News

Netflix has shared a first look at Apple Cider Vinegar, which is a true-ish story based on a lie about the rise and fall of a wellness empire, the culture that built it up, and the people who tore it down.

Set at the birth of Instagram, Apple Cider Vinegar follows two young women who set out to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their global online communities along the way. All of which would be incredibly inspiring if it were all true.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker, the true crime series was inspired by The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con, and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano.

Samantha Strauss, Anya Beyersdorf, and Angela Betzien (Total Control) are the writers of the series.

The cast includes Kaitlyn Dever, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Aisha Dee, Tilda Cobham-Hervey,...

Cineflix Rights has closed several deals for “Irvine Welsh’s Crime,” starring Dougray Scott in his International Emmy award-winning lead role.

The series has been acquired by Telefonica’s pay TV platform Movistar Plus+ (Spain), Sbs (Australia), Rte (Ireland), Blue Entertainment (Switzerland), and Canal+ for viewers in Luxembourg, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Netherlands.

“Irvine Welsh’s Crime” was commissioned by Itvx and BritBox in the U.K.

The show follows Detective Inspector Ray Lennox (Scott), a man engaged in his own disturbing battle while undertaking serious crime investigations in a city on the edge of the abyss.

The series, adapted by “Trainspotting” author Welsh from his own novel, also stars John Simm, Joanna Vanderham, Angela Griffin, Ken Stott, and Jamie Sives.

Tim Mutimer, CEO of Cineflix Rights, said: “The combination of Irvine Welsh’s own adaptation of his best-selling novels, together with Dougray Scott’s powerful, award-winning performance has...

BBC Studios Pounces On ‘Big Cats 24/7’ Sales

BBC Studios and PBS’s upcoming natural history show Big Cats 24/7 has landed a host of pre-buyers ahead of MIPCOM Cannes. In China, Bilibili, iQiyi, Tencent, Youku and linear channel CCTV World Geography have bought the BBC Studios Natural History Unit-produced show, along with Yle (Finland), France Televisions (France), Sky Deutschland (Germany) and Movistar Plus+ (Spain). The show will also be available on the BBC Earth channel in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Romania, Malta, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa and Turkey. In Asia, it will be on BBC Earth and SVOD service BBC Player in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. The six-part series follows the lives of lions, cheetahs and leopards in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, a place described as one of Africa’s last wildernesses. BBC Studios is heading to Cannes with...

Exclusive: Oscar nominee Tim Roth has become the latest high-profile name to join the cast of Netflix’s Peaky Blinders movie which continues to shape up as quite an event. The prolific English actor will join star Cillian Murphy as well as Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan in the Tom Harper-directed and highly-anticipated feature extension of the BAFTA-winning series.

Details of Roth’s role are being kept under wraps, much as those of Ferguson and Keoghan, which Deadline has exclusively reported on in the past several weeks.

Oscar-winner Murphy is returning to the iconic role of Tommy Shelby, leader of the eponymous Birmingham gangster family. Production on the feature will begin before the year is out.

The epic continuation of the multi-award-winning saga has been written by the show’s creator, Steven Knight. He will produce alongside Caryn Mandabach, Murphy and Guy Heeley. Exec producers include Harper, David Kosse,...

Exclusive: Wolf Creek director Greg McLean will write and direct The First Exorcist, a supernatural thriller out of Australia.

McLean’s Emu Creek Pictures is collaborating with Mark Fennessy’s Helium to make the pic, we can reveal. Production is set for Victoria, Australia, with a 2025 shoot date planned. Casting will follow.

The First Exorcist is billed as a “spellbinding fusion of religious and supernatural events set in Biblical times,” in which a mother goes on a harrowing quest to save her daughter from demonic possession. Plot reads: “As their lives descend into a nightmare, the mother learns of a mysterious healer with the power to expel demons, and embarks on a dangerous race against time – encountering hostile Roman authorities on her perilous mission to find the healer and save her daughter’s life.”

The plan is to use cutting edge virtual production tech in Victoria to bring epic ancient cities and locations to life.

Prime Video has announced that the Australian Original The Office will premiere on October 18. The comedy series is the thirteenth version of the global hit juggernaut franchise and has the first-ever female lead in the iconic role, comedian and actor Felicity Ward who plays Hannah Howard, Managing Director of Flinley Craddick.

All eight episodes of The Office Australia will be available on October 18 exclusively on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide (excluding the U.S.) in the Prime membership.

Prime Video also released a first-look image from the series, which features an ensemble of Australian and New Zealand comedy talent. Starring alongside Felicity Ward is Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, and Josh Thomson.

Jonny Brugh, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade (Appetite), Lucy Schmidt (The Pledge), Zoe Terakes, Pallavi Sharda (The Twelve), and Claude Jabbour round out the regular cast.

Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie (Mikki vs the World), Rick Donald,...

The Australian edition of “The Office” — the 13th global incarnation of the iconic comedy series — is taking shape, with Prime Video setting a release date and releasing a first-look at its lead, Felicity Ward.

The “Time Bandits” and “Wakefield” star will play Hannah Howard, managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick and the first female lead of “The Office” franchise. All eight episodes will become available globally on Oct. 18 via Prime Video (excluding the U.S.).

Starring alongside Ward is an ensemble of Australian and New Zealand comedy talent. The cast includes Edith Poor (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”), Steen Raskopoulos (“The Duchess”), Shari Sebbens (“The Sapphires”), Josh Thomson (“How to Please a Woman”), Jonny Brugh (“Thor: Love and Thunder”), Susan Ling Young (“Reckoning”, “Hungry Ghosts”), Raj Labade (“Appetite”), Lucy Schmidt (“The Pledge”), Zoe Terakes (“Talk to Me”), Pallavi Sharda (“The Twelve”) and Claude Jabbour (“Last King of the Cross”). Meanwhile,...

The trailer for the second season of Last King of the Cross, an original series from Paramount+ Australia, has been released, with the first two episodes debuting on the platform on Friday, 30 August. The series follows John Ibrahim’s (Lincoln Younes) pursuit of Oxford Street’s late-night empire. The new season sees John returning to Sydney […]

Paramount+ Releases Trailer for Last King of the Cross Season Two...

Binge’s record-setting drama series Strife has begun shooting its second season.

The Asher Keddie-starring show became Australian streamer Binge’s biggest original series premiere last year, prompting execs to set up a writers’ room for Season 2, as we revealed in January. Production is now underway in Sydney.

The comedic drama follows Evelyn Jones (Keddie), a modern, imperfect woman and publisher, on her journey from lounge room blogger to becoming a force in women’s media. It was inspired by Australian media personality and journalist Mia Freedman’s memoir Work, Strife, Balance, and is written by Australian screenwriter Sarah Scheller (The Letdown).

In Season 2, Evelyn’s empire is threatened by the arrival of a new women’s website and a troll who calls out her hypocrisy and privilege, making her double guess her instincts when she needs to be on her A game. Her company moves to new offices and ventures into podcasting,...

Exclusive: More cast has been set for Good Cop/Bad Cop, the one-hour procedural dramedy starring Leighton Meester, Clancy Brown and Luke Cook.

Devon Terrell, Grace Chow, Blazey Best, Philippa Northeast, William McKenna, Shamita Siva and Scott Lee have all joined the series, which is for The CW and The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Stan in Australia.

They will join Meester and Cook, who play an odd couple brother and sister detective team Lou and Henry in a small Pacific Northwest police force who work under police chief Big Hank (Brown), who happens to be their father.

Terrell will play charming but nerdy Detective Shane Carson, Best will be Big Hank’s somewhat cryptic Russian girlfriend Nadia, Lee plays the loveable and long-tenured Officer Joe Bradley, McKenna is nervous wreck new boy Officer Sam Szczepkowski, Siva has been cast as fearless and overly devoted Officer Sarika Ray, Chow...

Last week, Australia’s screen industries were celebrating an increase in the country’s Location Offset scheme, but this week “great angst” is washing through the production community.

That’s according to Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner, who has warned that while the government keeps overdue streaming regulation on hold, Australia is “on track to develop more as a service provider for Hollywood productions.”

“While the recent confirmation of the increase in Australia’s Location Offset that benefits non-Australian projects was great news, the absence of commensurate certainty for Australia’s home-grown industry and Australian projects through streaming regulation is now causing great angst in our industry,” said Deaner.

The Spa supported raising the Location Offset rebate for TV and film productions shooting in the country from the previous 16.5% to 30%, which will likely trigger more overseas investment, and the service work it could bring, but has been vocally critical...

Exclusive: UTA has signed The Sympathizer star Hoa Xuande for representation.

Xuande is currently the lead in the A24/HBO series, which hails from visionary director Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar and is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.

Set during the Vietnam War, the series follows ‘The Captain’ (Xuande), a North Vietnamese spy in the South Vietnamese army, who stays embedded in a South Vietnamese community in exile in the United States. The series also stars Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Oh, Fred Nguyen Khan and Duy Nguyen. For his performance, he was nominated for a Gotham TV Award for their inaugural program in the ‘Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series’ category.

He can previously be seen in the Cineflix series Last King of the Cross in the role of ‘Romeo’ alongside Tim Roth; Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop as ‘Lin’; the indie feature A Stitch in Time,...

Commissioning by streamers in Australia has plummeted to a new low, according to a new report published today by the Aussie industry union Screen Producers Australia (Spa).

The Spa’s report surveyed its members with 80% of respondents citing “Less” or “Much Less” commissioning interest from streaming services compared to last year.

Respondents to the survey quoted a range of negative impacts of the slowdown, including the mental health of crew to the financing of projects, with 54% stating the slowdown had impacted every stage of the production process, from initial meetings to development and into production.

When asked what the most common reason given by the streamers for the slowdown was, the Spa report says respondents named a “global slowdown in investment” as the top reason while several noted “awaiting government regulation” as the true undercurrent that has affected the industry productivity.

The Australian government has pledged to introduce streaming regulation...

Australian producers are “at risk” of becoming “slaves” to international streamers, a top industry body has warned, as the debate around regulation heats up in the country.

Screen Producers Australia (Spa) made the comment in a statement issued to the National Cultural Policy inquiry hearing today for the government’s upcoming ‘Revive’ plan. Streaming regulation has become the hot button topic since the long-term plan to revamp the arts in the country was first announced in January last year.

Spa, which represents most of Australia’s main producers, has been consistently vocal in its criticism of the global streamers. It is advocating for the likes of Netflix and Prime Video to spend a minimum 20% of their local revenues on Australian content within three years.

The Australian government has pledged to introduce streaming regulation on July 1, but is yet to table a motion in Parliament, leaving producers in limbo over what...

Robert Downey Jr. stars as not one, but four characters in HBO’s newest thriller series, “The Sympathizer.”

The limited series, which is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel of the same name, follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy as he hides his identity from a refugee community in Los Angeles during the final days of the Vietnam War.

Keep on reading for the full breakdown of all the characters in “The Sympathizer,” and where you’ve seen each actor before.

Hoa Xuande in “The Sympathizer.” (Hopper Stone/HBO)

Hoa Xuande as The Captain

Hoa Xuande stars as the Captain, a spy for North Vietnam who becomes embedded in a refugee community in Los Angeles. His dual identities prompt him to get caught between his conflicting loyalties and contradicting desires.

Xuande has been featured in “Last King of the Cross,” “A Stitch in Time,” “Cowboy Bebop” and “Hungry Ghosts.

Paramount Names Australia/New Zealand Chief

Paramount Global has named Beverley McGarvey President of Network 10, Head of Streaming and Regional Lead for Australia and New Zealand, effective immediately. This comes after the exit of the UK-based Maria Kyriacou, Paramount’s former President of Broadcast and Studios, who counted Australia among her responsibilities. It also follows a local restructure that saw the departure of Executive VP, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer and Regional Lead Jarrod Villani. McGarvey, previously EVP, Chief Content Officer and Head of Paramount+ Anz, will now report to Pam Kaufman, President & CEO of International Markets, Global Consumer Products and Experiences. Kaufman said Australia was one of Paramount’s “most important, priority markets,” with McGarvey’s promotion reflecting that fact. McGarvey will have commercial and creative leadership of Paramount’s business in Australia, with oversight of Network 10 and its portfolio of brands, including streamer 10 Play. She will also retain her current duties,...

Exclusive: The Australian television M&a market is set for its first big deal in a minute or two.

We can reveal Wtfn, one of the remaining indies in Australia’s consolidated production market, has put itself up for sale.

Bosses at the 23-year-old company are seeking buyers and we hear they have instructed Abp Advisory, the UK-based M&a firm run by former Acf Investment Bank MD Hasham Khan, to explore a deal. At present, the company is privately owned.

Wtfn didn’t respond to requests for comment and Abp declined to comment.

Melbourne-based Wtfn is known for returning unscripted series such as Nine Network’s reno show Space Invaders, long-running Network Ten doc series Bondi Vet and medical series Paramedics and Emergency. Deadline hears there are plans for concerted pushes into scripted and high-end docs.

Launched by producers Daryl Talbot and Steve Oemcke in 2001, the company owns a library of more than 2,000 in-house hours,...

Exclusive: Paramount+ has yanked a raft of international originals from its service along with several big-ticket acquired series.

Numerous English-language originals disappeared overnight last week, as the U.S. conglom’s strategy shift towards more Hollywood-style content and lower costs played out in real time. Other series that had been tipped for second seasons will not return.

Subscribers were left perplexed as shows vanished, and voiced bewilderment and frustration on X and elsewhere online. The removed shows have been taken off the streaming service in all territories.

Samantha Morton-starrer The Burning Girls and One Night, the Australia-set drama with Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, have disappeared from the streamer. Likewise, Eleventh Hour Films-produced The Killing Kind, based on the book of the same name, and thriller The Serial Killer’s Wife, have been pulled.

The Doll Factory, the adaptation of the bestselling novel from Marcella producer Buccaneer, has also come down.

Exclusive: Naveen Andrews has joined the cast of Paramount+’s Australian drama series Last King of the Cross.

He will play lead antagonist Ray Kinnock in the second season of the show, which tells the story of Sydney nightclub kingpin John Ibrahim (Lincoln Younes) and his brother Sam (Claude Jabbour).

Filming is underway on season 2 in Sydney, as John sights set on capturing a new kingdom — the glittering prize of Oxford Street, Sydney’s nightclub empire.

Andrews will bring to life the fictional character of Ray Kinnock, who is determined to either keep John out, or take him down. The actor is best known for his role on ABC cult drama Lost, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award along with the rest of the cast. He also appeared in the iconic classic movie The English Patient and, most recently, The Dropout, alongside Amanda Seyfried and is a...

Exclusive: Cineflix Rights has snapped up ITV Studios’ distribution boss in the U.S.

Greg Johnson has moved to the Last King of the Cross distributor in the newly-created post of EVP Americas and Asia Pacific, as Cineflix looks to expand in the region.

Reporting to CEO Tim Mutimer and starting in April, LA-based Johnson will lead the distributor’s scripted and unscripted sales strategy across North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He also work alongside execs James Durie and Richard Life to identify creative partners and IP, speaking with U.S. financiers and global networks.

Greg Johnson. Image: Cineflix Rights

Johnson, who joins the Cineflix senior leadership team, has held a similar role with Love Island and Snowpiercer seller ITV Studios for the past few years, having joined more than a decade ago. Past employers include BBC America and Disney.

The signature move lays down a marker for Cineflix,...

The second season of Helium's Last King of the Cross will see the addition of two new members to the Ibrahim family, with Dave Hoey and Alex Kaan joining the cast as Michael and Fadi Ibrahim, respectively Fadi.

The post Dave Hoey, Alex Kaan welcomed into Ibrahim family for ‘Last King of the Cross’ S2 appeared first on If Magazine.

‘Spit’ is one of five features to receive a share of $4.6m (A$6.9m).

Australian filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky is working on a sequel to his 2003 crime comedy Gettin’ Square – one of five features to receive a share of $4.6m (A$6.9m) in production funding from national body Screen Australia.

The latest round of funding will also support Kriv Stenders’ The Correspondent; Cathy Randall’s Red Rock Run; Kate Woods’ Kangaroo; and Nicholas Clifford’s One More Shot.

Teplitzky’s Spit will mark the return of David Wenham as ex-junkie John Spitieri, who travels back to Australia only to find himself...

‘Spit’ is one of five features to receive a share of $4.6m (A$6.9m).

Australian filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky is working on a sequel to his 2003 crime comedy Gettin’ Square – one of five features to receive a share of $4.6m (A$6.9m) in production funding from national body Screen Australia.

The latest round of funding will also support Kriv Stenders’ The Correspondent; Cathy Randall’s Red Rock Run; Kate Woods’ Kangaroo; and Nicholas Clifford’s One More Shot.

Teplitzky’s Spit will mark the return of David Wenham as ex-junkie John Spitieri, who travels back to Australia only to find himself...

Production in Western Australia has wrapped on psychological thriller “The Surfer,” starring Nicolas Cage. Producers have released a first-look image of a tousled and confused-looking Cage inside a car that his character may have slept in.

When a man returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates he is brought to the edge of his sanity and his identity is thrown into question.

The film is directed by Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium”) and written by Thomas Martin, with production taking place entirely a single location in Yallingup in Western Australia.

Joining Cage is an Australian ensemble cast including Julian McMahon (“Nip/Tuck”), Nicholas Cassim...

Exclusive: Here’s your first look at Nicolas Cage in psychological thriller The Surfer, which has recently wrapped shoot in Western Australia.

Oscar winner Cage will play a man who returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S. but is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates he is brought to the edge of his sanity and his identity is thrown into question.

Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) and written by Thomas Martin, the feature film was shot in a single location in Yallingup in Western Australia.

Joining Cage in the ensemble cast are Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Nicholas Cassim (Mr Inbetween), Miranda Tapsell (The Dry), Alexander Bertrand (Australian Gangster), Justin Rosniak...

The unlikely trio of 1980s action hero Chuck Norris, 1990s pop star Vanilla Ice and Australian singer-turned-actress Sophie Monk have joined the action-comedy Zombie Plane from Australian production and distribution banner Radioactive and U.S. production company Entertainment Squad (a subsidiary of Studio Dome).

Zombie Plane centers on a secret government organization that recruits celebrities to be undercover agents, who together must save humanity from an imminent zombie attack. Norris, Ice and Monk play themselves (actually, Norris plays Commander Chuck Norris, who mentored and trained Ice into becoming a deadly secret agent), but the feature is reportedly full of of celebrity cameos, with a ’90s pop soundtrack including tracks by Ice himself.

Directed by Lav Bodnaruk and Michael Pier of Chop Shop Post (a post-production and VFX house whose recent work includes Paramount+’s Last King of the Cross and Amazon’s Trope), the film was shot earlier this year...

Set in a pre-#metoo era, Oz girl-band drama “Paper Dolls” has been realized by an all female filmmaker team shedding light on this darker era for women in the music industry.

Former MTV Australia chief Mark Fennessy executive produced the 8-part scripted drama for Paramount + through his two-year-old banner Helium. eOne is launching international sales at Mipcom this week.

As well as empowering women filmmakers in Australia, the production shows what Fennessy is currently dedicated to – creating premium Australian content and finding the resources to take it to the next level to compete internationally with its rival Anglo markets.

“The feedback from buyers I’ve spoken to pre-Mipcom has been really strong,” said the veteran Australian television executive who is readying several other projects for the streamers in Australia, as well as Season 2 of the hit “Last King of the Cross” for Paramount +.

Set in 2000, “Paper Dolls...

Bassem Youssef Helming Health Reality Series With Propagate Selling

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef is launching a reality series in which best friends, couples and family members are flown to a remote exotic island in Abu Dhabi to face their biggest fear: learning to become healthy. Propagate International has launched sales at Mipcom Cannes on The Reset, which will see contestants put through an immersive, medically progressive plant-based wellness program that seems impossible at first, but within days completely changes their minds, bodies, and souls. Each episode follows one couple on their journey as they are pushed outside their comfort zone. Propagate is selling this week and Tom Forman (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) is producing. Youssef is a comedian satirist and former cardiologist who has previously been compared to The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. He hosted Al Bernameg, a first-of-its-kind political satire show in the Middle East.

Cineflix Rights Strikes...

International TV market MIPCOM Cannes kicked off Monday with a flurry of licensing deals, a sign that despite the uncertainty and challenges facing the global TV industry, there is still business being done.

Paramount Global Content Distribution announced a major European deal on Monday, licensing the new Good Wife spin-off Elsbeth to French free-to-air network TF1 in France. The show features Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, the astute but unconventional attorney she played in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Wendell Pierce co-stars as NYPD Captain C.W. Wagner and Carra Patterson as Officer Kaya Blanke.

Studiocanal announced a raft of deals for The Night Logan Woke Up, the first TV series from famed Canadian film auteur Xavier Dolan (I Killed My Mother, Tom at the Farm), with Netflix taking U.S. rights and international deals signed with Star Channel Japan, Sbs Australia, BeTV Belgium, Canal+ Poland, Wdr...

Cineflix Rights has closed multiple international deals across its slate, including returning seasons of “Last King of The Cross” and “Reginald the Vampire,” as well as the movie “Sugar.”

“Last King of The Cross” charts the rise of John Ibrahim from poverty-stricken immigrant to the most infamous nightclub mogul in Sydney’s Kings Cross. Season 2 of the show, which has been acquired by Sky (U.K.), Warner Bros. Discovery (New Zealand), and Paramount+ (Canada), will delve deeper into the seductive and dangerous world of Kings Cross as John expands his empire into the booming queer nightclub scene.

NBC Universal International Networks has acquired Season 2 of “Reginald the Vampire” for France, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe, German-speaking Europe and the UK, along with Sky (U.K.), Canada’s Bell Media (Seasons 1&2), and M6’s 6Play streaming platform. Inspired by Johnny B. Truant’s Fat Vampire novels, the series stars Jacob Batalon...

The Sean Penn-produced satirical series “C*A*U*G*H*T” has dropped out of Mipcom due to the Israel-Hamas war.

“In light of the current situation unfolding in Israel, we have taken the decision not to showcase ‘C*A*U*G*H*T’ at Mipcom this year,” Fremantle said in a statement. “At this time, our hearts and thoughts are with our colleagues and our partners in Israel, and all those affected.”

Australian-made “C*A*U*G*H*T” was meant to hold a Media Mastermind Keynote at the international TV conference in Cannes on Oct. 18. Penn was set to be in attendance, as well as series star Matthew Fox and creator, writer and director Kick Gurry.

The Stan original series follows “four Australian soldiers on a covert mission in a war-torn country,” according to its official plot description. “Mistaken for Americans, they’re captured and produce a hostage video that achieves unexpected viral success,...

Sean Penn, whose Volodymyr Zelenskyy documentary “Superpower” recently launched on Paramount+, will be on the iconic stage of Cannes’s Grand Auditorium later this month — but it won’t be for a movie.

The Oscar winner is set to attend Mipcom, the international TV conference, alongside Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) to discuss their wartime satire series “C*A*U*G*H*T” as part of a Media Mastermind Keynote on Oct. 18. Penn, who stars and serves as executive producer on the show, will participate in a panel discussion with Fox and Curry. The session will see them discuss ways in which the series explores themes of identity, fame and social media absurdities.

Landing a Hollywood star like Penn is a massive coup for Mipcom, which has sought to raise its profile within a competitive landscape for industry events.

A Stan original, “C*A*U*G...

It’s been just over six months since Deadline launched our fortnightly Global Breakouts strand, in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. We therefore thought it high time that we remind you of some of the prospective hits we’ve profiled over the past half-year. From a Sopranos-esque Israeli drama to a buzzy French action movie to the next big Dutch format, scroll on for the best of the 2023 Breakouts.

Nordland (Denmark)

Our first Scandi drama of what we are sure will be many came from Denmark, where young filmmaker Kasper Møller Rask had followed the Coen Brothers’ lead by forging a crime series, with just a hint of irreverence, for local network Dr. “I wanted to make a young person’s crime show for my 15-year-old self,” Rask told Deadline, before spotlighting how his show was anything but the next Stranger Things.

Susan Sarandon, playing the U.S. Secretary of State Alaska Adams, gets the better of Bryan Brown, as the Australian prime minister, in a fast-paced verbal duel that represents the first footage from the Sean Penn-produced satirical comedy series “C*A*U*G*H*T.”

An elite team of Aussie soldiers is sent to an island nation to retrieve a secret file that has gone astray. Mistaken for Americans, they are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral. When the soldiers achieve celebrity status on social media, they realize that being caught might just be the best thing that could’ve happened to them.

“C*A*U*G*H*T” explores themes of identity, fame, and the absurdity of the viral age. “Why can’t we comedically deconstruct the intellectual ideas that humanity is facing right now?” says Kick Gurry who directs, produces and stars in the six-part series.

Last King of the Cross is not going anywhere. After a breakout season in Australia, Paramount+ has renewed the crime drama for a second season while it works out details for it to air in other parts of the world, per Variety. Season one of the series is expected to air in the US later this year.

Starring Lincoln Younes, Tim Roth, Callan Mulvey, Claude Jabbour, Matt Nable, Maria Tran, and Tess Haubrich, the series, produced by Helium, is based on the autobiography of nightclub owner John Ibrahim and his life living in Sydney’s King Cross during the 1980s and 1990s.

Read More…...

Paramount+ crime drama Last King of the Cross, about legendary Australian underworld figure John Ibrahim, is getting a second season.

The eight-part run’s order comes after season one landed strongly on the Paramount streamer this year and sold around the world to the likes of Sky in the UK.

We recently feature it in our Global Breakouts strand, as it represents a new breed of premium Aussie streaming dramas that also includes Netflix’s Heartbreak High and Disney+’s upcoming Artful Dodger. This week, Lincoln Younes was nominated for Most Popular Actor at Australia’s Logie Awards thanks in large part due to his portrayal of lead character Ibrahim.

Season two will dive deeper into the seductive and dangerous world of Kings Cross, Sydney, as Ibrahim expands his empire into the booming queer nightclub scene in the ecstasy-fuelled early 2000s. The stakes are higher than ever before, and everyone...

Paramount+ Australia has greenlit a second, eight-part season of hit crime drama series “Last King of The Cross.”

Inspired by John Ibrahim’s autobiography, the series charts the rise of a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects to Australia’s most infamous nightclub mogul and is set in Sydney’s decadent Kings Cross district in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Season 2 (8 x 60′) will further explore the dangerous world of Kings Cross, as Ibrahim expands his empire into the booming queer nightclub scene. Set against the backdrop of the ecstasy-fueled 2000s, the stakes are higher than ever before, and everyone wants a piece – including John’s two younger brothers.

Produced by Helium, with Cineflix Rights as exclusive worldwide distribution partner, “Last King of The Cross” has sold wide including a presale to Sky in the U.K., Italy, Ireland and Germany, together with Paramount+ in Canada and...

Episode 9 of “Last King of the Cross” ended with an explosion inside Ezra Shipman’s house. John Ibrahim was there when the car blew up. We then see Sam Ibrahim and Anton escape in their car before anyone spots them. But Ezra knows, as well as John, that it is Sam who pulled off the cheap stunt. Sam is out of his mind. And whatever follows will be his fault. “Last King of the Cross” Episode 10 is the season finale and reveals whether it is Ezra Shipman or John Ibrahim who emerges victorious in the power struggle at Kings Cross.

Spoilers Ahead

Change Of Plans

John is awakened from sleep in the middle of the night by a call. Fire has engulfed one of his clubs at Kings Cross. He arrives there, followed by Sam and his biker gang. Sam starts cursing the thugs who did it and declares to...

Episode 8 of “Last King Of The Cross” ended with John finding Dave dead at his house. Meanwhile, at the public hearing, John denies dealing drugs, but Sam has openly declared that he robs drug dealers. This will affect Joey’s dealings, which will, in turn, affect Ezra’s business. Also, Detective Mooney has confessed that it was Crellan who killed Nasa Kalouri. Mooney has been wearing a wire for the last 9 months. “Last King Of The Cross” Episode 9 shows the Royal Commission tightening its hold on Kings Cross. This will certainly have adverse effects on the businesses of both John and Ezra. Now only time will tell if they work together to try and sort things out or find their own ways to do the same.

Spoilers Ahead

A New Cross

Since the public hearing, a lot of police officers have been arrested, including Crellan. Many of them have committed...

At the end of Episode 7 of “Last King Of The Cross,” Dickie, the Black Flag member and friend of Dave, shoots and kills Madame Tien’s brother Anh at their home. Sam is out of prison but now has a contract out on his life. John gets a call from Crellan telling him that the drums of war have begun beating. Madame Tien must be thinking that it is Sam Ibrahim who got her brother killed and thus will now come after him and John with everything she’s got. This is what the royal commission must be waiting for. In Episode 8, detectives Elizabeth Doyle and Luke O’Neil pull out further details about the Tien warehouse theft and the murder of Anh Tien. Meanwhile, the Royal Commission begins its public hearing regarding the illegal activities at Kings Cross. Will anyone reveal the true nature of Kings Cross? Let’s find out.

The legislation has allowed the Kings Cross Task Force to go hard after the criminals. Madame Tien has reached out to Ezra with a business proposition. Dave has shot down a core member of the Tiens. Sam Ibrahim has been arrested for possession of cocaine. Each of these events has the potential to have an adverse effect on John Ibrahim or his business or both. It is only a matter of time before disaster strikes, and all that John can do is be prepared. “Last King Of The Cross” Episode 7 shows John trying his best to get his brother out of prison while managing Kings Cross. But he cannot protect Sam on the inside, who is all on his own. Is this safe? Episode 7 has the answer and more.

Spoilers Ahead

Management

Sam Ibrahim isn’t having a good time inside his cell at the Long Bay Correctional Center. Now off drugs,...

Exec says half of Paramount+’s growth is from international market.

Marco Nobili, the head of Paramount+ international has underlined the streamer will continue investing in international projects despite a strong focus on producing major franchises such as Yellowstone, Star Trek and Dexter.

Paramount+, which launched in March 2021, is now streaming in 45 countries after a global roll-out last year and has 56 million subscribers.

Nobili said streaming is “a game that needs to be played at scale,” noting the bigger the scale, the more revenues are generated and the more that can be invested in infrastructure and programming.

“International is going...

Paramount+ is well ahead of its target to greenlight 150 non-u.S. originals by 2025 but international boss Marco Nobili wishes the streamer could have rolled out quicker.

Addressing Series Mania this afternoon, Nobili said “if I could have accelerated our rollout then I would have” when questioned on how he would have done things differently over the past two years.

“But you have to balance these things out,” he countered. “Sometimes staggering a launch proves to be the right recipe. If you show audiences the window you can get straight out the gate but could compromise on show quality.”

Nobili added: “We could maybe have done an even faster rollout but looking back it was a challenge and we are proud of how it has worked out.”

Paramount+ is now live in dozens of territories around the world and is well ahead of its target to greenlight 150 originals by 2025, Nobili revealed.

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we head down under to Australia, where Paramount+ original Last King of the Cross has been making a serious racket. Telling the true story of gang warfare in the notorious Sydney Kings Cross district, the 10-part crime thriller harks back to classics such as The Godfather. Its journey to screen has been a lengthy but enjoyable one, say producers.

Name: Last King of the Cross

Country: Australia

Network: Paramount+ Australia

Producer: Helium Pictures

International sales: Cineflix Rights

For fans of: Godfather,...

Television exports to China may be slowing but that’s not true for exports to Asia as a whole. Co-production deals are back in vogue. And when it comes to the potential for further consolidation among top European production banners, well, one industry veteran declared, “Everybody’s always up for sale.”

These were some of the insights shared during a roundtable discussion among top international distribution executives, who gathered with Variety ahead of the annual London Screening sales market, which runs this week.

Participants in the wide-ranging conversation were Prentiss Fraser, president of television distribution for Fifth Season; Louise Pedersen, CEO of All3Media International; Tim Mutimer, CEO of Cineflix Rights; Jonathan Ford, managing director of Abacus Media Rights; and Bea Hegedus, executive managing director of distribution at Vice Media.

Read on for our wide-ranging discussion on the state of distribution:

What signs are you seeing of a cautious market?

Jonathan...

Sales

Chris O’Dowd (“Puffin Rock”), Amy Huberman (“Derry Girls”), Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (“Wolfwalkers”) lead the voice cast of “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” the film based on the TV series “Puffin Rock.”

Following their collaboration on Oscar nominees “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner,” WestEnd Films is teaming again with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears on the film and is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), where first footage will be shown to buyers.

“Puffin Rock and the New Friends” sees Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new characters Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger.

The film...

‘Call The Midwife’ Renewed For Seasons 14 & 15 By BBC

Hit drama Call The Midwife will remain on the BBC for at least another three years following its latest double series order. Ratings for the Sunday night hit have continued to be strong throughout its lengthy run and an eight-part 14th and 15th have now been commissioned along with Christmas specials. Following a group of midwifes in mid-20th century London, Call the Midwife from Heidi Thomas and Neal Street has consistently been one of the BBC’s top-rated dramas over a decade-long period. It airs on PBS in the U.S. BBC Drama Director Lindsay Salt praised the returner’s “enduring popularity thanks to extraordinary creative talent and hard work.” Series 12 will wrap in two Sunday’s time and production on series 13 commences in the Spring.

Banijay & Laliga Form Laliga Studios

Laliga Studios has launched in Spain – a sport content company...

Australian content quotas will be placed on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and the other international streamers.

Plans to impose quotas were unveiled this morning as part of the Australian government’s ‘Revive’ National Cultural Policy. The five-year policy plan aims to shake-up the country’s wider cultural landscape.

Figures haven’t yet been released but the plan is to introduce the legislation in the third quarter of this year. ABC News reported details of the policy are being negotiated with the film and TV industries and the streamers.

The quotas will be in place by July 1, 2024. Local press reports suggest the required investment level will be set at 20 but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Local broadcasters already have local content quotas and News Corp’s pay-tv market leader Foxtel is required to put 10 of its spend on drama channels into local scripted production.

Streamers have had several successes from Australian originals,...

The first fully in person Mipcom for three years is winding down as thousands of tired, fuzzy-headed but happy delegates make their way to Nice airport or jump on trains to Paris. The market was set to a backdrop of an industry in a deep state of flux, as new buyers establish themselves and more seasoned ones react and adapt. Below are just some of the key takeaways from three action-packed days on the Croisette. One thing is for sure, while making TV is not the easiest business, the 10,896 attendees Rx reported to have attended were simply delighted to be back together in person (last year’s restriction-laden Mipcom was hybrid and attendance figures comparatively low) and the atmosphere was the buzziest for many years, especially when the coffee machines were locked away and the alcohol started flowing. Read on.

“Co-pros are back”

Before Mipcom got underway, Deadline spoke with Director Lucy Smith,...

Disney+ Swoops On ‘Ralph & Katie’

Keshet International (Ki) has closed a weighty multi-territorial deal with Disney+ on “Ralph & Katie,” the new 6×30’ comedy-drama spinoff from “The A World.” Sale forms part of a wider agreement that includes all three seasons of “The A Word,” the BBC One drama. Disney+ has licensed multiple rights for both titles across all of Europe, (excluding the U.K.), the Middle East and Africa.

“The A Word” will be available on Disney+ across the Nordics and Belgium. Launches are also slated for Portugal, Italy, Spain and France from November, then Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the New Year. “Ralph & Katie” will debut in early 2023.

“Being part of the team which has helped Keren Margalit’s ‘Yellow Peppers’ develop from a beautiful family drama in Israel into a returning primetime BBC One drama, that has sold in more than 80 territories and spawned its own spin-off,...