Variety to Honor Pathé With Achievement in Int’l Film Award at Cannes Film Festival

Sarandon and Mullally will play two lifelong friends who are invited by an old college mate, played by Midler, to be bridesmaids at her wedding in Key West. Filming is currently scheduled to begin in Key West in September with Richard Barton Lewis producing through Southpaw Entertainment with Gabrielle Jerou-Tabak as executive producer.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDisney, Amazon, Netflix and Showtime all have TV series of different types either recently shot or set to shoot in Sicily.As one of its first Italian originals, Disney+ has commissioned a still-untitled TV series about Sicily’s Florio family, who, during the 19th century, built an economic empire on the island and became known as the merchant princes of Europe.Casting is now underway for this high-end period epic, to be directed by Italy’s Paolo Genovese (“Perfect Strangers”) and produced by Rome-based Lotus Prods., a unit of Leone Film Group. The Sicilian skein, which is expected to start shooting in July, is based on local bestseller “The Lions of Sicily,” by Stefania Auci, that has been translated in several languages.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise), Oscar nominee Bette Midler (The First Wives Club) and Emmy winner Megan Mullally (Will And Grace) are attached to star in The Fabulous Four from director Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker).

EXCLUSIVE: Stephen Root (Barry) and Tim Blake Nelson (Old Henry) have signed on to star alongside Oscar and Emmy winner Kathy Bates, two-time Oscar nominee and Emmy winner John Malkovich and Lewis Pullman in Thelma, an upcoming indie to be directed by two-time Emmy nominee Ken Kwapis (#BlackAF, The Office). The Exchange will be introducing the title to international buyers at the 2022 Cannes Film Market, with ICM Partners and UTA Independent Film Group handling domestic.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) has cast Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) to lead her second feature film.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentPresiding over the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, director Thierry Frémaux has assembled some serious Hollywood star power, world cinema auteurs amid indications that despite COVID, the film world is buzzing with anticipation for the films, the deals and most of all the glamour the fest brings.While Frémaux has been credited with expanding the horizons of the Cannes Film Festival since taking over the reins of its Official Selection in 2001, he’s also been praised for building relationships with American studios and filmmakers.This year, he’s lured them back in spite of the ongoing pandemic, with a lineup including James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future,” Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Showing Up,” George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” “My first red carpet was for ‘Moulin Rouge!’ with Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman in 2001 and it will be engraved in my memory forever,” says Fremaux. “I’m happy to reunite with Baz this year.

Masset-Depasse won a record-breaking nine Magritte Awards from the Belgian Academy, including Best Film and Best Director.“Mothers’ Instinct” is also produced by Paul Nelson (“Under My Skin,” “Pod Generation”) at Mosaic and Jacques-Henri Bronckart (“Duelles,” “The Nun”). Producer and financier Anton (“Greenland,” “The Night House”) is fully financing the project with Anton’s Founder and CEO Sébastien Raybaud overseeing the project with Anton’s John Zois, President of Production, who negotiated the deal with CAA.

The ATX TV Festival will close June 4 with a panel featuring the executive producers and stars of HBO’s Westworld.

Cannes Film Festival almost 35 years ago, I was still green and naïve enough to ask long-time Cannes attendees why the famed French fest held such a powerful place in the pecking order of international film gatherings. The late Richard Corliss, Time magazine’s peerless and beloved film critic, answered warmly and succinctly, with his own more worldly query: “Would you rather be in Germany in the winter or the South of France in the spring?”Corliss had a point, but in the decades since I’ve tucked my own couple of dozen Cannes fests under my belt, I’ve compiled my own list of reasons why Cannes remains the one film festival that people who’ve never been to a film festival have heard about and wish they could go to, and know that if a film has scored there, it must be worth their time.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaNeon, the Oscar-winning studio behind “Parasite,” has acquired U.S. rights to “Mothers’ Instinct,” a psychological thriller starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway. It’s a pretty acclaimed group.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe Cannes Film Festival is back at full strength for the first time since 2019, and just in time to mark the iconic event’s 75th anniversary. While the 2021 edition of Cannes was a muted affair with the market going virtual — and the sale of Gerard Butler’s “Greenland” sequel to STX emerging as the hottest deal — this year’s market is back in person with a dynamic, broad array of packages on offer, including a healthy serving of action titles, sci-fi thrillers and historical dramas.

Naman Ramachandran Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia are teaming again for a modern, London-set British Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”The pair won the 2022 best live action short film Oscar for “The Long Goodbye,” which they co-wrote, Ahmed starred in and Karia directed. WME Independent will launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market, while co-representing North American rights with CAA.

James Bond movie, revealing the story he originally had planned for the 25th instalment of the franchise.The director was set to helm Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 before departing the project due to creative differences with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.Speaking to Esquire UK, the Oscar winner revealed that his proposed story was set in Russia and explored Bond’s origins.“I remember thinking, ‘Should I really get involved in franchises?’ Because they don’t really want something different,” said Boyle.

Naman Ramachandran Nayla Al Khaja, the first female filmmaker in the United Arab Emirates, is teaming with Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) on her upcoming feature film “Baab.”Written by Al Khaja and Masoud Amralla Al Ali, the film follows Wahida, who is unable to make sense of her twin sister’s mysterious death and is plagued by a haunting rhythm in her ears.

EXCLUSIVE: Deborah Davis, the British screenwriter and producer who co-wrote and exec produced Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite, has signed with A3 Artists Agency for representation.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSian Heder’s heartwarming family film “CODA” not only scored a historic Oscar for Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, it’s also the first English-language remake of a French film to win the best picture Academy Award.Acquired by Apple Studios at the 2021 Sundance in a record-breaking $25 million deal, “CODA” is based on the 2014 French box office hit “La Famille Bélier,” about a teenage girl with a singing talent who is the only hearing member of a Deaf family. Like most remakes, the underdog movie could have died off after sitting on a shelf for too long had it not been for the all-star team of French producers with U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLess than a year after launching, Pathé’s division dedicated to series is already firing up a flurry of premium projects that are equally as ambitious as its film output.The first slate of Pathé’s TV arm boasts 12 series in different stages of development. These include two shows based on Alexandre Dumas’ literary classic “The Three Musketeers,” as well as adaptations of “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Joel Dicker’s bestseller “The Last Days of Our Fathers.”The division is spearheaded by Aude Albano, a well-connected industry player who previously worked alongside Claude Chelli at Capa Drama, where she produced “Versailles,” “Osmosis” and “Marie Antoinette.” “Our slate spans large-scale series that reflect Pathé’s DNA and the endeavor to expand our brand in the series world,” says Albano.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentPathé may be one of France’s oldest film groups, but it is young at heart. The only French film company that is still fully involved in exhibition, production, distribution and sales, Pathé has been confronting the challenges wrought by the pandemic and the arrival of streamers with bold steps and ambitious new projects.

Newly minted Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) joins the cast of HBO’s Westworld as a recurring guest star for the upcoming eight-episode fourth season, which premieres June 26 and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

The Sam Raimi directed Marvel movie had a robust Monday earning $13.3M which sends Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to $200.7M.

Here’s a thought for a sunny morning: Wouldn’t it be nice to see a “Daylight Slate” in charge of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?

Naman Ramachandran Daniel Battsek, director, Film4, has been elevated to chair, while deputy director and creative director Ollie Madden will succeed Battsek as director.Film4 is the filmmaking arm of U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, which invests £25 million ($31 million) annually to develop and co-fund British films with British talent.

Zack Sharf Minnie Driver was only 26 years old when she auditioned for the role of Skylar in Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting.” It’s a performance that would earn Driver an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, but it’s one she recently told The Telegraph almost never happened because producer Harvey Weinstein believed “nobody would want to fuck her.” Driver said Weinstein sent this sexist note along to the film’s casting director.“I remember feeling so devastated until I realized, ‘Hold on, just consider the source for a minute. That is an unutterable pig – why on earth are you worried about this fuck saying that you are not sexy?’” Driver said.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) is set to star in thriller Mother Land for Arrival and Stranger Things outfit 21 Laps. Lionsgate will launch sales on the hot package at next week’s Cannes market.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterIndie film sales, financing, and distribution shop WME Independent has bolstered its ranks with several new hires, Variety has learned exclusively.Division co-heads Deborah McIntosh and Alex Walton announced on Monday the arrival of Julia Harris as senior vice president of business affairs, Melissa Martinez as vice president of marketing, and Victoria Romley as an agent focused on international distribution. All appointments are effective immediately.“Julia, Melissa and Victoria each bring unique perspective to the team, and we’re excited to continue the growth of this team with these hires” said McIntosh and Walton.

From the cutting room floor! Amy Schumer is continuing to share jokes she hoped to tell while cohosting the 2022 Oscars — before they were axed from the script.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, and those women who are so important in our lives, let’s take a trip through some of cinema’s greatest (and in some cases infamous) mums. Without a doubt, Joan Crawford’s finest hour came in this sensational adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel.

Will Smith’s film Emancipation, which was expected to be Apple’s next big awards project following the Oscar success of CODA, has now been delayed until 2023. Directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua, the movie was going to be released in time for the autumn film festival circuit later this year, and would have marked the actor’s first release since he slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars. Smith was banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years following the incident.

Clayton Davis Don’t expect an “Emancipation” for Oscar winner Will Smith in 2022. Originally expected to drop on the fall festival circuit later this year, the actor’s next film from Apple, and co-produced by his production company Westbrook Studios, is planning to delay the film’s release to sometime in 2023.Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”), the movie would have been the first release for Smith following his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA new documentary about “The Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion has been picked up for sales by WestEnd Films and Cinephil.Directed by César Award-winning “Since Otar Left…” helmer Julie Bertuccelli, “Jane Campion, The Cinema Woman” is screening as part of the Cannes Classics line-up.The New Zealand director was the first woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes, for “The Piano,” and this year won the best director Oscar for her Netflix western “The Power of the Dog.”  Bertuccelli’s documentary on the 68-year-old filmmaker, which spans 40 years, is described as “the portrait [Campion] deserves, in a film that is unapologetically subjective and offbeat, very much mirroring [Campion’s] own trailblazing journey in cinema and life.” The film is produced by Academy Award nominee Estelle Fialon (“The Gatekeepers,” “Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By”), and crew members include editors Laure Gardette (“Capernaum,” “Polisse”) and Svetlana Vaynblat (“Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By”), as well as César Award-winning sound editor and mixer Olivier Goinard (“Adolescentes,” “Le Chant du Loup”).“Jane Campion, The Cinema Woman” is produced by Les Films du Poisson, which had three films in Cannes in 2021. The outfit recently produced the French remake of Hagai Levi’s “In Treatment,” with showrunners Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, which became French broadcaster ARTE’s most watched broadcast with more than 60 million viewers.Bertuccelli said of her documentary: “Jane is the director for whom I have the most admiration and with whom I feel a genuine connection.

Will Smith is set to join David Letterman for a chat in the latest series of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction”.

Clayton Davis The horror genre is one of the most undervalued art forms in the space of critical accolades. However, scramble in the superhero factor, like Marvel’s newest entry, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from Sam Raimi, and you have a product that will indeed generate discussion and divisive reactions.To get it out of the away nice and early, the anticipated sequel is not a contender to go into the history books like the two previous superhero features that managed to make the cut, “Black Panther” (2018) and “Joker” (2019).

Warning: the following piece contains spoilers about the season one finale of Disney+/Marvel’s Moon Knight

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterSPOILER WARNING: This story discusses major plot points in Season 1, Episode 6 of “Moon Knight,” currently streaming on Disney+.Throughout Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight,” it’s been clear that the titular superhero at its center, played by Oscar Isaac, was contending with a profound issue with his mental health.

K.J. Yossman VFX giant Framestore, whose recent projects include “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness,” “Moon Knight” and Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic “Elvis,” is expanding its Canadian footprint.