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Beta Film has teamed up with ZDF/Arte and Antitalent to co-produce the Croatian crime drama “Red Water,” winner of the 2025 Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days.

“Red Water,” a six-hour series, is based on Jurica Pavičić’s bestselling novel of the same name, which ranked among the top 10 books of 2025 lists of the Financial Times and Sunday Times.

It is the next Croatian drama series to emerge from the successful partnership between Beta and ZDF/Arte in the Central and Eastern Europe region, following “The Silence” (Šutnja) and the multi-awarded Serbian series “Operation Sabre.”

“Red Water” follows a 17-year-old girl’s mysterious disappearance from a small Croatian coastal town. With the police inquiry yielding no results and the looming Yugoslav Wars diverting attention, the girl’s family is left with no choice but to embark on their own investigation.

Almost 30 years of pursuit not only erodes the bonds within the local community but mirror the fate of a whole nation, leaving everyone to reflect on their own personal responsibility.

The series is directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, whose feature film “Murina” was honored at the Cannes Film Festival with the Caméra d’Or, while Canneseries-winning writer Ljubica Luković (“Awake”) is responsible for the scripts, and the Academy Award-nominated Danijel Pek (“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”) is producing. Shooting is scheduled for 2027.

Simon Ofenloch, commissioning editor at ZDF/Arte, noted that the novel had enjoyed great success across Europe and was “regarded as one of the best European novels of recent years,” receiving numerous awards, including five prestigious literary prizes in France.

He added, “With this accomplished novel as its foundation, the series provides a gripping crime story, full of suspense and mystery and featuring complex characters. A chronicle of social upheaval, it offers an effortless insight into the major historical events in the Western Balkans following 1989 and marks an authentic portrayal of the final years of Yugoslavia up to Croatia’s present-day tourist-driven landscape.”

Wolfgang Bergmann, CEO of Arte Germany and Arte coordinator at ZDF, said, “The European context of ‘Red Water’ aligns well with Arte’s profile. The creative professionals involved form a European community, working together in a proven and trusted international collaboration. The result is a top-quality series from Europe, made in Europe – for the Arte audience across Europe.”

Anna Rohde-Seyfried, international creative executive at Beta Film, said, “We are delighted to collaborate with ZDF/Arte on ‘Red Water.’ Driven by a shared commitment to fostering European stories and talent, this collaboration combines Arte’s vision for distinctive European content with Beta’s expertise in bringing these productions to audiences around the world. We are very grateful for the creative mastery that our talented and visionary team including Antoneta, Ljubica, and Danijel bring to this project as they transform the acclaimed novel into a gripping and emotional series. ‘Red Water’ takes us on a truly complex and thrilling journey, while exploring how war shapes people’s identity and society overall.”

“Red Water” is produced by Antitalent in co-production with ZDF/Arte and Beta Film. Beta Film handles international sales.

Hayden Panettiere‘s ex Wladimir Klitschko, who is the father of her 11-year-old daughter Kaya, is mourning the actress following her death on Sunday at the age of 36.

In an Instagram post late Monday night, the heavyweight boxing champion wrote that his “family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.”

He continued: “The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya. She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”

Klitschko and Panettiere dated on and off for nearly a decade beginning in 2009, and were at one point engaged before Panettiere gave birth to their daughter, Kaya, in 2014. Their relationship officially ended in 2018, when Panettiere relinquished custody of Kaya amid struggles with postpartum depression and addiction.

Klitschko added, “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was. I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.”

Panettiere was found unresponsive in her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon. Her death is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department and Coroner’s Office, though there were “not any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” A cause of death has not yet been released, but People reported that on the dispatch audio, which the outlet obtained, officials could be heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest.” An official cause of death will be given following an autopsy.

Panettiere had been open about her struggles with alcohol and drugs over the years, and stepped away from the industry in 2016 before returning in 2023 with “Scream VI.” In May of this year, she published a memoir titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she wrote candidly about these struggles and the impact of growing up in Hollywood.

Sony’s superhero tentpole “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” dominated the U.K. and Ireland box office for a third consecutive weekend, adding £6.1 million ($8.3 million), elevating its running total to $106.5 million after 20 days of release.

Universal’s epic “The Odyssey” held onto second place in its fifth frame. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the wide release collected $5 million, driving its cume to $93.4 million.

Warner Bros.’ “The End of Oak Street,” starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, arrived in third place with an opening weekend of $2.8 million. Trafalgar Releasing claimed fourth spot with the wide event cinema launch of music doc “Katseye: Wild Hearts,” which banked $981,457 in its debut frame.

Paramount’s “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie” moved to fifth position in its second weekend, adding £$940,306 for a cumulative total of $4.3 million. Disney took sixth place with “Toy Story 5,” which added £$714,080 in its ninth frame to lift its running total to $74.7 million.

Universal’s “Minions & Monsters” followed in seventh position in its seventh week, generating $546,233 to push its cume to $23.2 million. A24 secured eighth place with the debut of Matt Johnson’s Anthony Bourdain film “Tony,” starring Dominic Sessa and Antonio Banderas, taking $544,524.

Disney’s live-action “Moana” took ninth spot in its sixth week of release, collecting $441,419 to raise its running total to $17.2 million. TGS Cinemas Limited rounded out the top 10 with the launch of Indian drama “Vishwanath & Sons,” which generated an opening frame of $378,751.

Looking ahead to the upcoming theatrical frame, rollouts began with Source Entertainment releasing Chris Atkins’ music documentary “James: Getting Away with It” across more than 100 locations.

Wide commercial openings across 300+ locations include horror sequel “Insidious: Out of the Further,” distributed by Sony, Studiocanal’s Jason Statham vehicle “Mutiny,” and Black Bear’s comedy “Spa Weekend.”

Debuts also include Altitude’s long-awaited “Coyote vs. Acme,” Mubi’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” Icon’s “& Sons,” Universal’s “Stop! That! Train!,” and Vue Lumiere’s “David.”

Repertory screenings feature Park Circus re-releasing the 30th anniversary restoration of Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” alongside Aardman’s animated comedy “Early Man.” Anime Ltd is re-releasing a restored version of Miyazaki Hayao’s 1989 masterpiece “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”

Stars Collective has acquired the Mandarin-language remake rights to “Thelma,” the 2024 Sundance Film Festival breakout that became Magnolia Pictures’ highest-grossing narrative feature, and is developing an adaptation titled “Grandma, Please.”

In “Grandma, Please,” an 80-year-old grandmother is swindled out of her life savings by a scammer who uses AI to clone her late husband’s voice. Rather than involve the police or worry her children, she decides to track down the culprit herself – a search that reunites her with an old flame from 60 years earlier, once a basketball team captain and now a resident of a care home. Their journey together turns into a road trip blending comedy with more emotional beats.

The original “Thelma,” written and directed by Josh Margolin and produced by Zurich Avenue and Bandwagon, starred a then-93-year-old June Squibb in the title role, with Parker Posey as her uptight daughter and Fred Hechinger as her grandson. The film was released theatrically in the U.S. by Magnolia Pictures.

Peter Luo, known for “Malignant,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” is writing the adapted screenplay and producing alongside Stars Collective Co-CEO Nancy Xu and Wayne Wei Jiang, whose credits include “The Meg.” Luo and Xu most recently executive produced “The Rip,” starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, which reached No. 1 on Netflix’s global film chart.

Xu negotiated the deal with Team Thelma LLC, which produced and owns the original film and controls its remake rights. Production on “Grandma, Please” is expected to begin in the second half of 2027.

“‘Thelma’ may have seemed like an unlikely action-comedy hit, but the movie really played intergenerationally and the audience reflected this,” Luo said. “The story’s appeal extends beyond seniors, and we love the message the film sends – at any age, you can be the lead in your own life. We have an exciting vision for this reimagining and are excited to share it.”

Xu said senior-led stories such as “Thelma” and “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” have been driving global box office surprises, and this reimagining aims to ride that same wave. “‘Grandma, Please’ offers a fun genre premise with real social relevance beneath the comedy, and we feel this will translate to box office popularity,” Xu added.

Founded in 2020 by Luo, Stars Collective is a global intellectual property company with operations in Los Angeles, China and Japan. The company has more than 60 original IPs in development across film, animation, games, consumer products and immersive experiences.

Recent Stars Collective productions include “The Monkey” and “PLayland.” The company holds a 25-year exclusive merchandising license for “The Garfield Movie” in Greater China, covering all categories except theme park and stage rights. Stars Collective also optioned the film rights to the nonfiction book “Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization,” and is developing a movie adaptation with Academy Award winner Donna Gigliotti.

Stars Collective is also building a studio focused on generative technology that will bring Hollywood filmmakers together with AI tools.