Table of Contents
FIVE FIND A FRESH STAND
The BBC, Moonage photos And Nicolas Winding Refn have started production on a second season of ‘The Famous Five’. The 2 x 90′ episode, made for television and executive produced by Refn and Matthew Read of Moonage, follows the success of the first series, whose 2023 premiere became CBBC’s highest-rated episode. The series, based on Enid Blyton‘s books continues to follow the adventures of the young protagonists, now against the backdrop of wartime.
The new season consists of two episodes: “Mystery at the Prospect Hotel,” directed by Asim Abbasi, and “Big Trouble on Billycock Hill,” directed by Tom Vaughn. Both directors also serve as executive producers alongside Refn and Read.
Core cast members Diaana Babnicova, Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen and Flora Jacoby Richardson reprise their roles, joined by Maria Pedraza, Amir Wilson and Jemima Rooper, who played George in the 1990s adaptation.
BBC Studios will handle international distribution, except in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, where The Mediapro Studio, a co-producer, owns the rights.
BERLIN OUTBREAK
Chhatrapal Ninawe‘Ghaath’, the Berlinale 2023 premiere, will be released theatrically in India on September 27. The Marathi-language thriller, set in Maoist-occupied jungles, will roll out in the state of Maharashtra before expanding to other Indian metropolises and North America.
Produced by Shiladitya Bora‘S Platoon One And Manish Mundra‘S Drishyam Moviesthe film stars Jitendra Joshi and Milind Shinde. “Ghaath” won the Lab Award at Film Bazaar’s Work-In-Progress Lab and was also screened at the Mumbai and Kerala Film Festivals.
Directed by ‘The Hunt for Veerappan’ cinematographer Udit Khurana, the feature explores themes of trust and betrayal in a conflict-ridden environment. The producers have submitted the film for consideration as India’s official Oscar entry.
MACCANICO IS BACK
Nicola Maccanico has stepped back from taking on the newly created role of CEO of Fremantle Italy.
The announcement last week of Maccanico’s appointment to the post that would oversee Fremantle’s wide-ranging Italian operations had sparked polemics in Italy from some critics who claimed there was an inherent conflict of interest due to the fact that Maccanico’s previous position was CEO of the Italian company. Cinecitta Studios which has a long-term agreement with Fremantle.
Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. And Heaven Italy senior executive had spearheaded Cinecittà’s radical overhaul for three years, but stepped down last June after Italy’s right-wing government decided to change the studios’ management team.
In a letter to Italian newspaper Dagospia, Maccanico noted that the understanding between Cinecittà and Fremantle did not in any way make his new role in Fremantle incompatible with his previous job, as “Cinecittà did not exercise any power over Fremantle itself.”
That said, in view of the hostile climate surrounding both my resignation from Cinecittà and now my new appointment, with the aim of eliminating any possible misunderstanding and unwarranted inferences, I have decided not to terminate my collaboration with the Fremantle group start. Maccanico added.