Exclusive: Cozy crime is hot and viewers in Canada, Scandinavia and Japan can get a fresh hit after Cineflix scored new international deals for Whitstable Pearl.

Based on the popular Julie Wassmer novels, the series stars Kerry Godliman (After Life) as Pearl Nolan. She divides her time between serving up seafood in her restaurant in the English seaside town of the title, and solving the crimes and murder brought in by the tide. Howard Charles (The Musketeers) is a cop, Mike McGuire, and her on-off rival and love interest.

The series is from Marcella producer Buccaneer and for AMC Networks’ Acorn TV, which has greenlit three seasons thus far. Cineflix Rights handles sales. Corus in Canada has now bought all three seasons, Warner Bros. Discovery has season 1. Nhk in Japan has snagged season 2.

Svt in Sweden, Nrk in Norway, Dr and TV2 in Denmark have all bought season 3, as has...

Exclusive: Viaplay will debut scripted shows Rebus and Ronja the Robber’s Daughter in the U.S. in November.

Both shows were Viaplay originals that were sold after the streamer retooled last year in a face of financial challenges, and now come to Viaplay’s U.S. service through Viaplay Content Distribution.

Rebus stars Richard Rankin (Outlander) in the title role as the gruff Scottish detective. Set in Edinburgh, the crime thriller reimagines the John Rebus character as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crosses the line into criminality.

It will debut on Thursday, November 7, with all six episodes available via the Viaplay U.S. service, which is distributed through third-party platforms.

The show launched on BBC One in the UK earlier this year and did solid linear and streaming numbers. Originally produced by Eleventh Hour Films...

The BBC on Thursday unveiled an original new drama from screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (Time, Cracker, The Street) which will explore “the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on one family.”

Emmy winner Anna Friel (Marcella, Pushing Daisies), who was BAFTA-nominated for her previous work with McGovern in Broken, leads the cast alongside Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne, Sas Rogue Heroes), BAFTA winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends, Poppy Shakespeare), BAFTA winner David Threlfall (Nightsleeper, Shameless, Housewife 49) and Mark Womack (The Responder, Playing the Field, Moving On).

Further casting will be unveiled “in due course,” the BBC said.

Directed by Julia Ford (Showtrial, The Bay, Safe), the as-yet-untitled 90-minute single drama will be made by LA Productions (Broken, Anthony, Care) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

“Set and filmed in Liverpool, the fictional drama centers around the Mitchell family who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse,...

Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin are set to star in a new BBC drama from “Time” creator Jimmy McGovern.

The as yet untitled 90-minute drama will explore the themes of grooming and sexual abuse in the context of one family, the Mitchell family, who must grapple with the aftermath of abuse after the perpetrator – a relative – is released from prison.

Bobby Schofield (“Time”), David Threlfall (“Nightsleeper”) and Mark Womack (“The Responder”) star alongside Friel, who is known for her work on “Marcella” and “Pushing Daisies” and “Motherland’s” Maxwell Martin.

More casting is set to be confirmed in due course.

Julia Ford (“Showtrial”) will direct. LA Productions (“Broken”) are producing. Donna Molloy is also a producer. McGovern exec produces alongside Colin McKeown for LA Productions and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.

McGovern is known for creating a plethora of popular dramas including “Cracker” and the prison series “Time,...

Lady in the Lake is a thriller drama miniseries created by Alma Har’el. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by author Laura Lippman, the Apple TV+ series is set in the 1960s in Baltimore and it follows the story of Maddie Schwartz, an investigative journalist as she leaves her overbearing husband to pursue her career and finds herself entangled into two mysterious murders, and she comes in direct conflict with a woman working to advance the agenda of the city’s African American community. Lady in the Lake stars Natalie Portman in the lead role with Moses Ingram, Y’lan Noel, Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Noah Jupe, Josiah Cross, Mikey Madison, and Pruitt Taylor Vince starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling mystery and enticing drama in Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake, here are some similar shows for you to watch next.

Sharp Objects...

5X Media, an international production studio, talent management and TV/film sales company launched in January 2023, has signed a deal with longtime industry executive Anthony Kimble to develop its international production and talent representation business.

Kimble, a former National Geographic and Cineflix executive, moves to 5X as a producer and manager. He will continue to work under his 5-year-old Arrested Industries banner, bringing more than 20 feature films, TV projects and documentaries into the 5X fold.

They include the dark comedy “Becoming Eve,” with “Nurse Jackie” co-creator Evan Dunsky attached as showrunner; “Bitter Eden,” based on the novel; “JoJo: Finally Home,” the Sunday Times’ best-selling memoir of Johannes Radebe; and 10 additional film and TV projects resulting from a joint venture partnership between Arrested and Helena Spring Films.

At 5X, Kimble will split his time between Cape Town, London and Los Angeles, continuing to focus on the international marketplace and spearhead his development slate.

Exclusive: Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions has hired Victoria Fea, the former ITV commissioner who co-founded Longboat Pictures.

Fea joins Snowed-In as an executive producer in June, reporting to CEO Ruth Kenley-Letts. Her appointment follows the departure of Jenny van der Lande to Big Talk Studios.

Snowed-In is behind projects including Itvx’s upcoming Sophie Turner series Joan and Mrs Wilson, the BBC’s Ruth Wilson drama. It also made The Midwich Cuckoos for Sky.

Fea said Snowed-In had a reputation for “classy” television, while Kenley-Letts paid tribute to van der Lande’s tenure at the company.

Longboat Changes

Fea’s exit from Longboat follows an ownership change at the production company she co-founded in 2019 with Julie Anne Robinson, a director who has worked on Doctor Who and Bridgerton.

Sky exited Longboat last year after taking a 25% stake in the company in 2020. Longboat is now wholly owned by The Story Collective,...

Exclusive: Blackwater Pictures, the British indie production company behind the buzzy biopic about the life of veteran Snooker player Jimmy White, has set up what they describe as a “multi-million-pound” fund to support commercially-minded independent British films.

Helmed by Kevin Harvey and Antoine Dixon-Bellot, Blackwater Pictures will commit to supporting five projects as part of a slate focused on emerging directors. The fund will prioritize “commercial independent British films,” organizers said today.

The fund is being managed in collaboration with BAFTA-nominated producer Tiernan Hanby (The Karman Line, Summit Fever, Heavyweight) of Pin Sharp Pictures and Simon Marriott of development & production company Shout Loud Creative. Money for the fund was raised through private equity and personal funds.

The slate currently includes Antecedent, the directorial feature debut of Dan Bronzite. He is best known for his supernatural horror Long Time Dead produced for Working Title Films/Universal...

Nicholas Pinnock (The Book of Clarence) has been set for the male lead in Peacock’s limited series suspense thriller Long Bright River, Deadline has learned. He’s set to star opposite Amanda Seyfried, who will also serve as executive producer.

An adaptation of Liz Moore’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, Long Bright River tells the story of Mickey (Seyfried), a police officer who patrols a Philadelphia neighborhood hard-hit by the opioid crisis. When a series of murders begins in the neighborhood, Mickey realizes that her personal history might be related to the case. While Pinnock plays Truman Dawes, further character details are under wraps. The series hails from Sony Pictures Television and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group,

Nikki Toscano and Liz Moore will write and executive produce, with Toscano serving as showrunner. Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty and Amanda Lewis...

Exclusive: Cineflix Rights has snapped up ITV Studios’ distribution boss in the U.S.

Greg Johnson has moved to the Last King of the Cross distributor in the newly-created post of EVP Americas and Asia Pacific, as Cineflix looks to expand in the region.

Reporting to CEO Tim Mutimer and starting in April, LA-based Johnson will lead the distributor’s scripted and unscripted sales strategy across North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He also work alongside execs James Durie and Richard Life to identify creative partners and IP, speaking with U.S. financiers and global networks.

Greg Johnson. Image: Cineflix Rights

Johnson, who joins the Cineflix senior leadership team, has held a similar role with Love Island and Snowpiercer seller ITV Studios for the past few years, having joined more than a decade ago. Past employers include BBC America and Disney.

The signature move lays down a marker for Cineflix,...

Exclusive: Independent Artist Group has signed Nicholas Pinnock, one of the stars of TriStar/Legendary’s The Book of Clarence, for representation.

A biblical dramedy written and directed by The Harder They Fall‘s Jeymes Samuel, Pinnock’s latest feature centers on Clarence (Lakeith Stanfield), who finds himself captivated by the power of the rising Messiah while struggling to find a better life, soon risking everything to carve a path to a divine existence. In it, he portrays Jesus, also starring opposite Omar Sy, Rj Cyler, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard and many more. World premiering at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, the film was released in U.S. theaters on January 12.

Later this year, Pinnock will be seen in This Town, a limited series created for BBC by Steven Knight. Other upcoming projects include Robert Zemeckis’ film Here, based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire,...

Netflix is delivering a versatile range of thriller films and series, such as Deliver Us from Evil, The Fall of the House of Usher, Bodies, and many more, offering a dark and gothic experience for audiences worldwide to enjoy this spooky season. Joining this list, one of the most anticipated Netflix thrillers is just around the corner, about to hit our screens. Locked In, directed by Nour Wazzi and starring Finn Cole, Rose Williams, and Famke Janssen, has dropped its official trailer this month, setting high expectations for this thriller. The dark and mysterious ambience of the trailer speaks volumes and also hints at the connection between these characters.

Spoilers Ahead

Story and Plot

The official trailer for Locked In is promising and intriguing. We are introduced to these characters, Katherine, a famous television actor, and her daughter-in-law, Lina, who have a very conflicting relationship with each other. Lina is...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe', posing for the November 2023 issue of "Vogue" (Australia) magazine, wearing Burberry, Tiffany & Co., Valentino Haute Couture and a whole lot more, photographed by Lachlan Bailey:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015).

She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action feature "The Commuter", followed by playing 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie “King Lear". Pugh played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018)…

…then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the Disney + TV series "Hawkeye".

Click the images to enlarge...

"Buy “Black Widow" Comic Books...

Exclusive: Crime star Dougray Scott and Buccaneer Media, the Scottish police drama’s producer, have hired a Creative Director for Buccaneer Scotland, as it seeks to supercharge the scale of its productions in the Celtic country.

The Lighthouse development chief Neil Duncan hired to run Buccaneer Scotland slate as Creative Director, focusing on showcasing Scottish literary, acting and behind the camera talent through its worldwide operations and partnerships.

Scott and Buccaneer teamed to launch Buccaneer Scotland in November 2021, with Mission Impossible 2 star Scott taking an equity stake in the business. He had moved back in Scotland after a long period living in the U.S. to film Crime and will be joint CEO of Buccaneer Scotland alongside Buccaneer Media bosses Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood.

Wood, the veteran drama producer and co-creator of The Only Way is Essex, noted big budget U.S. productions such as Starz’s Outlander had...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow", posing for the October 2023 issue of "Elle" magazine, photographed by Danny Kasirye:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015).

She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action feature "The Commuter", followed by playing 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie “King Lear".

Pugh played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018)…

…then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in Disney + TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Buy “Black Widow" Comic Books...

The first episode of the second season of Domina ended with the lead conspirators of the famine being found dead and Domitius escaping persecution. Gemina, on the other hand, is bought back by Augustus, and it is yet to be made clear what is his reasoning for doing that. It would be interesting to see if Drusus will run into Gemina and if it will affect the wedding plans.

Spoilers Ahead

The Marriage Act Is Proposed By Agrippa

The second episode of Domina Season 2 begins at Octavia’s estate, allowing the viewers to understand how Antonina is feeling about her upcoming marriage with Drusus, who might just be the heir to Augustus. This scene helps the viewers understand that girls as young as her and her sister are still clueless about the physical act of love that is supposed to be carried out by the bride and the groom after their wedding ceremony.

Exclusive: Nina Hoss (Tár) and Nicholas Pinnock (For Life) have closed deals to join the new film Hedda from MGM’s Orion Pictures. While details as to their roles haven’t been disclosed, they join an ensemble that also includes Tessa Thompson, Callum Turner and Eve Hewson, as previously announced.

An epic reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, Hedda will be directed by Nia DaCosta, who also wrote the script. Pic’s producers are Plan B, DaCosta, Gabrielle Nadig, and Thompson via Viva Maude. Michael Constable will exec produce alongside Kishori Rajan for Viva Maude.

Hoss most recently starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Todd Field’s Academy Award-nominated drama Tár, garnering the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Virtuoso Award for her turn as concertmaster Sharon, along with nominations at the Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and London Critics Circle Film Awards. The actress...

Take a look at Brit actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow", posing in sheer Valentino during Paris Fashion Week:

Pugh made her US TV acting debut in the feature "Studio City" (2015), followed by the indie drama "Lady Macbeth"...

....and a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella". In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018) and co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021), reprising her role as 'Yelena Belova' in the Marvel TV series “Hawkeye”.

Other notable films include "The Wonder" (2022), "Don't Worry Darling" (2022) and "A Good Person" (2023).

Click the images to enlarge...

"Collect “Black Widow" Comic Books...

Actress Florence Pugh ("Black Widow") is the new 'ambassador' for the Valentino "Rockstud" bag and pumps campaign, photographed by Steven Meisel:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015).

She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth" followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018)…

…then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow", posing for “Vogue” magazine, photographed by Colin Dodgson:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015).

She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018)…

…then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Collect “Black Widow" Comic Books...

The duo behind the hit Nordic franchise “Snabba Cash,” helmer Jesper Ganslandt and screenwriter Oskar Söderlund, have re-teamed on “Cry Wolf,” an action thriller series starring British musician-turned-actor Eliot Sumner (“No Time to Die”).

Ordered by Swedish broadcaster TV4, “Cry Wolf” is based on “Vargasommar,” the anticipated debut novel of Hans Rosenfeldt, the BAFTA-nominated creator of “Bron” (“The Bridge”) and British series “Marcella.” Fifth Season has boarded international sales.

“Cry Wolf” will also star Eva Melander (“UFO Sweden”) and Henrik Dorsin (“Triangle of Sadness”). It will start filming in in Haparanda, near the border of Finland, in July. Melander is set play Hannah Wester, a 54-year-old police officer whose quiet life in Haparanda gets turned upside down after a wolf is found dead. The ordinary investigation becomes a sprawling criminal case connected to a bloody drug deal in Finland and sparks a series of brutal events.

Ganslandt said he “wanted...

Exclusive: The Bridge creator Hans Rosenfeldt has set his next project, a return to the canon of crime author C.J. Tudor.

Having just penned Paramount+’s adaptation of Tudor’s The Burning Girls, Rosenfeldt is now turning his attention to her first novel, 2016’s The Chalk Man.

Rosenfeldt is combining once again with UK indie Buccaneer Media, with whom he worked on The Burning Girls and ITV thriller Marcella. BBC Studios, Nice Media Studios, Windowseat Pictures and The Boy with the Top Knot writer Mick Ford were previously adapting The Chalk Man but they are no longer attached.

We hear a network deal for The Chalk Man is close.

Starting in 1986, the book follows Eddie “Munster” Adams, who spends his days biking around a sleepy English village exchanging secret codes via little chalk stick figures with his friends. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body,...

Exclusive: The Bridge creator Hans Rosenfeldt has said he is “not really watching crime shows at the moment,” as he talks up his big-budget Viaplay adaptation of fantasy novel Ronja the Robber’s Daughter, the streamer’s “most ambitious project to date.”

Rosenfeldt is deep in the edit on Ronja, which is being shopped at this week’s London TV Screenings, and he said adapting the Astrid Lindgren Swedish adventure classic has made a refreshing change from his decades of writing crime.

“I am not really watching crime shows at the moment,” said Rosenfeldt, who has penned four seasons of smash Scandi noir hit The Bridge, three of ITV/Netflix’s Marcella and several crime novels. “I have worked in crime for 30 years and whenever I work I’m working on crime so when I watch something or read something I like it to be something else.”

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter.

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" feature, posing for the Wimter 2023 issue of “Vogue” magazine, photographed by Colin Dodgson:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015).

She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018)…

…then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Collect “Black Widow" Comic Books...

Exclusive: Famke Janssen (X-Men franchise) and Rose Williams (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) will topline Locked In, a contemporary psychological thriller from Netflix, which is currently in production in London and the UK. Others in the cast include Alex Hassell (Violent Night), Finn Cole (Animal Kingdom) and Anna Friel (Monarch).

The first feature directed by award-winner Nour Wazzi (The Last Bus) pits the unhappy newlywed Lina (Williams) against her brittle, damaged mother-in-law, Katherine (Janssen). An affair sets Lina onto a journey of secrecy, betrayal and murder — and a plot to seemingly destroy her. But who is the real victim, and who can she truly trust?

Rowan Joffé wrote the script. Nicky Bentham (The Duke) is producing for Neon Films, with Alison Jackson exec producing for Gaumont.

Best known for starring roles in the Taken and X-Men film franchises, Janssen has...

Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery is to lead Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight’s personal drama This Town for the BBC.

Knight’s six-parter is rolling the cameras in Birmingham and has cast a string of other British actors including Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella) and David Dawson (My Policeman).

Previously called Two Tone, the show tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music, which exploded from the grass roots of Coventry and Birmingham in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, uniting black, white and Asian youths.

Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios is co-producer and will “bring in an exciting range of high profile musical artists to help lay the backdrop for Knight’s incredible story,” according to the BBC. Mercury is co-producing alongside Banijay-backed Kudos and Nebulastar in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films and Nick Angel.

Paramount+ has unveiled the cast of its new original series “The Doll Factory” from “Marcella” producers Buccaneer Media.

An adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Elizabeth Macneal, “The Doll Factory” is set in London in 1850 and tells the story of Iris, who paints dolls for a living alongside her twin sister, Rose, and those in their orbit, such as taxidermist Silas, who dreams of finding an item so unique he will be catapulted to fame, and painter Louis, who is searching for his next muse.

When Iris meets Silas, and then Louis, she is offered an opportunity to escape and start a new life. To do so, she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation and launch herself into the unknown. But as Iris’ world expands, a story of dark obsession begins to unfold.

Leading the cast is Esmé Creed-Miles (“Hanna”) as Iris, Éanna Hardwicke (“Normal People”) as Silas,...

Exclusive: Philip Glenister and Steffan Rhodri are to front a factual-based drama for the BBC.

Filming on Steeltown Murders (working title) has begun in and around South Wales, with Life on Mars and State Play actor Glenister and Gavin and Stacey and In My Skin‘s Rhodri in the lead roles as Dci Paul Bathell and Phil ‘Bach’ Rees. Ed Whitmore (Manhunt) is the writer.

Severn Screen, one of the co-producers on ITV’s high rating 2021 series The Pembrokeshire Murders, is producing in association with All3Media International.

The four part-drama is set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, contrasting the policing methods of the 1970s with the forensic breakthroughs of the early Noughties. It centers on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in Port Talbot, Wales, and the how the mystery — the first case of its kind — was solved 30 years after the crimes thanks to pioneering DNA evidence.

Pontikos won for her work on Netflix’s ‘Russian Doll’.

Ula Pontikus has become the sixth winner of the National Film and Television School (Nfts)’s annual Sue Gibson Bsc Award for cinematography, for her work on Netflix show Russian Doll.

Pontikos previously received a Primetime Emmy nomination for her Russian Doll work; she also recently wrapped Showtime series Three Women starring Shailene Woodley.

The cinematographer’s feature credits include Hong Khaou’s Lilting, debbie tucker green’s Second Coming and Paul McGuigan’s Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool.

She had been nominated twice previously, for Film Stars…...

The last time we heard a casting announcement for the upcoming Paramount Plus series based on the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction (watch it Here), we learned that Jessica Harper, star of the horror classic Suspiria, had landed a role in the show. Now Deadline has revealed the names of two more cast members, and one of them is genre icon Dee Wallace! Wallace’s horror credits include Critters, Cujo, and The Howling, among many others. The second new cast member is David Meunier of Justified.

This version of Fatal Attraction sees Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek), Lizzy Caplan (Castle Rock), and Amanda Peet (Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story) playing the characters Dan, Alex, and Beth, respectively. They were played by Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer in the film.

Directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden (based on Dearden’s short film Diversion), the ’87 Fatal Attraction had...

Hugo Speer, star of Disney+’s upcoming Full Monty reboot, has been removed from the show by the streamer after allegations of “inappropriate conduct.”

Speer, who played Guy in the original and was reprizing the role alongside the likes of Robert Carlyle and Lesley Sharp, will no longer feature in the TV reboot.

Disney+ said it had been “made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Hugo Speer on the set of a commissioned production.”

“As is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his contract, with immediate effect,” added the statement.

A spokesperson for Speer told Deadline he denies all allegations and will be challenging them.

Other than The Full Monty, the 53-year-old actor has featured in Britannia, Marcella and The Musketeers.

Streaming

Apple TV+ and Disney+ were the major gainers in the U.K. subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market, a survey from Barb, the country’s television audience measurement currency, has found. Barb’s establishment survey for the first quarter of the year reports that the number of U.K. households with access to a streaming service reached 19.57 million U.K. homes (68.5 of households), in the first quarter of the year, an increase of almost 500,000 homes since the fourth quarter of 2021. Of these, 1.57 million homes had access to Apple TV+, up 27 from 1.24 million the previous quarter and 6.53 million homes had access to Disney+, a quarterly increase of 19 from 5.49 million in Q4 2021.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Sky’s Now TV saw smaller quarterly gains with 17.29 million homes having access to Netflix in Q1 2022, up 3 from 16.79 million the previous quarter; 13.35 million homes having access to Amazon Prime Video, a growth of 6 from 12.57 million...

Arrow Strikes For UK & U.S. Rights To Horror Pic ‘The Leech’

Exclusive: Arrow Films has acquired rights in the UK, Ireland, U.S. and Canada to Eric Pennycoff’s Christmas horror comedy The Leech, which is set to have its world premiere at Chattanooga Film Festival tomorrow (June 23). A December 2022 release is planned. In the movie, a devout priest welcomes a struggling couple into his house at Christmas time. What begins as a simple act of kindness quickly becomes the ultimate test of faith once the sanctity of his home is jeopardized. Jeremy Gardner, Graham Skipper and Taylor Gardner lead cast. Writer-director Eric Pennycoff commented: “Working with Arrow Films has been a total dream come true. Having been a fan of theirs since the beginning of my filmmaking career, I cannot think of a better home for The Leech to live on in all its holiday madness. Between the...

Shailaja Padindala’s Kannada-language film “Naanu Ladies” won best narrative feature and Pedro Peira’s English and Spanish-language film “LA QueenCianera” best documentary feature at the 2022 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai.

Gujarati-language shorts “Muhafiz” by Pradipta Ray and “Dal Bhat” by Nemil Shah” won best Indian narrative short and the Riyad Wadia Award for best emerging Indian filmmaker respectively. “Muhafiz” also won best screenplay for Ray and Ashutosh Pathak.

Padindala said: “ ‘Naanu Ladies’ is a film attempting to identify cis-het culture [as it] weaves itself into the queerness of everyday life. The film attempts to re-understand uses of reproductive sciences for a queer lifestyle. I look forward to making more queer content with queer folks, across as many regional languages as possible. My next film is going to be a Tamil feature, in which queerness is also going to be a part of the story, of a bigger picture.”

Kashish 2022 screened 184 Lgbtqia+ films,...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" feature, posing for the “J. Crew” 2022 campaign, photographed by Collier Schorr:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015). She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018), then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Collect “Black Widow" Comic Books...

Exclusive: Acclaimed Scottish writer Jenni Fagan has struck a two-project development deal with UK drama indie Buccaneer Scotland, which is also producing Fagan’s adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s The Blade Artist starring Robert Carlyle.

Buccaneer Scotland, a division of ITV’s Marcella producer Buccaneer Media, has taken options on Fagan’s The Panopticon and Luckenbooth, and she will adapt both for TV.

Fagan is an award-winning Scottish novelist, poet, screenwriter and artist who has published several books and poetry collections and is well known for a distinctive style. She was called “the patron saint of literary street urchins” by The New York Times and has achieved popularity Stateside.

Deadline revealed last year that Trainspotting star Carlyle would be reprizing his role as the iconic Francis Begbie in a TV version of Trainspotting sequel The Blade Artist from Buccaneer, which Fagan is also penning separate to the deal. Buccaneer was...

The Beach Boys will kick off a year-long celebration of their 60th anniversary in June with a vastly expanded edition of their greatest hits comp Sounds of Summer.

When it was initially released in 2003, Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys contained 30 of the group’s biggest hits; the box set for the new reissue — out June 17 — bumps the tracklist up to 80 songs and three discs (or six LPs), pairing Brian Wilson and company’s best-known singles alongside dozens of fan favorites like “Til I Die,” “Sail on Sailor,...

Exclusive: Leonard Cohen’s relationship with muse Marianne Ihlen is going under the microscope in a 1960s-set drama co-production for Norwegian broadcaster Nrk.

The UK’s Buccaneer Media and Dag and Lilyhammer writer Øystein Karlsen’s Oslo-based Redpoint Productions are co-producing So Long, Marianne with Canada’s Connect3 Media.

The 8×45 minutes series is billed by producers as an “intimate” story of “two equally lonely people falling in love in a period of their life when they are still trying to figure out who they are”.

Buccanneer is heading to Mip TV in Cannes this week to attract distributors and broadcasters.

A majority of the series will be set on the Greek island of Hydra where the pair met before starting a chaotic relationship that inspired the late singer-songwriter to pen songs such as ‘So Long, Marianne’, ‘That’s No Way To Say Goodbye’ and ‘Bird On The Wire...

Here's the status of TV shows like MacGruber, Mad About You, Made for Love, Maggie, The Magicians, Maid, Malibu Rescue, Manhunt: Unabomber, The Man in the High Castle, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Mandalorian, Maniac Cop, Manifest, Mann & Wife, Marcella, Mare of Easttown, Mars, Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Deadpool, Marvel's Ghost Rider, Marvel's Helstrom, Marvel's Hit-Monkey, Marvel's Howard the Duck, Marvel's Iron Fist, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's Moon Knight, Marvel's Ms. Marvel, Marvel's She-Hulk, Marvel's Modok, Marvel's Runaways, Marvel's Tigra & Dazzler Show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mary Kills People, Master of None, Masters of the Air, Mayans Mc, Mayor of Kingstown, McMafia, Mech-X4, Medical Police, Medici: The Magnificent, Meet the Mayhems, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Merry Happy Whatever, Messiah, Metropolis, Micronesian Blues, The Midnight Club, The Midnight Gospel, Midnight Mass, The Mindy Project, Minx, Miracle Workers, The Missing, Modern...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" movie, posing for the "J. Crew” Spring 2022 campaign, photographed by Collier Schorr:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015). She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth"…

…followed by a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018 she appeared in the action film "The Commuter", then played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's TV movie of “King Lear".

Pugh then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018), then co-starred in “Black Widow” (2021) followed by reprising the role in the TV series “Hawkeye”.

Click the images to enlarge...

"Collect “Black Widow" Comic Books...

Actress Florence Pugh, aka the breakout character 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" feature, as the adoptive sister of 'Natasha Romanoff' and a 'Red Room' operative who worked for 'General Dreykov', poses for "Elle" (Canada) magazine:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015). She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth" and had a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018, Pugh appeared in the action film "The Commuter" and played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's television film "King Lear". She then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018).

She next appeared in a six-part miniseries adaptation of author John le Carré's spy novel "The Little Drummer Girl".

She then starred as professional wrestler 'Paige' in "Fighting with My Family", played the lead role in Ari Aster...

Exclusive: Acorn TV has commissioned a second series of UK crime drama Whitstable Pearl and the show has been sold by distributor Cineflix Rights to a wealth of international buyers.

Based on Julie Wassmer’s Whitstable Pearl Mysteries, Buccaneer Media’s show features After Life’s Kerry Godliman and Shadow and Bone’s Howard Charles as two locals solving crimes in the picturesque seaside town.

Season two will see celebrity chef Nolan prioritize her detective work and transition from being a chef who solves crimes to a full time investigator who just happens to own a restaurant.

Production will begin on the second six-part series in Whitstable, UK in February, with the show airing on Acorn in North America, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Distributor Cineflix has secured pre-sales for the second series in the Nordic region and sold the first to Sky Italia, Nhk Japan, BBC Worldwide (Benelux...

Exclusive: MGM has acquired global distribution rights to the upcoming supernatural-psychological thriller series The Box, starring Anna Friel, from Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak and Nordic Entertainment Group. The deal excludes the Nordics, Baltics and Poland, where The Box will premiere on Nent Group’s streaming service Viaplay Nov. 28, and the Netherlands and the UK, where Viaplay will launch in 2022.

Created by Hasak, the English-language series stars Friel as Sharon Pici, a Kansas City police officer who is surrounded by headstrong men who are convinced she is losing her mind – when, through no fault of her own, she’s targeted by supernatural powers far greater than herself. As Sharon finally realizes her true strength, she takes her life into her own hands.

Starring alongside Friel are Olivia Grant (Stardust), Letitia Hector (Venus vs. Mars), Peter Stormare (American Gods), Alexander Karim (Zero Dark Thirty), Helen Behan (The Virtues), Nina Yndis...

Exclusive: Frances Turner (The Man In The High Castle), Kristin Booth (The Hot Zone: Anthrax) and Jack Doolan (Marcella) are set to join Season 3 of The Boys in recurring roles. They will appear opposite series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Anthony Starr and more.

The third part of the series will tell the story of Vought’s first superhero, Soldier Boy (played by Jensen Ackles) and his Payback team, focusing on his WW II exploits and more.

Turner will recur as Monique, wife of Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso).

Booth and Doolan will play supe siblings Tessa and Tommy, aka the TNT Twins.

Turner is best known for her role in the fourth and final season of Amazon’s The Man In The High Castle and can currently be seen as Dr. Lyn Malvo in NBC’s New Amsterdam. Her additional work includes Quantico, Blue Bloods, Time After Time, Lethal Weapon and Powerless.

Aidan Gillen, star of “The Wire” and Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in “Game of Thrones,” is attached to play one of the leads in “The O’Neill,” a Gaelic Ireland epic turning on its greatest hero, Hugh O’Neill.

Stephen Saint Leger, director of “Vikings,” “Vikings: Valhalla” and the climactic “The Battle” episode of “Barbarians,” is also on board, set to helm the series’ pilot and a number of episodes.

Set up at Dublin’s Revolution Media, headed by Jack Armstrong who originated the series concept, and at top Irish producer Subotica, “The O’Neill” will be showrun by Tim Loane, a showrunner on Canal Plus’ “Versailles” Season 3 and lead writer on Sky/Hulu’s “Das Boot” and currently “Marcella.”

Armstrong will present the series on Tuesday at Conecta Fiction’s Pitch Copro Series, the meet’s industry centerpiece, where it weighs in as the biggest and most ambitious of titles...

Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel have been cast as the leads of Fox’s upcoming country music drama “Monarch,” the broadcast network said Tuesday.

Premiering at midseason, “Monarch” is described as “an epic, multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music,” the fictional Romans.

Per Fox, “The Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough-as-nails Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, Albie, Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown Nicolette “Nicky” Roman (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.”

Melissa London Hilfers (“Instinct”) serves as creator, writer and executive producer on “Monarch.” Michael Rauch...

Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel have been cast in the upcoming Fox country music drama series “Monarch,” Variety has learned.

In the series, the Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, Albie, Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown Nicolette “Nicky” Roman (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.

“Monarch” will debut midseason for Fox on Jan. 30 immediately after the NFC Championship game, with the show’s second episode airing on Feb. 1.

Sarandon is an Academy Award winner, taking home the statuette for best actress in 1996 for “Dead Man Walking.

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka breakout character 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" feature, posing for "Elle" (Canada) magazine:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015). She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth" and had a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018, Pugh appeared in the action film "The Commuter" and played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's television film "King Lear". She then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018).

She next appeared in a six-part miniseries adaptation of author John le Carré's spy novel "The Little Drummer Girl".

She then starred as professional wrestler 'Paige' in "Fighting with My Family", played the lead role in Ari Aster's horror film "Midsommar", played 'Amy March', in Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott...

Ringside Media, the investment arm of Newen-backed indie Ringside Studios, has bought out Lionsgate’s stake in veteran TV executive Steve November’s Further South Productions.

The London and Brighton-based Further South was founded by former Lionsgate executive November, who was previously creative director of the studio’s U.K. TV division. The production company was backed by Lionsgate since its formation in 2019 — though it’s unclear how much of a stake the company had in the business — with Ringside now taking over that backing.

Prior to joining Lionsgate, November was director of drama across all ITV channels with credits including “Marcella,” “Cold Feet,” “Innocent,” “Unforgotten,” “The Durrells,” “Grantchester” and “Victoria.” He was also the executive producer on “Coronation Street” and “Emmerdale” for many years.

“To be joining Ringside in the early days of their development is a fantastic opportunity,” said November. “They have all the knowledge and experience to...

Take a look at actress Florence Pugh, aka breakout star 'Yelena Belova' in Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" feature, posing for "Elle" magazine:

Pugh made her US TV debut in the film "Studio City" (2015). She then starred in the independent drama "Lady Macbeth" and had a recurring role as a webcam model in the first season of the ITV detective series "Marcella".

In 2018, Pugh appeared in the action film "The Commuter" and played 'Cordelia' in Richard Eyre's television film "King Lear". She then played 'Elizabeth de Burgh' in the Netflix historical film "Outlaw King" (2018).

She next appeared in a six-part miniseries adaptation of author John le Carré's spy novel "The Little Drummer Girl".

She then starred as professional wrestler 'Paige' in "Fighting with My Family", played the lead role in Ari Aster's horror film "Midsommar", played 'Amy March', in Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott...