How ‘Unbelievable,’ ‘Unorthodox’ Writers Push Through Characters’ Pasts

Tim Dams Since its launch in 2015, the Berlinale Series section has emerged as a kind of a boutique scripted TV fest set within a major film festival.The Berlinale was famously the first A-list festival to embrace changing viewer habits and to officially incorporate television drama into its lineup — and this head-start is reflected in the growing stature of Berlinale Series.Taking place over a concentrated three-day period (Feb. 14-16), Berlinale Series offers up seven world and international premieres from around 200 entries, giving each of them the red-carpet treatment at the Zoo Palast cinema.Running parallel, the Berlinale Series Market — part of the European Film Market — offers up an online conference program, showcases and screenings.

European Film Market has felt lopsided.Sony’s $60 million deal for Tom Hanks’ “A Man Called Otto,” an adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestselling Swedish-language novel “A Man Called Ove” — which was made into an Oscar-nominated  Swedish feature — that grabbed headlines early on (Variety understands it boiled down to a bidding war between the studio and Apple), but hasn’t necessarily spawned the usual flurry of deals from Berlin halfway through the festival.One buyer from a major U.K. distributor says the EFM vibe has felt “muted” for a company of its size, with an absence of broad-appeal product available once “Otto” was snapped up by Sony.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentImage Nation Abu Dhabi and low-budget Australian genre label Spooky Pictures have announced “Late Night With the Devil,” the second title under their multi-picture deal following Chloe Okuno’s  “Watcher,” which made a splash at Sundance.“Late Night With the Devil” will be helmed by writing/directing duo Colin and Cameron Cairns (“100 Bloody Acres,” “Scare Campaign”) and is set to start shooting in Australia later this year.Cinetic is handling the U.S./North American rights to the film. Stuart Ford’s AGC Intl.

Tim Dams One of the highlights of the Berlinale Series Market is the pitch event Co-Pro Series, which looks to match projects with suitable co-producers and financiers.Ten international series projects from Europe, Canada and Latin America have been selected to pitch at this year’s Co-Pro Series, where they will also have the opportunity of meeting one-on-one with potential partners.Taking place over two days (Feb. 15-16), and held online once again due to the pandemic, Co-Pro Series has a track record of showcasing drama projects that have not only gone on to be produced, but that have also achieved success.International hit “Babylon Berlin,” Austrian-German crime series “Freud,” Norwegian-German domestic terrorism drama “Furia,” Icelandic thriller “Blackport” and 1920s-set German drama “Eldorado KaDeWe” have all participated in previous Co-Pro Series pitches.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAudrey Diwan, the BAFTA-nominated filmmaker of the Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening,” is set to make her television debut with Haut et Court TV in France, Variety has learned.Haut et Court TV is one of France’s leading production companies with credits ranging from the supernatural drama series “The Returned,” to “Panthers” with Tahar Rahim and more recently “Possession.”Diwan is currently writing the series, which will be an original story about a mother and daughter running a plastic surgery clinic. The plot is under wraps but the series will be similar to “Happening” in that it will deal with women’s relationships to their bodies.

Christopher Vourlias Peter Nadermann’s Nadcon Film and South African genre specialists Gambit Films (“Indemnity”) are teaming up to adapt a trilogy of best-selling crime thrillers, Variety can reveal.The “Revenge Trilogy” is based on the Cape Town-set novels from South African author Mike Nicol. The books will be adapted for screen by Gambit’s Daryne Joshua and will be produced by Gambit Films and Nadcon Film in cooperation with ZDF Enterprises, which co-owns Nadcon.The story begins with ex-gun-runners Mace Bishop and Pylon Buso, who made an illicit fortune while part of the struggle against Apartheid but are now at the helm of a private security company, trying to settle into a comfortable life in Cape Town.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“The Battle at Lake Changjin II” passed $500 million in total sales and remained unchallenged atop the mainland Chinese box office over the latest weekend.Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed no positional change among the top five films on a weekend that came a week after the Chinese New Year holiday wound down. Bona’s “Lake Changjin II” earned $43.5 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, ahead of comedy “Too Cool to Kill” with $37.3 million over the same three days. In third place over the weekend was drama “Nice View” with $21.6 million and animation “Boonie Bears: Back to Earth” with $14.0 million.

Christopher Vourlias Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, one of the leading producers of high-end drama in the former Yugoslavia, is launching two new series as part of its slate at this year’s European Film Market.“The V Effect” is an eight-episode drama series inspired by the real-life case of an actor who commits suicide on stage during a live theater production. After the renowned actor’s death, Inspector Sorga will try to find out whether it was an unfortunate accident, a suicide – or possibly murder.“Domestic (Violence)” is a six-part true-crime anthology series set in a small town in Serbia.

Even with Bennifer flaunting their love left and right these days, Alex Rodriguez isn’t afraid to get out there. In fact, he came uncomfortably close to a run-in with his ex Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl on Sunday, where both were in attendance. While J. Lo and current beau Ben Affleck were seen dancing sweetly in the stands to the iconic halftime show, Alex shared a smiling selfie from the big game.

There were so many celebs in attendance at the 2022 Super Bowl, including some top stars in the music world!

Note: We will update reactions frequently

reports.“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” the filmmaker's children shared in a joint statement to on Sunday. «We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world.

Andrew Garfield is enjoying another day on the tennis courts with his girlfriend!

Batgirl production crew have been slated after locals told of heavy-handed bouncers on the set on their doorstep.

Paul Murray saw it coming long before most.

Boris Johnson has been branded “a walking advert for independence” ahead of a visit Scotland on Monday.

The mother of a young woman who suffered horrific injuries while being restrained at school is demanding cameras in all classrooms where kids with additional needs are taught.

A record £11 million in bus lane fines was raked in across Scotland last year even though traffic levels were drastically down during the second year of lockdown.

Ian Evatt believes Bolton Wanderers have a chance of making the League One play-offs but only if they keep racking up the wins and feels this division is different to last season's charge up League Two as they must earn the right to be in mix at the top of the table.

Ivan Reitman, the influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies from "Animal House" to "Ghostbusters," has died. He was 75.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorThe comedy community and “Ghostbusters” fans everywhere are remembering Ivan Reitman, who died Saturday at 75. Actors and filmmakers, including several people who worked closely with Reitman, paid tribute to the Canadian director and producer who directed the megahit “Ghostbusters” and helped ignite the movie careers of comedians including Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.Reitman also directed “Meatballs” and “Stripes,” and produced films including “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Space Jam,” “Up in the Air” and last year’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, said in a statement, “Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world. Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio’s legacy, but more than that he was a friend.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video India has revealed Hindi, Tamil and Telugu-language versions of hit series “Modern Love.”Based on the weekly The New York Times column of the same name, the U.S. version of “Modern Love” was developed by John Carney (“Once,” “Sing Street”), who also directed several episodes over its two seasons in 2019 and 2021.

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald had his wife Erica by his side to celebrate winning the 2022 Super Bowl!

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are having the best time at the 2022 Super Bowl!

Manchester United were so worried about qualifying for the Champions League they sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to Ralf Rangnick.

Taylor Rapp is engaged!

Eminem had the support of his eldest daughter on his big night!

San Antonio's Claire Rousay and Austin's Mari Maurice (More Eaze) are at the forefront of a niche but passionate experimental scene. Their first joint venture, last summer's an afternoon whine, proved their collaborative potential for strangeness.

Will Smith, like many others right now, is riding on the high of an incredible Super Bowl, but took to social media to celebrate a major career milestone that came with it.MORE: Will Smith celebrates his mother's birthday - and his own wins as wellThe actor shared on Instagram a snippet from the newly released reboot and dramatization of his hit sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air.WATCH: Will Smith releases Fresh Prince Of Bel Air reboot trailer - but fans have same complaintRevealing that the show, Bel Air, was officially now out on Peacock, the actor penned a heartfelt tribute to the series and urged fans to watch it.He wrote: "So proud of this cast, this crew, and Morgan cooper— you are a genius!! #BelAir is finally out and streaming now on @PeacockTV!"MORE: Will Smith releases Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot trailer - but fans have same complaintFans immediately took to the comments to react with excitement upon the release of this completely different take on the light-hearted 90s classic, with one commenting: "I am watching it right now."Another wrote: "It was sooooo goooood," with a third adding: "We're ready for this," and one even enthusiastically saying: "Gonna watch it noowww!!!"A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)Will shared a snippet from Bel Air to celebrate its releaseThe star also appeared in a commercial promoting the new series that aired during the Super Bowl, and is one of the show's executive producers.The King Richard actor also shared a clip of himself with family attending the premiere of the show, and by the looks of it, they were all quite happy.MORE: Will Smith shares poignant tribute to Sidney Poitier who dies age 94MORE: Will Smith's daughter Willow shares distressing details of mom Jada

It looks like Snoop Dogg‘s lucky charm works on the Los Angeles Rams as well! Ahead of his Super Bowl half-time show performance on Sunday night, Snoop shared a photo of him and his wife Shante Broadus rocking matching yellow-and-blue sweatsuits in support of their home team. That night, the Rams would go on to triumph over the Bengals in a close game ending in a score of 23-20. Though it’s impossible to know if Snoop and Shante’s style helped bring home the win, their adorable twinning certainly couldn’t have hurt.

Lizzo wants you to love all of her.

Whitney Friedlander One of the best examples of how Hollywood is moving toward being a place for more inclusive storytelling might be this year’s limited series Emmy race. All five of the nominees in that category tell stories about female characters; most specifically concentrating on depictions of women who have traditionally been marginalized both on and off screen.“Unbelievable” showrunner Susannah Grant sums it up by saying that “it’s great to see stories of people who have historically been voiceless getting such a big platform.”Grant’s Netflix series — which is inspired by reporters Ken Armstrong and T.