News

A holiday romance takes center stage in the upcoming Lifetime movie Christmas in the Spotlight. The film follows a popular musician, Bowyn Sykes, played by Jessica Lord. Her busy schedule has made it difficult to find Mr. Right. Enter Laith Wallschleger’s Drew, a pro football player, whose chance meeting with the star backstage at a concert leads to an undeniable connection. Sound familiar? Romance blooms between the two lovebirds with the support of Bowyn’s manager Mira (Jeannie Mai). Their bond grows stronger but outside forces may sack this relationship. Weathering through demanding careers, paparazzi, and much scrutiny from the press, fans, and family have made things difficult. The power couple faces their biggest challenge in the middle of the yuletide season putting their whirlwind romance in jeopardy. We chatted with Mai as the Emmy-winning for co-host of The Real opened up about jumping into acting and how ...

European production and distribution group Federation Studios, which owns more than 30 labels including the UK’s Vertigo Films and Italy’s Fabula Pictures, has formally appointed advisors to explore investment or a sale, according to a report in Screen’s sister title Broadcast.

The Paris-based company has engaged Morgan Stanley to assess its options, with a price tag of around €500m (£417m) believed to have been attached.

Federation employs around 280 staff across Europe and the US, producing and distributing across genres including drama, factual, kids & family, documentaries and film.

Numerous companies have been mooted as potential suitors including All3Media, Peter Chernin...

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story has inspired a love story just in time for the holidays. Christmas in the Spotlight, which takes inspiration from the famous couple, will be part of Lifetime’s star-studded “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” lineup. The release date has been announced for the film, as well as streaming information.

Love, Music, & Football For The Holiday Season

The film doesn’t directly involve Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, but presents a familiar love story involving a pop star and a football player. In the film, Jessica Lord plays Bowyn, a musician who has made a career singing about life. The irony is, however, that her music career has ended up getting in the way of her love life.

However, Bowyn might just find a chance at love when she meet a football player, Drew, backstage at one of her concerts, while with his niece.

The BBC and German and French public broadcasters Zdf and France Television are joining forces for The Lady Grace Mysteries, a new live-action tween series based on the best-selling book franchise.

The Lady Grace Mysteries tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, an orphan raised to be a lady-in-waiting at the royal court of Queen Elizabeth I, who becomes the world’s first female teenage detective. Working as a private spy for the Queen, Lady Grace solves mysteries while navigating the treacherous waters of court politics. First published in 2004, 12 Lady Grace Mystery books have been published to date, in multiple international editions, and sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.

Cottonwood Media, a division of French media conglomerate Federation Studios, will co-produce the series together with Coolabi Productions, and Zdf Studios. Production on The Lady Grace Mysteries is set to kick off at an unnamed British castle during spring 2025

Daytime Emmy nominee...

BBC, Zdf and France Televisions have boarded “The Lady Grace Mysteries,” an English-language teen detective series based on the best-selling collection of children novels by the same name.

The show is produced by Cottonwood Media (“Find Me in Paris”) and Coolabi Productions, and co-produced by Zdf Studios. It’s penned by Daytime Emmy award-nominated writer Anna McCleery whose credits include “Free Rein” for Netflix, “A Kind of Spark” for Cbbc/Byu and “Hollyoaks” for Channel 4.

As many as 300,000 books in the “The Lady Grace Mysteries” collection have sold worldwide. The live-action show, which targets 8 – 12 year olds, tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, a female teenage detective working as a private spy for Queen Elizabeth I and navigating the dangerous waters of royal politics in an English court full of plots, threats and mystery.

Federation Kids & Family and Zdf Studios are handling worldwide sales on the series. Manon Ardisson,...

Hulu has released the official trailer and key art for Spellbound Season 2, which will continue the whimsical series from the creators of Find Me in Paris. All 13 episodes of the second season will premiere on Friday, October 11.

In Spellbound Season 2, Cece starts her second year with a vow to leave behind all magic so she can focus solely on dance. But as her Mystic side has been unlocked, secrets of the past are revealed, and she ends up on an adventure of self-discovery.

And when she befriends a new student who is actually a Mystic, it’s magical mayhem all the way! With ballet at its core, this season sees her pushing the boundaries more than ever before to fulfill her dream of becoming an etoile.

Cece also has a new crush, new friends, and a surprise from a familiar face when a Blok hip-hop challenge ignites and bonds the second division.

Two of the biggest TV companies in Europe, Germany’s Zdf and France Televisions, both public broadcasters, have boarded CGI animated comedy drama “20 Dance Street,” which has been greenlit for production.

France Televisions has acquired the series as a pre-sale. In another deal, Belgium public broadcaster Rtbf has picked up the series for Belgium.

The latest show from Federation Studios’ Cottonwood Media, “20 Dance Street,” is being handled for international distribution by Federation Kids & Family and Zdf Studios. It will be introduced to buyers at both this week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre and Cannes Mipcom trade fair next month. At 26 half-hour episodes, it will be one of the weightiest new European premium animated series hitting these markets.

The series marks one of the few shows pitched at last September’s Cartoon Forum to be greenlit for production as producers face a tough commissioning environment for animation, with state-owned...

Sílvia Abril Leads SkyShowtime’s ‘Mamen Mayo’

Sílvia Abril (Padre no Hay Más que Uno) has been cast to lead SkyShowtime drama series Mamen Mayo. She will play the title character act opposite fellow leads Pablo Capuz (Merlí. Sapere Aude), Mona Martínez (La Novia Gitana) and Clara Sans (Cardo). Abril’s character is billed as an “extremely intelligent inheritance mediator, who is at the pinnacle of her career.” She leads a team of mediators who in each episode attempt to resolve the conflicts of interest within families entangled in inheritance disputes. Also cast are Oscar de la Fuente, Francisco Reyes, Javier Pereira, and Toni Acosta as Rebeca Mayo, Mamen’s sister. The eight-part, half-hour series comes from Nostromo Pictures in association with SkyShowtime. Eduard Sola is the creator, and serves as showrunner alongside Miguel Ángel Faura. Mamen Mayo is streamer SkyShowtime’s first original program out of Spain. SkyShowtime is...

Hannah Dodd didn’t mean to audition for Bridgerton. Then again, she didn’t mean not to.

It was the spring of 2022 and Dodd was responding to a casting call. She had “no idea” what the project was — the title and character name were kept tightly under wraps — only that she would be playing a Regency-era maiden. And while most auditions require multiple scenes, here she was only asked to perform one: a scene where she would play a guest at a ball. Normally, Dodd would do a ton of...

Who is Seán Óg Cairns Who Plays Garda Eoin in Netflix's Bodkin? - Main Image

Who is Seán Óg Cairns in one of the newest true crime series on Netflix, Bodkin? The upcoming comedy-thriller show is about to grace the screens this May, so get to know one of the characters appearing on the show!

Who is Seán Óg Cairns? Where Have You Seen Him Before?

Seán Óg Cairns is a 27-year-old Irish actor who grew up in Dundalk, Co. Louth.

He first burst into the scene as a dancer under the Dundalk Musical Society in January 2013, where he went on stage for Pantomime, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarves, in An Táin Theatre, Dundalk.

Seán Óg's first leading role came when he was cast as Ronnie Winslow in Dundalk Theatre Workshop's The Winslow Boy.

After the 2013-2014 runs of the An Táin Theatre, Seán Óg managed to earn...

Matt Rife is one of the most popular comedians around these days and his new Netflix special is going to help make his star rise even higher.

The 28-year-old comedian is both successful in his career and his love life right now as he’s going strong with new girlfriend Jessica Lord.

Matt confirmed his relationship status back in August 2023 and the couple recently made their red carpet debut at an event in New York City.

So, what do you need to know about Jessica? And what has Matt said about her?

Keep reading to find out more…

Jessica is a British actress and dancer who grew up in Canada.

“I actually spent most of my childhood in Canada so I feel like I’ve got the Canadian intonation but still with the northern vowels,” Jessica told her followers in a TikTok video. “I was really close with my family...

MTV Entertainment Studios and Will Packer Media will release its upcoming parody thriller “Binged to Death” on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 9 p.m. Et/Pt, TheWrap revealed exclusively.

The film follows an obsessive woman named Kristen (Loni Love) and her best friend Terry (Carl Anthony Payne II), who learn that their favorite reality show couples have broken up. The pair kidnap the contestants and force them into a series of torturous games, all with the hopes of rekindling their favorite TV romances.

In addition to Love (“Mother’s Day”) and Payne (“Martin: The Reunion”), the cast includes Quincy Brown (“Holiday Calendar”) as Hugh; Loren Lott (“Praise This”) as Lexy; Jessica Lord (“Find Me in Paris”) as Sienna, Andre Anthony (“Scream 6”) as Aj, Dan Ginnane (“50 Shades of Fright”) as Quincy; and Nico Tortorella (“Younger”) as Zion.

“Binged to Death” is executive produced by Will Packer and Johanna Byer for Will Packer...

School is back in session at the Paris Opera Ballet School. From the creators of “Find Me in Paris,” the new Hulu Original series “Spellbound” heads back to the elite dance school— this time with Cece, a 15-year-old American who just relocated to France to study at the school where everything changes after she discovers a book of family spells in the back room of her aunt’s apothecary. Experience all the magic this Thursday, Aug. 31 when the streamer premieres all 13 episodes of the first season. You can watch Spellbound: Season 1 with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu.

How to Watch ‘Spellbound’ Series Premiere When: Thursday, August 31, 2023 Where: Hulu Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99 / month hulu.com About ‘Spellbound’ Series Premiere

From the team behind the Hulu Original series “Find Me in Paris,” the Paris Opera Ballet School is once again the...

Spellbound is coming soon to Hulu. The streaming service has released a preview for the new series, which is a successor to Find Me in Paris, which ran for three seasons, 2018-20. The new series, created by Jill Girling and Lori Mather, will take viewers back to the Paris Opera Ballet School, but this time the focus will be on magic instead of time travel.

Hailey Melody Romain, Margherita Barbieri, Abigail O'Regan, Sam Darius, Zac Gabriel Werb, Etienne Moana, Imogen Mackie Walker, Gomolémo Tsagaé, Cameron James King, Rik Young, Raven Dauda, Malou Beauvoir, and Charles Baker star in the teen fantasy drama. Read More…...

Netflix Shares “The Fall of the House of Usher” First Look and Premiere Date

Netflix has shared the first look and premiere date for its highly anticipated miniseries adaptation of “The Fall of the House of the Usher.” The latest from Mike Flanagan the horror series is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, where ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power, but past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.

Check out more first-look images from “The Fall of the House of Usher”

The ensemble cast includes Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, Michael Trucco, T’Nia Miller, Paola Nuñez, Henry Thomas, Kyleigh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Katie Parker,...

In a show of force, English-language “Spellbound,” the live-action tween series from “Find Me in Paris” creators and production partners will get a Season Two.

Produced by Cottonwood Media, with Zdf, Zdf Studios and the Opéra national de Paris, the 13 new episodes of the ballet/witchcraft series will go into production in August.

The “Spellbound” renewal news comes as Season One is set to roll out in international markets across broadcasters and streaming services from this fall.

Federation Kids & Family, the sales arm of Cottonwood Media parent Federation Studios, and Zdf Studios, the commercial company of German public broadcaster Zdf, will handle worldwide sales.

They will be bringing to market a second season of a premium English-language show targeting a still underserved kids & family market audience worldwide at a time, moreover, when buyers are caught between a rock and hard place: a studio-streamer pull back from original production and the WGA strike,...

Exclusive: CBC/Radio-Canada has boarded the upcoming Spellbound, a live-action tween drama from the team behind Find Me in Paris.

The Canadian national network has acquired local rights to the show from Federation Kids & Family and Zdf Studios, which are jointly distributing worldwide.

Hulu, Germany’s Zdf and France Télévisions are already attached as co-production partners, with Federation-owned Cottonwood Media producing in association with Opéra National de Paris and Zdf Studios. The same partners, bar France Télévisions, teamed for sci-fi kids dramedy Find Me in Paris between 2018 and 2020.

Filming on the 26-part Spellbound, which has a budget of €15.3M ($16.6M), has now wrapped ahead of a debut later this year. CBC’s English-language streamer CBC Gem will launch it later this year, before French-language service Ici Tou.TV runs it during the 2023/24 broadcast season.

The show follows Cece Parker Jones (Hailey Romain), a vivacious teenager who relocates to Paris from...

German powerhouse Zdf Studios and U.K.-based Factual Fiction are reteaming for “#DorianGray,” an updated social media spin on Oscar Wilde’s classic, “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

In Wilde’s original, first published as a novella in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, the self-besotted Dorian Gray sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth, a picture painted of him recording the decay of his soul as in outward appearance he remains physically forever young.

Currently being written by Maiya John, a young London-based screenwriter, the contemporary reimagining is described by Zdf Studios as “a suspenseful ride through the life of a teenager as they construct their identity.”

While navigating sex, and gender, mental health and consent, through tweets and #instagram and Tik Tok videos, Dorian Gray, as in Wilde’s central concept, projects an image of who he’d like to be, rather than who he really is.

Paris-based premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media has announced its sister distribution company, Federation Kids & Family, has nabbed world rights for its upcoming TV series “Welcome to Lolyland.”

The project is one of 80 being pitched this week at Cartoon Forum, the leading European event for animated TV series in development aimed at industry professionals, that runs in the south-eastern French city of Toulouse.

Based on the original comic books “Lolicornes” by Cédric Asna, Emmanuel Martin and Pierre Walterspieler, who are working on the TV adaptation, the series will be made up of 52 11-minute episodes aimed at six to nine-year olds.

It tells the story of Penny, an ordinary 10-year-old girl who, one day, wakes up in a strange world filled with unicorns, Cyclops, dragons and all sorts of strange creatures. She, too, has a strange horn stuck to her forehead. On her quest to find out how this happened...

Paris-based Cottonwood Media and the Paris National Opera are re-teaming with U.S. streamer Hulu, Germany’s Zdf and Zdf Studios and France Televisions, all partners on “Find Me in Paris,” for another premium live action tween series, “Spellbound.”

Scheduled to commence production this summer in Paris, moving later to Brussels, “Spellbound” is created by Jill Girling and Lori Mather (“Ride”), the same original executive produces and showrunners of “Find Me in Paris.”

Renaud Mathieu serves as line producer, a position he also held on “Emily in Paris.”Series lead director is Alexander Jacob. Directors include Annie Bradley, as well as Robert Burke.

Federation Kids & Family, a sales arm of Cottonwood Media parent Federation Entertainment, will partner with Zdf Studios, the commercial subsidiary of German public broadcaster Zdf, to handle worldwide sales.

Running to three seasons from its bow in 2018, “Find Me in Paris” has been broadcast in 130 territories with...

As Paramount prepares for UK rollout this week and in advance of tonight’s swanky London do, the streamer has greenlit a seven-strong international slate including a French fantasy horror thriller, series on the Circeo Massacre, two shows from Mexico and two from Germany including The Sheikh.

Scroll down for the full slate below as Paramount deepens its international push and prepares to unveil the shows at an event with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jessica Chastain and Gillian Anderson, amongst other A-listers. Paramount has taken over London’s West End for the day with a Walk of Fame-esque Walk of Stars, with 50 illuminated stars including Stallone, Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Viola Davis.

Paramount Global plans to commission 150 international originals for Paramount within three years

The slate, Paramount ’s second major international roster, includes France’s Marie Antoinette Serial Killer, a fantasy horror thriller about four young American girls who...

As Paramount prepares for its splashy, star-studded U.K. and Ireland launch in London on Monday, Paramount’s president and CEO of streaming Tom Ryan spoke to Variety about the rebranded company’s global streaming biz expansion that, besides being powered by original content, stands out in the field for its diversified model.

This model involves a mix of platforms and partnerships, combining direct-to-consumer and a la carte offerings with a market-by-market approach. The two main prongs that distinguish Paramount’s streaming offer are the combination of the fast-growing Paramount premium offer and its free, ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV, which Ryan founded.

The global rollout will see Paramount launch in 2023 in India in partnership with Viacom18, which recently scored streaming rights to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament previously held by Disney . In its first Asia launch, Paramount debuted last week in South Korea as a free-of-charge addition to the Cj Enm-controlled TVing platform.

U.K. actor Hannah Dodd will take over the role of Francesca Bridgerton from Ruby Stokes in the upcoming Season 3 of Netflix’s hit romantic series “Bridgerton.”

Stokes is exiting the role, in which she only appeared in the first two seasons a handful of times, because she’s the lead of another Netflix series, “Lockwood & Co.”

The recasting signals that Dodd’s Francesca Bridgerton could enjoy more screen time in the new seasons. Francesca is the third youngest Bridgerton sibling and the third daughter. She only appeared in two episodes of Season 1, during which she was away learning piano with the kids’ Aunt Winnie in London. In Season 2, she got a bit more screen time and showed up in three episodes.

Francesca’s absence has become something of an inside joke within the “Bridgerton” community, though readers of the books know that she has her own novel later in the series,...

Bridgerton‘s Lady Whistledown should be all a-titter over Francesca B.’s new Season 3 look.

Hannah Dodd, who can be seen in Netflix’s recent release, Anatomy of a Scandal, has been tapped to take over as Lady Violet’s sixth-oldest child, in the wake of original cast member Ruby Stokes leaving to star in Netflix’s Lockwood & Co.

More from TVLineFirst Kill Trailer Teases Forbidden Love Between a Vampire and SlayerFloor Is Lava Season 2 Gets Release Date, Trailer and New Volcano ObstacleOzark: The Story Behind Fan Favorite's Surprise Comeback in Final Season

Francesca — who remained off-screen in Season 1 until...

Exclusive: We will likely see more of Francesca on Bridgerton next season, and she will look a little different. Hannah Dodd (Anatomy of a Scandal) is set to play the the elusive Bridgerton sibling in Season 3 of Netflix and Shondaland’s Regency-era period drama series based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels. She is joining the hugely popular show as a series regular in a recasting, taking over the role from Ruby Stokes who left and is the lead of another Netflix series, the upcoming Lockwood & Co., an adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s books.

Francesca Bridgerton is a bit of a mystery within her chatty, extroverted family. Despite her reserved nature, she goes along to get along when it comes to society affairs, fortified with a dry wit and pragmatism that confound the fickle ton yet seem to draw attention when she least desires it.

Francesca’s presence on Bridgerton...

“Theodosia,” the Egyptology-themed adventure series which just premiered on HBO Max in the U.S., has been acquired by BBC, along with a bevy of other partners.

Produced by Cottonwood Media, “Theodosia” is represented in international markets by Zdf Studios and Federation Kids & Family, a subsidiary of Federation Entertainment.

“Theodosia” follows a smart and bold 14-year-old named Theodosia Throckmorton (aka Theo) who is the daughter of two intrepid Egyptologists excavating in the Valley of the Kings. When Theo and her younger brother Henry stumble upon a hidden tomb and a mysterious artefact, the ‘Eye of Horus’, Theo unlocks the power to see and perform true magic, thus discovering a whole new world of mystery as well as danger.

The show was introduced to buyers at Mipcom last year and has now been acquired by the French streamer Salto, as well as the broadcaster France Televisions, Canada’s Quebecor, the streaming...

Studio 100, a leading studio for kids and family entertainment, and Zdf Studios, the commercial arm of the German public broadcaster, have joined forces to offer kids and family programs on Amazon Prime Channels under the channel brand Pash.

The collaboration on Amazon Prime Channels will kick off in the U.K., Italy and Spain, with further territories in the planning. The programming lineup from both Zdfs’ and Studio 100’s catalogs will include well-known series and kids’ brands such as “Maya the Bee,” “Mia and Me,” “Heidi,” “Peter Pan,” “H20” and “Find Me in Paris.”

The Pash brand was created by Zdf Studios, which has already launched Amazon Prime Channels in various countries. In each territory, the Pash content catalog features hundreds of shows and movies for kids.

Fred Burcksen, president and CEO, Zdf Studios, said: “Studio 100’s programs perfectly complement our programming offering, allowing us to provide a great...

Exclusive: Jason Patric (Wayward Pines), Keli Price (The Hyperions), Jack Kesy (Sheroes), Penelope Ann Miller (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Perrey Reeves (Paradise City), Tiffany Hines (Magnum P.I.), Casper Van Dien (All American) and Academy Award nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) are set to star in Murder at Hollow Creek, a new action-thriller from director David Lipper (Wolf Mountain) that is on the cusp of wrapping production.

The film written by Keli Price (On Thin Ice) follows a disbarred lawyer (Price) and his eccentric brother (Kesy) who, with their little sister dying and no money left to pay the medical bills, attempt to pull off the robbery of a lifetime. Instead, they find themselves in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a disgruntled Serbian mobster (Rourke), with a local detective (Patric) trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together before it’s too late.

Lipper, Paul Ben-Victor...

Sales

Kids’ content distributor Federation Kids and Family and Zdf Enterprises have sold all three seasons of hit series “Find Me in Paris” to streamer Disney Plus as part of a worldwide multi-territory deal, while Italian state broadcaster Rai also picked up season 3 following on from its successful run of the first two seasons.

Broadcast in over 80 territories, “Find Me in Paris” (78 x 26’) follows the story of Lena Grisky, a time-travelling ballet dancer from 1905 Russia trapped in modern day Paris, and the many dilemmas she faces finding her place between two worlds. The series has also been a social media hit across all platforms, with the soundtracks registering 18 million streams across all music streaming platforms for 2020/2021 and its YouTube channel recording 46.1 million views to date.

“Find Me in Paris” is produced by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix, and Cecile Lauritano for Cottonwood Media and co-produced with Zdf, Zdf Enterprises, Be-Films...

ITV Studios Strikes Major CBC Content Deal

ITV Studios has struck a major scripted and non-scripted content deal with Canadian network CBC as the London Screenings approaches. The deal includes BBC drama Showtrial from ITV Studios-backed Line of Duty producer World Productions, the second series of Kelsey Munro’s Bump, Paramount ’s Australian comedy Spreadsheet, adult animation Ten Year Old Tom and Swedish procedural Thin Blue Line. On the non-scripted side, CBC has taken British factual titles such as Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs and The Queen Unseen. The Canadian network has also extended its deal to air ITV soap Coronation Street. “This is a top notch list of amazing scripted and factual titles from across the globe,” said Craig Bohland, ITV Studios’ Vice President Sales, Canada. The deal comes as ITV Studios gears up for next week’s London Screenings, which will feature major distributors pitching shows...

UK indie ‘Kindling’ Gears Up

Exclusive: George Somner (Sex Education), Conrad Khan (County Lines) and Wilson Mbomio (The Witcher) are leading the cast of Kindling, an indie feature now shooting in the UK. Connor O’Hara wrote and is directing the pic. Producers are Lowkey Films’ Jamie Gamache and Lipsync Productions’ Mark Foligno. Executive Producers include Andrew & Terry Loveday (Haymarket Films), Norman Merry and Peter Hampden (Lipsync Productions) and Rachel Warren and Carl Shepherd (Hyprr Films). Pic is based on director O’Hara’s own experience of losing two friends within two days of each other at the age of 21. Also starring are Mia McKenna Bruce (Persuasion), Rory J Saper (Find Me in Paris), Kaine Zajaz (Our Girl), with Geoff Bell (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones). “To have spent the last six years finessing and growing with this script, it feels incredible to have a cast...

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we take a deep dive into Federation Entertainment, the production-sales studio behind Canal Plus’ hit series The Bureau and Netflix Italian hit Baby. Founder Pascal Breton and CEO Lionel Uzan give us the lowdown on the company’s ambitions and why now is the perfect time to be in the game of creating pan-European content.

When French producer Pascal Breton launched Federation Entertainment in 2014, the veteran television executive had a hunch that the international production and distribution landscape was on the precipice of great change. The year before, he stepped down as CEO of Marathon Entertainment after 23 years, because the old model “was no longer exciting for producers.” Federation, he vowed, would anticipate market changes and respond accordingly with...

Jackson Rathbone, Robert Knepper also star.

Highland Film Group heads into the virtual Cannes market next month with worldwide sales rights to the completed supernatural thriller Warhunt starring Mickey Rourke.

Jackson Rathbone, and Robert Knepper also star in the film, which shot in Riga, Latvia, and is directed by Mauro Borrelli (The Recall) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Reggie Keyohara III (The Recall).

Rourke plays a military commander who dispatches an elite team on a deadly rescue mission after a Second World War cargo plane crashes.

Under attack from a horrifying supernatural force, the soldiers race to uncover the truth before the Nazis,...

In a powerful alliance, Paris-based premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media, German public broadcaster Zdf and its co-pro and distribution arm Zdf Enterprises, HBO Max and Brazil’s Globo are teaming to produce “Theodosia,” a big new live action kids adventure series targeting family audiences.

No budget is given for the 26-part half hour series. Its combination, however, of elements which make for high-end entertainment – period costume, action and foreseeable heavy Vxf – suggest this is another big play by two of Europe’s champions of ambitious live-action kids shows.

One is Cottonwood Media, the kids and family production company at Paris and L.A -based Federation Entertainment whose credits include Studiocanal’s Cannes 2019 pre-sales movie hit “Around the World in 80 Days,” to be screened at Berlin.

The other, Zdf and Zdfe, has a storied recent history in live action kids shows. “Theodosia” will “continue our successful Zdf live action productions such as ‘H2O,...

While the pandemic may have brought a temporary halt to programming pipelines, children’s broadcasters are using the opportunity to scope out the acquisitions market as well as applying strategies to entice tweens and teens back to their streaming platforms.

During Tuesday morning’s Mipcom Warm Up briefing on kids programming, BBC Children’s head of independent animation and acquisitions, Sarah Muller, admitted she was in the “unusual position” of being able to go on an international buying spree.

“I was able to go out and source content that we might not have bought in the normal course of events, because our schedule is normally so full,” she said.

Speaking to the session’s moderator, former Channel 4 commissioner-turned-consultant Sarah Baynes, Muller said that series acquisitions have included Australian broadcaster ABC’s four-part drama “First Day” which tells the story of a young transgender girl starting her first day at a new school.

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and monthly guide to What’s on Streaming.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineWhat's New on Netflix in August — Plus: Amazon Prime, Apple TV , Disney , HBO Max, Hulu & PeacockTV Streaming Service Guide: Disney , Netflix,...

Hulu is out with its list of everything new arriving in August and everything leaving at the end of the month.

Highlights include “Ordinary Love,” a 2019 movie about how a couple endures a breast cancer diagnosis, and “Peanut Butter Falcon,” Shia Labeouf’s 2019 movie about a young man with Down syndrome who runs away from a nursing home to attend the wrestling school of his idol, the Salt Water Redneck.

Hulu Originals to look out for next month include Season 3 of “Find Me in Paris” and the Hulu Original premiere of “The Binge.”

Leaving at the end of the month are 2007’s “3:10 to Yuma,” 1973’s “Charlotte’s Web,” 1988’s “Rain Man,” and “The X-Files.”

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

Aug. 1

Monchhichi: Complete Season 1B (Cartoon Network)

The Pier (El Embarcadero): Complete Seasons 1 & 2 (BetaFilm)

UniKitty: Complete Season 2B (Cartoon Network)

71 (2015)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

A Good Woman...

We’re only just over halfway through July, but let’s hop ahead a couple of weeks into the future and take a look at what’s coming to Hulu in August. Next month will see the streaming service add an enormous list of movies and TV shows, with numerous classics amongst them, and everyone from horror to action to romance fans and even family audiences should be pleased with what’s coming.

The first day of the month, for example, brings the opening installments in two major horror franchises that kicked off in the late 80s – 1987’s Hellraiser and 1988’s Child’s Play. Sticking with the 80s, August 1st likewise sees 1986’s Top Gun added to the library, too. Not to mention 1981’s My Bloody Valentine.

For you romance lovers out there, meanwhile, Australia and Four Weddings and A Funeral drop the same day, and family audiences can enjoy Cats & Dogs,...

If you were concerned about there being a content drought in August due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down Hollywood, you were…absolutely right in those concerns.

For its new releases in August 2020, Hulu is following Apple, Disney, and even Peacock’s lead in taking things nice and slowly. The vast majority of the notable offerings here are of the library variety. Hulu adds classic movies like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Rain Man, and Top Gun on August 1. Those go along with the very much still-holds-up Casino Royale on August 31.

Hulu also has room for some interesting recent indie movies like Ordinary Love (Aug. 3) and Peanut Butter Falcon (Aug. 6). But when it comes to Hulu original content there’s not much going on. The unheralded Find Me in Paris debuts its third season on August 21. That is followed by original comedy The Binge on August 28. And that’s about it!

Canada-based WildBrain Television has named Katie Wilson as VP Channels and Curation. Wilson joins from Corus Entertainment where she spent six years as Director of Programming. Based in Toronto, Wilson will be responsible for content and providing editorial direction across WildBrain’s Family Channel, Family Chrgd, Family Jr. and Télémagino and its multiplatform/VOD extensions. She will report to Deirdre Brennan, Executive Vice President of Content Partnerships at WildBrain.

Japanese Broadcaster Nhk has struck a deal with Paris-based Federation Entertainment for the first season of tween TV series Find Me In Paris, which follows Lena Grisky, a time-travelling ballet dancer from 1905 Russia trapped in modern day Paris. It will air on Nhk’s E-tele channel on April 10. The show was produced by Cottonwood Media with Zdf, Zdf Enterprises, Be-Films, and the Opera National de Paris. It has three season to date and has sold into 130 countries and currently broadcasts in 80 territories worldwide.

Joseph Baxter Feb 6, 2020

Hulu series Utopia Falls takes a future-set sci-fi premise and injects with a pop culture explosion of music and dance.

Utopia Falls may, upon first glance, seem like an aesthetically clinical future-society-type story, but the Hulu sci-fi series is set to showcase its hybrid genre nature as a paean to the arts, specifically the entirety of a forbidden pop culture of the past. – Let’s just call it Logan’s Run meets Fame.

The 10-episode hourlong series is set in the far future on a colony, focusing on a group of song-and-dance-inclined teens whose worldviews become upended after being exposed to an archive containing a forgotten pop culture panorama of music, literature, etc., resulting in a clash between the newly-edified and those attempting to uphold the traditions of their idyllic existence. Indeed, it’s a time-worn tale of generational clashes told through a sci-fi lens.

The series, the...

Erin White (Photo credit: Vicki Jones).

Essential Media Group (Emg) is in advanced development on a cold case murder mystery created by writer-director Erin White – Emg’s first drama since the sale of its scripted division to Fremantle.

Set in Australia in 1992 and the present, the eight-part drama entitled Aftermath will be a co-production between Emg and French studio Federation Entertainment.

The show is being pitched to international networks and platforms at C21’s Content London this week with the aim of going into production next year, produced by Emg’s VP of scripted Michelle Hardy.

The project was developed by White and Hardy’s production company Hardy White Pictures, which has a development deal with Essential, under a Screen Australia Gender Matters grant.

The plot follows two estranged high-school best friends as they reunite to pursue the truth surrounding the murder of their art teacher 28 years earlier.

White conceived the idea two years ago,...

Disney Channel Latin America has acquired all three seasons of the popular tween drama series “Find Me in Paris” from Federation Kinds & Family.

“Find Me in Paris,” which is produced by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix and Cecile Lauritano at Cottonwood Media, will roll out on Disney Channel Latin American during the first half of 2020. The series follows the story of Lena Grisky, a time-travelling ballet dancer from 1905 Russia trapped in modern day Paris, and the many dilemmas she faces finding her place between two worlds.

The series is directed by Matt Bloom (“The Lodge”), along with the Irish directing team Ronan and Robert Burke.

“Disney Channel Latin America is a superb platform to launch this premier teen series into such an important territory,” said Monica Levy, the senior Vice President of international sales at Federation Kids & Family. The series “is a vibrant, engaging series that speaks to kids and tweens on so many levels,...

The time has come for Hulu to release its list of everything coming and going in the month of August.

This will come in handy after the “Bachelorette” season finale in late July leaves us in desperate need of something else to watch.

In August, a new episode of Hulu’s horror anthology “Into The Dark” arrives, in which a group of social outcasts who are stuck in weekend detention are confronted by the school’s legendary hauntings.

Also Read: 'Mrs. Maisel' Star Alex Borstein Is Frequently Asked to Sign Plungers, and She Thinks It's Weird

Other Hulu originals include: “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” in which a filmmaker profiles a dying magician on his final tour, but the lines between reality and magic begin to blur; Season 2 of “Find Me in Paris,” and “Jawline,” a Hulu original documentary that follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem...

As fall approaches, Hulu is revamping its collection with a slew of new titles. Take a trip down memory lane with “The Brady Bunch Movie” and “The Color Purple” or complement your “Spider-Man: Far From Home” viewing with some nostalgia by watching “Spider-Man 3” with Tobey Maguire. Those with the HBO premium add-on will also be able to watch new series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” as it airs.

Additionally, Hulu subscribers can look forward to more original content next month. “Jawline,” a Hulu original documentary showcasing the lifestyles of aspiring social media influencers, will be released Aug. 23 and Season 2 of new fantasy series “Find Me in Paris” will be released Aug. 16.

See the full list below.

Aug. 1

A Very Brady Sequel

A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day

Alien vs. Predator

American Heart

Baby Boom

Big Fish

The Brady Bunch Movie

Bulletproof Monk

Cats & Dogs

Chinese Box

The Color Purple...

T.R. Knight, Bobby Moynihan, Storm Reid, RuPaul, Christine Baranski and Wanda Sykes are among the stellar voice cast set for The Bravest Knight, Hulu’s groundbreaking animated kids series based on Daniel Errico’s popular children’s book The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived, from Big Bad Boo Studios. The first five episodes of the series will launch June 21 on Hulu June 21, followed by additional episodes later this year.

The boundary-breaking new series features a household with two dads, making it one of the first children’s television series with an openly gay main character. It chronicles a young pumpkin farmer’s adventure as he attempts to become the bravest knight who ever lived.

In addition to Knight as Sir Cedric, The Bravest Knight stars Moynihan as young Cedric’s troll sidekick Grunt, Reid as Not-Yet-Knight Nia, and will also feature the voice talents of RuPaul,...

Cannes — Produced by Cottonwood Media and Studiocanal, written by “Ice Age 2’s” Gerry Swallow, and directed by Academy Award nominated Samuel Tourneux (“Only Pidgeons Go To Heaven”), $25 million animated feature “Around the World” had sparked offers from “from all over the world” by Wednesday evening at Cannes, said Anne Cherel, Studiocanal head of international current movies sales.

Weighing offers, Studiocanal looks to close 70%-80% of major territories by the end of the market, she added.

That looks set to make “Around the World” one of this year’s Cannes Film Market hits.

Studiocanal will distribute “Around the World” directly in France. It will also release the film, based on Jules Vernes’ timeless literary classic, in its direct distribution territories of Germany, the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand, unless it receives offers for the territories which it can’t refuse, Cherel said.

That may be possible. One of the biggest...

It may have been a quieter MipTV this year, with attendee numbers down 5% from 2018 and key players BBC Studios, Fox Networks Group and Endemol Shine all absent from the market, but there has still been a buzz of activity over the past week. Variety looks back at some of the key television deals and announcements that were causing a stir on the Croisette.

Scripted

*In one of the biggest deals of MipTV, Telefonica’s pay TV unit Movistar closed a multi-year distribution-production alliance with Germany’s Beta Film. Beta already distributed Movistar series on a title-by-title basis but the new deal transforms the arrangement into a partnership which will play through all stages of the value chain from early development. It provides Beta Film exclusive international distribution rights, excluding Spain and sometimes Latin America, to approximately six Movistar series a year. The two companies will also look to finance, develop...

Boasting animation, live-action shows and tween series, Zdf Enterprises’ Zdfe.junior division offers a diverse catalog of domestic and international productions.

The unit is attracting strong global interest with such titles as “The Worst Witch,” “The Bureau of Magical Things”

and “Find Me in Paris,” particularly on the VOD front, says Zdfe president and CEO Fred Burcksen.

Zdfe’s recent kids’ titles have all attracted leading VOD partners.

Nickelodeon was quick to pick up global linear and non-linear rights to Jonathan M. Shiff Prods.’ Australian teen fantasy series “The Bureau of Magical Things.” Co-produced by Zdf and Zdfe, the show is already set for season two.

Hulu nabbed U.S. streaming rights to Cottonwood Media’s tween drama “Find Me in Paris,” about a Russian ballerina in 1905 Paris who is flung into the future by a magical pendant and forced to adapt to modern technology, fashion and teen slang while...

Cottonwood Media and Zdf have given the greenlight to Season 3 of tween drama series “Find Me in Paris,” with Federation Kids & Family launching sales Monday at Cannes content market MipTV.

The show, which combines ballet, modern dance, drama and comedy, follows the story of Lena Grisky, a time-travelling ballet dancer from 1905 in Russia trapped in modern-day Paris, and the many dilemmas she faces finding her place in the modern world.

Previous seasons of the Euro 12 million ($13.5 million) series have been bought by a host of broadcasters including NBC Universal and Hulu (U.S.), France Télévisions (France), Disney (France and Italy), ABC (Australia), Vrt (Belgium), Rai (Italy), Quebecor (French-speaking Canada), HBO (Portugal), Hot TV (Israel), and Svod service Showmax (South Africa), among others.

The new season sees the introduction of two rising stars from Britain to the cast: Isabelle Allen, who features in the Netflix series “Safe” and played young Cosette in the movie “Les Misérables,...