News

Amazon Prime in France has unveiled its upcoming slate of director-driven Originals, including ‘Hawa,’ a new movie by “Cuties” director Maimouna Doucouré, Nicolas Bedos’ TV debut “Alphonse” and Franck Gastambide’s “”Medellín.”

“Hawa” follows the coming-of-age tale of a teenage girl who lives with her grandmother and worries she will be removed by social services. She sets off to get adopted by someone she admires more than anything, one of the most powerful woman in the world. “Hawa” is produced by Bien ou Bien Productions.

The movie is currently in post-production and is expected to launch globally on the streamer later this year. As with “Cuties,” Doucouré’s feature debut which won the director prize at Sundance and was acquired by Netflix, “Hawa” will be headlined by first-time actors, including Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Oumou Sangaré, as well as the popular singer Yseult and Sania Halifa.

Doucouré discussed “Hawa” along...

Amazon Prime Video has ordered its next French series original, “Darknet-sur-Mer,” (“On the Darknet”) a crime comedy series produced by Noor Sadar’s White Lion Films, a Mediawan Group company.

The six-episode series, directed by Remy Four and Julien War (“On The Other Side of the Tracks”), has just started filming in the Charente Maritime region of Southwest France. “Darknet-sur-Mer” is the first scripted program to be supported by the Selective Platforms Fund recently launched by the National Film Board for content backed by streamers.

“On the Darknet” revolves around a mysterious website named Vrasesin which offers services from contract killers and turns out to be a scam created by Ben and Flo, two amateur hackers who live in a quiet fishing resort at Ponet-sur-Mer. But Ben and Flo’s enterprise soon get them in trouble with Alkan, an Albanian criminal who is searching for a contract killer to assassinate the chief of a gang.

In one episode of Peacock’s new MacGruber series, the titular hero murders a squad of armed mercenaries in incredibly gory fashion. He punches his hand all the way through one opponent’s chest until the man’s heart comes out the other side, and bashes another’s face in over and over with a rock. After it’s clear that all of his enemies have been well and truly killed, MacGruber screams his own name to the sky, hurls the rock away, and returns to punching the one guy...

DC Comics series starring Will forte premieres June 4

Netflix has released the first trailer for its series adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s “Sweet Tooth” comics series.

The eight-episode drama centers on a “hybrid deer-boy” played by “Beautiful Boy” alum Christina Convery who forms an unlikely bond with a wandering loner (Will Forte). Together, they embark on an extraordinary adventure through the lush, dangerous world left behind, searching for the meaning of home.

Josh Brolin narrates the series, which is set to debut on June 4. Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Aliza Vellani, Stefania Lavie Owen, Dania Ramirez and Neil Sandilands also star.

The adaptation hails from Team Downey in association with Warner Bros. Television and was filmed in New Zealand. Jim Mickle and Beth Schwartz are executive producers, writers and co-showrunners on “Sweet Tooth,” with Mickle also directing. “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. executive produces the show along with Team Downey...

New slate includes projects spearheaded by filmmaker Cédric Klapisch and Ballsy Girl actress Melha Bedia.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a slate of French original productions, including Cédric Klapisch’s drama series Greek Salad, a spin-off of his 2002 hit feature Pot Luck (L’Auberge Espagnole), about a group of students from across Europe living in a flat in Barcelona together.

The new series follows the lives of the children of two of the original characters as they embark on a new adventure in Athens.

Kaplisch has created the eight-episode drama with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau, who both took credits (like...

New slate includes projects spearhead by filmmaker Cédric Klapisch and Ballsy Girl actress Melha Bedia.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a new slate of French original productions, including Cédric Klapisch’s drama Greek Salad, a spin-off of his 2002 hit feature Pot Luck (L’Auberge Espagnole), about a group of students from across Europe living in a flat in Barcelona together.

The new series follows the lives of the children of two of the original characters as they embark on a new adventure in Athens.

Kaplisch has created the eight-episode drama with Lola Doillon and Antoine Garceau, who both took credits (like...

Amazon Prime Video France has unveiled a slate of originals, including Cedric Klapisch’s “Greek Salad” — a series sequel to the “L’Auberge Espanole” trilogy — Melanie Laurent’s “Le Bal des Folles,” as well as live sports such as the tennis tournament Roland Garros, and adaptations of popular unscripted formats such as “Lol” and “Celebrity Hunted.” All titles will roll out on the streaming service later this year.

The programs were presented during a virtual press conference on Monday hosted by Georgia Brown, director of European Originals; Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios; Thomas Dubois, head of French Amazon Originals at Amazon Studios, Isabelle Bertrand, head of content for Amazon Prime Video France; and Alex Green, managing director of sport at Amazon Prime Video.

“Greek Salad” will be set in Athens, Greece, and follow the children of Xavier and Wendy, who were played by Romain Duris and Kelly Reilly, respectively,...

March 8 is International Women’ Day and March is Women’s History Month, and many outlets are celebrating with special events and/or programming. Here’s a roundup.

Events/Panels

On Broadway, the neon lights will shine on the fourth annual Women’s Day on Broadway. This year’s virtual event begins at 1 p.m. Et/11 a.m. Pt March 12, with participants including Marija Abney, Laura Benanti, Tanya Birl, Pearl Cleage, Cara Cooper, Maria Manuela Goyanes, Alia Jones-Harvey, Gethsemane Herron-Coward, Vanessa Javier, Tavia Jefferson, Julia Jones, Eva Price and a performance by the Broadway Sinfonietta.

The Paley Center for Media in New York is launching a new quarterly series of high-profile conversations to celebrate the ongoing achievements of women and to explore the challenges they continue to face. It launches on March 8 with Choosing to Challenge: How Women Are Leading the Way, which focuses on women’s roles as leaders in...

Amazon Prime Video has boarded Melanie Laurent’s anticipated period mystery thriller “Le bal des folles” as its first Original movie in France.

“Le bal des folles” is produced by Alain Goldman and Axelle Boucaï at Legende Films. Amazon Prime Video will launch the film exclusively in France and around the world in 2021.

The movie will start shooting next week in Rochefort, in western France. Penned by Laurent and Christophe Deslandes, “Le bal des folles” is based on the award-wining novel of the same name by Victoria Mas.

The film takes place at the end of the 19th century in Paris, at a time when women deemed too rebellious or difficult were frequently labeled as insane and institutionalized. The action unfolds at the Salpêtrière hospital where such women, diagnosed with different kinds of nervous system disorders, were confined and put under the supervision of neurologists such as Jean-Martin Charcot. Each year,...

Amazon Prime has scooped French Svod rights to Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio” with Roberto Benigni which will be debut on the streamer in France on May 4.

The streaming service acquired “Pinocchio” from Jean Labadie’s distribution company Le Pacte, which had to cancel the film’s theatrical release on March 18 as cinemas shuttered on March 15 due to the coronavirus crisis.

Le Pacte had spent a large sum in P&a to promote the film on the heels of its world premiere out of competition at the Berlinale. The deal with Amazon Prime is believed to have covered those costs and was approved by right holders. Meanwhile, Le Pacte is still committed to releasing Jean-Paul Salomé’s “Mama Weed,” a crime comedy starring Isabelle Huppert, in theaters later this year.

“Pinocchio” is the second European movie picked up by Amazon Prime from a French company during the shutdown of theaters. Amazon...