Iceland Showbiz Latest News and Updates

An "alarming" volcanic eruption took place earlier tonight - resulting in lava spewing hundreds of feet into the air. A state of emergency has been declared after the incident in Iceland earlier this evening.

EXCLUSIVE: Pierre Morel, the veteran action director behind Taken, has been tapped to direct a feature based on the popular racing NFT Reactor Motors from the company of the same name, Deadline has learned.

When Icelandic directors Smari Gunn and Logi Sigursveinsson set out to make The Home Game, they couldn’t have imagined the response this small, local Icelandic documentary would gather on the festival circuit. The film, which follows a group of spirited underdogs as they fight for local soccer glory, is coming off the back of a rapturous reception at the Glasgow Film Festival, where it won the fest’s prestigious Audience Award. It previously screened at the Tromso International Film Festival, DOC NYC and Nordisk Panorama.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Thailand is poised to get serious about its commitment to the film industry, and plans to launch a major new body, the Thailand Creative Culture Agency, with a budget of THB7 billion ($200 million). Long a destination for Hollywood, China and India productions, and currently playing host to the lensing of Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” Thailand has many of the elements that could contribute to building a major film industry. These include diverse locations, skilled crews, studio facilities and a location production, or incentive, scheme.

Darts has experienced a surprising boost in the last year, with players becoming household names. It's a phenomenon that seems to be down to Luke Littler.

William Earl administrator SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses plot points from “The Piper.” Horror Film School is a feature in which talent in front of and behind the camera share the ins and outs of creating the biggest onscreen scares. Icelandic director Erlingur Thoroddsen‘s latest film is “The Piper,” starring Charlotte Hope and the late Julian Sands. The indie horror feature follows a musician hoping to finish a lost piece of music that may conjure up the evil entity that was the inspiration for the dark German legend “Pied Piper of Hamelin.” From a fiery opening to a enigmatic midsection to a bonkers ending act that evokes VHS-era supernatural slashers like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Wishmaster,” Thoroddsen’s film works because of its clever pacing, walking a tightrope between thrills and mysteries.

K.J. Yossman Clémence Poésy and Emily Beecham have joined the cast of eleventh century period drama “King & Conqueror.” Based on Middle Ages figures Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy, the upcoming BBC/CBS Studios series stars “Happy Valley’s” James Norton as Harold and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) as William. Beecham (“1899”) joins as Harold’s wife Edith Swan-neck while Poésy (“In Bruges”) will play William’s wife Matilda.

TV presenter Vicky Pattison insists she can handle sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic Circle – because she’s from Newcastle.The 36-year-old once celebrated her birthday in winter wearing just a grass skirt and a coconut bra. She laughed, “I remember on my 17th birthday me and the lasses went out dressed as hula girls wearing grass skirts and coconut bras in Newcastle in November. If that’s not training for this, I don’t know what is!” She might love a daft laugh, but Vicky is determined to complete the challenge, if it takes all her strength.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer “The Last Animal,” the award-winning bestselling novel from Ramona Ausubel, has been snatched up for film adaptation by production companies Walden Media and Big Beach. Ry Russo-Young has been set to direct the feature based on the emotionally resonant story.

Sigur Rós have announced a US tour for later this year, where they wil play with a full orchestra.The Icelandic trio had previously played with the Wordless Music Orchestra last summer, and now they’ll be linking up again for eight dates across the US. They’ll kick things off in Detroit on September 19 before paying visits to Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Durham, Miami, and Nashville.

Popular royal couple Zara and Mike Tindall have recently returned to the UK from a holiday to Iceland. Seemingly without their three children, Mia, 10, Lena, five, and Lucas, two, the pair clearly had a great time away as Mike offered an insight into the trip on his Instagram account.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent A rare flagship indie producer left on the French market, Bruno Nahon‘s Paris-based company Unité is preparing to conquer international audiences with “Rematch,” a period psychological thriller chronicling the historical battle between world chess champion Garry Kasparov (Christian Cooke, “That Dirty Black Bag”), and IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997. The sprawling show, directed by Yan England (“The Red Band Society”) and co-created with Nahon and André Gulluni (“Sam”), was commissioned by Arte in France and has already been sold by Federation Studios to major outlets around the world, including HBO Europe for Spain, Portugal, the Nordics, Iceland, Baltics, Central Europe, Greece and the Netherlands.

Shygirl, Bar Italia, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, Joy (Anonymous) and more have been announced as performers for Iceland Airwaves 2024.The festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will take place from November 7 through 9 in downtown Reykjavik. Other acts set to perform at the music fest include Saya Gray, Magdalena Bay, Anish Kumar, Inspector Spacetime, Úlfur Úlfur, Klemens Hannigan and more.“We are incredibly proud to be celebrating not only 25 years of Iceland Airwaves, but 25 years of playing a key part in the careers of some of the world’s most talented artists,” said Ísleifur Þórhallsson, Festival Manager for Iceland Airwaves in a Press release.He continued: “Over the years we have seen many of our Airwaves alumni grow from strength to strength, often developing into some of the industry’s most acclaimed artists.

K.J. Yossman Scooter Braun, Emmy Rossum and Helen Mirren are among 400 celebrities and industry executives who’ve signed an open letter supporting Israel’s inclusion in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Although there has been no suggestion the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the annual singing competition, has any intention of barring Israel from the event, the open letter has been published in response to a handful of fringe voices calling for a ban.

A group of 400 actors, musicians and entertainment execs including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber and Gene Simmons have penned an open letter supporting the decision for Israel to remain in the Eurovision Song Contest.

As the Grammys approached, you could feel the excitement building! It was the night where the music industry came together to celebrate talent, creativity, and, of course, style. There was one crucial aspect of rehearsals, fittings, and last-minute preparations that often get overlooked: self-care. Today, we’re going to spill the tea on how to prepare for the Grammys or any Hollywood event by staying hydrated and embracing the right wellness trends for that red carpet glow.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The CGI animated sequel to “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness,” the hit adventure film based on the Dark Horse comics which sold around the world, has lured buyers ahead of the European Film Market. Titled “Chickenhare and the Very Very (Very) Old Groundhog,” the movie is budgeted at $23 million (a large budget by European production standards) and brings back the creative team behind the first film.

We’ve teamed up with Iceland and The Food Warehouse with a fantastic offer! You can get one free Keelings product in-store in participating Iceland and Food Warehouse stores from Thursday February 15 until close of stores on Monday February 19, 2024.

The British producer of Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness has sounded the alarm on the state of the UK’s independent film industry.

EXCLUSIVE: Picture Tree International (PTI) has acquired international sales rights for Icelandic box office hit Grand Finale (Fullt hús) for an EFM launch.

It's been 25 years since Kerry Katona catapulted to fame as part of girlband Atomic Kitten, and since then, she's made quite the name for herself when it comes to the small screen too - starring in a number of reality shows. But now, the mother-of-five has dreams of becoming an actress.Taking to her weekly column, Kerry, 43, shared her hopes of starring in a scripted comedy.

Annika Pham Seasoned actor Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (“The Minister,” “The Valhalla Murders”) has joined Icelandic counterparts Aníta Briem (“The Tudors”, “As Long as We Live”) and Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir (“Paris of the North”, “Happily Never After”), successful female actors who have made with panache the leap to screenwriting, sharing the distinction of a nomination for best screenplay of a Nordic drama series. Flying Iceland’s flag at this year’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, to be handed out Jan.

Annika Pham Belgian group Lumiere has signed as co-producer – via its production arm Lunanime – and distributor for Benelux of the Icelandic crime drama “Haze” from Iceland’s seasoned showrunner Sigurjón Kjartansson (“Trapped” Season 1 & 2, “Katla”). The eight-part series, produced by Kjartansson’s S800 for Icelandic pubcaster RÚV, will be showcased at Göteborg’s TV Drama Vision among a handful of standout Nordic series in development.

Elsa Pataky is clearing the record. The actress has addressed her relationship with Chris Hemsworth in a new interview, shedding a light on their marriage and some of the challenges that arise out of being involved in a long term relationship. Elsa Pataky & Chris Hemsworth look ripped in new family beach photosElsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth hold hands as they get lunch in AustraliaIn an interview with our sister website HOLA! SPAIN, Pataky addressed many topics, including her health, her new partnership with Biotherm, her children, and her marriage.

Björk and Philip Glass are among the musical guests that have been announced for the new album by US electronic producer Jlin.The eleven-track album is called ‘Akoma’ and will be released via Planet Mu Records on March 22. Jlin has also shared the first track from it, ‘The Precision of Infinity’, which features the legendary minimalist composer Glass.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will be coming to the big screen, along with a sneak peek at the new season.Described as an extra-sized blockbuster experience, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- will allow fans to revisit the finale of the Swordsmith Village Arc while also getting a glimpse at the highly anticipated Hashira Training Arc (season four).The upcoming event marks the first time the finale of the Swordsmith Village Arc has ever been shown in cinemas, and also the first-ever showing of the Hashira Training Arc‘s beginning.Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- will screen in UK cinemas from February 23.

Annika Pham Red Arrow Studios International has inked a deal with Portuguese pubcaster RTP on the Icelandic family drama series “Descendants,“ from “Quake“ helmer Tinna Hrafnsdóttir. The show is vying for the €20,000 ($21,600) Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for best Nordic screenplay at the Göteborg Film Festival‘s forthcoming TV Drama Vision confab.

Cosmopolitan’s Sex After 60 issue.“Sex right now is more wonderful and passionate than anything I ever remember because it is built on trust, love, and experience,” Seymour wrote.She continued to note how she now “knows myself and my body.” “John has had his own experiences in his life — it’s not like when you’re younger,” she said.“Your sex life doesn’t need to end at 60. At the end of the day, everyone is looking for something that puts blood into a certain area.”The “Wedding Crashers” alum added: “When you can figure that out, well, you’re going to be a happy camper.”Seymour and her beau announced they were dating in October 2023 in a cute Instagram photo.

Annika Pham Paris-based The Party Film Sales has boarded renowned Icelandic auteur Rúnar Rúnarsson’s fourth pic, “When the Light Breaks,” which is selected for Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market’s works in progress session.Rúnarsson serves as producer together with Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films, in co-production with local banner Halibut, Holland’s Revolver, France’s Eaux Vives/Jour2Fête and Croatia’s MP Film. Lauded for his coming-of age tales set against Iceland’s majestic scenery, Rúnarsson saw his international breakthrough in 2008 with his Oscar-nominated short “Two Birds.” Since then, he has delivered equally poetic fare in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2011 entry “Volcano,” San Sebastian 2015 winner “Sparrows “ and 2019 Valladolid and Lübeck fest winner “Echo.” As in his earlier works, Rúnarsson was inspired by a personal event for “When the Light Breaks”.

SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains details from the season premiere of True Detective: Night Country.