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Exclusive: As the Cannes market kicks into gear, leading German producer Christian Becker, How to Be Single bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter and international sales agent Rocket Science are landing on the Croisette with Momo, one of their most ambitious projects to date.

The big-budget project, which is currently filming in Croatia, is the English-language adaptation of one of Michael Ende’s most beloved fantasy novels. Most will be familiar with Ende as the writer of The Neverending Story, which was adapted for the big screen in 1984 and became a cult classic in the U.S. and internationally (that title is currently getting a big new screen adaptation with See-Saw Films). But Momo is one of the German novelist’s most beloved stories, especially in Europe, and has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

The story focuses on Momo (played by A Gentleman...

Exclusive: The English-language adaptation of Momo, one of the best-loved fantasy books by The Neverending Story writer Michael Ende, has set a buzzy cast, with Alexa Goodall (A Gentleman In Moscow) taking the lead role of the young orphan girl Momo.

The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi, Kim Bodnia, Claes Bang (The Square), Laura Haddock, Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Schütter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman.

Deadline can also reveal an exclusive first look of Goodall in Momo, which is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia.

The film is produced by prolific German producer Christian Becker and written and directed by bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter (How To Be Single), who both snagged rights to the popular novel a few years ago and an under-the-radar deal.

Picture Tree Intl. has boarded international sales for Constantin Film’s comedy fantasy blockbuster “Chantal and the Magic Kingdom,” which will receive its market premiere in Cannes.

The film has been No. 1 on Germany’s box office charts for four consecutive weeks since its release on March 28, and reached more than 2 million admissions, with a gross of $22.5 million.

“Chantal” is the latest German-language hit from writer-director Bora Dagtekin and producer Lena Schömann. The duo previously delivered “Turkish for Beginners,” the “Fuck You Goehte” franchise and the German remake of “Perfect Strangers,” which have collectively grossed more than $300 million worldwide.

In “Chantal,” the beloved “Fuck You Goehte” character Chantal and her best friend Zeynep are sent on a fantasy adventure into the world of fairytales with a comedic and contemporary twist.

Chantal, an influencer without followers, and Zeynep stumble into the fairytale world through an ancient magic mirror, which they mistake for a social media gimmick.

NBC has given a series order to “The Hunting Party,” a drama series from JJ Bailey and Jake Coburn.

Per the official logline, “The Hunting Party” is “a high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen, all of whom have just escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist.”

“The Hunting Party” is produced by Universal Television. Bailey, who is under an overall deal at the studio, created the series and wrote the pilot. He serves as co-showrunner and executive producer along with Coburn, who has a first-look deal with Utv.

This is Bailey’s first series order since entering his Utv deal in 2022, though he previously set up drama pilot “Echo” at NBC. Though the series never made it to air, it was set to star “Veep” actor...

Breaking the mold from traditional medical dramas, shows like Chicago Med deftly balance the high-stakes world of medicine with the realities of working in a hospital environment. Wolf Entertainment's Chicago franchise has increased in popularity with Chicago Med, a series that has consistently threatened to topple Dick Wolf's Chicago Fire from the top spot on NBC's Wednesday night show fan base. One of the biggest reasons for its success is that Chicago Med has changed its strategy from focusing purely on entertainment to bringing more realism into the hospital setting. Medical procedural shows have always been common, but Chicago Med has managed to stand out.

The show, which focuses on specific medical cases at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, also navigates the personal lives of its characters to bring a balance of action and emotion. Though the show has retained most of its cast, traumatic Chicago Med...

Six independent production companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are pooling their resources to set up a joint development and co-production group to help bankroll high-end drama series and feature films.

Germany’s Claussen + Putz, producers of Netflix series Biohackers and hit children’s film The Little Witch; Hamburg-based Wüste Film (Head-On, Alma & Oskar); Austria’s Die Film Ag (7500 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Vicky Krieps-starrer Corsage) and Lotus Film (Cold Feet, Cathedrals of Culture); and Hugofilm Features (When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit) and Zodiac Pictures (Heidi, The Divine Order) together have formed Das Dach to jointly develop German-language projects.

The move, unveiled Wednesday, is a reaction to a dramatic shift in the independent production market, brought about by the disruption of the global streaming giants.

“The market is undergoing a fundamental change,” the producers say in a statement. “Previous territorial boundaries and restrictions are being called into question in the...

Exclusive: Momo, one of the best-loved works by The Neverending Story scribe Michael Ende, is getting a big-canvas, English-language screen adaption from leading German producer Christian Becker and bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter (How To Be Single).

The ambitious movie version of Ende’s popular fantasy novel will chart the story of the eponymous Momo, an orphan girl who must do battle with the soulless and otherworldly ‘grey men’ who stealthily take over her city and steal time. Ende’s book has long been considered a critique of consumerism, stress and unfeeling individualism, themes that should strongly resonate in a contemporary context.

Published in more than 40 languages, this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the book’s first publication and producers are hoping to begin filmmaking towards the end of 2023.

“For almost 35 years it was impossible to make a new adaptation of Momo,” explains Becker, who...

Beta Cinema has picked up sales rights to director Lukas Nathrath’s first feature film “One Last Evening,” a tragicomedy that competed in Locarno’s First Look selection and won the main prize. Produced on a micro-budget, “One Last Evening” will world premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition and subsequently at the Max Ophüls Preis Filmfestival.

“One Last Evening” (original title “Letzter Abend”) is set during the standstill of the pandemic summer and was shot over seven days, almost entirely in the protagonists’ city apartment: A young couple want a fresh start, moving from Hannover to Berlin. Lisa is an on-the-rise doctor bracing herself for a new position, Clemens is a talented but unsuccessful singer-songwriter crippled by self-doubts. To say goodbye, they host a dinner party in their now empty flat. But good friends cancel — and uninvited guests show up. As the attendees start eying each other’s achievements,...

Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has added to its European Film Market slate “Love Thing,” starring top German actor Elyas M’Barek, whose credits include “The Collini Case.” Also on the slate is “Soul of a Beast,” which debuts its trailer below.

Despite the virtual nature of the EFM, the company has taken additional office space at the Marriott Hotel in Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz.

“Love Thing,” which also stars Lucie Heinze, Peri Baumeister and Alexandra Maria Lara, is directed and written by Anika Decker, whose last feature “High Society” sold widely. Decker scripted box office successes like “Rabbit Without Ears,” which grossed $85 million.

“Love Thing” is produced by German production-distribution powerhouse Constantin Film, which has set its release for July 7. The producers are Rüdiger Böss and Philipp Reuter; the co-producers are Anika Decker and Jan Decker; and the executive producer is Martin Moszkowicz. Picture Tree will present a first teaser trailer to select buyers.

Exclusive: Jake Coburn and Julie Plec, whose bank heist drama series The Endgame was picked up to series at NBC in September, have sold another project to the network with Arrow and Supergirl writer Emilio Ortega Aldrich.

The trio are developing Sky On Fire for NBC, which comes from Plec’s My So-Called Company and Universal Television.

The drama centers around President Eva Ortiz, a decorated war veteran and the nation’s first Latina president, who, after surviving an assassination attempt, embarks on an undercover mission to expose the people responsible.

It comes after Quantico exec producer Coburn struck a first-look deal with Universal Television in September, the same week that The Endgame, which he’s writing with Chuck exec producer Nicholas Wootton, was picked up to series.

Coburn, who is writing with Ortega Aldrich, is also exec producer on Netflix’s Biohackers and Barbarians.

It marks the first series development for Ortega Aldrich,...

Writer-producer Jake Coburn has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, to develop and produce projects for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. The pact expands Coburn’s relationship with the studio behind The Endgame, the heist drama co-created and executive produced by Coburn which received a series order at NBC earlier this week.

“Jake is a dynamic storyteller with a keen knack for big ideas,” said Vivian Cannon, EVP, Drama Development, Universal Television. “We had so much fun working with Jake on The Endgame, we couldn’t wait to broaden our partnership with him. Everyone at Utv is looking forward to lots more success with him in the future!”

Coburn co-created with Nicholas Wootton NBC’s new series The Endgame, which was originally picked up to pilot by the network in January. The duo executive produce with Utv-based Julie Plec as well as Justin Lin,...

Jake Coburn has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television.

Under the deal, Coburn will develop and produce projects for broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. Coburn most recently co-created the drama series “The Endgame,” which was picked up to series at NBC earlier this week.

“Jake is a dynamic storyteller with a keen knack for big ideas,” said Vivian Cannon, executive vice president of drama development for Universal Television. “We had so much fun working with Jake on ‘The Endgame,’ we couldn’t wait to broaden our partnership with him. Everyone at Utv is looking forward to lots more success with him in the future!”

Coburn co-created “The Endgame” with Nicholas Wootton, with both also serving as executive producers. The series, which will also be executive produced by Julie Plec and Justin Lin (who directed the pilot), is described as a thriller about Elena Federova (Morena Baccarin), a recently captured...

“Fast & Furious” director Justin Lin will executive produce and direct the untitled project co-created by Nick Wootton and Jake Coburn from Universal TV.

Per the logline, the pilot (which Wootton wrote) is a pulse-pounding, high-stakes two-hander about Elena Federova, a recently captured international arms dealer and brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated bank heists throughout New York City for a mysterious purpose, and Val Fitzgerald, the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan. The female-led drama was ordered in April for NBC’s 2021-2022 broadcast season, along with “Getaway” from writers and executive producers JJ Bailey and Moira Kirland.

Julie Plec and Emily Cummins are also executive producing under their My So-Called Company banner. Universal Television will produce, with My So-Called Company under an overall deal at the studio. Lin will be executive producing under his banner,...

Komplizen’s Janine Jackowski and Constantin’s Katharina Hiersemenzel were

Leading German producers Janine Jackowski of Komplizen Film and Katharina Hiersemenzel, the senior vice president of public policy of Constantin Film, challenged Wolf Osthaus, Netflix director of public policy for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, of a perceived imbalance between the streaming services and independent producers at an industry panel at Filmfest Hamburg.

The producers said the signing of the production service agreement meant that the copyright and any revenues for a project stayed in the hands of the streamer, and the production company’s function amounted to little more than...

Netflix‘s TV division has been under a lot of scrutiny recently, with the streaming service facing the wrath of fans after canceling I Am Not Okay With This and The Society despite having already renewed them for second runs, while Altered Carbon was also given the boot and The Big Show Show became the latest in a long line of originals to be canned after a single season.

Even though the company seem to be cutting costs more frequently than subscribers have become accustomed to, it isn’t all doom and gloom, with popular fantasy series Warrior Nun being given the green light for more episodes and critically-acclaimed German sci-fi Biohackers also getting picked up again just weeks after the first season dropped.

Then there’s the massive success of The Umbrella Academy, which further solidified its reputation as one of Netflix’s most popular in-house titles by dominating...

The characters of Biohackers are faced with such mystery in situations that are larger than anything they could’ve imagined, that they play God in their own journey of synthetic science. Big stuff.

This six-part German Netflix series is everything but what you would expect of a European sci-fi thriller. Created by Christian Ditter, instead of moving from planet to planet in an unbelievable this-will-never-happen flurry, Biohackers is a fast-paced thriller that touches on lust and young relationships, as well as heartbreak and loss, and it’s the better for it.

The show keeps the topic of modern science at its core, in a way attractive enough to keep even those disinterested with topics of biology engaged. By casting talented, young and diverse actors in the lead roles, Ditter creates a symphony of humour, gripping drama and romance.

Scene one of the first episode opens with a young seem-to-be couple on a train.

Based on the events of the last few days you’d think that Netflix were intent on taking as many of their less cost-effective shows as possible around the back of their headquarters and sending them the way of Old Yeller, but you’ve read that headline correctly, and the streaming service have indeed renewed one of their most recent hits for a second season.

I Am Not Okay With This, The Society and Altered Carbon may have all bitten the bullet and sent fans into a furious meltdown as a result, but Warrior Nun was recently rewarded with a sophomore run, and now German sci-fi series Biohackers has officially been given the go-ahead to gear up for new episodes as well.

Netflix’s decision still seems to be a financially-motivated one though, with the Europe-based filming for Warrior Nun and Biohackers no doubt working out a lot cheaper than...

Exclusive: Biohackers, the latest buzzy Netflix original series out of Germany, has been renewed after a positive response to Season 1.

The show debuted on the platform globally August 20. It tells a story of revolutionary biohacking technology and intrigue at a German university, focusing on a mysterious student played by Luna Wedler.

Filming will start on Season 2 in the coming months in Freiburg and Munich.

Biohackers was created by Christian Ditter, who serves as showrunner, director and writer. Ditter is a German filmmaker who is established in the U.S. after helming the Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson romcom How To Be Single and the Lily Collins and Sam Claflin romance Love, Rosie, as well as the American Netflix series Girlboss.

2019-20 TV Cancellations And Renewals For Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

“It’s great that Biohackers will continue. Thematically, the second season will also deal with moral and ethical issues around biohacking and genome editing,...

Despite a good premise, the series fails to provide a coherent narrative and may leave viewers puzzled. Some might hope that Biohackers, the new TV series released on Netflix on 20 August, could be another unmissable German production building on the success of Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese’s Dark. Unfortunately, the six-part show, co-directed by Christian Ditter and Tim Trachte and written by Ditter himself with Nikolaus Schulz-Dornburg, Tanja Bubbel and Johanna Thalmann, offers an interesting premise but is far from fulfilling expectations. This sci-fi thriller revolves around a girl called Mia Akerlund (Luna Wedler) who enrols in Freiburg University’s prestigious medical school in order to get close to professor and visionary scientist Tanja Lorenz (Jessica Schwarz). Mia suspects that Lorenz was involved in the tragic death of her family years ago, and throws herself into a dangerous world where human...

Netflix has no shortage of excellent new content, including some recently-added shows that have been big hits among subscribers. Late last month saw the addition of the second season of the superhero-focused The Umbrella Academy, one of the service’s most beloved original programs, which has remained very popular even weeks later.

Meanwhile, the third and final season of The Rain also landed in the middle of August to offer closure to fans who have lovingly followed the Danish sci-fi story, and newcomer Biohackers has made a name for itself by asking some very uncomfortable questions about scientific integrity.

But for many Netflix subscribers, one of the most exciting additions of this month so far has been Part 1 of the fifth season of Lucifer. In fact, as of right now, it’s the #1 most-watched piece of content on the service, and considering the popularity of the show as a whole,...

It’s been another busy week for Netflix, with over 20 movies and TV shows added to the streaming giant’s library from Monday to Sunday. As always, the haul is as wide-ranging as can be, with every taste catered to. Whether you wanted family-friendly content, foreign films, documentaries, comedies or thrillers, Netflix provided it over the past seven days, with a particularly high quota of originals, too.

Check out the full list of movies and TV series that released from August 17th to the 23rd, in alphabetical order, below:

1Br (2019) Alien TV (Season 1) N Beware: Parental Guidance (Season 1) Bunk’d (Season 4) Biohackers (Season 1) N Class of ’83 (2020) N Crazy Awesome Teachers / Guru-Guru Gokil (2020) N Crímenes de Familia / The Crimes That Bind (2020) N Dark Forces (Season 1) N DeMarcus Family Rules (Season 1) N Drunk Parents (2017) Fuego negro (2020) N Glitch Techs (Season 2) N Goedam (Season 1) Good Kisser (2019) Great Pretender (Season 1) N High Score (Limited Series...

If you’re seeking new stuff to watch, you can almost always be guaranteed that Netflix has got you covered with a giant collection of movies, shows and specials. Just this month alone has seen such major additions as the entire Jurassic Park trilogy, the extremely popular Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt flick Project Power, and quirky movies like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

That’s enough to warrant a subscription on its own, but as usual, Netflix never stops and today bring us a content drop that contains a handful of new things you might want to check out when you’re done watching all of the stuff added earlier in the month.

For one, German series Biohackers joins the platform today. This conspiracy drama poses a lot of questions about how far scientists are willing to go and whether there’s even a...

Never one to skimp on new content, Netflix are adding a ton of fresh films and television series for the week of August 17th to the 23rd. Notable highlights include the video game documentary High Score, as well as the return of Lucifer for a fifth season, and animated show Hoops from the team behind Bob’s Burgers. There’s a lot of other material coming to the streamer this week, too, so let’s dive in on what to expect.

On the movie side, we get the Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek-starring Drunk Parents, as well as the Wendy Jo Carlton romantic comedy Good Kisser. Netflix Originals, meanwhile, include the Argentine thriller The Crimes That Bind, wherein a woman attempts to save her son from prison after he’s convicted of the attempted murder of his ex-wife, while you can also watch out for Mexican horror Fuego negro and...

Netflix is out with its list of everything coming and going in August, and the list includes Season 5 of “Lucifer” and a new film starring Jamie Foxx called “Project Power.”

Other highlights include the 1991 “The Addams Family” movie; “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet; “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III,” and the 1979 version of “Mad Max,” to name a few.

Netflix original series include season three of “The Rain,” and “Selling Sunset,” a new cartoon called “Hoops,” and the “Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event” featuring characters from “Mr. Iglesias,” “Family Reunion,” “The Big Show Show” and “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love” — including Eva Longoria.

Watch Netflix’s August highlights video featuring sneak peeks at new additions above.

Also Read: 'The Crown' Season 5 Won't Premiere Until 2022

Leaving at the end of August are “Valentine’s Day,” “V for Vendetta,” “Jerry McGuire,” and the “Karate Kid” trilogy,...

The German TV series "Biohackers", following the rivalry of a medical student and a professor, stars Luna Wedler, Jessica Schwarz, Adrian Julius Tillmann, Caro Cult, Thomas Prenn, Sebastian Jakob Doppelbauer, Benno Fürmann and Jing Xiang, streaming August 20, 2020 on Netflix:

"...from 'Thc' chips to genetic enhancements, welcome to the world of 'Biohacking'. When 'Mia' (Wedler) begins her medical degree, she seems like any other student. But when she gains the trust of the brilliant Professor Lorenz (Schwarz), it becomes apparent that she's hiding a secret so big it could change the fate of humanity..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Biohackers"...

Berlin — Netflix is set to unveil three new genre-spanning original series in Berlin on Wednesday.

The U.S. streaming giant’s latest slate includes showrunner-director Christian Ditter’s fast-paced German thriller “Biohackers” and Norwegian horror series “Bloodride,” from writer-director Kjetil Indregard (“Maniac”).

Netflix will also officially announce “Unorthodox,” from “Deutschland 83” showrunner Anna Winger, which Variety reported about on Tuesday. [ Please link: https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/netflix-deutschland-83-anna-winger-series-unorthodox-1203135684/ ]

Produced by Uli Putz and Jakob Claussen of Munich-based Claussen+Putz Filmproduktion, “Biohackers” follows medical student Mia who discovers the use of highly advanced biohacking technology in her university town. When a groundbreaking discovery falls into the wrong hands, she has to decide which side she is on and how far she is willing to go to find out the truth.

“Bloodride,” produced by Oslo-based Monster Scripted, is described as a tongue-in-cheek horror anthology series, with six unique stories set in their own realistic, yet strange universes. Atle Knudsen and Geir Henning Hopland...