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Exclusive: Clerks filmmaker Kevin Smith has boarded the Matt Walsh indie comedy action movie The Unexpecteds as an EP with the title receiving a Oct. 14 digital release via Mvd Entertainment Group.

The Unexpecteds follows Gary (2x Emmy nominee Walsh) and his friends as they seek revenge against a social media influencer who scams them out of their life savings. Directed and written by Alejandro Montoya Marin, the pic won the Best Comedy Award at the third annual Smodcastle Film Festival.

The movie also stars Alejandro De Hoyos (The Man From Toronto), Chelsea Rendon (Vida), Francisco Ramos (Gentefied), John Kaler (The Wrong Guy) and Jason Konopisos-Alvarez (Transformers: One) in this action-comedy.

Montoya Marin is known for being part of Robert Rodriguez’s original TV series Rebel Without A Crew. Alejandro De Hoyos produced under his Alta California Pictures. The movie will be available for pre-sales on Sept. 16.

EP de Hoyos says,...

Netflix has officially announced “My Sad Dead” (“Mis muertos tristes”), a new four-part horror drama miniseries helmed by acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larraín and produced by his Chilean label Fabula in collaboration with Argentina’s K&s Films, producers of the streamer’s recent global mega-hit “The Eternaut.”

The new series, based on the short story of the same name by Argentine author Mariana Enríquez, is set to begin filming at the end of June. Filming will take place in Buenos Aires for exteriors and Santiago, Chile for interiors.

Described as a psychological and supernatural horror story rooted in societal trauma, “My Sad Dead” draws not only from Enríquez’s titular tale, but also incorporates characters and themes from her other works, including “Julie”, “A Sunny Place for Shady People” and “Back When We Talked to the Dead.” The story was adapted for the screen by Enríquez herself, along with celebrated Chilean writer Guillermo Calderón,...

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through another busy week. Read on. And sign up here.

Harry, Ron & Hermione Cast A Spell

L to R: Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Like waving a magic wand: As if by magic, three children’s lives were transformed rather drastically this week. The long-awaited unveiling of the trio of young thespians who will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in the HBO drama series came Tuesday. Those roles, which as a reminder were contested by around 32,000 budding actors, have been handed to Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton by the HBO franchise’s casting supremo, Lucy Bevan. Unsurprisingly, given their age, you probably wouldn’t have heard of them until 72 hours ago (although Stanton played Matilda in the West End and McLaughlin will be seen in BBC drama Gifted), but soon they could be...

Netflix’s new six-episode thriller “The Eternaut” has turned an Argentine cult comic into a global binge, vaulting to No. 1 among the platform’s non-English-language series days after its 30 April debut. Starring national icon Ricardo Darín as reluctant hero Juan Salvo, the Spanish-language drama follows survivors of a toxic snowfall that heralds an alien invasion over Buenos Aires.

Director-showrunner Bruno Stagnaro, who first read the 1957 graphic novel at age ten, said the project came with “a huge legacy, a heavy weight, and high expectations—especially here in our country.” Netflix shot the US $15 million production entirely in the Argentine capital after securing the estate’s insistence on local language and setting. The series headlines the streamer’s “Made in Argentina” slate, which aims to “export culture,” according to Latin-America content chief Francisco Ramos.

Success has already spurred more episodes. Ramos confirmed plans for a second, eight-part season that will “dig...

Netflix has unveiled a new film with “The Eternaut” lead Ricardo Darín, Argentina’s biggest star, and another by popular director Marcos Carnevale (“Elsa and Fred”), starring Oscar Martínez (“Official Competition”).

“Lo dejamos acá” stars Darín and Diego Paretti, another big Argentine player, in a movie about a pragmatic psychoanalyst (Darín) who begins to distrust traditional psychological methods, crossing ethical lines with his patients. Everything seems to work – until a creatively blocked writer (Peretti) enters his practice.

Produced by Darín’s label Kenya Films, in a pedigree creative package “Lo dejamos acá” is helmed by Hernán Goldfrid, who directed Darín in box office hit “Thesis of a Homicide” and co-directed “Caught” as well as one of HBO Latin America’s best series ever, “The Bronze Garden.” It is written by Emanuel Diez, who co-wrote Juan José Campanella’s “The Envoys” and Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s “El Encargado” (“The One in Charge”) and “Nada,...

Netflix has announced two new Argentinian features, continuing what the streamer describes as its “unwavering” commitment to the Latin American territory.

Lo dejamos acá stars Ricardo Darín, from Oscar nominee Argentina, 1985, and Diego Peretti in the story of a pragmatic psychoanalyst who has lost faith in traditional psychological methods and the creatively blocked writer who comes to him for help.

Hernán Goldfrid directs from a script by Emanuel Diez. Kenya Films is the production company.

El último gigante stars Oscar Martínez, known internationally from Official Competition, and MatíasMayer and follows a charismatic tour guide who unexpectedly reunites with the father who abandoned him 28 years ago.

Exclusive: With The Eternaut still nestled high in Netflix’s viewing charts, the streamer is adding to its line-up of content from Argentina. It has greenlit two new movies, acquired another, and cameras are rolling on a previously-announced Juan José Campanella film.

The two new films are Lo dejamos acá, starring Ricardo Darín and Diego Peretti; and El último gigante, with Oscar Martínez, Matías Mayer, Inés Estévez, Luis Luque, Silvia Kutika, and Yoyi Francella. Production has kicked off on both movies.

It’s actually a quadruple bill of Netflix Argentina production news. We can also reveal it has snagged Risa, also starring Diego Peretti, in this case alongside Joaquín Furriel, rapper Cazzu, and Elena Romero. It will be on the platform after its theatrical release. Meanwhile, shooting is underway on the previously announced Juan José Campanella movie Parque Lezama. First-look pic below.

A first look at Juan José Campanella’s Parque Lezama Marcos Ludevid,...

First look at ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Part 2 (Photo Credit: Netflix)

Production has begun on Netflix’s One Hundred Years of Solitude Part 2, with Marleyda Soto and Claudio Cataño returning as Úrsula Iguarán and Colonel Aureliano Buendía. Part 1 premiered in December 2024. Netflix hasn’t announced a target date for the release of Part 2.

Part 2 newcomers include Ángela Cano, Emmanuel Restrepo, Estefanía Piñeres, María Adelaida Puerta, and Emiliano Pernía. Juanita Molina, Laura Taylor, Obeida Benavides, Julián Román, and Carla Baratta will also star.

The series is adapted from Gabriel García Marquez’s novel. Part 1 director Laura Mora returns for Part 2 and is joined by Colombian director Carlos Moreno.

“Following the reception from our members and specialized press from all around the world, we are deeply proud to announce that the production of the second part has begun. With this series we pay tribute to the legacy of Gabriel García Márquez...

Following the exceptional recognition from audiences and critics alike for the first installment of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which premiered in December, Netflix has announced the start of production for the second installment, which will complete the visual adaptation of Gabriel García Marquez’s masterpiece novel.

Laura Mora will continue her role as director in Part 2 along with Carlos Moreno, a Colombian director known for his work on renowned films like Lavaperros and Perro come perro and the series Goles en contra and Distrito Salvaje.

Marleyda Soto and Claudio Cataño reprise their roles as the iconic characters Úrsula Iguarán and Colonel Aureliano Buendía, respectively.

They will be joined by new faces who will bring more of Macondo’s characters to life, including Ángela Cano, Emmanuel Restrepo, Estefanía Piñeres, María Adelaida Puerta, Emiliano Pernía, Juanita Molina, Laura Taylor, Obeida Benavides, Julián Román, and Carla Baratta, among others.

“Following the reception...

Exclusive: Comedians Matt Rife and Paul Elia have announced a new LowKey Comedy special to premiere digitally on Moment by Patreon on February 16.

A long-running show conceived by Rife and Elia, LowKey sees the pair act as hosts of a night of comedy, performing both written and off-the-cuff material. In amongst their performances, they introduce a number of other stand-ups who do the same, creating a unique bond with the audience through improvised, interview-style riff sets.

This LowKey special, hosted by Rife and Elia, features comedians Ian Edwards, Whitney Cummings, Fahim Anwar, Luenell, Francisco Ramos, and T.J. Miller. Taped at the Troubadour during the 2024 Netflix Is a Joke Festival, the hour is directed by Rife’s longtime friend and collaborator, Erik Griffin. Rife, Elia, and their manager Christina Shams served as executive producers. Watch a trailer above.

Rife and Elia created LowKey in 2020 as a means of staying afloat and...

During its Next on Netflix event, the streamer unveiled plenty of news for its Latin American markets, including a new Anitta documentary and the premiere date for “El Eternauta,” its ambitious adaptation of the Argentinian sci-fi graphic novel of the same name.

In Brazil, it was revealed that an intimate new documentary on Anitta, the country’s biggest pop star, is currently in production. “Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta” is set to premiere this year. Watch a teaser below.

“This is the first time the public will get to see the Larissa that exists behind Anitta, without any filters,” Anitta said in a statement. “I gave so much of myself for Anitta to exist. Moments of connection with myself became increasingly rare and brief. But this came at a high cost – physically and mentally. Over the nearly 15 years of my career, I dedicated myself to creating a strong, independent,...

Netflix touted the fruits of its massive international content expansion, promising a vast slate of upcoming films and television series from across the globe.

Chief content officer Bela Bajaria, along with content executives from around the world, gathered in Los Angeles for the streamer’s first international showcase Tuesday. Along with debuting footage for major titles like “Squid Game” Season 2 from South Korea — Netflix’s most-watched series ever, returning Dec. 26, and already renewed for a third and final season — Colombia’s anticipated adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” and more, Bajaria also celebrated how Netflix’s investment in fostering local talent and production internationally has lent to the creation of hits that resonate globally.

“It’s about trying to find the best version of every genre, rather than focusing on only one demo or sensibility,” Bajaria said during the presentation Tuesday, highlighting her approach to programming for an audience of 650 million people.

The Alejandro Montoya Marin directed and written movie, The Unexpecteds, won the Best Comedy award at the third annual Smodcastle Film Festival.

The movie stars Veep 2x Primetime Emmy nominee and Hangover actor Matt Walsh, Alejandro de Hoyos, Chelsea Rendon, Francisco Ramos, Jason Konopisos-Alvarez, Jerry Bednob, Natasha Leggero and Laura Patalano and follows a group of friends who seek revenge against a social media crypto influencer who has scammed them of their life savings. The comedy is 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and first had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

Kevin Smith’s Smodcastle Film Festival celebrates cinema in Central New Jersey with a diverse lineup of films, including features, short films, animations, and documentaries, as well as filmmaker panels and meet and greets.

Marin shared his excitement, exclaiming “Winning Best Comedy at Smodcastle is a dream come true. As a lifelong fan of Kevin Smith and Clerks,...

Pedro Paramo

Dir. Rodrigo Prieto

Prod: Rafael Ley, Stacy Perskie, Francisco Ramos

A Netflix backed project that went into production in March of last year, Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto moved into his feature directorial debut with a film that follows a dusty road to a town of death. Pedro Paramo is about time shifts from one consciousness to another in a hypnotic flow of dreams, desires, and memories, a world of ghosts dominated by the figure of Pedro Páramo lover, overlord, murderer. Manuel García-Rulfo and Tenoch Huerta topline. We see this grabbing the closing film spot a la last year’s Society of the Snow.…...

Francisco Ramos, the Venezuelan American stand-up comic known for his unique perspective on the immigrant experience, took to YouTube on Tuesday to unveil his debut comedy special, Venezuela’Merican, via 800 Pound Gorilla.

No logline was provided for the special, filmed in Las Vegas at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club inside the MGM Grand. But you can check out a first-look clip, spotlighting a bit on pumpkin patches, below.

Produced by Garrett, Ed Conover and 800 Pound Gorilla Records, Ramos’ special was directed by Michael Malone.

“I’m beyond thrilled for everyone to finally see the special(ito) we’ve been cooking up!” said Ramos in a statement to Deadline. “Huge shoutout to Brad Garrett for producing it and to the fantastic team at 800 Pound Gorilla for their incredible support. Now, fingers crossed for 1 million views—because that’s the magic number that might finally make my mom stop asking, “When are you getting a real job?...

The Unexpecteds is one of those films you wish they would remake instead of a classic. That’s not to put the film down. Far from it. You see the potential in writer and director Alejandro Montoya Marin’s first feature-length film. The story is timely and engaging, and the script has some well-timed jokes. However, this comedy caper never quite reaches its potential.

The reason is glaring and obvious—the cast’s flat and wooden performances. And that’s a shame because this “Dumb Money Light” could have been something embraced. If only the cast could have found the heart of the matter, at least enough for the audience to embrace the characters from The Unexpecteds and care.

Alejandro De Hoyos, Chelsea Rendon, Matt Walsh, and Francisco Ramos in The Unexpecteds | Image via Atla California Pictures

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Get ready for an exciting episode of “Entertainers: With Byron Allen” on ABC. Airing at 4:30 Am on Sunday, April 14, 2024, Episode 8 promises to be a star-studded affair with a lineup of Hollywood’s brightest talents.

Tune in as host Byron Allen sits down with an array of A-list guests, including Paul Rudd, who discusses his latest role in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Additionally, Julia Mayorga shares insights into her character in the gripping series “American Rust: Broken Justice,” while George Lopez gives viewers a glimpse into his new project, “Lopez vs. Lopez.”

But the excitement doesn’t stop there, as the episode features appearances by Millie Bobby Brown, Jade LeMac, Zendaya, Francisco Ramos, Viola Davis, Johan Renck, Denzel Washington, and Ariana Grande. With such a star-studded lineup, viewers can expect engaging conversations, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and plenty of entertainment.

Don’t miss out on this jam-packed episode of “Entertainers: With Byron Allen...

Exclusive: Production has begun on the new Netflix series The Gringo Hunters in Mexico City and the core cast has been revealed. They include José María Yazpik, Sebastian Roché, Harold Torres and Mayra Hermosillo. Plans to shoot in Tijuana are also in place.

Torres and Hermosillo are part of the gringo hunters’ core group alongside Manuel Masalva, Andrew Leland Rogers, Héctor Kotsifakis, Dagoberto Gama and Regina Nava. Gerardo Trejoluna and Paulina Dávila also star. All 11 are contracted as series regulars on the bilingual crime series which will be shot mostly in Spanish with some English.

As Deadline revealed exclusively in 2022, a series based on The Washington Post story “A U.S. murder suspect fled to Mexico. The Gringo Hunters were waiting,” by Kevin Sieff was in development for Netflix. The series is inspired by a real elite...

Netflix Mexico has unveiled a rousing new slate in production this year that includes the series debut of Luis Estrada (“¡Que viva México!”), a new pic from Rodrigo Garcia (“Familia”), another series from hit-maker José Ignacio “Chascas” Valenzuela (“Who Killed Sara?”) and “La Reina del Sur”’s Kate del Castillo unusually toplining a comedy.

Also leading the pack is series “Gringo Hunters,” produced by Woo Films and Redrum in co-production with Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment in association with The Washington Post.

Said Francisco Ramos, VP of content for Latin America: “We begin 2024 by reaffirming our commitment to show Mexico, just as it is, on Netflix. This diverse and complex Mexico –immensely rich, sometimes contradictory, and with enormous possibilities– is what inspires, motivates and makes us always keep an eye out for the best stories, so that our offer is even more ambitious and accurate.”

“We will continue to explore...

Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria was a mix of confident and casual on Jan. 31 as she led a very network TV-like presentation to explain why Netflix is nothing like a traditional TV network.

“No entertainment company has tried to program with this ambition — for this many tastes, cultures and languages. Ever,” Bajaria told a few dozen entertainment reporters who gathered Wednesday at the streamer’s Tudum Theater in Hollywood for a TV and film preview event dubbed “Next on Netflix 2024.” She cited the sheer scale of the company’s 260 million worldwide subscriber base as something that can’t be compared to past network TV dynasties.

“We can’t define ourselves narrowly, even though many of you would always like us to. But we can’t. We have to think much more broadly about who’s watching and what they want,” Bajaria said. “The biggest mistakes I see creative...

Exclusive: Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age) is set to appear opposite Lauren Lapkus in Another Happy Day, a postpartum depression comedy marking the feature debut of writer-director Nora Fiffer, which wrapped production last summer in Chicago and will make its world premiere at the Vail Film Festival this Saturday, December 9th.

The film centers on Joanna (Lapkus), a “total nut” who is wearing new motherhood so awkwardly that she remarks candidly “I’m not really a mom, I just have a baby, you know?” This new mom is also an artist who isn’t making any art, and feels truly terrible at taking care of her newborn, as she stumbles through her days. She can’t get her old job back, her old friends have moved on without her, her husband thinks he’s a better mother than she is, she’s terribly sleep deprived, and her baby won’t look at her.

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín returns to Venice this evening with his latest pic El Conde, a black-and-white satire of dictator Augusto Pinochet, which he co-wrote and directed for Netflix.

The pic is his first direct movie for a streamer.

“It’s important that Netflix has supported a movie like this that is bold and unique,” Larraín said of the streamer during the film’s official press conference on the Lido this afternoon.

Related: Venice Film Festival 2023 Photos: Premieres, Red Carpets And Parties

“It’s not only the support for this movie but also the support for Chilean cinema, which can speak to the world and has the skills to do it and make valuable cinematic elements that can travel to multiple societies.”

Larraín later added: “We shouldn’t take that for granted. It’s important and relevant because today with the world changing so fast having Netflix doing that is quite important.

The Chilean filmmaker’s dark satire premieres in Venice competition.

It has been more than a decade since No, Pablo Larraín’s last feature about former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and the filmmaker returns to the territory with his dark satire El Conde, which receives its world premiere in Venice today (August 31).

The territory was familiar and uncharted. Whereas 2012’s No and the two earlier films in Larraín’s Pinochet trilogy – Tony Manero (2008) and Post Mortem (2010) – steered clear of depicting the tyrant on screen and focused on how his violent rule (1973-1990) bled into the psyche of Chileans, El Conde is something very different.

Netflix is toasting Mexico’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 with a slew of projects, many of them tapping the country’s wealth of literary classics and original storytellers. Working with some of the most prominent local filmmakers, the streaming giant is also reaffirming its $300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series and its #QueMéxicoSeVea (“Let Mexico Be Seen”) initiative.

A teaser of its upcoming film “No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea” (“I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me”) by Fernando Frías De La Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”) debuts exclusively on Variety.

An adaptation of what award-winning author Juan Pablo Villalobos describes as an ‘autobiographical fiction,’ Frias’ latest film follows the writer as he prepares to go to Barcelona with his girlfriend to study for a doctorate in literature. But he gets caught up in a criminal network that spurs him to write the...

Colombian-Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo García has wrapped his first Spanish-language feature, “Familia,” which was shot in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico for Netflix.

García, who has directed such acclaimed films as “Mother and Child” and “Albert Nobbs,” and whose TV credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love” and “In Treatment,” said: “Shooting ‘Familia’ has been a great experience.” He added: “Great producers, collaborators, several of my favorite Mexican actors and actresses and Netflix’s full support have made this project an unforgettable trip back home.”

This is the first time García, who is the son of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez, has directed a film in Mexico. He’s an executive producer in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of his father’s literary classic “100 Years of Solitude,” which will be shooting in Colombia.

According to the synopsis, “Familia” follows “a peculiar family and explores the complexities of cohabitation around a decision that will change them forever.

Manuel García-Rulfo has been cast in the title role of Netflix’s Spanish-language film Pedro Páramo. Shooting has begun on the Mexican film, which marks cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s directorial debut.

García-Rulfo is best known for Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, which debuted last year. He is leading Pedro Páramo opposite Tenoch Huerta, who will play Juan Preciado in the Mateo Gil adaptation of the Juan Rulfo novel.

They are joined by Ilse Salas, Mayra Batalla, Héctor Kotsifakis, Roberto Sosa, Dolores Heredia, Giovanna Zacarías, Noé Hernández and Yoshira Escárrega among others.

Rulfo’s original novel follows a man who attempts to meet his father for the first time after his mother’s death, only to find a ghost town filled with spectral figures and discovers the reckless and dangerous choices his dad made during his life.

“Our commitment to Mexican cinema takes on a whole new dimension with the start of production of Pedro Páramo,...

Buenos Aires — Galvanised by backing from Netflix, BBC Studios and Flixxo, the presence of top regional producers – Fabula, Kapow, Pampa Films – power panels, a spread of project from Buenos Aires City, SoloSerieS, Ventana Sur’s TV strand looks in 2022 to have come of age.

That’s hardly surprising. Latin America is a key market for platforms, including Netflix, which looks set to try to reach out to broader cross-section of Argentine producers at two presentations on Thursday, headed by Belén Piñeiro, manager & content, legal, Latin America, and Francisco Ramos, VP of content, Netflix.

The diaspora of on-the-rise filmmakers into TV continues, Chile’s multi-prized cineastes Dominga Sotomayor and Francisca Alegría and Dominican Yanillys Pérez presenting their first TV projects at SoloSeries.

Women make much of the running, packing all five berths in Netflix’s strand and half of the projects competing for two BBC Studios mentorships. Short format series, in contrast,...

Buenos Aires — Online in 2020, and sporting a boutique on-site edition in 2021, Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest film-tv market, is roaring back, attendance levels, especially from delegates outside Argentina, looking set to break all time records.

“With all the sales companies, distributors and platforms coming back, it’s really great to find the same dynamism as in 2019,” Jérôme Paillard, Ventana Sur co-director, commented a week out from this year’s 13th edition, running Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

In some ways, in fact, there may be more. 10 takes on this year’s event, backed by the Cannes Festival, Market and Argentina’s Incaa film-tv agency:

Ventana Sur Xxl

Three stats nail this year’s Ventana Sur. Delegates from outside Argentina had near doubled by Sunday, say organisers. Led by Primer Corte & Copia Final, Proyecta, Animation!, Blood Window, Punto Genero, Maquinitas and the Spanish Screenings, projects and pix-in-post pitched has sky-rocketed to a...

Netflix has reaffirmed its 300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series, announcing a slew of new movie projects to celebrate the country’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 and as part of its #QueMéxicoSeVea initiative.

The year-old initiative, which can be roughly translated to “Let Mexico Be Seen” has the mission “to make visible the work of Mexican creators, screenwriters, writers, directors, actors and people who make national cinema possible,” as well as its wealth of original stories.

Leading the pack is the widely anticipated directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who is helming an adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s seminal novel, “Pedro Paramo.” Produced by Redrum, the film’s crew includes Oscar-nominated production designer Eugenio Caballero and costume designer Anna Terrazas, whose notable credits include “Roma,” “Spectre” and “Bardo.”

“Our commitment to Mexican culture also includes adapting great Mexican works to the cinema, and ‘Pedro Páramo’ will...

“Spencer” director Pablo Larraín has teamed with Netflix for his next film “El Conde,” a fantastical dark comedy revolving around Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Production on the film is underway.

Larraín will direct “El Conde” and also co-wrote the script with his regular writing partner Guillermo Calderón, with whom he has already worked on “The Club” and “Neruda.” Juan de Dios Larraín is producing.

The story revolves around Augusto Pinochet, who is not dead but is an aged vampire who, after 250 years in this world, has decided to die once and for all, due to ailments brought about by his dishonor and family conflicts.

Jaime Vadell and Gloria Münchmeyer will play the central couple in this historical dark comedy, in addition to actors Alfredo Castro and Paula Luchsinger.

Netflix will release “El Conde” in 2023.

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“We...

Netflix and ‘Spencer’ director Pablo Larraín have gone into production on “El Conde,” a black comedy picturing bloody Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire.

Larraín will share screenwriting credits with Guillermo Calderón, Chile’s foremost playwright and Larraín’s writing partner on “Neruda” and Berlin Grand Jury Prize winner “The Club,” the movie which persuaded Natalie Portman to play the lead in the Larraín-directed “Jackie.”

“El Conde” is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín at Fabula, the Larraín brothers’ Chile-based film-tv production house whose credits include “Spencer” and “Jackie,” all Larrain’s Chilean movies, and Sebastian Lelio’s 2018 Academy Award winning “A Fantastic Woman.”

Moving from fest-winning straight-arrow arthouse fare such as “Tony Manero” to movies with a wider audience appeal from 2012 Cannes Directors Fortnight winner “No,” starring Gael García Bernal and then into English-language titles from “Jackie,” Pablo Larrain has established himself in the vanguard of Latin American cinema.

“Hernan” co-creator and lead writer Francisco “Curro” Royo, one of the premier show runners in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world, has signed with The Gersh Agency and set up his own production company, Dystopia Media.

Royo will be represented at Gersh Agency by partner Roy Ashton and Shan Ray.

Already readying its first slate of projects in development, Dystopia Media, which will be based out of Madrid, underscores the growing market muscle and ambition of Spain’s foremost screenwriters.

“The next step is for writers and show runners to become producers,” said Royo, pointing to the example of Spain’s Alex Pina and Ramón Campos.

“Money Heist” co-creator Pina set up his own label Vancouver Media in 2016, going on to co-produce “Money Heist” and sign an overall deal with Netflix in 2018.

Established by “Velvet” and “Cable Girls” creator Ramón Campos and producer Teresa Fernández-Valdés in 2007, Bambu Producciones has grown into...

Half a dozen reasons to shoot in São Paulo.

1. Diversity

One of São Paolo’s biggest attractions “is our diversity,” says SPcine president Viviane Ferreira. “By diversity, I mean the variety of locations — urbanistic and architectonic — but also the diversity of cultures, of histories that cross our city every day,” she adds. The city’s rich ethnic diversity includes an astonishing mix of Lebanese, Japanese, Italian and African people. São Paulo is considered the next largest Lebanese and Japanese city out of their respective countries. A heady variety in architectural styles, world-class cuisine, music and art allows it stand in for almost any big city in the world. The state of São Paolo also offers a wealth of green spaces and forests, a stunning array of landscapes and the world’s largest street Carnaval and LGBT Pride parade, both of which have appeared in films and series.

2. Costs

Fifteen years ago,...

Manolo Caro’s cult series “The House of Flowers”(La Casa de las Flores), one of Netflix’s pioneering Mexican series breakouts, will get a movie spinoff, Netflix has revealed.

The title was announced as part of a peak into the streamer’s 2021 Mexican production-distribution slate, which formed the Mexican leg of a multi-territory Netflix Roadshow.

It also came just one day after Netflix confirmed in a letter to investors that Mexican mystery thriller “Who Killed Sara?” had become the U.S. streaming giant’s most popular non-English title ever in the U.S. in its first 28 days, racking up an estimated 55 million household account views.

Entitled “The House of Flowers: The Movie,” the spinoff from Caro’s now concluded three-season series has family maid and confidante Delia on her deathbed. She asks Paulina to find a “treasure” in the De La Mora family home. That confronts the three De...

Netflix is to open an office in Bogota, Colombia, this year, the streamer has announced.

The studio said today that through 2022, it will have more than 30 new projects which include the already announced Ritmo Salvaje, Locombianos, Juanpis, Nada Es Igual, a comedy show starring Alejandra Azcárate, Goles en Contra, Pálpito, Perfil Falso, Diomedes and Chichipatos Season 2.

Netflix also stated today that it has invested more than $175M dollars in local content since 2014 through this year.

Previous Colombian projects backed by Netflix include Siempre Bruja, Distrito Salvaje, Chichipatos, Frontera Verde and El Robo del Siglo; comedy specials such as those of Liss Pereira, Ricardo Quevedo, Antonio Sanint, Julian Arango and Alejandro Riaño, and movies such as Lavaperros.

The news was announced in a blog post by Netflix’s Vice President of Content for Latin America, Francisco Ramos.

James Schamus (pictured, left), the former co-president of Focus Features who is best known for his laureled producing partnership with multi Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, is creating his first TV series for Netflix Mexico.

Schamus will serve as executive producer and showrunner for the series, which he co-wrote with Monika Revilla and author Fernanda Melchor (“Hurricane Season”).

The series, whose storyline is under wraps, will shoot in Spanish with local crew and talent in Mexico and is set to debut later this year. Francisco Ramos, VP of Spanish-language originals for Netflix in Latin America, told Variety that Schamus is learning Spanish. Ramos also expressed his delight at the “complete and diverse slate” that Netflix Mexico has put together in recent years.

This is the first major Latino collaboration for Schamus — producer of Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” as well as “The Ice Storm,” which he also co-wrote — since his 1990 producing debut,...

Viewers who embraced Selena: The Series late last year do not have long to wait for the final chapter.

Netflix announced on Friday that all episodes of Part 2 will be available to stream Friday, May 14.

The streamer also revealed that the series was watched by 25 million households in its first 28 days, solidifying itself as a huge success.

Selena: The Series is a coming-of-age story following Selena (The Walking Dead's Christian Serratos) as her dreams come true and all the heart-wrenching and life-changing choices she and her family have to make as they navigate success, family, and music.

The cast also includes Gabriel Chavarria, Ricardo Chavira, Noemí Gonzalez, Seidy López, Jesse Posey, and Natasha Perez.

“When Selena Quintanilla burst onto the Tejano music scene in the ‘80s, her dream was to make music that celebrated both her Latin roots and her Mexican-American upbringing. She ultimately brought these two worlds together,...

Selena: The Series is the latest Netflix series to get the ratings treatment.

The Selena Quintanilla drama was watched by 25M households around the world in the first 28 days after its December debut.

This comes after a spate of data from the streamer, which earlier this week revealed that 41M households watched season three of Cobra Kai and that Bridgerton was on course to have been watched by 63M households in its first month.

The show also reached Netflix’s top ten list in 23 countries including the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru. Half of the fans came from the U.S., where it spent its first week in the #1 spot on the Top ten list.

Selena: The Series is a coming-of-age story following Selena (Christian Serratos) as her dreams come true and all the heart-wrenching and life-changing choices she and her family have to make as they navigate success,...

Selena: The Series is gearing up for its encore.

Netflix’s VP of Latin American Originals, Francisco Ramos, announced on Friday that its biographical drama about international music sensation Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (played by Walking Dead alum Christian Serratos) will return with the second half of its run on Friday, May 14.

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“When Selena Quintanilla burst onto the Tejano music scene in the ‘80s, her dream was to make...

As Brazil emerges from its shoot shutdown, the magnitude of its biggest production, Netflix fiction miniseries “Senna,” about Formula One racing genius Ayrton Senna, is rapidly becoming clearer.

The series, now in development, ticks multiple boxes for both Netflix and its producer, São Paulo-based Gullane.

“Language is no longer a barrier, only ambition and quality are barriers,” Francisco Ramos, Netflix VP of Spanish-language Originals in Latin America, said as a keynote at September’s San Sebastian Festival.

“Senna” certainly has ambition. It will be “the first Netflix title from Brazil conceived from its very inception as a global series,” “Senna” producer Fabiano Gullane told Variety during Ventana Sur.

In order for a Netflix title to “be successful abroad, it first has to have an impact in its own country,” Ramos also observed.

Senna can expect to have a huge impact n Brazil. For Gullane, “Other Formula One World Champions were heroes of their sport,...

“Diversity is still crucial for us because it’s what our members so eagerly ask from us.”

Netflix’s German historical Roman era epic Barbarians and Swedish crime drama Quicksand are among some of the most notable international series to catch on with the platform’s Latin America audiences, a Ventana Sur online panel heard this week.

In a 20-minute session titled Netflix Between The Pandemic And The Ott Ecosystem, Francisco Ramos, the service’s vp of Spanish-language originals in Latin America who has been doing the festival rounds (he spoke at San Sebastian recently), said while the plan was...

Francisco Ramos, VP of Spanish-language Originals for Netflix in Latin America, headlined a Ventana Sur chat on Wednesday, joined virtually by Latin American industry journalist Nicolás Smirnoff, managing partner of Editorial Prensario and director of Prensario International and Prensario Ti Latin America.

Titled Netflix, between the Pandemic and the New Ott Ecosystem, the talk focused on how the global SVOD platform is addressing several factors to continue its growth during and post-pandemic in an atmosphere of increasing competition as the boom of global and regional players continues.

The executive started the talk by acknowledging the uptick in content consumption under Covid-19, saying, “We all know that entertainment in all its formats and platforms has increased during the pandemic.”

“People are staying inside to keep safe, and they are discovering and enjoying new content from all over the world, every part of the world. That’s the advantage at Netflix. We have productions from everywhere,...

Spearheaded by Cannes Film Market and Argentina’s Incaa agency, Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest movie market, will put through an out-of-the-box reset of market dynamics. Running Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, it will also register the energetic and exciting build up of women on the Latin American film scene, as directors, producers and market playmakers.

Following is a down-to-the-wire appreciation of 2020’s edition:

A Multi-City Movie Market Revolution?

Movie markets traditionally take place in one physical setting. No more. In an unprecedented move, the brainchild of Cannes Film Market head Jerome Paillard, Ventana Sur looks set for a game changing five city on-site roll-out to run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Madrid, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile and Colombia’s Bogotá. In some ways, Ventana Sur was unlucky. France’s lockdown lift does not kick in until Dec. 15, nixing planned screenings in Paris, the world’s art film capital.

Focused on Latin America and U.S. Hispanic markets, last week’s MipCancun Online Plus market-conference was a boutique affair, attracting 600 delegates from 500 companies and 44 countries.

Far more than MipTV and even Mipcom, however, MipCancun’s lineup of speakers marked a virtual who’s who of relevant leading industry figures, led by the top executives for Latin America at companies shaping the region’s film-tv future: Netflix’s Francisco Ramos; Disney Plus’ Leonardo Aranguibel; ViacomCBS Intl. Studios and Networks Americas’ J.C. Acosta; Amazon Prime Video’s Pablo Iacoviello; NBCUniversal Telemundo’s Marcos Santana; and Sony Pictures Television’s Ana Bond.

Wrapping Friday, 2020’s MipCancun kicked off on Nov. 17 as Disney Plus launched across Latin America. That seems appropriate. One subject dominated most keynote and panels, one way or another: The impact of the still ongoing Ott revolution on Latin America’s production sector. Below, find 10 takeaways from MipCancun 2020’s conference.

Hello and welcome to International Insider, Jake Kanter here. We’re with you every week bringing you the biggest bites of news from the global film and TV biz. Any tips or stories can be sent to jkanter@deadline.com, or my DMs are open.

Netflix’s New Look

TV queen sets team: Bela Bajaria (pictured) became arguably the most powerful woman in television last month when she was crowned global head of the genre at Netflix. Now, Bajaria has set her top team and redoubled her commitment to combing the globe for the world’s best TV series. While there was plenty of movement on her U.S. bench, including around 10 job cuts, her international team was merely fine-tuned. Here’s how it now shapes up:

Larry Tanz, VP of Emea originals, will become head of Emea local language original series Kelly Luegenbiehl, head of Emea local language original series,...

Following the exit of several top executives, Netflix’s head of global television Bela Bajaria has set her new global leadership team and overhauled the streaming service’s U.S. operations under her purview, creating a new overalls team in the process.

As part of the reorganization, on the domestic side, Brian Wright is now leading overall deals, original series. Wright will lead this new team, which will work closely with high-profile pacts, including Netflix’s deals with Ryan Murphy, The Duffer Brothers and 21 Laps. Wright’s previous position heading up YA/Family series will now be consolidated into the drama and comedy teams.

Bajaria has named Peter Friedlander head of spectacle/event TV, focusing on high-concept drama series with high production values, like “The Three-Body Problem,” “Black Mirror” and “Narcos.”

Jinny Howe (who previously worked on the character dramas and soap/Shondaland team) is now in charge of drama,...

A month and a half after being elevated to Head of Global TV at Netflix, Bela Bajaria has reorganized the streamer’s U.S. TV operation with an increased focus on tentpole shows and getting the most from mega overall deals. The realignment also enhances the portfolios of some executives on her international bench.

The U.S. streamlining includes the closing of the Young Adult/Family series department whose duties will be absorbed by the Drama and Comedy teams. The consolidation has led to the departures of fewer than 10 members of the series content team below VP level. Brian Wright, who ran the YA/family group, will now head a new Overall Deals department, while Jinny Howe and Renate Radford will lead the drama team. Meanwhile, Peter Friedlander, who led the Genre & Thrillers subsection of the drama department, will now head a new Spectacle/Event programming department that will be separate from drama and comedy.

A little more than a month after being named head of global TV at Netflix, Bela Bajaria has set her leadership team.

The new management structure puts all television worldwide under one umbrella, and follows a weeks-long period that saw several top programming executives leave the streamer.

“Each of the roles has greenlight power, so that approach of decentralized decision-making continues because it’s good for our members and good for the business,” Bajaria tells Variety of the new structure. “I wanted to eliminate silos and clarify the lanes, both internally and for creators, so my goal for this streamlined approach is that our priorities are clear: drama, comedy and unscripted, and the new overalls team to be led by Brian Wright.”

The reorganization also includes layoffs, with 10 members of the series content team leaving the company.

Outside the U.S., Larry Tanz has been named head of local-language original series for Europe,...

Ivan Dusk’s Dusk Stone won the Wip Latam award.

Argentinian director Iván Fund’s Dusk Stone has won the prestigious Wip Latam Industry Award in San Sebastián, guaranteeing a Spanish distribution deal and post production support via sponsors Ad Hoc Studios, Deluxe Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Sherlock Films.

Dusk Stone, is an Argentina-Chile co-production between Rita Cine, Insomnia Films and Globo Rojo FIlms. It is a drama that deals with grief and loss and is about a woman who travels to a coastal town to help her friend sell her house. The friend...

Ramos says credibility of different cultures is crucial in an online talk organised by San Sebastian.

“Without specificity we will lose our identity,” said Francisco Ramos, vice-p[resident of Spanish-language originals for Netflix in Latin America, in an online industry talk organised by San Sebastian’s industry desk alongside Creative Europe this week.

Ramos was speaking about the boom in Spanish-language content, with the goal to protect each country’s, or even each region in a country’s, specific voice.

He added, “In Latin America, more and more we want stories that start to pave the way to talk about diversity, and the specificities of culture.