Well Go USA Entertainment Buys Luke Bracey Psychological Thriller ‘Mercy Road’ From Arclight Films (EXCLUSIVE)

Criminal profiling introduced new monsters into the cultural lexicon in the 1970s when the “serial killer” concept entered the conversation. Television has long been fascinated by these types of criminals, from the long-running “Criminal Minds” to David Fincher’s brilliant “Mindhunter.” Now, Apple TV+’s latest limited series, “The Crowded Room” is taking a stab (excuse the pun) at psychological thriller territory.

2023 Tribeca Festival in June, Robert De Niro made a splash at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival, where the Oscar-winner's 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, made her debut on the carpet. Additionally, the actor's latest film,, made quite the impression on audiences during its world premiere. «It was great,» De Niro told ET's Rachel Smith about walking the carpet at the Cannes event with Chen in May.

Brent Lang Executive Editor No-holds-barred psychological warfare is about to break out as “Doubt: A Parable”returns to Broadway. Two theatrical heavyweights, Tyne Daly and Liev Schreiber, will try to put their own spin on the roles of a prickly nun and the reformist priest she fears may be doing the unthinkable. They are parts first portrayed on Broadway by Cherry Jones and Brían F. O’Byrne, she won a Tony and he was nominated, and later on screen by Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, both picked up Oscar noms. The play won a Tony and a Pulitzer for John Patrick Shanley. This revival arrives courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company and will be directed by Tony Award nominee Scott Ellis (“Tootsie,” “Take Me Out”). “Doubt: A Parable” will begin performances in February 2024 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway. The remaining cast members and design team will be announced at a later date.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Germany’s Beta has licensed Spanish special ops thriller “La Unidad – Kabul,” to Max for the U.S., the third instalment in one of Movistar Plus+’s longest running franchises, “La Unidad,” whose six episodes deliver an engrossing and sometimes shocking take on the 2021 Fall of Kabul. With the purchase, all 18 episodes of Spanish series “La Unidad” are now available to stream on Max in the U.S.   Beta has previously sold the thriller, spangled by action scenes and haunting in its sudden deaths, to 50 territories including France, Latin America, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Australia.  

EXCLUSIVE: India’s Zee Studios and Roy Kapur Films are collaborating on an action thriller featuring Shahid Kapoor in the lead. 

Disney+ Hotstar has announced School of Lies, a Hindi missing child drama from BBC Studios India.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent FilmRise, the New York-based film and TV studio and streaming network, and Canal+ Docs have boarded “Missing From Fire Trail Road,” Sabrina Van Tassel (“The State of Texas vs. Melissa”)’s long-gestated documentary film about the crimes against indigenous women. “Missing From Fire Trail Road” sheds light on the case of Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, a Native-American woman who disappeared in 2020, and exposes how hundreds of indigenous women continue to go missing in the US, perpetuating trans-generational trauma on Indian reservations. The announcement was made today by Max Einhorn, SVP of acquisitions and co-productions at FilmRise, Christine Cauquelin, head of documentaries at Canal+ and Van Tassel, who is also producing the feature.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Former Netflix exec Juan Mayne has hung up his own shingle, Madrid-based N&L Films, built with strong talent relationships, a strategic alliance with Exile Content Studio and a sure sense of market opportunities. Exile Content Studio and N&L Films have struck a first-look development deal. Jeff Glaser, who oversaw Netflix production finance in Mexico City and Madrid, has joined N&L Films.  N&L’s first slate include a Mexican remake of “Miracle in Cell No. 7” and “Aristides: A Righteous Life,” the true-life account of a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands from the Nazis in WWII, from Seanne Winslow.

As Sanctuary, Zachary Wigon’s twisted tale of a dominatrix and her wealthy client, opens in NY and LA, David Lancaster of producer Rumble Films recalls a speedy 18-day shoot on a custom-made set in Brownsville, Brooklyn in late summer of 2021. It was Covid, so not the easiest time for indie financing.

Naman Ramachandran Film and TV finance company FilmHedge has joined forces with Riveting Entertainment Group in a $25 million first-look financing production partnership to significantly expand Riveting Films. The companies will collaborate on a broad slate of feature length films with the first one planned to begin production within the year. The deal was revealed at the ongoing Cannes Film Market, where FilmHedge is a sponsor of the Producers Network and the International Film Finance Forum. In addition to the financing deal, film and TV production company Southbox Entertainment (“Collateral Data,” “Witch Hunt”) has the option to provide supplementary equity financing to the collaboration, as well as future productions from Riveting Films.

EXCLUSIVE: Mandalay Pictures (Air) Yale Entertainment, and Post Film have partnered to produce a new thriller titled Barron’s Cove, starring Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, X), and Hamish Linklater (The Big Short).

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International MUBI has acquired all rights for Kevin Macdonald’s John Galliano documentary from Newen Connect. The film “High & Low — John Galliano” has sold to MUBI for North America, U.K. and Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America, Benelux, Turkey and India. The streamer and distributor will reveal its theatrical release plans and streaming dates in the near future. Macdonald’s credits include the Oscar-winning “One Day in September,” “Touching the Void,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “Whitney” and, most recently, “The Mauritanian.” Widely recognized as one of the most influential and successful fashion designers of our time, Galliano dressed the most beautiful and famous women in the world for almost 15 years at Givenchy and Dior. He reinvented the fashion industry by transforming his runway shows into immersive fantasies and helped turn high-fashion from an elitist niche into a multi-billion-dollar global business.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent REInvent has closed a French deal on “The Angel Maker,” a psychological thriller starring a top Nordic cast including Julie R. Ølgaard (“The Killing”), Roland Møller (“Riders of Justice”), Christopher Læssø (“The Bridge”) and Stine Stengade (“Those Who Kill”). The banner has sold the film to Koba Films in France and will be hosting a market screening at Cannes on the 18th. “The Angel Maker” tells the story of crime detective Laura who is specialized within cybercrime. Laura is on sick leave with a psychosis after a birth depression and by coincidence she stumbles upon a case with a beastly serial killer which piques her interest and she decides that it is time for her to return to her job as a crime detective.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “Lobo Feroz,” the latest film from “La Casa Muda” director Gustavo Hernández, has sold to getting on half the world, underscoring the market punch of high-profile genre movies from name directors. Sold by FilmSharks International, “Lobo Feroz” has closed Australia and New Zealand (Palace Film), the U.S. and Spanish-speaking Latin America (ViX) and Russia/CIS (Nashe Kino).  A Spanish-language remake of Israel’s “Big Bad Wolves,” “Lobo Feroz” has also a licensed Taiwan (AV-Jet Intl. Media), Eastern Europe (AMC for TV/SVOD) and Uruguay (Alvaro Caso-ENEC Cine).  The Palace, Nashe Kino, AV-Jet and ENEC deals all have a theatrical component, said FilmSharks’ Guido Rud. France, Italy, Japan, Korea and Germany/GAS are in discussions, he added.

EXCLUSIVE: Eddie Izzard, Antonia Thomas, and John Hannah have joined Emile Hirsch in the psychological thriller Past Life from director and Grimmfest head Simeon Halligan.

Gregg Goldstein Start your engines! Virgil Films has acquired North American rights to the Ewan McGregor-narrated documentary “Speed Is Expensive: Philip Vincent and the Million Dollar Motorcycle,” featuring Jay Leno, Clash bassist Paul Simonon and seven-time world championship racer John Surtees. Lighbulb Film Distribution will release the doc in the U.K. and Ireland. Virgil is repping sales in almost all other international territories at the Cannes Film Market. Writer/director David Lancaster’s feature tells the story of Vincent, a flawed genius who began designing speed record-breaking bikes in England nearly a century ago. It follows Philip Vincent-Day as he embarks on a search for answers about his grandfather’s life and work. Leno, Simonon, Surtees and other Vincent bike aficionados offer their expert perspectives.

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, Chairman of sales and production company Arclight Films, have launched a new production company called Simmons/Hamilton Productions.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, chairman of Arclight Films, have launched Simmons/Hamilton Prods. to develop, finance and produce feature films. The standalone banner will produce 25 movies over an initial five-year period, with a focus on action, thriller and genre titles with global franchise potential. The company is backed by a multi-billion dollar fund manager that is providing slate financing through a revolving finance facility. Arclight Films’ CFO Brian Beckmann was responsible for closing the slate funding deal. All films created under the new company — which was first discussed five years ago, and recently firmed up — will be produced by Simmons and Hamilton, both of whom are in Cannes for the festival. The focus is to build a feature film production company, targeting original theatrical product that can be developed into franchise properties.

Selome Hailu The Onyx Collective comedy pilot “Deli Boys” has been ordered to series at Hulu, with Brian George added as a series regular. 20th Television serves as the studio.Created by Abdullah Saeed, the half-hour, 10-episode series stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh as Mir and Raj Dar, respectively.

Brent Lang Executive Editor David Schuster’s Gloves Up Entertainment and Dennis Latos’ Latos Entertainment have partnered to option David L. Bluder’s novel, “The Great Gamble.” They will also produce the psychological horror film, “It Comes Back” with Elise Finnerty set to direct.  Schuster (HBO’s “The Survivor”) and Latos (Tribeca winning short, “Leylak”) will develop and produce the projects jointly within each of their own respective banners. Additionally, the duo is developing several other high-profile projects and are expanding their catalogue of intellectual property in the film and television space. According to the official description: “‘The Great Gamble’ follows two FBI agents who embark on a classified operation as they begin uncovering the deceptive and corrupt universe of gambling and sports betting previously hidden from the eyes of fans in the United States.” The novel was published by Ice Cube Press in March 2020.