News

Director Sara Sugarman is set to replace Jonas Åkerlund on “Midas Man,” the biopic of The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, Variety understands.

“Midas Man” tells the story of Brian Epstein, the man who is considered responsible for launching The Beatles into the stratosphere. He also managed other hit musical acts from the 1960s including Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black before tragically succumbing to an overdose at the age of 32.

During his lifetime Epstein was also forced to hide the fact that he was gay due to societal attitudes towards at the time.

“The Queen’s Gambit” star Jacob Fortune Lloyd (above right) has been cast as wunderkind Epstein in the film, with “Outlander’s” Rosie Day set to play Cilla Black.

Sugarman has previously directed “Vinyl,” “House of Versace” and “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” with Lindsay Lohan. She recently wrapped on feature film “Save the Cinema” with...

Production

Principal photography has commenced on Season 2 of acclaimed Sky original paramedic comedy “Bloods.”

U.S. streaming service Hulu has acquired the series in a multi-season deal and season 1 will debut on the streamer Dec. 9.

The series stars BAFTA nominated Samson Kayo and Golden Globe nominated Jane Horrocks. The first season had eight episodes while the second will have 10.

Bloods follows tough-acting loner Maleek (Kayo) and over-friendly divorcee Wendy (Horrocks), a pair of mismatched paramedics, and their fellow ambulance station colleagues through the life-saving world of a south London emergency service. Katherine Kelly (“Innocent”) and Nathan Foad (“Our Flag Means Death”) are joining the cast for the new season.

The show’s returning cast includes Lucy Punch (“Motherland”), Julian Barratt (“Mighty Boosh”), Adrian Scarborough (“Gavin and Stacey”), Aasiya Shah (“Raised By Wolves”), Kevin Garry (“Ted Lasso”) and Sam Campbell (“Stath Lets Flats”).

The series is being made for Sky by...

“Midas Man,” the biopic about legendary music manager Brian Epstein, has begun shooting in Liverpool, U.K., giving fans the first look at Jacob Fortune-Lloyd’s transformation into the title role (above left).

The actor, who has starred in “Medici” and “The Queen’s Gambit,” will portray the always dapper Epstein in the StudioPOW and Trevor Beattie Films production alongside Emily Watson (“Everest”) as Epstein’s mother, Eddie Marsan (“Ridley Road”) as his father Harry, Lukas Gage (“Euphoria”) as his lover Tex Ellington and Charley Palmer Rothwell (“Jack Ryan”) who will play The Beatles’ record producer George Martin

The film has also cast “Outlander” star Rosie Day as another one of Epstein’s acts, singer Cilla Black. Jonas Åkerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) directs.

The film will shoot across Liverpool, London and the U.S. this fall.

Epstein, who died of an overdose at the age of 32, was responsible for discovering and...

Cast is rounding out on Midas Man, a feature film telling the story of visionary music manager Brian Epstein.

Joining the previously announced Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein are Emily Watson, who will play his mother, Eddie Marsan as his father, and It’s a Sin breakout Omari Douglas as Lonnie Trimble, Epstein’s ever-trusted confidant and friend.

Jonas Akerlund (Lords Of Chaos) is directing the pic, which comes from producers Kevin Proctor and Perry Trevers at StudioPOW and Trevor Beattie and Jeremy Chatterton at Trevor Beattie Films.

Jonathan Wakeham wrote the screenplay based on a story by Brigit Grant. The plot tracks how Epstein shot to fame at the age of 25 by discovering a series of artists including The Beatles, Cilla Black and Gerry and The Pacemakers, before his life ended tragically at just 32.

Peter Dunne, Nicola Pearcey and Mark Borkowski are executive producers. Twickenham Studios Chairman and co-owner Sunny Vohra...

In today’s Global Bulletin, the BBC unveils “Dodger,” a new Dickens-inspired drama series with an all-star cast; U.K. comedy royalty recognizes Jenna Al as the head of the next generation of writer-performers with the Screenshot award; Keshet Productions in Israel and Twickenham Film Studios in the U.K. get makeovers with new rebrandings; Canada’s Black Screen Office and Telefilm Canada unite to improve the quality of minority representation in the country’s screen industries; Channel 4 commissions an anti-vaxx documentary; English soccer favorite Peter Crouch and the BBC prep a daily European Championship entertainment program; All3Media International deals “Too Close” abroad; Spanish golfing great Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros Sota gets the documentary treatment; and Warner Bros. International Television Production appoints Bruno Henriquet to lead operations in France.

Series

Christopher Eccleston (“Doctor Who”), David Threlfall (“Shameless”), Billy Jenkins (“The Crown”) and Saira Choudhry (“Hollyoaks”) are set to star in “Dodger,...

The Queen’s Gambit break-out Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is to star as Beatles manager Brian Epstein in biopic Midas Man.

As previously announced, filmmaker and acclaimed music director Jonas Akerlund (Lords Of Chaos) is directing and will have an input on the soundtrack.

The film will chart Epstein’s (aka Eppy) role in the cultural revolution and creative explosion of the 1960s, and his sizable yet often unheralded influence on pop music, and its colossal impact worldwide.

Shoot will take place at Twickenham Studios and on location in London, Liverpool, and the U.S. Dates have not yet been revealed.

Rising Brit actor Fortune-Lloyd, whose credits also include Wolf Hall and Medici, played chess prodigy-turned-journalist Townes, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, in Netflix’s hit series The Queen’s Gambit.

The film is being produced by Kevin Proctor and Perry Trevers at StudioPOW (Funny Cow) and Trevor Beattie and Jeremy Chatterton at Trevor Beattie Films...

Studio aims to start work later this year and complete by October 2022.

UK film and TV production site Twickenham Film Studios has rolled out plans for a £15m refurbishment and expansion for its campus in Richmond, south-west London.

A planning application for the development has been submitted to Richmond Council; the company hopes to begin building later this year and complete before October 2022.

New elements to the site will include a TV studio with audience involvement; upgraded sound production studios; a second sound-mixing suite to host tentpole productions; and a new entrance building with flexible workspaces, a boutique cinema, a...

Executive joins from Warner Bros De Lane Lea.

The UK’s Twickenham Studios (TW1) has appointed Cara Sheppard as managing director, overseeing production, post-production and emerging technology.

Sheppard joins from post-production house Warner Bros De Lane Lea, where she spent four year as managing director. She previously spent more than five years at Sky as senior manager of post-production operations as well as running post at Goldcrest.

In a statement, Sheppard said her ambition was to grow the studio by “ensuring we are the chosen London studio for large Hollywood and independent features, TV series, music videos, commercials, documentaries through...

London’s Twickenham Studios has appointed Warner Bros De Lane Lea Director Cara Sheppard as MD.

Sheppard will be tasked with guiding all aspects of production, post-production and emerging technology and developing the studio’s ties with UK, Hollywood and international clients.

Sheppard spent four years at post house De Lane Lea, where she oversaw a fully serviced production Digital Dailies offering and new facility and the studio’s dark fibre capability. She previously spent five years with Sky as a senior manager of post production operations as well as running post at Goldcrest. She is a board member on UK Screen.

Twickenham is operated by Time+Space Studios. Managing Partners Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird acquired the venue earlier this year and took over management control. The studio has been operational in recent months despite the Covid crisis.

Recent movies and series to make use of the facilities include Enola Holmes,...

Cara Sheppard is joining the U.K.’s Twickenham Studios (TW1), where she will lead and guide all aspects of production, post-production and emerging technology as managing director.

Sheppard joins from post-production facility Warner Bros De Lane Lea, where she was managing director for the last four years. She previously spent some five years with Sky as a senior manager of post-production operations, as well as running post-production at Goldcrest.

“This is a time to bravely respect the legacy of the studios and all the iconic work that has gone before, from the likes of ‘Zulu,’ ‘The Italian Job,’ ‘1917,’ ‘War Horse,’ ‘Baby Driver,’ ‘The Iron Lady’ to Netflix’s ‘The Witcher,’ ITV’s ‘Belgravia,’ Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and most recently Netflix’s ‘The Duchess’ and the current top trending film on Netflix, ‘Enola Holmes.’ I want us to be ambitious, so as to evolve TW1 into a future-focused,...

Midas Man, a biopic of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein, will be directed by multi-Grammy winner Jonas Akerlund (Lords Of Chaos).

From producers Trevor Beattie Films and StudioPOW, the film will tell the story of the visionary music manager and impresario who was often referred to as the ‘Fifth Beatle’. He took the music industry by storm at the tender age of 25 and for seven years had a tumultuous and dazzling career. Among his other discoveries were Gerry And The Pacemakers, Cilla Black and Billy J Kramer and he opened his own theater to promote the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Cream and Pink Floyd. Epstein’s rise was tragically cut short when he died of a drug overdose aged only 32.

The original screenplay comes from Brigit Grant and Jonathan Wakeham. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling international sales. The plan is to shoot the film in London, Liverpool and...

Mister Smith Entertainment to handle worldwide sales on ‘Midas Man’.

A biopic of tragic Beatles manager Brian Epstein is in the works and will be sold worldwide by Mister Smith Entertainment.

The film, titled Midas Man, will be directed by Swedish filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund, best known for his music video work with Madonna and Paul McCartney as well as features Lords Of Chaos and Polar.

Produced by Trevor Beattie Films (Spitfire) and Studio Pow (Cordelia), the film will shoot in London, Liverpool and the Us ahead of release in 2021. It has received backing from association with Beijing-based Er Dong Pictures,...

Multi-Grammy winning director Jonas Akerlund is to helm “Midas Man,” a movie about The Beatles’ manager and music impresario Brian Epstein, it was confirmed Thursday.

Epstein discovered The Beatles – indeed Paul McCartney referred to him as “the fifth Beatle” – and they signed a contract with him in 1961. He also worked with music artists such as Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black, and helped promote musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Cream and Pink Floyd.

The film is described as “an emotional, witty, heartfelt story of the joy of success and the terrifying pressures of unspeakable risk and unfulfilled desire,” in a statement from the producers, Trevor Beattie and Jeremy Chatterton at Trevor Beattie Films, and Kevin Proctor and Perry Trevers at StudioPOW.

Beattie said Akerlund had a “rock and roll heart,” and “understands music and the music industry.”

Akerlund has directed several feature films, including Netflix’s graphic-novel adaptation “Polar,...

London’s Twickenham Studios, operated by Time+Space Studios, have reopened with safety measures in place to guard again Covid-19, and incorporating a new TV studio.

The studios have launched a program of measures that it calls “Studio Safe” to protect cast and crew, which are in line with protocols developed by the British Film Commission.

Studio staff will wear masks and gloves, and are being issued with thermometers to conduct routine temperature checks. All studios will have sanitation stations at the entrance and extra cleaners have been hired. A bio-fogging specialist will be on standby to treat space being hired by productions. Other measures include signage to raise awareness of the risks of Covid, and swipe doors to limit movement into certain areas.

Time+Space Studios is run by Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird, who said: “With the measures we have introduced we think it is a perfect place...

Exclusive: Some of the biggest studios in the UK, including two at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, are beginning to open their doors again as UK film and television shoots take their first steps back into production.

Elstree Studios and Twickenham Studios have announced that production work has resumed on their sites, while Deadline understands that other spaces, including Arborfield/Longrcoss Studios and Maidstone Studios, should be ready for business again in the coming weeks.

Arborfield was among the first to be impacted by the production hiatus when Netflix shut down the fantasy drama The Witcher on the same day that actor Kristofer Hivju tested positive for coronavirus on March 16. Managing director Bob Terry said work is underway to reopen the site and sister studio Longcross, where the likes of Captain Phillips and Skyfall have been filmed. He is holding meetings over the next two weeks to finalize safety procedures.

Several film and TV studios are being developed in the U.K. in response to a boom in production there and a shortage of stage space.

The total spend on movie and high-end TV production in the U.K. last year was £3.62 billion ($4.49 billion), a 16% annual increase, and the highest figure ever recorded.

Underpinning that boom is the 25% tax rebate for production, a strong and growing studio infrastructure, a thriving VFX sector, and a rich vein of talent behind and in front of the camera.

Real estate consultancy firm Lambert Smith Hampton estimated last year that an additional 1.8 million square-feet of studio space will be required in the U.K. by 2025.

Among the sites being developed is a production studio and digital creative hub in Reading, which is 30 minutes from the western edge of London. Ryan Millsap’s Blackhall Studios, whose facility in Atlanta hosts productions from most of the Hollywood majors,...

The site is set to launch early 2022, with Amazon and Netflix showing an interest in the studios.

A £250m ($308m) UK film and TV studio development in the Kent town of Ashford in southern England was approved by councillors on Wednesday (April 22).

Ashford International Film Studios will redevelop Kent’s derelict Newtown Railway Works and is spearheaded by The Creative District Improvement Company (Tcdi) and Quinn Estates.

According to Tcdi, the site is set to launch early 2022, with Amazon and Netflix showing an interest in the studios.

The 15-acre site at Newtown Works, which has been abandoned since the 1980s,...

Planning permission has been granted to another major studio development in the UK — this time in the Kent town of Ashford from investment vehicle The Creative District Improvement Company and developer Quinn Estates.

Ashford International Film Studios is a £250M ($308M) redevelopment of Kent’s derelict Newtown Railway Works and the scheme was approved by Ashford Borough Council councilors during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

The Creative District Improvement Company plans to open the studios in early 2022 and the firm claimed it is the biggest single investment in a UK studio, and that Netflix and Amazon have already indicated their interest in using the space.

Newtown Works, once a locomotive manufacturing company,...

Amid the ongoing crisis related to the new coronavirus that has shut down most film and TV production across the U.K., a proposed new studio facility aimed at capitalizing on the recent British production boom is set to receive 250 million pounds ($290 million) of funding.  

Newly launched U.K. studios investment fund the Creative District Improvement Company, set up by real estate developer Piers Read, producer of hit Brit comedies The Inbetweeners and Peep Show, and Jeremy Rainbird, who helped launch Sharon Horgan's label Merman, has teamed with property developer Quinn Estates on the new site in ...

Amid the ongoing crisis related to the new coronavirus that has shut down most film and TV production across the U.K., a proposed new studio facility aimed at capitalizing on the recent British production boom is set to receive 250 million pounds ($290 million) of funding.  

Newly launched U.K. studios investment fund the Creative District Improvement Company, set up by real estate developer Piers Read, producer of hit Brit comedies The Inbetweeners and Peep Show, and Jeremy Rainbird, who helped launch Sharon Horgan's label Merman, has teamed with property developer Quinn Estates on the new site in ...

The U.K.’s Twickenham Studios is set for major investment following a £50 million ($64 million) deal that has seen property developer General Projects and urban regeneration specialists The Creative District Improvement Company (Tcdi) take a 50% stake in the studios.

The stake was acquired from Twickeham Studios owner Sunny Vohra, who will continue as chairman. Vohra holds the remaining 50% stake.

General Projects is working in partnership with the British Airways Pension Fund and helped fund the acquisition of Twickenham Studios.

Tcdi and its subsidiary Time + Space Studios said they intend to capitalize on high demand for studio facilities in the U.K. created by streaming giants such as Amazon, Apple and Netflix.

Tcdi was founded by former Wimbledon Studios boss Piers Read and producer Jeremy Rainbird.

It said they plan to invest £500 million ($640 million) in a network of film studios across the U.K. to meet demand, and is committed to...

TV and advertising executives Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird are heading up the fund.

UK TV and advertising executives and property developers Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird are leading a new fund which aims to invest £500m into the UK studio sector.

The first investment their company, The Creative District Improvement Company (Tcdi) and subsidiary operating company, Time + Space Studios, will be the £50 million acquisition and planned improvement of Twickenham Studios.

As part of the deal which will add film stages and office space, Sunny Vohra, who bought the studio eight years ago, will stay on as chairman and co-owner.

The Creative District Improvement Company (Tcdi Co), an investment company set up to target the UK’s booming creative industries, is set to make a ($64M) £50M investment into the expanding Twickenham Studios.

Founded in 1913, Twickenham Studios is planning to improve its historic West London site, which currently has three stages and other facilities including post-production. Movies shot there include the original Blade Runner and The Martian. The studio is also planning to open a significant new site in Liverpool.

Tcdi, founded by Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird, says it is backed by “one of the largest institutional property investment funds in the world.” It is also involved in a proposed major facility in East London’s Dagenham. The company says it is planning to invest a total of $640M in the country’s studio scene.

The UK continues to experience a boom in production, driven by record levels of inward investment,...

The U.K.'s growing status as one of the world's leading film and TV production hubs and the ever-increasing demand for studio space has led to the creation of a new 500 million pound ($640 million) investment fund.

The Creative District Improvement Company — founded by real estate developers Piers Read, producer of hit Brit comedies The Inbetweeners and Peep Show, and Jeremy Rainbird, who helped launch Sharon Horgan's label Merman — was unveiled Monday to capitalize on the boom created by the likes of Amazon, Apple and Netflix. The fund is set to be invested in a ...

The U.K.'s growing status as one of the world's leading film and TV production hubs and the ever-increasing demand for studio space has led to the creation of a new 500 million pound ($640 million) investment fund.

The Creative District Improvement Company — founded by real estate developers Piers Read, producer of hit Brit comedies The Inbetweeners and Peep Show, and Jeremy Rainbird, who helped launch Sharon Horgan's label Merman — was unveiled Monday to capitalize on the boom created by the likes of Amazon, Apple and Netflix. The fund is set to be invested in a ...

Sharon Horgan’s burgeoning shingle Merman is launching a new digital arm, Mermade, and has brought in a clutch of seasoned industry execs the run the new U.S.- and U.K.-based business. Mermade will focus on shortform series for streamers, brands, and publishers.

Rene Rechtman and Dan’l Hewitt, formerly of Disney-backed Maker Studios, will be non-executive directors. Joshua Buckingham, a former commissioner for Channel 4 and its digital service, All4, will be the U.K. managing director. In the U.S., Melanie Donkers will be Mermade’s development director. She joins from Vice Media-backed producer Pulse Films and has also been at Fullscreen.

Merman Global managing partners Jeremy Rainbird in London and Kira Carstensen in Los Angeles will run Mermade, alongside Horgan and producer Clelia Mountford, who co-founded Merman in 2014.

“Mermade gives creators control over their output, fostering new and original voices with subject...