News

International television executive, and producing pioneer, Rola Bauer is stepping down from her post as as head of pan-English scripted SVOD TV at Amazon Studios, Bauer and Amazon announced on Wednesday.

After several years at the global streamer, producing series starring the likes of Sophie Turner, Bill Nighy, Riz Ahmed and Robin Wright, Bauer said she wanted to “return to my entrepreneurial roots.”

Bauer was President of International Television Productions at MGM when, in May 2021, Amazon bought the studio in an $8.5 billion deal. Following the merger, she was put in charge of a new division, pan-English global originals, developing and producing English-language series outside the United States.

Her team produced six series in two years, including such upcoming shows as the thriller series Harlan Coben’s Lazarus starring Sam Claflin and Nighy; crime drama Haven featuring Turner; the half-hour comedy Quarter Life written by, and starring Ahmed; and The Girlfriend,...

Six more performers have joined the cast of The Girlfriend in series regular roles. According to Deadline, Anna Chancellor, Francesca Corney, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Karen Henthorn, Leo Suter, and Tanya Moodie are joining Robin Wright, Olivia Cooke, Laurie Davidson, and Waleed Zuaiter in the series, which is based on the Michelle Frances novel of the same name. The series was ordered in May.

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The Girlfriend is coming to Prime Video. The new series is based on the Michelle Frances novel of the same name, and it will star Robin Wright (above), Olivia Cooke, Laurie Davidson, and Waleed Zuaiter.

The Girlfriend series will tell the story of a mother (Wright) and her only son (Davidson) whose bond is tested when the son brings home a new girlfriend.

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A House of Cards alum and House of the Dragon actress are joining forces for a new project at Amazon.

Prime Video announced Thursday that it has ordered to series The Girlfriend, an adaptation that will star Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke.

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Based on Michelle Frances’ 2017 novel of the same name, The Girlfriend stars Wright as Laura, a woman with a glittering career, loving husband and precious only son,...

A House of Cards alum and House of the Dragon actress are joining forces for a new project at Amazon.

Prime Video announced Thursday that it has ordered to series The Girlfriend, an adaptation that will star Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke.

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Based on Michelle Frances’ 2017 novel of the same name, The Girlfriend stars Wright as Laura,...

Robin Wright will wear multiple hats on her next series, a Prime Video drama titled The Girlfriend.

Wright will star in, direct and serve as an executive producer of the series, which is based on a novel by Michelle Frances. Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon), Laurie Davidson (Mary and George) and Waleed Zuaiter (Gangs of London) also star in the series from Amazon MGM Studios and Imaginarium Productions.

Wright will play Laura, a woman with a great career, a loving husband (Zuaiter’s Howard) and a close relationship with her son, Daniel (Davidson). Things take a turn when Daniel brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry (Cooke). “After an uncomfortable first meeting,” the show’s description reads, “Laura grows convinced that Cherry isn’t who she says she is. While no one else can see what she sees, Laura refuses to stand by and watch Daniel be deceived. She’ll do anything to protect him.

Amazon Prime Video has ordered a series adaptation of the Michelle Frances novel “The Girlfriend” with Robin Wright set to star and direct, Variety has learned.

In addition, Olivia Cooke, Laurie Davidson (“Mary and George”), and Waleed Zuaiter (“Gangs of London”) will star alongside Wright.

The official description of the series states: “Laura (Wright) wants for nothing. She has a glittering career, a loving husband, Howard (Zuaiter), and, above all, she has Daniel (Davidson), her precious only son. But Laura’s seemingly perfect life is blown apart when Daniel brings home Cherry (Cooke), the girlfriend who changes everything. After an uncomfortable first meeting, Laura grows convinced that Cherry isn’t who she says she is. While no one else can see what she sees, Laura refuses to stand by and watch Daniel be deceived. She’ll do anything to protect him. As things go from bad to deadly, the question is,...

The Robin Wright (House of Cards)-led The Girlfriend has been ordered to series at Prime Video with Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon), Laurie Davidson (Mary and George), and Waleed Zuaiter (Gangs of London) also set to star. The series, to be directed by Wright, is based on Michelle Frances’ novel of the same name.

The drama follows Laura (Wright), someone who wants for nothing. She has a great career, a loving husband, Howard (Zuaiter), and her beloved only son, Daniel (Davidson). Cracks begin to show on the surface of her seemingly perfect life when Daniel brings home a girlfriend, Cherry (Cooke), who Laura becomes convinced isn’t who she says she is. Wanting to protect Daniel, Laura will do anything to prove he is being deceived. When things go from bad to deadly, the question is, is Cherry a manipulative social climber? Or is Laura paranoid and possessive?...

Production banner FlipNarrative, set up by Waleed Zuaiter — the BAFTA-nominated star of “Baghdad Central” and “Gangs of London” and Oscar-nominated producer of “Omar” — has optioned the rights to Shannon Chakraborty’s latest novel “The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,” with plans to develop it into a multi-season series and gaming platform.

The book — the first in a trilogy being published by Harper Voyager — is a swashbuckling high seas adventure following a notorious Muslim pirate captain who has survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands and an actual demon before retiring to a life of piety. That is until she and her crew are forced into one last adventure — embarking on a mission across the Indian Ocean battling a supernatural world they never knew existed.

“With ‘The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,’ we are given a rare insight into the melting pot that is the 12th century Indian Ocean,” said Zuaiter, who...

Hamzah Jamjoom’s eco-thriller “Running Dry,” which will start principal photography on Dec. 26, has revealed its leading cast members.

The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.

Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.

It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.

Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.

Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...

Contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of Gangs of London.

Waleed Zuaiter is actually a really friendly guy. The California-born actor who grew up in Kuwait is chatting to Den of Geek via zoom, and we’re having a lovely natter. You could almost forget that he embodies one of the most unsettling characters on TV today, the vicious, lawless Georgian gangster in Gangs of London season 2.

Koba blasts on the screen in episode one where he terrorizes the young Algerian gang before invading the home of Albanian boss Luan and kidnapping his wife, who he later buries alive. He has no affiliation to anyone and he “believes that you’re either predator or prey,” Zuaiter explains. But how did Koba get like this? And how did Zuaiter channel the show’s new big bad? We sat down with him to find out.

I’d love to hear a little bit...

Spoilers for Gangs of London season 1 and 2

The first season on Gangs of London hit in 2020 right at the start of lockdown, it came out of nowhere and blew viewers’ minds. Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery this was a slick study of ultra violence set in the capital city, which explored the game play between international gangs vying to control different parts of the criminal underworld. Events of season one are kicked off when gangland boss and patriarch Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) is assassinated and his headstrong son Sean (Joe Cole) takes over, hell bent on revenge. Meanwhile, Elliot Carter (Sope Dirisu), an undercover cop, is trying to infiltrate the Wallace/Dumani empire by becoming Sean’s right hand man.

Power struggles and betrayals come thick and fast – if you need a recap of what went down we’ve got you covered.

Season two arrived this autumn to...

Click here to read the full article.

After a week of pomp, ceremony and royal snootiness courtesy of the latest season of The Crown, the British capital is now about to get showered in blood and guts once again.

The second season of Gangs of London, the super-violent crime series originally created by The Raid writer/director Gareth Evans and produced by Pulse Films and Sister, has arrived on AMC+, grabbing the entrails of the first outing in 2021 and managing to up the eye-watering carnage — and body count — some more.

Ṣọpẹ Dìrísu is back in the lead role as ex-squaddie turned undercover cop Elliot Finch, now forced to work as a hitman for a group of shady billionaires known as The Investors, while many of the (still alive) mob bosses from season 1 return to battle for control of London’s criminal networks.

But there’s a new — terrifying — addition to the mix in Koba,...

Gangs of London is nearly back for Season 2 and keeping things action-packed with Sopé Dìrísù‘s Elliot as he takes on new challenges in the latest chapter. Set one year after the death of Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), the series picks up as a new and darker era of chaos pervades London’s streets. As maps are redrawn, new bonds are formed, and those still in play face what remains, Elliot finds himself enmeshed in assignments for the Investors. While Elliot gets in deeper with the Investors, there’s also a new big bad on the scene as Koba (Waleed Zuaiter) enters the mix, as teased in the exclusive clip, below. Ahead of the premiere, Dìrísù previews what’s next for his ex-undercover cop as he does the bidding of the Investors, and faces the fallout of Season 1’s actions. (Credit: Luke Varley/AMC/Sky UK) Where is Elliot at when the season picks up?...

Contains spoilers for season 2, episode 4 of Gangs of London

Orli Shuka is a big lad. Not Žydrūnas “Big Z” Savickas, big (he’s the world acclaimed strong man who we see Elliot take down in the laundrette in episode one in eye-popping detail), but big enough. And Luan, the head of the Albanian mafia is not a character to be messed with – we saw that in season one of Gangs of London when he wiped out the whole of the Nigerian gang in one exhausting and breathless sequence. But in season two the stakes have changed.

“Basically in season one they try to touch the family of Luan and in season two they did it,” explains Shuka. Luan’s storyline is laid out from the start. A year after the events of season one, and London is a different place. Luan is in a powerful position and has been dabbling in arms dealing,...

Gangs of London season one smashed onto our screens at the very start of the pandemic like a sharp kick to the nads. No one knew what to expect, and despite the title evoking Guy Ritchie East End geezer-pleasers, what we got was a glossy, highly cinematic drama about international factions vying for power in a Gotham-ized version of the capital city. It was electric and fans were hooked. Now almost 3 years later and the second season is with us. The good news is it’s brilliant.

You wouldn’t want to be a henchperson of any denomination in Gangs of London, and season two ups the bodycount while maintaining the palpable tension and twisty plot audiences will be expecting. And don’t assume your favorite returning characters are safe either.

Set one year after the events of season one (here’s a recap to get you up to speed), London is in chaos.

BAFTA-winning cult hit Gangs of London is back for a second series of intense, action-packed drama as London’s criminal underworld engages in its deadly (and addictive to watch) power struggle. The first episode of series two aired on Sky Atlantic on Thursday 20th October, and left fans hungry for more: so where can you watch the rest of the series in the UK? And when is Gangs of London season two being released in the US? We’ve got you covered:

Gangs of London Series 2 in the UK

Although it was originally announced as a boxset release, so far only the first two episodes of Gangs of London series 2 are available on Sky Atlantic and Now.

According to the Now website, new episodes will be available to stream every Thursday, starting with episode three on Thursday 27th October.

The US release of Gangs of London Season 2

US fans will...

Without a king, pawns scramble for advantage. The first season of Gangs of London – the blistering 2020 mob action-drama from Sky Atlantic – was an electrically violent struggle for power. The murder of Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), head mafioso among London’s crime families, created a vacuum immediately filled by bloodshed. The series’ sinister twist was that none of the brutal in-fighting mattered at all. Behind the scenes, the city’s strings are pulled by invisible and all-powerful “Investors” – the real kings of the board.

That revelation compels Gangs of London to change shape in season two. Now, it’s a series about survival. It’s still plenty (and balletically) barbaric, but violence isn’t good for business. To that end, the Investors install an enforcer, the eccentric Koba (Waleed Zuaiter), whose brief is to get the bosses back in check. Just in case his villainy is in doubt, Koba polishes off...

Click here to read the full article.

It may be a few weeks before the second season of Gangs of London — the ultra-violent crime series created by The Raid filmmaker Gareth Evans — lands on AMC+ in the U.S., but U.K. audiences can now watch the latest blood-soaked, body-count amassing thrill ride through the British capital.

Launching on Comcast’s Sky on Thursday (the first season broke records for the Sky Atlantic channel in 2020), Gangs of London season 2 — once again produced by Pulse Films and Sister — follows a similar theme of rival kingpins and crime families colluding and colliding in their bid for control of London’s underworld, often through the most violent means possible.

“For season 1, we all mucked in together and tried to put in everything that we loved and believed in to raise the genre mix in a family saga like this, and we hoped it would go down well,...

Brutal British crime drama Gangs of London is back for a second series on Sky Atlantic and Now, with a release date of 20th October in the UK and 17th November in the US, and it’s looking as dark and gritty as ever.

When the explosive first series launched in April 2020, this story of the turbulent power struggles of London’s criminal underworld – centring on the Wallace family and various other international gangs – was an instant hit, at the time becoming Sky Atlantic’s second-biggest original drama launch behind Chernobyl. As dramas go it’s a thrilling powerhouse of a series, full of epic fight scenes and twisty narrative, and certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted gore-wise.

Now it’s back for a second series, fans will certainly be looking forward to seeing their unanswered questions resolved, as well as being introduced to new players in this savage power game.

Singapore Bans ‘#Lookatme’

Singapore has banned the release of “#LookAtMe,” a feature film by local director Ken Kwek. The InfoComm Media Development Authority said that the film exceeds film classification guidelines because it denigrates a religious community. Supposedly based in true events, the film depicts a man who is offended by a pastor who preaches against homosexuality, but whose behavior contradicts his teachings. The protagonist’s viral video about the aberrant priest lands him in jail, causing the man’s gay identical twin to fight for justice.

“#LookAtMe,” premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival and local media report that the film has been selected for next month’s Singapore International Film Festival. But the Imda ruling means that it cannot now be shown in any form in Singapore unless Kwek is successful with an appeal.

Singapore recently banned Indian film “The Kashmir Files” on religious grounds. It is...

Sky has revealed the full red band trailer for the highly anticipated return of ‘Gangs of London.’

One year after the death of Sean Wallace and the violent reckonings of series one, the map and soul of London has been redrawn. The surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and Elliot is now being forced to work for the Investors.

As the Investors look down on a city sliding into chaos they decide enough is enough and bring in reinforcements to restore control. Old favourites and new players fight back against the new order, forcing sworn enemies to work together and family members to betray each other. Who will win the battle for London’s soul?

Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, series two will see the return of Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Paapa Essiedu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley, Orli Shuka, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Brian Vernel, Narges Rashidi, Asif Raza...

Gangs of London is returning soon to AMC+. The streaming service has set a premiere date for season two of the action-crime drama with the release of a trailer.

Dìrísù, Paapa Essiedu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley, Orli Shuka, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Brian Vernel, Narges Rashidi, Asif Raza Mir, and Valene Kane star in the series, which revolves around the power struggle between international gangs in London. Waleed Zuaiter, Jahz Armando, Fady El-Sayed, Salem Kali, and Aymen Hamdouchi are joining the cast for season two.

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Gangs of London Photo Credit: AMC/Sky In a foreboding and high-octane trailer, AMC+ has announced the return of its lauded original series Gangs of London, which will debut its much anticipated second season on Thursday, November 17 with two episodes. The critically-acclaimed, award-winning drama became an international sensation in its first season, with its shocking yet artfully-choreographed action scenes and stunt work. Following the premiere, one episode of the eight-part season will debut Thursdays on AMC+, AMC Networks’ premium streaming bundle. In the second season, a new, darker era of chaos and turbulent power struggles comes to London. One year after the death of Sean Wallace and the violent reckonings of season one, the map and soul of the city has been redrawn – the surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and ex-undercover cop Elliot Finch is now being forced to work for the Investors. As the Investors...

Sky has revealed a first look teaser for the highly anticipated return of ‘Gangs of London.’ In the teaser, fans will be reunited with ex-undercover cop Elliot (played by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and see the first glimpse of the returning series full of twists, turns and exhilarating, cinematic action sequences.

One year after the death of Sean Wallace and the violent reckonings of series one, the map and soul of London has been redrawn. The surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and Elliot is now being forced to work for the Investors.

As the Investors look down on a city sliding into chaos they decide enough is enough and bring in reinforcements to restore control. Old favourites and new players fight back against the new order, forcing sworn enemies to work together and family members to betray each other. Who will win the battle for London’s soul?...

Jordan’s Royal Film Commission has withdraw Oscar hopeful Amira from the 2022 Oscar race following a backlash over the film’s subject.

The Venice Film Festival drama from acclaimed filmmaker Mohamed Diab (Clash) deals with the issue of children conceived with sperm smuggled from prisoners in Israeli jails. In the film, a Palestinian girl’s world is turned upside down when she learns the man she grew up idolizing is not her real father and in fact she was conceived by sperm from an Israeli prison guard rather than a Palestinian prisoner.

The movie’s selection for Best International Film consideration has sparked a backlash among families of Palestinian prisoners and organizations working on prisoners’ rights. The anger has spread on social media.

In a message sent to Jordanian news services today, the Film Commission said: “We do believe in the artistic value of the film, and that its message...

Funding

“The Crown” stars Olivia Colman and Lesley Manville are among a host of British creative industries personalities calling for a levy on gadgets, the proceeds of which would to towards supporting the U.K. creative sector.

“As a coalition of creators and performers we support the Smart Fund, a new scheme that could help to bring cultural and economic renewal to the whole of the U.K. The fund could generate £250-£300 [$346-415] million a year for the creative sector, and boost a wider U.K. economic recovery, by placing a small levy on the sale of devices that enable people to store and download creative content, such as mobile phones, laptops and personal computers. This would provide a direct way for tech companies to invest in culture,” the artists wrote in a letter to U.K. newspaper The Times on Tuesday.

“In 2019 the creative industries contributed £111.7 billion to the...

With filming now underway on season 2 of the highly acclaimed Sky series ‘Gangs of London’ a line-up of fresh new faces to join the cast have been announced.

Joining the cast of series one, which include Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, Michelle Fairley, Brian Vernel, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lucian Msamati, Paapa Essiedu, Valene Kane, Orli Shuk, Narges Rashidi and Asif Raza are Waleed Zuaiter (Baghdad Central, The Spy), French rapper Jasmine Armando in her first TV role, Salem Kali, Aymen Hamdouchi and Fady El-Sayed (Baghdad Central, A Private War).

Season 2 is set one year after the tumultuous events of series one, since the collapse of the Wallace Dumani empire, order is lacking, and the energy and chaos of a gold rush threaten the city with gangland anarchy. The Investors are viewing the city as a place of ruin and decide enough is enough. Licensing a new gang to restore stability, drama instead ensues. These...

Gangs of London’s second season is currently shooting ahead of its return to Sky and AMC next year.

Production got underway on the eight-part mob drama three weeks ago, with Pulse Films producing in association with Sister. No news yet though on whether Joe Cole will reprise his role as Sean Wallace after Season 1’s cliffhanger ending.

Returning cast includes Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, Michelle Fairley, Brian Vernel, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lucian Msamati, Paapa Essiedu, Valene Kane, Orli Shuka, Asif Raza, and Narges Rashid. New cast includes Baghdad Central star Waleed Zuaiter, as previously revealed by Deadline.

French rapper Jasmine Armando in her first TV role, Salem Kali (Un Prophete), Aymen Hamdouchi (Sas: Red Notice) and Fady El-Sayed (Baghdad Central) have also joined the gangland drama series.

Created by Gareth Evans and his creative partner Matt Flannery, Season 2 is set a year after the events of the first season. Since the collapse of the Wallace Dumani empire,...

The BAFTA Film Awards took place on April 11, and now the time has come for the BAFTA Television Awards to take centre stage. On April 27, the Virgin Media must-see moment award nominees were announced, which saw the likes of Gogglebox, Bridgerton, and Britain's Got Talent featured on the list.

On April 28, the full list of nominees were announced, with The Crown nominated for 10 awards, Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You nominated for eight awards, and Steve McQueen's Small Axe leading the charge with an impressive 15 nominations. On June 6, the full BAFTA Television Awards ceremony took place on BBC One, with I May Destroy You leading the charge after winning two awards.

Comedy Entertainment Programme:

Winner: The Big Narstie Show

Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe

Rob & Romesh Vs

The Ranganation

Daytime

Winner: The Great House Giveaway

Jimmy McGovern's Moving

Richard Osman's House Of

The Chase

Drama...

“Oslo” tells the story behind the iconic photo of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasir Arafat shaking hands on the White House lawn in 1993. The new TV movie from HBO dramatizes the top-secret negotiations that led to the historic Oslo Accords, a milestone in the ever-winding road to peace in the Middle East.

The movie is an adaptation of J.T. Rogers’s Tony-winning play of the same name, which centers on the Norweigan couple who brought representatives from Israel and Palestine together for the back-channel meetings that would eventually culminate in the signing of the Oslo Accords, the first formal mutual recognition between Israel and the Plo.

As with any based-on-a-true-story flick, the subjects’ lives are much fuller than a two-hour narrative can afford to flesh out. Before you stream “Oslo,” read up on some of the real people behind the historical drama.

Getty Images...

Exclusive: Waleed Zuaiter, who scored a Leading Actor BAFTA nomination for his role in Channel 4 and Hulu series Baghdad Central, has joined the cast of Sky’s crime drama Gangs Of London.

Production is now underway on season two of the Gareth Evans-created show. Sky recently confirmed directors for the series. Tom Butterworth is lead-writing this time. Evans is executive producing with Matt Flannery, Pulse Films’ Thomas Benski, Hugh Warren and Helen Grégory, Jane Featherstone for Sister, and Gabriel Silver for Sky Studios.

Zuaiter’s credits include Gideon Raff’s Netflix/Canal+ miniseries The Spy opposite Sacha Baron Cohen and HBO’s Oslo, which is released in May. His films roles include in Lodnon Has Fallen, The Men Who Stare At Goats and 20th Century Women. He was the producer and star of Hany Abu-Assad’s Oscar-nominated Omar.

Zuaiter is repped by A3 Artists Agency, The Artists Partnership,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, BAFTA prepares online sessions for several top 2021 TV nominees; Modern Films picks up global rights to “Lady Boss”; Mise En Scéne Company adds “Anchorage” to its Marché du Film slate; Abacus Media Rights will distribute “The Masked Dancer U.K.” abroad; Amazon launches miniTV in India and sets “Sherni” premiere date; Head Gear and Big Wave Productions make key hires in the U.K.; Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson gets animated in Sky Kids’ “Dodo”; Strawberry Blond opens offices in Glasgow; and MTV U.K. partners with The Open University on a digital series for promising alumni.

Awards

Jodie Comer, Steve McQueen, Hayley Squires and Waleed Zuaiter are a few of the stars headlining BAFTA’s The Television Sessions 2021, an annual event series — held online for the second year in a row — featuring BAFTA-nominated shows and talent. Taking place May 18 through June 4, the five panels...

"Our countries live in the past... Both obsessing over what we have lost... Let us find a way to live in the present. HBO has debuted the full-length trailer for a riveting movie titled Oslo, based on the Tony award-winning play by J. T. Rogers which opened on Broadway in 2017. We posted the teaser trailer a few weeks back, and this full trailer is even more intriguing. An emotional, eye-opening look at this historic meeting. Oslo recounts the true-life, previously secret, back-channel negotiations in the development of the pivotal 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. "In the face of conflict, they sought peace. Based on the remarkable true story of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords." The film stars Ruth Wilso as Mona Juul, Andrew Scott as Terje Rød-Larsen, and cast including Jeff Wilbusch, Salim Dau, Waleed Zuaiter, Igal Naor, Doval'e Glickman, Rotem Keinan, and Itzik Cohen.

Steve McQueen’s anthology series leads the pack with 15 nominations.

Small Axe leads the nominations for this year’s Bafta Television and Bafta Craft awards, which take place on June 6 and May 24, respectively.

The BBC mini-series, created and directed by Steve McQueen, is up for 15 awards (six television and three craft), including best mini-series, John Boyega and Shaun Parkes for leading actor, Letitia Wright for leading actress, and Malachi Kirby and Michael Ward for supporting actor.

Small Axe was produced by Turbine Studios and Lammas Park alongside the BBC and Amazon Studios. Two episodes – Mangrove and Lovers Rock – were picked...

"The Oslo channel began with the hopes of creating a dialogue... If this fails, lives will be ruined." HBO has unveiled the first teaser trailer for a film titled Oslo, based on the Tony award-winning play by J. T. Rogers which opened on Broadway in 2017. This is directed by a Tony award-winning stage director, from a script by the original writer, making this very much theater-for-the-screen. Oslo recounts the true-life, previously secret, back-channel negotiations in the development of the pivotal 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. "In the face of conflict, they sought peace. Based on the remarkable true story of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords." The film stars Ruth Wilso as Mona Juul, Andrew Scott as Terje Rød-Larsen, with a full cast including Jeff Wilbusch, Salim Dau, Waleed Zuaiter, Igal Naor, Doval'e Glickman, Rotem Keinan, and Itzik Cohen. This is looking pretty darn good, especially...

HBO has released the first official trailer for “Oslo,” a film adaptation of the Tony-winning play of the same name starring Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott. Playwright J.T. Rogers wrote and executive-produced the movie, which is directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher. “Oslo” centers around a Norwegian couple who find themselves in the middle of negotiations for the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, a pivotal agreement between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (Plo).

Here’s more from the official synopsis: “‘Oslo’ follows the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships, and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis and Palestinians, plus one Norwegian couple, that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. ‘Oslo’ stars Ruth Wilson as Mona Juul, a Norwegian foreign minister, and Andrew Scott as Terje Rod-Larsen, a Norwegian sociologist and Mona’s husband.”

Premiering Off Broadway in 2016, “Oslo” transferred to Broadway the following year, eventually...

Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott will star in the political drama “Oslo” for HBO that is currently in production in Prague, and the film is based on the award-winning stage play of the same name by Tony winner J.T. Rogers.

Marc Platt, Kristie Macosko Krieger, David Litvak and Steven Spielberg are executive producing the film that HBO hopes to make available on HBO Max and to air on HBO beginning next year.

“Oslo” is about the negotiations that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, and it stars the “His Dark Materials” star Wilson as a Norwegian foreign minister as well as “Fleabag” star Scott as a Norwegian sociologist and Wilson’s husband. The story looks at the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that led to the landmark peace treaty.

Rogers, who wrote the stage play “Oslo,...

Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott are among the cast of Oslo, the HBO original movie that is now rolling cameras in Prague.

Pic is written by Tony Award winner J.T. Rogers, who also wrote the stage play, and directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. The plot is based on a true story of negotiations between implacable enemies — the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.

The movie will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max next year. It is executive produced by Marc Platt of Marc Platt Productions (La La Land), Kristie Macosko Krieger (The Post) and Steven Spielberg of DreamWorks Pictures, and David Litvak of Bold Films.

Also starring in Oslo are Salim Dau, Waleed Zuaiter, Jeff Wilbusch, Igal Naor, Dov Glickman, Rotem Keinan, Itzik Cohen,...

Los Angeles-based U.S. actor and producer Waleed Zuaiter, who plays the lead in Iraq war drama series “Baghdad Central,” is launching a TV and film production company called FlipNarrative that aims to become a bridge between Hollywood and the Middle East and South Asia.

Zuaiter — who is of Palestinian heritage, was born in California and raised in Kuwait — has long been involved in various types of production, including bringing to the stage the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and also shepherding Hany Abu-Assad’s “Omar,” the Oscar-nominated love story set on the Palestinian border in which he plays a coercive Israeli agent.

“The feeling behind producing is something that, for me as an actor, has always been very complementary (to his acting work),” Zuaiter tells Variety, adding that throughout the years he’s established key industry relationships.

With FlipNarrative, the idea is “to extend this network and this collective of really talented,...

Waleed Zuaiter, who has starred in Netflix’s The Spy and Hulu and Channel 4 drama Baghdad Central, has launched his own production company to tackle diversity in TV and film.

Zuaiter, who produced Omar, the Palestinian feature that was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, has established FlipNarrative, which will be based in LA, London and Beirut. He wants to amplify underrepresented and historically misrepresented voices around the world and to be a bridge between the U.S. and the Middle East and North Africa.

He has unveiled a slew of projects already in various stages of development. These include The Valley, a fictionalized take on the illicit drug trade in Lebanon, a romantic comedy feature set in Palestine/Israel, an epic female centric family drama feature set in Morocco, and Perception, a documentary currently in post-production about world-renowned artist, El Seed, who ventures into the...

Starz Play Arabia was launched in 2015 as the first Starz-branded SVOD outside the U.S. Now available in 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, the service until recently had been growing at a steady rate. After Covid-19 struck, much like other streamers around the world, Starz Arabia has seen a major growth spurt that’s set to grow further thanks to additional distribution through Apple TV channels starting this month.

The company’s co-founder and CEO Maaz Sheikh spoke exclusively to Variety about how he plans to sustain that growth and why the prospect of Disney Plus possibly launching in the region doesn’t serve as an “existential threat.”

You recently released figures pointing to strong growth during the coronavirus crisis that in the Middle East overlapped with Ramadan, which is always peak TV season for Arab audiences. What are your key indicators?

In terms of consumption,...

Fremantle has scored a raft of deals on the Iraq war drama series “Baghdad Central” following its well-received world premiere on Channel 4 in the U.K. and its U.S. debut on Hulu.

Produced by Fremantle’s scripted label, the series explores the U.S occupation of Iraq in 2003 and is told from the perspective of Iraqis. The series was written by BAFTA-nominated writer Stephen Butchard (“The Last Kingdom”), based on the novel by Elliott Colla.

Fremantle sold the series to 87 territories with Arte (France/Germany), Movistar+ (Spain), CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service (Canada) Globoplay (Brazil), M-Net (Africa), Canal+ (Poland), Cosmote TV (Greece), Mx Player (India), Amediateka (Russia), Ivi (Russia), BBC Persian (Mena), Lmt (Latvia), Go (Malta) and D-Smart (Turkey)

Arte will air the series across French and German speaking territories including France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Movistar Plus has also acquired “The Investigation...

On top of the many British dramas returning this year, below are the many, many, many new UK TV series we can expect to see arrive in 2020 and beyond. Almost all of them starring David Tennant, by the looks of it – no bad thing.

You’ll find original drama from Russell T. Davies, a new space-set sci-fi from Sky, true crime series, contemporary thrillers and the usual hefty number of literary adaptations and period dramas coming your way. Here’s the same for all the new British comedy on its way in 2020.

We’ll keep this list updated as new commissions, casting news, broadcast details and release dates arrive. Obviously, with Covid-19 halting production on all continuing and new dramas since mid-March, there will now be serious delays, but we’ll keep you posted as news arrives.

All Creatures Great and Small (Tbc) All Creatures Great And Small (Audible)

Filmed...

Fed up with being offered ‘terrorist’ roles, Palestinian actor Waleed Zuaiter feels liberated by the complex character he plays in Baghdad Central. But it’s his own tale of escape and childhood love that would make for a winning drama

Waleed Zuaiter has the look of a Hollywood icon: salt-and-pepper hair, five o’clock shadow, beaded wooden bracelets worn in a way that projects affluence rather than crustiness, and those intense leading-man eyes. In reality, his acting career has always dangled just out of reach of superstar status. Born in California, but raised in Kuwait, he’s been acting since taking theatre at college. Now 49, he’s had chunky supporting roles in Homeland and The Spy, the Netflix mini-series about the life of Mossad agent Eli Cohen. His biggest break came in 2013, when he produced Omar, a film about love on the Palestinian border, which was nominated for an Oscar...

“Baghdad Central,” which recently made our list of the most anticipated new shows of 2020, just debuted a new trailer, solidifying our excitement for the Iraq-set drama.

Read More: The 60 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2020

As we said in our rundown: “Set in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq after Saddam Hussein has fallen, in the midst of chaos, an Iraqi ex-policeman who has lost everything, makes a bid to reclaim his identity while keeping himself and his ailing daughter alive.”

Read More: The Best TV Shows & Mini-Series’ Of The Decade [2010s]

This conceit is sort of hard to make out in the choppily edited trailer (for the series’ debut on Britain’s Channel 4), but you can at least get a handle on the series’ great cast (including Corey Stoll from “House of Cards” and Waleed Zuaiter from Netflix’s “The Spy” and “Altered Carbon”) and the moody atmosphere,...

Includes new films from Ann Hui, Mohamed Diab and Kaouther Ben Hania.Asia

Love After Love (China)

Dir. Ann Hui

Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui revisits the work of Eileen Chang with this adaptation of 1943 novella Aloeswood Incense about a young woman from Shanghai who heads to Hong Kong to continue her studies, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing rich and powerful men. The cast features Eddie Peng, Ma Sichun and Faye Yu. Hui is regularly feted on the Asian festival circuit but has not been selected for an A-list European event since 2011 when A Simple Life played in competition in Venice.

It is the third feature by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab after ’678’ and ’Clash’.

Paris-based Pyramide International has acquired international rights to Mohamed Diab’s coming of age drama Amira, excluding Arab-language territories and Israel. CAA Media Finance is handling Us rights.

The film wrapped shooting in Jordan this week.

Sister company Pyramide Films will handle the French release, having previously handled Diab’s Clash and 678.

The Palestine-set drama marks the feature debut of actress Tara Abboud who stars as a bubbly 17-year-old who has grown-up believing she was conceived with the smuggled sperm of her imprisoned father.

Her sense of...

Exclusive: Oscar-nominated Waleed Zuaiter, who currently co-stars in Netflix’s The Spy and stars in the upcoming Hulu series Baghdad Central, has signed with Echo Lake Entertainment for management.

Zuaiter received an Academy Award nomination in 2014 for producing Omar, in which he also starred. The actor most recently received critical praise for his portrayal of Syrian President Amin Al-Hafez opposite Sasha Baron Cohen in The Spy. For Baghdad Central, Zuaiter will headline the cast of the series which will be released by Fremantle/Euston Films for Hulu and Channel 4/UK in early 2020. Corey Stoll and Bertie Carvel co-star.

Zuaiter is repped by Iris Grossman and MaryJane Skalski at Echo Lake and by Fred Bimbler at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard Llp.

Hulu has made the first big drama deal of this year's Mipcom TV market in Cannes, picking up U.S. rights for Baghdad Central, a hotly anticipated limited series from BAFTA-nominated writer Stephen Butchard (The Last Kingdom, House of Saddam).

The series is set in October 2003 in U.S.-occupied Iraq following the disbandment of the Iraqi army, the police and civil leadership in the aftermath of the invasion. In the midst of chaos, an Iraqi ex-policeman Muhsin al-Khafaji (Waleed Zuaiter from Netflix's The Spy, Altered Carbon), who has lost everything, makes a bid to reclaim his identity, working as ...