News

PaleyFest NY is lining up shows for this year’s event, starting with panels devoted to the 10th anniversary of Starz’s “Outlander,” one for HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere” and another for AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol.”

The festival will run from Oct. 16 to Oct. 22 in midtown Manhattan and feature screenings and conversations with the casts and creative teams of the season’s most-anticipated television.

“‘Outlander,’ ‘Somebody Somewhere’ and ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol’ each represent excellence in television, and we are thrilled to reveal these stellar programs as the first announced program selections for this year’s PaleyFest NY,” Maureen J. Reidy, president, CEO of The Paley Center for Media, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming television fans to The Paley Museum this October, and we extend our tremendous thanks to Citi for their continued support of PaleyFest NY.

Liam Neeson is to reprise his role as a truck driver turned rescue worker from 2021 indie hit “The Ice Road.”

With director Jonathan Hensleigh again on board, “The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” relocates its story from Canada in the original to Nepal in the sequel. Film production is set to shift from North America to Australia’s Victoria State.

Filming will begin this month using Gippsland town of Walhalla as the backdrop for some of the picture’s action scenes. It will also shoot in and around Melbourne and make use of virtual production, volume screens and technology at NantStudios @ Docklands Studios Melbourne.

“The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” is a Code Entertainment, ShivHans Pictures, Ema production. Its producers are Code’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso, along with Shivani Rawat of ShivHans and Hensleigh, as well as Lee Nelson and David Tish...

If you're wondering if actors Josephine and Katherine Langford are related, the answer is a resounding yes! The Australian stars have both had major breakout roles in the past few years, and they're actually sisters who grew up together in Perth before heading to Hollywood.

Both sisters hit the big time by starring in a breakout teen/young-adult dramas: Katherine was the original protagonist of the Netflix drama "13 Reasons Why," and Josephine stars in the romantic-drama movie franchise After. More recently, Katherine starred in the Australian crime drama "Savage River," and Josephine is set to star in the romantic comedy "The Other Zoey," out Oct. 20.

Despite being in the same industry, the sisters apparently generally keep their professional lives out of their personal relationship. In a March 2019 interview with V magazine, Josephine revealed that she hadn't really asked her sister for advice at the start of her career. "I...

Trailers

Global family entertainment streamer Da Vinci and Bear Grylls‘ production company BecomingX have debuted the first trailer for docuseries “Becoming Xtraordinary.”

The series features interview-driven stories of success from Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Courteney Cox, Channing Tatum, Olympic gold medallists, Nobel laureates and more. Co-produced by Chrome Productions, “Becoming Xtraordinary” comprises three seasons of 10 episodes each, all presented by Grylls and guided by in-studio hosts Mwaksy Mudenda (“Blue Peter”) and YouTuber Evan Edinger.

The first season will premiere on May 28 and will be available across Da Vinci’s linear and video-on-demand platforms, including various Fast channels on Local Now, Sling Freestream, Tcl Channel, Free TV, Rakuten TV, LG Channels, Netgem and Vidaa.

Grylls said: “There are no shortcuts to success, but there are some secrets. We wanted to create a series where families around the globe can hear first-hand from some of the world’s greatest achievers and realize...

L.A.-based Dynamic Television has acquired worldwide rights to the Swedish series “The Pirate Bay,” about the notorious pirate BitTorrent site and its co-founders Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Swartholm.

The six-part series, set to go unto production this fall, is being produced by Stockholm and L.A.-based powerhouse B-Reel Films for Swedish pubcaster Svt. “I Am Zlatan” helmer Jens Sjögren is directing, from a screenplay by head-writer Piotr Marciniak (“Everything I Can’t Remember”), with Patrik Gyllström (“Agatha Christie’s Hjerson”) serving as episodic writer.

The character-driven show turns on Peter, Fredrik and Gottfrid, who ended up creating in 2003 one of the world’s largest BitTorrent indexes as a reaction to big business trying to take control file sharing over the Internet.

What was intended to ignite a revolution to let information flow freely, quickly became responsible for the illegal distribution of copyrighted films, music, books and software online.

Katherine Langford has booked her return to the small screen!

Starz has green-lit the drama series The Venery of Samantha Bird.

Langford will lead the eight-episode drama in the title role of Samantha.

The series is created by Anna Moriarty, who also serves as executive producer.

Salvatore Stabile (Waco) is showrunner and executive producer.

Jessica Rhoades executive produces through her Pacesetter Productions shingle, with Rachel Polan serving as co-executive producer.

Jessica Yu is consulting producer.

“’The Venery of Samantha Bird’ is the perfect complement to our slate of provocative, immersive storytelling that leans into the female gaze,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming, Starz.

“Katherine is an incredible talent who will bring this modern romance of addictive love to life.”

"Visiting family in New England, Samantha Bird reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance," the logline reads.

"But underneath their fever dream...

Starz has given a series order to drama The Venery of Samantha Bird, starring Katherine Langford in the title role.

Created by Anna Moriarty, the eight-episode series revolves around Langford’s Samantha Bird, who, while visiting family in New England, Samantha Bird reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance. But underneath their fever dream lurks a more unsettling interpretation of this affair. The series is described as a haunting portrayal of addictive love and the repercussions that a relationship has on the families in a small New England town.

Moriarty also serves as executive producer. Salvatore Stabile (Waco) is showrunner and executive producer. Jessica Rhoades executive produces through her Pacesetter Productions shingle, with Rachel Polan serving as co-executive producer. Jessica Yu is consulting producer.

“The Venery of Samantha Bird is the perfect...

Australian actress Katherine Langford will fill the title tole in The Venery of Samantha Bird, a psychological thriller that has received an eight-episode order at Starz.

Created by Anna Moriarty, who will serve as an executive producer alongside both showrunner Salvatore Stabile (Waco) and Jessica Rhoades, “The Venery of Samantha Bird is the perfect complement to our slate of provocative, immersive storytelling that leans into the female gaze,” Starz original programming chief Kathryn Busby said in a statement. “Katherine is an incredible talent who will bring this modern romance of addictive love to life.”

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After Bob Bakish yesterday said said Paramount+ was performing “above expectations” in the UK and Ireland, the streamer has stocked its cupboards with a series of exclusive scripted acquisitions for those countries’ subscribers.

The deals have been struck with Lionsate, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, Sony Pictures Television and Dynamic Television and the shows will join the service from this month. “We are working hard to make Paramount+ the exclusive home of premium content from around the world – Paramount+ already brings together entertainment’s biggest names but we’ll keep building our offering to make the service completely irresistible to audiences,” said Anna-Belen Dunlop, Senior Director, Acquisitions at Paramount UK.

From Lionsgate are adult siblings comedy Home Economics, which stars Topher Grace is a co-pro with ABC Signature; 1970s-set erotic women’s magazine series Minx, which counts Feigco Entertainment among is producers; and Son of a Critch, the CBC coming-of-age sitcom from...

Paramount+ has unveiled a slate of exclusive acquisitions for the U.K. and Ireland including Keshet’s “La Brea” from NBCUniversal Global Distribution and “Minx,” starring Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond.

“La Brea” is a survival thriller in which citizens battle for survival after they’re pulled into a mysterious land via a Los Angeles sinkhole while “Minx” tells the story of a young feminist and low-rent publisher who set out to create an erotic magazine for women in the 1970s.

“Minx” was acquired from Lionsgate alongside Topher Grace’s “Home Economics,” about the relationship between three adult siblings, and “Son of a Critch,” which is based on the memoir from “This Hour Has Twenty-Two Minutes” host Mark Critch.

The shows will debut on the streamer in August.

“The Thing About Pam,” also acquired from NBCUniversal Global Distribution and starring Renée Zellweger, Josh Duhamel and Judy Greer, dropped on Paramount+ last month.

Busy Australian production company Aquarius Films has partnered with Irish production company Port Pictures to produce the feature film, “The Good People.” The film is based on the award-winning novel by Hannah Kent, who also wrote the adapted screenplay.

“The Good People” is set in 19th century Ireland at a time when the Catholic church was waging war against pagan beliefs. It sees three women conspire to free a young boy from evil spirits.

“The Good People” is an examination of absolute belief and superstition. It depicts a series of actions that are both tender and harsh and raises questions about belonging, understanding and acceptance.

The film is to be produced by Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford of Aquarius Films, and Martina Niland of Port Pictures. The film will be executive produced by Aquarius Films’ Miranda Culley. The film has received development funding from Screen Australia.

Neither a director nor...

Aquarius Films has optioned the film development and production rights to Abdul Karim Hekmat’s acclaimed article “True Love in Nauru,” and aims to produce it as feature film “Paradise.”

“Paradise” is the powerful true story of two men who meet and fall in love in an Australian offshore detention center. Their relationship becomes a life-affirming source of strength as they take on institutional indifference and overcome hopelessness, finally making their way to freedom.

Hekmat’s original article was published in The Monthly, an Australian political and society magazine. Hekmat, who resides in Australia, arrived as a refugee from Afghanistan and spent five months in detention will co-write the screenplay with Roger Monk.

“Paradise” will be co-directed by Rhys Graham and Phoenix Raei, an Australian actor-director of Persian descent. Rae, who will be making his feature directorial debut, has recent performance credits including Netflix series “The Night Agent,” Netflix mini-series “Clickbait,...

Kicking off at its 70th anniversary edition in August, the Melbourne International Film Festival is to introduce a trio of new prizes. The best film award will come with a A$140,000 cash reward, making it the richest film prize in the southern hemisphere.

Contenders in the new, annual, ten-title Miff Film Competition can be from any genre, including documentary or animation. But they will be limited to a director’s first or second feature-length effort. And they must also have their Australian premiere in Melbourne.

The festival will also introduce an Australian Innovation Prize, recognizing an outstanding Australian creative within a film playing anywhere in the Melbourne Miff program. The 2022 festival (Aug. 4-21) will also see the return of the festival’s audience award.

“The Competition will recognize and amplify the new, the next, the breakthrough and the best in-screen from Australia and across the globe,” said Miff artistic director Al Cossar.

Production in Australia’s Victoria state has begun on “Savage River,” a six-part crime thriller being directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the U.S. distributor Dynamic Television.

The show, about a female ex-con who is accused of a fresh murder in her small-town home, stars Katherine Langford. As she attempts to prove her innocence she discovers long-buried secrets that cast doubt on everything she thought she knew.

Langford is joined by Jacqueline McKenzie, Cooper Van Grootel, Nadine Garner (“The Doctor Blake Mysteries”), James Mackay (“Dynasty”), Bernard Curry (“Wentworth”), Mark Coles Smith (“Mystery Road: Origin”), Virginia Gay, Daniel Henshall (“Snowtown”), Amesh Edireweera (“The Serpent”) and Osamah Sami (“Ali’s Wedding”). Additional cast, some undertaking their first major role, include Miranda Anwar, Maia Abbas, Haya Abbas, Bill Zeng and Hattie Hook.

The 6×57 minute series is co-created by writers Belinda Bradley, Franz Docherty and lead writer Giula Sandler. After...

In the Aquarius Films and ABC drama Savage River, Jocelyn Moorhouse was offered the kind of mini-series she’d love to watch herself.

The Dressmaker director is an enthusiastic binge watcher of crime mysteries and Scandi-noir – particularly those with great female characters – so the Katherine Langford-led series was right up her alley.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to do one of these, and here it is.’ It’s dark, brooding and really well plotted,” she tells If.

Now three weeks into pre-production, Savage River was officially announced as part of the ABC’s upfronts today. Production will begin early next year in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Langford plays Miki Anderson, a young woman who returns to her hometown in rural Victoria after eight years in prison.

She’s determined to finally move on with her life, getting a job in the local meatworks, but the...

With the future of Australian TV drama under the microscope, there was always going to be added interest in the ABC’s 2022 slate.

The public broadcaster will deliver in the genre in its 90th year, officially announcing at today’s upfronts new series Significant Others and Savage River.

They join titles Mystery Road: Origin, Troppo, and Barons in a drama line-up that is noticeably larger than what has so far been announced by the commercial free-to-air platforms.

ABC director of entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington told If the broadcaster was pleased to be able to meet demand in the space.

“It’s something our audiences want and I’m thrilled we’re able to provide it,” he said.

“Drama is a really expensive genre. It takes a lot of effort, resources, craft skills, etc. to build a drama series, as well as a lot of time.

“Obviously we are investing...