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Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s strand in which, each fortnight, 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.

A very European outing this week, as we spotlight a French-Hungarian series telling the story of the unprecedented 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and… a supercomputer, which has plenty resonance nearly 30 years on. Arte’s Rematch won big at Series Mania earlier this year and streamers have taken rights in a wealth of different territories. Could a U.S. sale be on the cards?

Name: Rematch

Country: France-Hungary

Network: Arte

Producer: Arte, Unité

For fans of: The Queen’s Gambit

Distributor: Federation Studios...

Exclusive: There was a top-secret code name on the sides Ruth Bradley was sent to prepare for an audition. “I didn’t know who the characters were, I didn’t know what the show was, but I was like, this dialogue is some of the best dialogue I’ve ever read.”

Bradley immediately emailed her agent: “Who wrote this stuff? It’s amazing.”

Smiling, Bradley recounts: ”They said, ‘Well, actually, it’s Slow Horses.”

That was Bradley’s prelude into the world of Slow Horses and Jackson Lamb, the Falstaffian slob who came in from the cold to oversee intelligence service agents exiled to serve out of harm’s way — they think — in a dilapidated dwelling known as Slough House.

Bradley, at that point, had vaguely heard of Mick Herron’s series of award-winning thrillers upon which the show is based, but she hadn’t then seen any of the...

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Agatha All Along is a dark fantasy comedy-drama series created by Jeff Schaffer. Based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name, the Disney+ series serves as a spin-off to the WandaVision series it is set three years after the events of WandaVision and it follows the story of Agatha as she comes out of her mystical coma that Wanda put her in and now she is being hunted by a group of witches as she goes on an adventure to find the legendary Witches’ Road with the help of a goth teen and some other witches. Agatha All Along stars Kathryn Hahn in the lead role with Joe Locke, Debra Jo Rupp, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the fantastical elements, witchy vibes, and compelling characters in...

Exclusive: Maria Dizzia (My Old Ass), John Bedford Lloyd (Ozark) and Gabe Fazio (Maestro) have been set for supporting roles in Plainclothes, a new indie drama from writer-director Carmen Emmi.

Currently shooting in New York, the film stars Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, with Amy Forsyth and Christian Cooke in additional supporting roles. Set in the ’90s and inspired by true events, it watches as a working-class undercover officer is tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets.

Producers include Arthur Landon, Colby Cote, and Eric Podwall on behalf of Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment. Alex Wenger and April Kelley are co-producing.

Just recently wrapping a series regular role in the first season of Apple TV+’s Billy Crystal series Winston, Dizzia also appears in the comedy My Old Ass, which was snapped up by Amazon MGM after world premiering to rave reviews at Sundance,...

Man vs. machine chess thriller Rematch was awarded the International Competition grand prize at the 2024 Series Mania festival on Friday night (March 22) in Lille, France.

Inspired by the true story of the historic confrontation between chess master Garry Kasparov and Ibm’s supercomputer Deep Blue, the AI-themed story created by Yan England, André Gulluni and Bruno Nahon is produced by Unité, Arte France, Federation Studios and Proton and stars Christian Cooke. Federation Studios handles international sales.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The international competition jury, presided by The Oa creator Zal Batmanglij, also gave awards to the stars...

Amy Forsyth and Christian Cooke have joined the cast of “Plainclothes,” a new independent film from writer-director Carmen Emmi. They will star alongside Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, who Variety previously reported would lead the project.

Set in the ’90s and inspired by true events, the film follows a working-class undercover officer tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets. The film is produced by Arthur Landon, Colby Cote, and Eric Podwall on behalf of Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment. Alex Wenger and April Kelley will co-produce.

Forsyth will play Emily, ex-girlfriend and trusted confidant to Lucas (Blyth). She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the 2021 film “The Novice.” She was also seen in the Oscar-winning film “Coda” that same year. She currently stars in the recurring role of Carrie Astor on...

A rare flagship indie producer left on the French market, Bruno Nahon’s Paris-based company Unité is preparing to conquer international audiences with “Rematch,” a period psychological thriller chronicling the historical battle between world chess champion Garry Kasparov, and Ibm’s supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997.

The sprawling show, directed by Yan England (“The Red Band Society”) and co-created with Nahon and André Gulluni (“Sam”), was commissioned by Arte in France and has already been sold by Federation Studios to major outlets around the world, including HBO Europe for Spain, Portugal, the Nordics, Iceland, Baltics, Central Europe, Greece and the Netherlands. Disney+ has bought first-window rights for the U.K. and will air the show in France after the Arte broadcast.

Nahon, who created Unité a decade ago, has been making bold shows and movies exploring social, religious and political aspects of societies, and has often captured the zeitgeist in the process.

Italy-based sales firm Tvco has picked up worldwide sales rights to Embers, the feature directorial debut of UK actor Christian Cooke, and is representing the title at this week’s European Film Market (EFM).

Embers stars Cooke opposite Ruth Bradley in the story of a sexual surrogate (Bradley) who is employed to help a high-security psychiatric patient (Cooke) overcome his intimacy issues to make parole.

The film debuted at Raindance Film Festival in October; it is produced by April Kelley and Sara Huxley of Mini Productions, with Arthur Landon of Lorton Entertainment and Cooke.

Cooke broke out as an actor...

Christian Cooke’s directorial debut ‘Embers’ is among the world premieres.

The UK premieres of Jack Huston’s Day Of The Fight and Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor will respectively open and close the 31st Raindance Film Festival, which will take place in London from October 25 – November 4.

Day Of The Flight launched in Horizons at Venice earlier this month, It is the directorial debut of UK actor Huston and stars Michael Pitt, Ron Perlman and Joe Pesci in a story about a once-renowned boxer on his first day out of prison.

Coixet’s latest feature Un Amor stars Lai Costa...

The 31st edition of London’s Raindance Film Festival will open with the U.K. premiere of British actor Jack Huston’s directorial debut “Day of the Fight.”

The film comes to Raindance fresh off its Venice debut, where Huston was honored by Variety as a breakthrough director.

The story of a once-renowned boxer who takes a redemptive journey through his past and present on the day of his first fight since he left prison stars Michael Pitt alongside a cast including Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, and a cameo from Steve Buscemi.

The U.K. premiere of Isabel Coixet’s “Un Amor” will close the festival after it bows at San Sebastian. Based on Sara Mesa’s bestselling novel, Laia Costa plays a young woman who escapes her stressful life in the city and relocates to rural Spain. When she accepts a disturbing sexual proposal, it gives rise to an all-consuming and obsessive passion.

The showcase takes place on October 8.

Adura Onashile’s iFeatures-backed Girl and Screen Star of Tomorrow 2022 Luna Carmoon’s debut feature, Hoard, will be spotlighted in the third edition of the BFI London Film Festival (Lff) Works-in-Progress showcase.

The showcase presents nine new feature films and documentaries from UK-based filmmakers. The in-person event, taking place on October 8 as part of the festival’s UK Talent Days focus, will screen extracts from each project, with an introduction from the film’s producer, to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers, with clips available online from October 8-9 to...

The BFI London Film Festival will present nine new feature films and documentaries by UK-based filmmakers at its third annual Works-in-Progress showcase. Scroll down for the lineup.

This year, the showcase, which forms part of the festival’s industry program, will be an in-person event screening extracts from each project introduced by their producer to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers.

The nine projects are either in production, post-production, or near completion. Clips from each project will also be available online from 8-9 October via a secure platform to a wider pool of invited international industry professionals. The in-person showcase will take place on Saturday 8 October as part of the Festival’s UK Talent Days.

Two projects from last year’s in-progress lineup are set to screen during this year’s Lff. Pretty Red Dress, written and directed by Dionne Edwards, and Medusa Deluxe, written and directed by Thomas Hardiman.

The BFI London Film Festival’s annual Works-in-Progress showcase, now in its third edition, will present nine new feature films and documentaries by U.K.-based filmmakers.

The showcase, which is part of the festival’s U.K. Talent Days focus, will be an in-person event on Oct. 8 screening extracts from each project introduced by their producer to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers. The projects are either in production or post-production. Clips will also be available online via a secure platform to a wider pool of invited international industry professionals.

The annual Buyers & Sellers event returns as an in-person fixture at which international sales agents can meet with U.K. buyers, and Network@Lff will host masterclasses and events for 12 U.K.-based writers, directors and producers to interact with international filmmakers and industry executives at the festival.

Festival director, Tricia Tuttle, said: “Connecting independent filmmakers...

That Dirty Black Bag premiered on AMC+ on March 10, 2022, and ran until with a season of eight episodes. July 26, 2022, marks the release of Season 1 on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Mauro Aragoni, Silvia Ebruel, and Marcello Izzo have created a faithful homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone.

Though it will no doubt draw comparisons to Deadwood (that other popular Western television series), tonally, they feel very different.

That Dirty Black Bag borrows as much from the gore/horror genre as any type of Western -- spaghetti, revisionist, or otherwise.

An underlying plot centers around a mysterious cult that requires human sacrifice, with one such devotee having a literal mountain of skulls in his backyard.

Brian O'Malley and Mauro Aragoni take turns directing each of the season's eight episodes with craftsmanlike attention to detail, but the most magnificent work comes courtesy of cinematographer P.J. Dillon.

The vistas of Spain, the Sahara Desert,...

Lorton Entertainment, whose credits include documentaries, Asif Kapadia’s Cannes title “Diego Maradona” and Matt Smith’s Amazon Prime Video film “Rooney,” has launched a content fund.

The Lorton Media Fund, which will invest in drama and documentary across film and television, is a Jersey-based vehicle, which is administered by Oakbridge Fund Services (Jersey) Limited. It will be one of the largest private investment funds focused on U.K. content.

The company said that it has been able to “raise significant capital after a run of 17 hit films in the last six years alone.” Lordon’s credits also include a Boris Becker documentary that’s headed to the Cannes market, “Oasis: Supersonic” and “Bros: After the Screaming Stops.”

Lorton Entertainment was founded by CEO Julian Bird and a consortium of private financiers in 2016 with the abiding principle of bringing the strict discipline of the financial world into the film and television content sector.

"That Dirty Black Bag" is the new 'spaghetti western' TV series, starring Dominic Cooper, now streaming on AMC+:

"...the 8-day clash between 'Arthur McCoy', an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past and 'Red Bill', an infamous, solitary bounty hunter comes to a head in a brutal, wild west world full of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, where nobody is invincible and  predators become prey..." 

Cast also includes Douglas Booth, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino, Christian Cooke, Rose Williams, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Boyle, Ivan Shaw, Eugene Brave Rock, Daniel Caltagirone and Benjamin Stender. 

Click the images to enlarge...

"That Dirty Black Bag" is a new 'spaghetti western' TV series, starring Dominic Cooper, now streaming on AMC+:

"...the 8-day clash between 'Arthur McCoy', an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past and 'Red Bill', an infamous, solitary bounty hunter comes to a head in a brutal, wild west world full of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, where nobody is invincible and  predators become prey..." 

Cast also includes Douglas Booth, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino, Christian Cooke, Rose Williams, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Boyle, Ivan Shaw, Eugene Brave Rock, Daniel Caltagirone and Benjamin Stender. 

Click the images to enlarge...

Photo: ‘That Dirty Black Bag’ Howard Stark, but Make it Cowboy Dominic Cooper, who you may recognize for his role in the MCU as Tony Stark’s father Howard Stark, plays another ego, Sheriff McCoy, in ‘That Dirty Black Bag,’ a western drama that premiered on AMC+ this Thursday. Douglas Booth stars across from him as the loner bounty hunter Red Bill. Red Bill, who carries a bag of bounties (literal heads) at all times, and McCoy, a sheriff who feels too good for the ghost town of Greenvale, resent each other from the moment they meet. Meanwhile, town soft boy Steve (Christian Cooke) won’t stop preparing his land for rain that never comes, despite tycoon Thompson’s (Paterson Joseph) offers to buy the dead acres off of him. Related article: Oscar-nominated - Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary, Reactions, Making Of - Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac Related...

French sales company will show first trailer for drama about rise and fall of infamous Antwerp mega-club.

Paris-based Indie Sales will launch sales on Belgian director Robin Pront’s thriller Zillion, inspired by the rise and fall of the legendary Antwerp club of the same name, at next week’s online European Film Market.

Running from 1997 to 2002, the venue was the brainchild of the controversial tech entrepreneur and dance music lover Frank Verstraeten. It was one of the first mega-clubs that sprang up in Benelux in the late 1990s and drew clubbers from across the region and beyond until it closed under a cloud.

The wellbeing facilitator will be an independent point of contact for any issues.

The BFI is to provide additional funding for ‘wellbeing facilitators’ on projects it backs, in a bid to improve the working culture of the UK film industry.

The wellbeing facilitator role is designed to champion a positive working culture, as well as being an independent point of contact for any issues – including stress, bullying and harassment, discrimination, and adult safeguarding – throughout the life of a production.

The move comes in the wake of incidents such as Harvey Weinstein’s conviction in the US for rape and assault...

’Cemetery Junction’ actor Cooke also makes his feature directing debut on the project.

Production is underway in the UK on Embers, the directorial feature debut of actor Christian Cooke.

The film is adapted by Dave Florez and Cooke from the former’s 2016 play Experience. It follows a sexual surrogate who is employed to help a psychiatric patient overcome his intimacy issues after 18 years of high-security incarceration.

Cooke will star as the patient, with Ted Lasso actress Ruth Bradley playing the surrogate. Further cast includes David Wilmot, Samuel Anderson, Sam Philips, Judith Roddy and Clare Perkins.

The film is produced by...

Preacher star Dominic Cooper and Douglas Booth, who starred in Netflix’s Motley Crue biopic The Dirt, are starring in spaghetti western drama series That Dirty Black Bag.

The series, which comes from Bron Studios and Italian producer Palomar, is currently in production in Italy, Spain and Morocco.

It is centered around the 8-day clash between Arthur McCoy, played by Cooper, an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past, and Red Bill, played by Booth, an infamous, solitary bounty hunter known for decapitating his victims and stuffing their heads into a dirty black bag, because, as he puts it, “Heads weigh less than bodies.” The drama echoes and pays homage to the classic spaghetti western, capturing the genre’s legendary irony while revolutionizing it in a modern way and appealing to younger audiences. The series tells of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, lonely souls driven by such great passions as faith,...

When an actor is accused of wrongdoing and the film or TV project is already under way — or even wrapped — sometimes directors and producers go back and reshoot their scenes with a recast replacement.

“All the Money in the World”

After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct, director Ridley Scott went back into production on “All the Money in the World” and reshot all of the actor’s scenes, this time with Christopher Plummer playing billionaire J. Paul Getty. (Plummer received an Oscar nomination for the role.)

“Ordeal by Innocence”

BBC had already shot a new adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic with “Gossip Girl” alum Ed Westwick as the rough-around-the-edges son of a wealthy family. But after Westwick faced accusations of sexual misconduct, the network went back and re-shot the limited series with “Magic City” alum Christian Cooke recast in the role.

“Wonder Park”

Ken Hudson Campbell (“Armageddon...

Recently, National Geographic finished airing the first season of the channel's historical but fictional drama series, Barkskins. The TV show hasn't been cancelled or renewed for a second season yet but the show's creator, executive producer Elwood Reid, is hoping for a few more seasons to fully tell the series' story.

Having aired on Monday nights, the Barkskins TV series is based on a portion of the novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. The show stars David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon. "Barkskins" is a term for indentured servants who are working toward their freedom. The series examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France. This event...

Network: National Geographic

Episodes: Eight (hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: May 25, 2020 -- June 15, 2020

Series status: Ended

Performers include: David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon.

TV show description:      

A historical fiction drama series, Barkskins is based on the novel of the same name by Annie Proulx.

The TV show examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France. This event threatens to throw the region into an all-out war. Likely suspects abound - the English, the Hudson's Bay Company, and a band of Kanien'kehá:ka (Iroquois) possibly in league with the English looking to drive the...

It seems like there's no need to wonder if Barkskins will be cancelled or renewed for season two. This series appears to be a true mini-series that will have a set conclusion. Still, if the ratings are good enough, could a way be found to continue the story in some way? Stay tuned.

A historical fiction drama series, Barkskins is based on the novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. The show stars David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon. The series examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France. This event threatens to throw the region into all-out war. Likely suspects abound - the English, the Hudson's Bay Company, and a band of Kanien'kehá:ka (Iroquois) possibly in...

Vulture Watch

What really happened to the settlers? Has the Barkskins TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on National Geographic? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Barkskins, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

Airing on the National Geographic cable channel, Barkskins is based on the novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. The show stars David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon. The series examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France. This event...

When costumer Anna Terrazas was tasked with creating the look for National Geographic’s new series “Barkskins,” she set out to put her own stamp on the period drama.

The eight-episode series, based on the novel by Annie Proulx and shot in the woods of Quebec, examines 1690s New France and the mysterious massacre of settlers that occurred there. The series begins with the arrival of fictional characters René Sel (played by Christian Cooke) and Charles Duquet (James Bloor), both of whom are signed in servitude to Claude Trepagny (David Thewlis), a wealthy landowner who has only the grandest of visions for New France.

Rich landowners and First Nation settlers have been represented countless times on-screen, but Terrazas didn’t aim to copy those. She began by reading books and doing research online. “I wanted to be as period-accurate as possible,” she says, not only for authenticity but out of...

Will the mystery be solved in the first season of the Barkskins TV show on National Geographic? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Barkskins is cancelled or renewed for season two. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustration when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we invite you to rate all of the first season episodes of Barkskins here.

A National Geographic historical fiction drama, Barkskins is based on the novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. The show stars David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon. The...

Like the settlers of New France, Elwood Reid has broken new ground.

Reid (The Bridge) is the creator, show-runner, and executive producer of Barkskins. The eight-hour limited series debuts starting at 9/8c Monday, May 25, on National Geographic Channel, with back-to-back episodes running for four consecutive Mondays.

Barkskins, based on the 2016 novel by Annie Proulx, marks NatGeo's entry into fiction-based scripted programming.

The 700-plus page epic tells about a mysterious massacre of settlers in the wilds of 1690s New France that threatens to throw the region into an all-out war.

Set in Wopik, a small settlement in what is now the Canadian province of Quebec, Barkskins weaves the tale of a disparate group of outcasts, rogues, and innocents caught up in a dangerous place and time.

Grabbing the opportunity to work with Proulx and executive director Scott Rudin was a no-brainer for Reid.

“Annie Proulx as a novelist and a...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC.

1988: Santa Barbara's Eden Capwell was raped.

2009: Guiding Light's Alan Spaulding died.

2010: As the World Turns' Carly and Jack married one last time."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. Peyton Place ran for 514 total episodes with the series finale airing on June 2, 1969.

In the first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi...

Point Blank

Stars: Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Marcia Gay Harden, Stuart F. Wilson, Buster Reeves, Christian Cooke, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, Reggie Willis, Shanessa Sweeney, Nik Pajic, Markice Moore | Written by Adam G. Simon | Directed by Joe Lynch

Point Blank, directed by Joe Lynch, is a remake of Fred Cavayé’s À bout portant, which was originally released in 2010. The film stars two actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie as Abe and Paul, respectively. Paul has to break Abe out of custody in a hospital as his brother has taken Paul’s pregnant wife hostage. What commences is an unorthodox buddy-action comedy, in what is sadly yet another dull and tedious action-adventure.

It is hard to watch Point Blank and not debate why this was made, or even distributed by Netflix. Everything from its plot, actors and actress, or even filmmaking evokes a sense of direct-to-dvd nature.

Exclusive: Kaniehtiio Horn, Zahn McClarnon, Lily Sullivan and David Wilmot are set as series regulars opposite David Thewlis in Barkskins, National Geographic’s scripted drama series based on the 2016 bestselling novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx. The series hails from Elwood Reid and Fox 21 TV Studios.

Created by Reid, Barkskins follows a disparate group of outcasts who must navigate the brutal hardships, competing interests, and tangled loyalties at the crossroads of civilization—1600s New France—where the war to escape their past and re-make themselves is cast against the vast and unforgiving wilds of North America.

Horn will play Mari, a Wendat Nation woman married to Trepagny (Thewlis) and her alliance with him keeps both the French and Wendat communities safe from a mutual enemy.

McClarnon will portray Yvon,...

Netflix's latest action attempt teams up Falcon and Crossbones...we mean Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo for a decent time.

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Much of Netflix’s Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo-starring actioner, Point Blank, is reliably conventional.

The concept of a mismatched pair of killer and non-killer is so pervasive in cinema that another one of its kind is already in theaters right now (the Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista-starring Stuber). Mackie’s nurse Paul and Grillo’s hardened criminal Abe go from fear to hatred to begrudging respect to bro-dom just as one would expect. The action includes car chases, gun fights, creatively destructive use of surroundings, and is all scored by a jaunty soundtrack.

This is a film you can set your watch to. Everything is as expected…except for the one thing. This epic story of gangs, gunfights, crooked cops, and explosions is set in the Queen City.

Netflix has a pulse-pounding action flick coming your way starring McU alums Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie, so you better believe we're counting down the days until it drops in July.

In the first trailer for Point Blank, above, we meet Paul (Mackie) an ER nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped and held as collateral by a group of corrupt policemen. What are they after? A badly injured career criminal and murder suspect who's currently a patient at Paul's hospital. When Paul breaks him out, the pair end up in a fight not only for their lives but for the release of Paul's wife and their unborn child.

Marcia Gay Harden, Teyonah Parris, and Christian Cooke costar in the gritty thriller, which you'll be able to watch when it begins streaming on Netflix on July 12.

Netflix has released trailer for a gritty new action-packed thriller called Point Blank and it stars Marvel actors Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo. The movie is a remake of the 2010 French thriller of the same name.

Mackie plays a character named Paul, an ER nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped. In order to save her and his unborn child, he must team up with a badly injured career criminal and murder suspect (Grillo), who is under his charge and help him escape. Along the way they are “pitted against rival gangs and a deadly ring of corrupt cops, the unlikely duo find a way to survive together in the fight of their lives.”

The film comes from director Joe Lynch (Knights of Badassdom) and it looks like it’ll be a great and entertaining flick! The movie also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Christian Cooke, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, and Ming Wang.

"Cops want you dead, homie." Netflix has debuted an official trailer for a gritty, action-packed thriller titled Point Blank, an English-language remake of the 2010 French thriller of the same name (À bout portant). Anthony Mackie stars as Paul, an ER nurse who saves the life of a criminal and then must help plan the patient escape safely in order to save his kidnapped wife. The full cast includes Frank Grillo, Marcia Gay Harden, Christian Cooke, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, and Ming Wang. I am a big fan of Joe Lynch's films and this looks gnarly. Even though it's another one of these English remakes it seems to have its own gritty edge. That car wash fight (at the end of the trailer) looks like good fun. Check it all out below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Joe Lynch's Point Blank, direct from Netflix's YouTube: When his...

All 22,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 25 to cast their 2019 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for programs (save for animated documentary/nonfiction which are restricted to their peer groups.) Unlike the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally. In the past, voters were limited in the number of programs that they could put forth. Two years ago that cap (which was usually 10 per category) was lifted.

While there has been an explosion in the number of comedy and drama series in the last several years, the limited series genre had been almost static. There were 25 entries in 2015, 26 in 2016 and 25 again in 2017. But there has been an uptick, with 33 such shows submitted in 2018 and 35 this year. Even so, with six nominees for Best Limited Series, the odds for each of the entries detailed below is pretty good.

Thomas M. Wright.

Thomas M. Wright cheerfully acknowledges he is far better known in the Us and the UK than in his native Australia.

That’s because the character actor, who made his feature writing and directing debut on Acute Misfortune, has worked predominantly in international TV series and movies in the past six years.

Wright flies to Quebec next month for his next acting gig, a recurring role in Barskins, a National Geographic drama series based on the Annie Proulx novel about a group of outcasts living in New France — the part of North America controlled by the French — in the 16th century.

That will be his third Us series following Wgn America’s Outsiders and FX network’s The Bridge, and his first acting gig since he played racist station owner Mick Kennedy in Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country.

Wright is not complaining about his relatively low profile...

Exclusive: The National Geographic scripted series Barkskins has added Aneurin Barnard, Thomas M. Wright and Tallulah Haddon as series regulars.

Based on the bestselling novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), Barkskins follows a disparate group of outcasts who must navigate the brutal hardships, competing interests, and tangled loyalties at the crossroads of civilization—1600s New France—where the war to escape their past and re-make themselves is cast against the vast and unforgiving wilds of North America.

Barnard will star as Hamish Goames, a polished, clean-cut Hudson Bay Company man in search of his lost comrade while Wright will play Elisha Cooke, a cutthroat English barrel maker, who has schemed his way into New France, set on growing the crown’s stake in the region.

Exclusive: Former The Art of More star Christian Cooke and James Bloor (Dunkirk) have been cast as co-leads opposite David Thewlis in Barkskins, National Geographic’s scripted drama series based on the 2016 bestselling novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx. The series hails from Elwood Reid, Fox 21 TV Studios and National Geographic.

Proulx’s Barkskins spans over 300 years. It chronicles the deforestation of the New World from the arrival of Europeans into the contemporary era of global warming through the stories of two immigrants to New France, René Sel (Cooke) and Charles Duquet (Bloor), who work as wood-cutters — barkskins — and of their descendants.

Cooke’s René Sel is a strong willed, morally sound indentured servant, signed to Monsieur Claude Trepagny (Thewlis), a wealthy landowner with grand visions for New France.

Bloor’s Duquet is a scrappy, industrious scoundrel, also signed to servitude under Trepagny.

Created by Reid, Barkskins the series...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC.

1988: Santa Barbara's Eden Capwell was raped.

2009: Guiding Light's Alan Spaulding died.

2010: As the World Turns' Carly and Jack married one last time."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. Peyton Place ran for 514 total episodes with the series finale airing on June 2, 1969.

In the first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) arrived from New York City to set up practice in town.

Network: Crackle

Episodes: 20 (hour)

Seasons: Two

TV show dates: November 19, 2015 — November 16, 2016

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Dennis Quaid, Kate Bosworth, Cary Elwes, Christian Cooke, Patrick Sabongui, Eugene Clark, Joe Cobden, Hamza Haq, and Cristina Rosato.

TV show description:

This drama peers behind the glamorous facade of New York's premium auction houses, exposing the seedy and greedy side of the business. The acquisition of coveted items involves not only wealthy collectors and dealers, but hustlers, smugglers, and even terrorists.

Using smuggling ring connections made during his Iraq tour of duty, street-smart former soldier Graham Connor (Christian Cooke) leaves behind his blue-collar Bensonhurst past, for his dream job at Parke-Mason. A rookie dealer, Connor's involvement in a big sale turns him into...

In the grand tradition of Agatha Christie stories, “Ordeal by Innocence” has, at its heart, an unsolved murder. In this case, the victim is Rachel Argyll (Anna Chancellor), wife and adoptive mother of four, found beaten to death in her own study. It’s a homicide that tears at the seams of an already threadbare family, only held together by a faint sense of familial obligation and a shared animosity toward the now-deceased matriarch.

But this version of “Ordeal of Innocence” goes beyond the standard murder mystery fare to become a ghost story as well, a monster movie told in three parts, with humans barely cloaking the darker parts of their nature. Though Rachel’s death is the opening scene of the series, released this week on Amazon after airing earlier this spring on the BBC, she’s an instrumental part of the story as it weaves through the Argyll children’s younger days.

Christian Cooke is set to join Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie in the Netflix remake of “Point Blank.”

The cast also includes Marcia Gay Harden Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, and Markice Moore.

Joe Lynch is directing the movie from a script by Adam G. Simon. Joe Carnahan and Grillo are producing via their War Party banner, while Johanna Byer is producing for Gaumont. The film is a reboot of Fred Cavaye’s 2010 French crime drama of the same title. Gaumont’s Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee and Gene Stein are exec producing.

The movie tells the story of the unlikely pairing of Paul (Mackie), an emergency room nurse, and Abe (Grillo), a wanted murder suspect, as they go toe to toe with rival gangsters and corrupt cops in a deadly race to save the lives of Paul’s kidnapped wife and unborn son. Cooke will play Grillo’s brother, who kidnaps...

Joseph Baxter Jun 20, 2019

Netflix actioner Point Blank, a remake of 2010 French film, teams Marvel movie stars Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo.

Point Blank, an upcoming Netflix movie, will showcase the onscreen, high-impact buddy-actioner team-up of Avenger Falcon and unscrupulous assassin Crossbones – well, the actors who played them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, anyway, Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo.

The film is a remake of the 2010 film of the same name (À Bout Portant), touting the novel idea that its protagonist – in the case of the American remake, an ER nurse (Mackie) – is not some untouchable badass slayer of hapless goons, but just an ordinary person who’s thrust into some deadly circumstances when on the run, joined by an injured murder suspect (Grillo).

Point Blank Trailer

The trailer for Netflix’s remake of Point Blank has arrived!

Video of Point Blank | Official Trailer | Netflix

Point Blank Release Date

Point...

“Lethal Weapon”

Actor Seann William Scott took over the role of Martin Riggs for the show’s third season, which got the green light on Sunday from Fox. A representative from Warner Bros. Television said the studio “decided not to renew Clayne Crawford’s contract for ‘Lethal Weapon'” after reports of bad behavior on set, described as “complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment.”

Crawford apologized last month and wished the “Lethal Weapon” team luck on their third season without him. “To my cast and crew – Congratulations on season 3!” Crawford wrote. “To the Fans – Thank you for the overwhelming support and love. Riggs was a dream role and the experience will live with me forever. My heart is full. Good Luck nxt season!!” he said on Instagram over the weekend.

“I take great pride in treating everyone in life with dignity and kindness,” the 40-year-old actor said in April.

A number of international broadcasters have snapped up “Ordeal by Innocence,” the BBC-commissioned Agatha Christie adaptation that was partially re-shot after actor Ed Westwick was accused of sexual assault.

The three-part series just wrapped up over the weekend on the BBC’s flagship BBC One channel. Endeavor Content has closed several international deals for the show, including with Canal+ for France and Australian pubcaster ABC. TV4 in Sweden, TV2 in Norway, and MTV3 in Finland have also acquired the series.

Elsewhere, BBC Studios has picked up the show for its premium drama channel First in the Middle East and Africa. Endeavor has had a busy period, securing deals for “Killing Eve” at MipTV and now top-tier broadcasters for the latest Christie thriller.

The show follows events after wealthy philanthropist Rachel Argyll is murdered at her family estate. Her adopted son Jack, a young delinquent, is arrested for her murder.

The 2018 Academy Awards took place on March 4 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The 90th annual ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The full list of winners is below.

Supporting Actor:

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick

“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Costume Design:

“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran

“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran

“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira

“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Best Documentary Feature:

“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman

“Faces Places,” Jr, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda

“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen

“Strong Island,...

Best Picture

The Shape of Water

Call Me By Your Name

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Get Out

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Post

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread

Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Best Actress

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Meryl Streep, The Post

Best Supporting Actor

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...