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Tommy Wirkola’s shark film has a flashy new title and a release date. More on Beneath The Storm below.

We first heard of Tommy Wirkola’s shark film last May when we reported that Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor was in talks to join the then-untitled film.

That film now has a title: Beneath The Storm. Deadline also reports that the film is heading to US cinemas on 1st August next year, courtesy of Sony Pictures. There’s no word on a UK release but we’re sure it’ll show up on a release schedule eventually.

In May, the plot details were kept under wraps and unfortunately that hasn’t changed. All we know is that the film is directed by Wirkola, stars Dynevor and it’ll have sharks. It’s not much to go on, but fans of films like Deep Blue Sea and The Shallows have plenty to get excited about here.

“Violent Night” director Tommy Wirkola’s next project is shaping up. His shark thriller has now been titled “Beneath the Storm” and is set to be released theatrically Aug. 1, 2025, via Columbia Pictures.

The film, written by Wirkola, stars Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou and is produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick. Plot details remain under wraps.

Wirkola’s previous directorial credits include “Dead Snow,” “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” and “What Happened to Monday.”

Dynevor, best known for her star turn as Daphne Bridgerton in Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton,” has also appeared in films such as “The Colour Room,” “Bank of Dave” and “Fair Play.” She received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination in 2024. Up next, she will be seen in Neil Burger’s Miramax spy thriller “Inheritance” and the Diane Lane-led drama “Anniversary.”

Peak led Max’s reboot of “Gossip Girl” for two seasons, and...

Filmmaker Tommy Wirkola’s ocean-set thriller starring Phoebe Dynevor is set to make a splash next summer.

Sony Pictures announced Wednesday that the previously untitled movie is now called Beneath the Storm and will hit theaters on Aug. 1, 2025. Plot details have not yet been shared for the project that is said to involve sharks.

Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou co-star in the film from producers Adam McKay and Kevin Messick.

Beneath the Storm will face off against Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys 2, which also opens Aug. 1 — and coincidentally features an anthropomorphic shark among its lead characters. The voice cast for the animated sequel includes Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina and Zazie Beetz.

Wirkola is known for helming such films as Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, What Happened to Monday and Violent Night. His irreverent animated feature Spermageddon premiered at the...

Phoebe Dynevor is in talks to star in an untitled shark thriller at Sony Pictures with Tommy Wirkola (“Violent Night”) directing, Variety has confirmed.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, production is set to begin in Australia this summer. Adam McKay and Kevin Messick will produce the shark movie under their Hyperobject Industries banner.

Dynevor is best known for her role as Daphne Bridgerton in the first two seasons of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.” She recently starred opposite Alden Ehrenreich in the 2023 thriller “Fair Play,” which sold to Netflix in a massive $20 million deal following the film’s premiere at Sundance Film Festival.

In late April, Variety exclusively reported that Dynevor and Bella Ramsey star in the new short film “More Flames,” from McKay‘s Yellow Dot Studios and Climate Spring; the short marks the launch of the #FlipTheScript campaign aimed at changing the narrative around the climate crisis.

Plot: An astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster in space only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The action-packed space adventure is an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and recover all that she has lost.

Review: Man, the International Space Station is getting trashed lately. For years, films like Gravity and The Cloverfield Paradox as well as countless others have used the station as the setting for disaster, but this year alone has had more than one project featuring it. First, the horror film I.S.S. made the triumphant existence of a joint space station a thing of terror and now Constellation fills viewers with a sense of foreboding surrounding the orbiting satellite. The resulting series is a psychological thriller that combines elements of horror,...

Noomi Rapace in “Constellation,” premiering February 21, 2024 on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ has unveiled the trailer for “Constellation,” an upcoming eight-part conspiracy-based psychological thriller drama series starring Noomi Rapace and Emmy Award nominee Jonathan Banks. The action-packed space adventure will premiere globally on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 with the first three episodes, followed by one episode weekly, every Wednesday through March 27 on Apple TV+. Created and written by Peter Harness, “Constellation” stars Rapace as Jo – an astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster in space – only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The action-packed space adventure is an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and recover all that she has lost. The series also stars James D’Arcy, Julian Looman William Catlett, Barbara Sukowa, and introduces Rosie and Davina Coleman as Alice.

Apple TV+ today unveiled the trailer for “Constellation,” an upcoming eight-part conspiracy-based psychological thriller drama series starring Noomi Rapace and Emmy Award nominee Jonathan Banks. The action-packed space adventure will premiere globally on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 with the first three episodes, followed by one episode weekly, every Wednesday through March 27 on Apple TV+. Created and written by Peter Harness, “Constellation” stars Rapace as Jo – an astronaut who returns to Earth after ... Read more...

“Under the Tuscan Sun” meets “The Godfather” in the latest comedy from multi-hyphenate Toni Collette.

The “Hereditary” star plays an insecure American who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy in “Mafia Mamma,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), Collette hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.

Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, Alfonso Perugini, Sophia Nomvete, Eduardo Scarpetta, Tim Daish, and Tommy Rodger also star.

Hardwicke directs from a script by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon. Lead star Collette produces along with Christopher Simon and Amanda Sthers.

Hardwicke previously told IndieWire’s Kate Erbland that she strives to emphasize “complex female characters” onscreen.

“I think now, as women, we want to see somebody that takes charge of their life and does the very best they can in their power to escape, fight back,...

Santa Claus will return to spread Christmas cheer… and break a few skulls along the way. Violent Night was a modest box-office success, grossing over 75 million worldwide on a 20 million budget, and director Tommy Wirkola confirmed to The Wrap that Violent Night 2 is in the works.

“We’re talking about it,” Tommy Wirkola said, “and we’re just making deals and getting everything in order.” The director also confirmed that original screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller will return to pen Violent Night 2, but that the team isn’t rushing to start shooting anytime soon. “We have time to really crack the script and figure out the story,” Wirkola said. “And we have some ideas, me and Pat and Josh and the producers, we’ve been talking about where we want to take it and what we want to see.” The director added that a few of the ideas that...

Sky has revealed the full trailer for the Sky Original series of a reimagining of the classic western ‘Django.’

Set in Texas in the late 1800s, Django is a jaded cowboy in search of the daughter he thought he’d lost. In following her trail, he comes upon New Babylon, a town at the bottom of a crater, where all outcasts are welcome and where everyone is equal and free. Here, Django discovers that his 20-year-old daughter Sarah is alive and set to marry John Ellis, the founder of New Babylon. Sarah – who blames her father for the death of their family, massacred many years earlier while he was at war – wants Django to leave. But he refuses to give up and does everything in his power to get a second chance with her, becoming a valuable ally for Ellis, who must defend the town from Elizabeth Thurman’s attacks.

Only two and half weeks have gone by since the theatrical release of director Tommy Wirkola’s R-rated holiday thriller Violent Night, which has been described as a perfect combination of gore and Christmas spirit (you can read our 8/10 review at This Link) – but as a special gift for the holidays, Universal has already gone ahead and given the film a digital release! You can rent or purchase Violent Night right now on Amazon.

Violent Night has made over 55 million at the global box office.

Scripted by Patrick Casey and Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog), Violent Night shows what happens when a team of elite mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage. But the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus (Harbour) is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.

Violent Night...

Violent Night is one of many tongue-in-cheek genre-twisting movies to involve Christmas. It’s also a movie that went up against big Hollywood releases such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and turned heads when it still performed better than estimated despite not winning any weekends. However, the director credits other action reimaginings like Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters for opening the gate for an outside-the-box film like this.

The Hollywood Reporter also reveals that a sequel is already in the works. The director, Tommy Wirkola, recently talked with them about what he plans to do for the follow-up.

Of course the writers have talked about it, and I have thrown some ideas out there. We don’t see the North Pole, we don’t see Mrs. Claus and we don’t see the elves. There were also a few ideas that we loved in the script, but we had to...

“Violent Night” is one of the Yuletide season’s most delightful surprises, not just for what it gets right but also for the many ways the whole production could have gone very, very wrong.

For starters, it’s a movie about Santa Claus, and for every “Miracle on 34th Street,” the history of Christmas movies is littered with tales of Saint Nick that could make a moviegoer hate the holiday. (“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” or “Santa Claus: The Movie” leap to mind.)

It’s also a film that demands to be taken seriously on its own merits even as it blatantly references other Christmas classics — first and foremost, “Die Hard” and “Home Alone” — and it dares to mix bloody, hard-r action violence with a sentimental subplot about a young girl’s unwavering belief in Santa Claus. That it gets away with all of this and stays gorily entertaining and...

Exclusive: Coda producer Vendôme Pictures has made two appointments and launched a documentary division.

Ninon Desplat has been appointed Head of Development Documentaries and French Series, joining Sonia Droulhiole who was recently appointed Head of Development & Production, Film and Scripted Series, for the company’s English-speaking output.

Under the newly minted Vendôme documentary banner, Desplat will be charged with creating a slate with a focus on pop culture subjects in both English and French. She will also ramp up Vendôme’s TV slate and further expand its French-speaking projects. Droulhiole is responsible for overseeing all English-language features and scripted series from scouting, development, talent management, through to delivery.

Desplat and Droulhiole will report to Vendôme founder, chairman and CEO Philippe Rousselet and co-ceo Fabrice Gianfermi, effective immediately. They will both be based in Paris.

Droulhiole recently served as Senior Development Executive for Amazon Studios France. During her tenure, she managed...

Sky has revealed the first look teaser for Sky Original Django, following the announcement that it will make its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival on October 16.

Set in Texas in the late 1800s, Django is a jaded cowboy in search of the daughter he thought he’d lost. In following her trail, he comes upon New Babylon, a town at the bottom of a crater, where all outcasts are welcome and where everyone is equal and free. Here, Django discovers that his 20-year-old daughter Sarah is alive and set to marry John Ellis, the founder of New Babylon. Sarah – who blames her father for the death of their family, massacred many years earlier while he was at war – wants Django to leave. But he refuses to give up and does everything in his power to get a second chance with her, becoming a valuable ally for Ellis, who...

Mark Rosman‘s The House on Sorority Row (1982) and Stewart Hendler‘s Sorority Row (2009) feel shoved aside in their respective horror classes. Titles like Pieces, Black Christmas, and The Dorm That Dripped Blood get more frequent mentions when discussing pre-90s sorority or dormitory slashers. Remake debates rarely include Sorority Row in their reassessments of unfairly stigmatized 2000s horror revamps based on nostalgia biases (among other reasons). It’s interesting how both seem equally less popular despite their amassed cult followings after meager box office openings.

It’s almost like Hendler attempted to shake the original’s mojo by deeming Sorority Row an adaptation of Rosman’s screenplay Seven Sisters — the earlier iteration of what would become The House on Sorority Row. Don’t mind the trickiness because Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger write their re-imagining indebted to The House on Sorority Row. Maybe late-2000s remake fatigue led to...

They were producers on Sian Heder’s Oscar best-picture winner ‘Coda’

Need to know: Co-CEOs Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are currently flying high as the producers of Sian Heder’s Oscar best-picture winner Coda. They were the first European producers to achieve this feat since Thomas Langmann with The Artist in 2011. Paris-born Rousselet, who has had a foot on both sides of the Atlantic since early in his career, created the group in the early 1990s. He was joined by Gianfermi in 2000. It produces French-­language films under the banners of Vendôme Films and subsidiaries Jerico Films and Prelude,...

Tommy Wirkola, the popular Norwegian helmer of “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” and “Dead Snow,” will be making his animation debut with “Spermageddon,” a humor-laced musical feature about the beginning of life.

Charades has boarded the project and will represent it in international markets.

“Spermageddon” follows two narrative threads — the emerging love story between two awkward teens, Jens and Lisa, who are having sex for the first time; and the eventful quest of Simon the Semen and his friends to reach the golden goal, the Egg.

“This is both a road movie and an epic adventure, a most incredible journey, much like Lord of the Rings. But instead of Orcs and elves, our heroes have to do battle with sperm-killing creams and e.Coli trolls,” said Wirkola in his director’s notes.

The project is described as being in the veins of “Sausage Party,” exploring mature content through comedy, creative animation and grown-up language.

There can be only one Highlander, but apparently, Henry Cavill can be many superheroes.

Adding to his growing list of marquee franchises, the star of “Man of Steel” and Netflix’s “The Witcher” is in negotiations to star in Lionsgate’s reboot of “Highlander,” the 1986 fantasy adventure film that spawned an entire pop-culture ecosystem, including sequels, TV series, tie-in novels, comics and video games.

Chad Stahelski (“John Wick”) is directing, with Neal H. Moritz, Josh Davis and David Leitch producing. Amanda Lewis, Patrick Wachsberger and Gregory Widen will executive produce. Kerry Williamson (“What Happened to Monday”) is writing.

Cavill’s role is unclear, but he will be one of two leads in the film. The original film starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod — a Scottish warrior born in the 16th century who learns he is an immortal after he dies in battle, only to come back to life — and Sean Connery as Connor’s mentor,...

Noomi Rapace and Nicholas Pinnock are joining Matthias Schoenaerts in the star cast of “Django,” an English-language reimagining of Sergio Corbucci’s classic 1966 Western. Set in the Wild West of the 1860s and ’70s, the project marks one of the biggest high-end European series of 2021.

Star of “Prometheus,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “What Happened to Monday,” Sweden’s Rapace will play Elizabeth, who is described as a powerful and merciless enemy of John Ellis. Along with his fiancee Sarah, John Ellis is the founder of New Babylon, a city of outcasts which welcomes everyone from any background, race or creed.

British actor Pinnock — whose credits include movies such as “The Last Tree” and “Dark Encounter” as well as popular TV dramas “Counterpart,”“Fortitude,” “Marcella and “For Life” — takes the key role of John Ellis. Schoenaerts (“Bullhead”) plays the titular role of Django.

German on-the-rise star Lisa Vicari, Martha Nielsen in “Dark,...

Photo: ‘What Happened to Monday’/Netflix In a dystopian near-future with a strict one-child policy, six septuplets who share one outward identity investigate the disappearance of their missing seventh sister, all while hiding from the government and powerful people who would kill them if their existence was discovered. ‘What Happened to Monday’ (2017) depicts a world where overpopulation created a food shortage, which was combated with genetically modified food that fixed the hunger problem but ironically increased the rate of multiple births, and overpopulation is now once again the greatest threat to human existence. The government has gone full Big Brother by using electronic bracelets to track its citizens around an unnamed European city, and the looming Child Allocation Bureau rounds up extra siblings and puts them in cryosleep until there are enough resources to accommodate everyone in a seemingly distant future. Related article: 2021 Movie Releases: Your Film Guide for the...

Noomi Rapace is set to star in Netflix’s feature film adaptation of “Black Crab,” a Scandinavian action thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world, which will be directed by Adam Berg.

The movie will mark Rapace’s return to Scandinavia and her native Sweden after spending the last 10 years abroad starring in films and series such as “Prometheus,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “What Happened to Monday,” as well as indie films like “Daisy Diamond” and “Beyond.”

Unfolding during an endless winter, six soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission across the frozen sea to transport a package that could finally end the war. Equipped with ice skates, unaware of what they’re carrying, or who they can trust, the mission challenges their beliefs and forces them to ask what they’re willing to sacrifice for their own survival.

“I’m very excited to come back to Sweden and do ‘Black Crab.

Filmmaker Tommy Wirkola made his bones with the splatter horror-comedy Dead Snow (2009) and then helmed the consistently entertaining fantasy-action picture Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). In between those two, he contributed his writing talents to the great Norwegian TV series Hellfjord. After that, he made the requisite sequel, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, which was even more splattery, and What Happened to Monday?, an admirably ambitious film starring Noomi Rapace that still rolls around my head from time to time. Now comes word that Tommy Wirkola's next project is titled The Trip, which will star Noomi Rapace and Aksel Hennie, the latter of whom starred in the superb Headhunters and has appeared in a host of other films since, including The Martian...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Elizabeth Debicki, the rising Australian actor who headlines “Tenet,” is set to star in and executive produce “Code Name Hélène,” an international limited series from France’s Vendôme Group and Anonymous Content, based on New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon’s World War II spy thriller.

Philippe Rousselet’s Vendôme Group and Anonymous Content, the company behind “True Detective” and “The Revenant,” have acquired TV rights to the novel, which was published in March 2020 by Doubleday Books.

“Code Name Hélène” will tell the epic real-life story of Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, a New Zealand-born journalist who became a ferociously brave spy and one of the most powerful leaders of the French Resistance. The series will be told in interweaving timelines following each of the four code names used by Nancy during World War II.

“Nancy Wake was an astonishing New Zealand-born, Australian-bred woman of incredible courage, ingenuity and wit.

William Boyd, the award-winning British novelist and screenwriter of “Chaplin” and “Any Human Heart,” is set to write the screenplay of a high-profile miniseries centred on the devastating fire that ripped through Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral in April 2019.

Philippe Rousselet’s Vendôme, U.K.-based Xavier Marchand’s Moonriver TV and Pathé are co-developing the project in collaboration with The New York Times. The mini-series marks the first TV show from Pathé, the French studio behind the Oscar-winning “Judy” and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain & Glory,” as well as the first TV project to be announced under Vendôme and Pathé’s three-year production partnership that was unveiled in Cannes.

Based on The New York Times investigation, the show will chart the events of April 19, after a warning light first detected fire in the attic of the cathedral — one of the world’s most beloved and iconic French landmarks. The multi-layered...

You know those little Star Wars Easter eggs that have been placed Raiders of the Lost Ark featuring hieroglyphics of R2-D2, C-3Po, Princess Leia, and more? Well, some fans have taken this connection a lot further and were inspired to create a film in which Star Wars and Indiana Jones exist in the same universe!

The film is called Star Wars: Origins, and today we have a pretty rad trailer for you to watch to give you a taste of what these fans are cooking up. Here’s the synopsis that they shared:

The saga you know.... the origins you don't....

Star Wars: Origins will take a unique look at where the saga began. A thrilling action adventure film drawing inspiration from both Star Wars and Indiana Jones to tell an epic story based on Earth during WWII.

The film was shot in the Sahara Desert, Morocco, and...

Catherine Hardwicke, director of “Thirteen” and “Twilight,” has signed on to direct lesbian viking film “Heathen,” Deadline is reporting. The project is an adaptation of the acclaimed Vault Comics series of the same name, which was created, written, and drawn by Natasha Alterici. The story follows fierce Viking warrior Aydis, who is scorned by her village for kissing another woman and declares a one-woman feminist war against the ultimate patriarch, Odin, the god-king of Asgard and all-seeing father to thunder-god Thor. The series is said to blend feminist and queer themes into the established stories of Norse mythology.

Hardwick will direct off a script by Kerry Williamson, whose credits include Tyler Perry’s “Alex Cross” and the Netflix film “What Happened to Monday?” Williamson is currently working on a project for “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski, adapting the bestselling fantasy series “Sandman Slim.”

The project is being backed by independent German distributor Constantin Film,...

Director Catherine Hardwicke will helm the fantasy-adventure epic Heathen for Constatin Film and Prime Universe Films. The project adapts the namesake Vault Comics series that centers on Aydis, a fierce Viking warrior who is scorned by her village for kissing another woman and then, after witnessing widespread injustice toward women, declares a one-woman feminist war on Odin himself.

The acclaimed series by Natasha Alterici weaves feminism and queer themes into the familiar tapestry of Norse mythology, a mix that promises to deliver a Viking film unlike any previous one in the annals of Hollywood. Created, written, and drawn by Alterici, the Heathen comics debuted in 2017 with the help of an impassioned Kickstarter investor community. The comics introduce Aydis, who is born into a time marked by war, strife, and the pervasive subjugation of women, and eventually takes on a mission to topple the ultimate patriarch,...

“Twilight” and “Miss Bala” director Catherine Hardwicke has signed a deal to direct the adaptation of Vault Comic’s best-selling and acclaimed epic feminist comic book series “Heathen,” for Constantin Film and Prime Universe Films, the companies announced on Wednesday.

Kerry Williamson has signed on to write. Williamson previously penned the Tyler Perry-starring “Alex Cross” and most recently, Netflix’s “What Happened to Monday.” She is currently working on an adaptation of the fantasy series “Sandman Slim” for director Chad Stahelski and Studio 8.

Written and drawn by Natasha Alterici, “Heathen” centers on Aydis, a young female Viking, a warrior, an outcast, and a self-proclaimed “heathen.” Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the God-king Odin.

Exclusive: After 15 years as co-ceo of international production group Umedia, Adrian Politowski has stepped down to launch La-based production and finance outfit Align. The new company, co-founded by Umedia’s Nadia Khamlichi, intends to deploy $150M from now through 2022, focusing on three-five English-language projects per year across film and television, and with budgets in the $5M-$30M range. Align is backed by its officers as well as high-net-worth individuals out of Europe.

The company’s first project to launch, Blithe Spirit, began principal photography last week. A comedy, it’s directed by Downton Abbey’s Edward Hall and stars Leslie Mann, Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher and Judi Dench. Align is majority financing with additional equity secured by Fred Films.

Politowski tells me that after working with dozens of titles a year at Umedia, he “wanted to produce fewer films and be much more involved in them.” Khamlichi, with whom he co-founded Umedia,...

Sf Studios has unveiled the international trailer for “Amundsen,” the high-profile Norwegian adventure and biopic drama about Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen which is directed by Espen Sandberg.

Now in post-production, “Amundsen” is headlined by Pål Sverre Hagen (“Kon-Tiki”) who stars as Amundsen, the legendary explorer who was the first to reach the South and the North Poles. Sverre Hagen stars in the film opposite “Fantastic Beasts” actress Katherine Waterston and Christian Rubeck (“What Happened to Monday”).

“Amundsen” will be distributed by Sf Studios in Norway on Feb. 15, and is expected to be the biggest Norwegian release of 2019, surpassing previous big releases such as “The Wave,” “Kon-Tiki” and “The 12th Man.” The movie is being produced by John M. Jacobsen, Kristian Strand Sinkerud and Espen Horn at Motion Blur Films.

Sf Studios will also distribute the film in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The company has already pre-sold the movie in a flurry of territories,...

How much difference a year makes! Early last December, around the time critics’ groups do their annual awards voting, if you’d asked me to make a list of the 10 best Netflix original films of 2017, I could’ve named two contenders — Sundance winner “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” and Noah Baumbach pickup “The Meyerowitz Stories” — and that would’ve been the end of it.

I remember having conversations — ranting sessions, really — about how the streaming service was “ruining movies,” grumpy that a company that had once helped make DVDs of obscure classics, foreign, and independent films available by mail had dropped those titles in favor of second-rate “originals” as its business model changed.

As far as I could tell, two things were happening: Netflix was snapping up movies that no one else wanted (such as Noomi Rapace starrer “What Happened to Monday”) and offering extravagant...

South East Asian media company WebTVAsia has struck long-form and short form deals with Chinese partners. Both agreements were unveiled at Mipcom in Cannes.

With Ciwen Media it plans to co-develop and co-produce produce “Gangsters of Shanghai,” an original story based on a novel by Gerry O’Sullivan, with an undisclosed budget in over $10 million. Plans are for both film and TV series adaptation, with Hollywood script writers Trey Callaway and Kerry Williamson (“What Happened To Monday?”, “Sacred Games” on board.

“We want to bring to life the intriguing sociopolitical landscape of 1920s Shanghai – vibrant, dangerous and seductive. Featuring struggles between the icons of colonial law enforcement and the seedy underworld of local gangs, everyone is a gangster, even the cops,” said WebTVAsia’s CEO, Fred Chong.

The two companies will also jointly develop “Chronicles of Tomb Raiders,” and “Galileo.” They are to target at TV and digital Ott broadcast exploitation in multiple international markets.

Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell are set to star in a new action-thriller called War Pigs, which comes from director Tommy Wirkola. Wirkola is best known for his films Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, and What Happened to Monday?.

The story follows a group of disillusioned ex-marines who "go on one last mission to get revenge on the cartel that murdered one of their own while making off with millions of dollars in drug money."

Farrell will take on the role of a character named Drex and Gibson will play The Pastor. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers) is producing the film, which was written by Nick Ball and John Niven. 

Before Gibson jumps on board this project he is set to make a World War II navy film called Destroyer, about the ship that would not die. As for Farrell, he recently wrapped the Steve McQueen-directed Widows and the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo.

Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell will star in revenge thriller “War Pigs” for Millennium Films with Tommy Wirkola directing.

Producers are Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian through di Bonaventura Productions, along with Matt Berenson. Production is scheduled to start in October.

“War Pigs,” written by Nick Ball and John Niven, centers on a group of disillusioned ex-marines who go on one last mission to get revenge on the cartel that murdered a colleague and stole their drug money.

Gibson is attached to direct World War II drama “Destroyer” in his first helming gig since receiving an Oscar nomination for “Hacksaw Ridge.” “Destroyer” is being produced at Gianni Nunnari’s Hollywood Gang Productions. It’s based on the John Wukovits book “Hell From the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack.”

Farrell will be seen next in Steve McQueen’s “Widows” and Tim Burton’s “Dumbo.

Exclusive: Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell are set to star in War Pigs, a Millennium Films actioner that Tommy Wirkola will direct, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian producing through di Bonaventura Productions, along with Matt Berenson. Production is to start October.

Scripted by Nick Ball & John Niven, the project first got set up as The Takedown. A group of disillusioned ex-marines go on one last mission to get revenge on the cartel that murdered one of their own while making off with millions of dollars in drug money. Farrell plays Drex and Gibson plays The Pastor.

Gibson will make the movie before focusing on directing the WWII action film Destroyer with Mark Wahlberg starring, and financing being sewn up. Farrell wrapped the Steve McQueen-directed Widows and the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo, and will play Oliver North in an Amazon miniseries about the Iran Contra scandal. The Norwegian-born...

Universal offloaded this glossy sci-fi tale to the streaming platform and, despite a script from the writer of Arrival, it’s easy to see why

If we couldn’t safely presume Netflix is gathering data about our collective viewing habits to develop optimally profitable programming, the streaming site’s full-court press into science-fiction would seem a bit incongruous, or at least curious. In just the last year, Netflix has either produced or acquired Okja, Annihilation (for non-us audiences), Mute, The Titan, What Happened to Monday, Anon, How It Ends and The Cloverfield Paradox, and together those films have run the whole gamut from great to gratuitously bad.

Related: Michael Peña on Hollywood: 'It was difficult for me to break through'...

It was back in 2011 that a tiny budget Dutch indie released that may very well prove to be the launching point of a pair of the more significant talents not only out of the Netherlands but the entire new generation of European talent. That film was Rabat, a critically acclaimed festival darling following a trio of friends driving from Holland to Morocco to deliver a taxi to a friend. One of Rabat's stars is Marwan Kenzari - an early performance in a career that now has him appearing opposite Tom Cruise in The Mummy, Noomi Rapace in What Happened To Monday, and Kenneth Branagh in Murder On The Orient Express, to say nothing of his starring role as Jafar in the upcoming live action...

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Director Tommy Wirkola is one of the top horror directors to keep tabs on. From Dead Snow to Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters to his most recent Netflix original film What Happened To Monday? Wirkola has more than earned his genre stripes. And so we’re excited to hear via Deadline that Blumhouse is in talks […]

The post Blumhouse Teams With Dead Snow Director for New Thriller Intruders appeared first on Dread Central.

Exclusive: Blumhouse is in talks to finance Intruders, a thriller written by Tommy Wirkola, who’ll direct the film with an eye toward a summer production start. In the pic, a mother escapes her abusive husband and takes her young daughter toward refuge in a secluded home, only to be assailed by intruders hungry for the gold that’s supposedly buried in the house. Adam McKay and Kevin Messick are producing for Gary Sanchez.

The Norwegian director, who followed his breakout Dead Snow with the R-rated fractured fairy tale Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, most recently directed What Happened To Monday?, from Max Botkin & Kerry Williamson’s Black List script that got bought by Netflix for release in the U.S., UK and Latin America, and still found theatrical success in seven other markets like France, where it grossed over $17 million.

Wirkola has a long history with Gary Sanchez, which...

In today’s Horror Highlights, we have five new character posters for a film currently showing at Cannes, Painkillers. Also: a look at a behind-the-scenes video for Venom #1, and The Night of the Virgin trailer and release details.

Painkillers Character Posters Revealed: Press Release: Press Release: "May 14th, 2018 – Title Media, Lone Suspect and Kew Media have released the first round of artwork for Painkillers, a dramatic horror thriller from director Roxy Shih. Kew is currently selling the film at Cannes.

The set of character poster features stars Adam Huss (Power), Madeline Zima, Grant Bowler, Debra Wilson, and Mischa Barton.

This marks the second feature from director Roxy Shih (The Tribe). Giles Daoust wrote the script, which received several awards and nominations in festivals and screenwriting competitions.

Luke Barnett and Vincent Masciale produced the film under their Lone Suspect banner alongside Giles Daoust for Title Media. Mike Macari (The Ring franchise...

Headlining today's Horror Highlights is a clip from Dave and Lou Elsey's haunting short film Keep the Gaslight Burning. Co-starring critically acclaimed makeup artist Rick Baker and Markie Post, the short film's fire will burn brightly this summer. We also have a look at the short film Let it Die and eight images from the new movie Painkillers.

Keep the Gaslight Burning Clip Revealed: "A brutal murder, a grand and gothic house, a vengeful ghost ... they're the elements that Oscar®-winning director Dave Elsey (Best Achievement in Makeup: The Wolfman) and co-director Lou Elsey combine in the brand-new short film Keep The Gaslight Burning --and they're joined by another film makeup legend, seven-time Oscar® winner Rick Baker, who plays a pivotal role, as well as acclaimed actress Markie Post (above).

Keep The Gaslight Burning will make its official public debut this summer ... but for now, we wanted to share...

Constantin Film and Prime Universe Films are adapting Vault Comic’s best-selling and acclaimed epic feminist comic book series “Heathen,” into a major motion picture, the company announced today.

Kerry Williamson set to write. Williamson previously penned the Tyler Perry-starring “Alex Cross” and most recently the Netflix film “What Happened to Monday.” She is also currently working on an adaptation of the fantasy series “Sandman Slim” for director Chad Stahelski and Studio 8.

Written and drawn by Natasha Alterici, “Heathen” centers on Aydis, a young female viking, a warrior, an outcast, and a self-proclaimed “heathen”. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin.

Also Read: Voltage, Prime Universe Acquire Brian Edward Hill Horror Spec Script

The comic’s first trade paperback sold out in one week and has returned for a second printing; the second trade paperback will release in July. The book was recently selected by Young Adult Library Service Association (Yalsa) to be included in its 2018 “Great Graphic Novels For Teens” list.

Constantin Film’s Robert Kulzer will produce with Adrian Askarieh whose Prime Universe Films is currently in a two-year First Look with Constantin. F.J. DeSanto will also produce. Constantin’s Martin Moszkowicz will Executive Produce along with Vault’s CEO & Publisher, Damian Wassel. Kulzer and Margo Klewans will oversee on behalf of Constantin.

Constantin Film was repped in the deal by Evp of Business Affairs, Nick Hanks. Vault and Desanto were repped by Industry Entertainment, and Weintraub Tobin.

Read original story Feminist Comic Series ‘Heathen’ to Be Adapted for Film by Constantin Film and Prime Universe At TheWrap...

Exclusive: Constantin Film and Prime Universe have teamed to turn the Vault Comic title Heathen into a film with a kickass female Viking warrior protagonist. Script will be written by Kerry Williamson, whose credits include Alex Cross, Netflix’s What Happened to Monday and who’s adapting the fantasy series Sandman Slim for director Chad Stahelski and Studio 8. Constantin’s Robert Kulzer will produce with Adrian Askarieh, whose Prime Universe Films is in a two-year first-look deal with Constantin. F.J. DeSanto will also produce.

Written and drawn by Natasha Alterici, Heathen tells the story of a young viking warrior named Aydis. An outcast and sel-pfroclaimed “heathen,” Aydis is a woman born into a time of warfare, suffering and subjugation of women. She takes on a quest to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin, and break the shackles imposed on the women around her.

The first volume sold out...

John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski has jumped on board another great sounding film project. It's called Sandman Slim and based on a nine-book supernatural fantasy series by Richard Kadrey. This sounds like a great project for Stahelski and there's no doubt it will end up being a crazy film.

The story centers on James 'Sandman Slim" Stark, a "fast-talking, hard-boiled, supernatural vigilante who escapes from Hell to avenge his girlfriend’s murder and hunt down the magicians responsible for getting him sent 'downtown.'"

The movie will be written by Kerry Williamson, who recently co-wrote the fantastic Netflix film, What Happened to Monday.

Before Stahelski jumps into the development of this project he will direct the third installment of Keanu Reeves' John Wick. I wasn't familiar with this book series until today but it sounds awesome! I think I'm going to have to start reading it. Here's the description...

Willem Dafoe is a yogi when it comes to career dexterity. He’s equally comfortable in big, flashy blockbusters as ambitious, auteur-driven projects, juggling leading and supporting roles with ease. By the time he’s spotted in a misfire, he’s already got a gem in the pipeline. “The Florida Project” represents one of his most engaging performances in years, and makes him an Oscar frontrunner for best supporting actor, but it’a also a fraction of his recent output.

Two months before the Cannes premiere of “The Florida Project,” in which he’s the only veteran in a cast dominated by non-professionals, he surfaced in a cartoonish role opposite Matt Damon in the international blockbuster “The Great Wall,” and landed in two Netflix genre films — “What Happened to Monday” and “Death Note” — before the end of the summer. As “The Florida Project” finally comes out in U.S. theaters,...

Carlton Cuse knows how to end a TV show. Before co-writing the last episode of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s apocalyptic vampire story, “The Strain,” the showrunner and executive producer had already written four series finales. Four!

Read More:‘The Leftovers’ Creators Discuss Finale Reactions and Give a Few More Unexpected Answers

In 2000, Cuse penned “Final Conflict” Part 1 and Part 2 for the CBS action drama “Martial Law.” A year later, he wrote the ending to his breakthrough broadcast series, “Nash Bridges.” Then came the landmark finale of “Lost” in 2010 and, earlier this year, he dimmed the vacancy sign at the “Bates Motel” in a beautiful closing chapter.

Next up, as “The Strain” wraps up on Sunday, September 17, Cuse said he knew exactly how to end it.

“I think that to end a show, you have to really look at what your show is fundamentally about and then figure out your ending from that,...

Editor’s Note: This article is presented in partnership with Netflix’s original film “What Happened to Monday?” – now streaming on Netflix.

Although he’s best known to American audiences for his funny and gruesome spins on old-fashioned fairy tales that follow characters as wide-ranging as zombie Nazis (“Dead Snow”) and candy-seeking children (“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola has some other tricks up his sleeve. With his “What Happened to Monday?,” Wirkola tackles high-concept sci-fi, thanks to an ambitious story that follows seven identical sisters (all played by Noomi Rapace) trapped in a future society that only allows just one child per household.

In the film, each sister is assigned a day of the week – and a matching name – in which they’re allowed out of their apartment (and the watchful eye of their surrogate dad, played by Willem Dafoe) for a little slice of living.

Netflix has released a new "Death Note" movie clip featuring a pivotal scene where the detective L confronts Light. "Death Note" stars Nat Wolff as Light Turner, Margaret Qualley ("The Nice Guys") as Mia Sutton, Lakeith Stanfield ("The Purge:anarchy") as “L”, Paul Nakauchi as Watari, with Shea Whigham ("Kong: Skull Island") as James Turner, and Willem Dafoe ("Justice League", "Seven Sisters") as the voice of Ryuk the Shinigami. Based on the famous Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata, "Death Note" follows a high school student who comes across a supernatural notebook, realizing it holds within it a great power; if the owner inscribes someone's name into it while picturing their face, he or she will die. Intoxicated with his new godlike abilities, the young...

When Max Botkin’s high-concept sci-fi thriller “What Happened to Monday?” landed on the Blacklist of “most liked” unproduced screenplays in 2010, the film followed seven brothers living in a dystopian future world where families are only allowed a single child. Seven years later, Tommy Wirkola’s version of the film is complete, with one major twist: now it’s about sisters.

Although the film went through a number of rewrites during its journey from page to screen, it was Wirkola who hit upon the idea to change the gender of the septuplets, all the better to add a different dimension to an already clever concept. But his idea came with a caveat, as he could only imagine one star in the role (well, the seven roles): Swedish star Noomi Rapace, whom he had once considered casting in his “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.”

When Wirkola initially sent Rapace the script,...