next,” Rantamäki said. “Aamu’s brand is simple and clear: we only work with a select few directors. We don’t want to change that; we don’t want to turn into a factory where you don’t know what is happening and with whom. So first we decided not to grow, and then realized we could invest in a new company instead.”

BBC Studios is gearing up for next week’s Showcase event by signing a global first-look deal with former Warner Bros. Australia TV boss Shaun Murphy.

BreAnna Bell Professional wrestler, actress, and model Mercedes Varnado has signed with UTA for representation in all areas. The agency will help her secure new opportunities across film, television, theater and more. Varnado is most recognized for her work in WWE under the name Sasha Banks. She exited that company in 2022 and now wrestles under the name Mercedes Moné. In January 2023, she appeared in New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17, which helped the company generate over 900,000 new users — the most in NJPW world history — and sell over 25k tickets, which marks the highest ticket sales for a non-WWE live event in the last three years.

HYBE Labels CEO Park Ji-won has issued a new open letter addressing the K-pop company’s recent acquisition of the majority stake in competing label SM Entertainment.The statement was published in Korean, English and Japanese earlier today (February 22) via HYBE’s official Twitter. It announced the completion of HYBE’s acquisition of a 14.8 per cent stake in SM, a deal which the company struck with SM founder and former chief producer Lee Soo-man earlier this month.This officially makes HYBE, home to the likes of BTS, SEVENTEEN, NewJeans and more K-pop acts, the single largest shareholder in SM.

Ben Croll Three-time Grammy winner Cécile McLorin Salvant will team with French studio Miyu Productions and Belgian animator Lia Bertels on “Ogresse,” a wry and irreverent fairytale inspired by a narrative performance piece the musician has toured since 2019. Described as a murder ballad set to a jazz tempo, the animated musical will hit tragicomic notes as it follows a forest-dwelling ogress, ostracized because of her physical difference and pursued by a young hunter determined to claim her heart in either love or combat. Salvant and Bertels — one a lauded vocalist and one a festival acclaimed auteur – will co-direct, marking their joint feature debut adapting the show for the big screen.

One of Stanley Kubrick’s lost projects, a large-scale biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, has been in the works for HBO for the last seven years.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Atlas V, the Emmy-award winning VR company, is expanding into the U.S. with the strategic appointment of Michael Masukawa. The banner has just been signed by CAA and is aiming to build a presence in the U.S. Atlas was just nominated for three Emmy awards and won one with its interactive animation “Madrid Noir.” Atlas V’s track record in the North American festival circuit also includes multiple selections at Sundance’s New Frontier, Tribeca and SXSW (where it won two awards). The company also previously won two Peabody prizes and two Webby awards. Masukawa is joining Atlas V from Secret Location, an immersive content studio owned by Hasbro and eOne. At Atlas V, he will be in charge of developing partnerships, raising project financing, producing projects and negotiating distribution deals for Atlas V’s content. He will also find opportunities for sister companies Astrea and Albyon, the first being focused on distribution and the second one on development of immersive experiences.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Kino Produzioni, the indie shingle that co-produced 2022 Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs,” is ramping up production with new films by emerging Italian filmmakers Carlo Sironi, Laura Luchetti and Irene Dionisio, as well as also Dutch director Michiel Van Erp and Argentine filmmakers María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat.  “We reached a turning point last year that started out well with the ‘Alcarràs’ victory,” said Kino chief Giovanni Pompili, speaking at the EFM. He noted that in 2022, the Rome-based outfit shot four films, “which for us was pretty challenging, but worked out well.” Meanwhile, the Kino team has grown. Producer Lara Costa-Calzado, who has been working for a decade between the U.S. and Europe on films such as Eliza Hittman’s Silver Bear winner “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” and Halina Rejin’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” has joined Kino as head of production.

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Morgan — the Academy Award-nominated producer of American Sniper formerly serving as a production exec at Katalyst Films and Gilbert Films — has announced the launch of TantrumPM, a development and production company that will look to produce uniquely accessible and important, A-list driven content.

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Subias, UTA partner and head of theater, is exiting the agency to take a newly created job at production company Smuggler.

Brent Lang Executive Editor CAA has signed Jonathan Rockefeller. The American-Australian producer, director, and writer, is the founder and owner of Rockefeller Productions. The production company has become a leader in family entertainment having partnered with the likes of Disney, Pixar, Lego, Colorado Rockies, Sesame Street, Eric Carle, Peanuts, and Paddington Bear to create large-scale puppetry stage adaptations and events across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Rockefeller Productions is currently working on a number of shows, including “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, which has a U.S. national tour, as well as a UK/Ireland tour, as well as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” which is based on the beloved children’s book by Eric Carle. Their recent productions include “Sesame Street: The Musical,” “Paddington Gets in a Jame,” and “The Golden Girls Show!: A Puppet Parody.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paradiso Media, the leading French podcast company launched three years ago, is set to produce several film and TV adaptations in partnerships with well-established players. Paradiso, which is kicking off its second fundraising round, has optioned seven podcasts for film and television. The banner has teamed with Cinefrance, the studio behind Cannes’ Directors Fortnight title “Falcon Lake,” to shoot the film adaptation of Paradiso’s podcast “En Tongs au pied de l’Himalaya” (“In Flip-Flops at the Base of the Himalayas”). Written by John Wax and Marie-Odyle Weiss, the project marks the first feature film based on a podcast in France. The story recounts a mother’s journey when her 8 year-old son is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and features testimonies from other parents, educators, health professionals, and people with ASD. Lensing will begin in February.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Cornerstone has struck several deals on Australian-made horror thriller “Sting,” about a huge and insatiable spider, which wrapped production this week. The film was licensed to Lucky Red (Italy), Diamond Films (Latin America, Spain, Portugal), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Kinoswiat (Poland), Pasatiempo Pictures (Baltics, CIS), Karantanija (Ex-Yogoslavia), Italia (Middle East), Filmfinity (South Africa) and Terry Steiner International (airlines). That is in addition to pre-existing deals with Studiocanal to release the film in will release in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Benelux. The film is directed by Kiah Roache-Turner (“Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead”) and stars Ryan Corr (“House of the Dragon,” “The Water Diviner”), Alyla Browne (“Three Thousand Years of Longing,” “Nine Perfect Strangers”), Penelope Mitchell (“Hellboy”), Robyn Nevin (“Top of the Lake”), Noni Hazlehurst (“The End”) and Jermaine Fowler.

French pay-TV giant Canal+ went on the offensive at a special event in Paris on Wednesday, promoting its historic role as the biggest supporter of local and international cinema in France and laying out its past track record and future plans. 

The fate of AMC Networks has always been determined by its controlling shareholders, the Dolan family, and now Kristin Dolan will get a chance to get the ailing programmer back on track.

Emily Longeretta Some of the biggest stars from “The Challenge” universe are coming together for the franchise’s first global tournament. “The Challenge: World Championship,” set to premiere on Paramount+ with two back-to-back episodes on March 8, will pair a “Challenge” legend — described as “a notable veteran from previous seasons of the MTV series” — with a global MVP. The MVPs include winners and top competitors from “The Challenge: USA,” The Challenge: Australia,” “The Challenge: Argentina” and “The Challenge: UK.” Each pair will work together to win a $500,000 prize. The cast includes previous stars of “Survivor,” “Love Island” and Bachelor Nation.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Major Japanese film group Toei Company has reorganized its senior management following the death of Tezuka Osamu, its CEO and president. And it unveiled a new ten-year plan that calls for investment and international expansion. Tezuka, who is not a relation of the late anime director of the same name, was 62. He joined Toei in April 1983 and worked for the company for close to 40 years, becoming a board director in 2012 and managing director in 2016. He was elevated to president and CEO in 2020. The cause of and precise date of Tezuka’s death was not revealed. A ceremony for family members will be held privately. Toei will hold a memorial event for colleagues and industry members.

Studiocanal has boarded development on part English-language thriller Smiling Hacker which is currently being written by Audrey Diwan.