The BBC has unveiled three new dramas coming to our screens in due course, including Shy & Lola with Hayley Squires and Bel Powley.
Shy & Lola, a new six-part drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, is written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, The Trial of Christine Keeler) and produced by multi-BAFTA and Emmy award-winning Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, The Death of Bunny Munro, The End of the F***ing World), part of BBC Studios.
The darkly comic story follows Shy and Lola, two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England. Squires (The Night Manager, I, Daniel Blake) stars as Shy, a cleaner scraping by and dreaming of a new life in Portugal, with Powley (A Small Light,The Diary of a Teenage Girl) playing Lola, an ex-model-turned-grifter who arrives in town with trouble at her heels.
Filming on the show, based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola, will begin this spring in and around the U.K. cities of Hull and Leeds.
Also announced on Monday is D-Notice from writers and executive producers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. The six-part British political thriller is set in the world of investigative journalism. Patterson and Lawn are said to “have some experience of” the D-notice mechanism, which allows the government to advise journalists about national security. Now, they’ve come up with a drama that looks at how truth and power speak to one another. It is their third project for the BBC, following The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights, and their first commission from production company Hot Sauce Pictures, backed by Sony Pictures Television.
The BBC has also commissioned 1536, a new drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name. The eight-part show written by Pickett from Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day) is set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and weaves royal scandal with rural struggle.
1536 centers around Anna, Mariella, and Jane: three young women gossiping, arguing, and dreaming in an Essex village, desperately waiting for their lives to start. When the news reaches them that King Henry VIII has had his Queen, Anne Boleyn, arrested, the three of them never suspect that this act will change their lives forever.
Pickett said: “1536 is something I am immensely proud of and I feel so lucky and privileged to have the chance to bring Anna, Jane and Mariella to a wider audience and to build out their lives even more. In a world where every decision made in the corridors of power ricochets through all of our lives, this story feels more relevant than ever. I’m so grateful to Lindsay Salt for being such a champion of it from the start.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: “From the moment we saw Ava’s play we knew that we had to have the TV version on the BBC. Visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage, this is a piece of work like no other. Ava is an exceptional voice, so we feel very lucky to be working with her and the brilliant team at Drama Republic to bring three iconic female characters to the screen.”
Executive producers are Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, Chloe Beeson and Pickett. The series was commissioned by Salt.
SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains plot details from “Points of Emphasis,” Season 4, Episode 7 of “Industry,” now streaming on HBO Max.
Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) is in the wind. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Harper Stern (Myha’la) and her fellow short sellers, Whitney’s fraudulent financial startup Tender has collapsed in on itself, leaving puppet CEO Henry Muck (Kit Harington) holding the bag. (Whitney and Harper had previously hooked up in an encounter that revealed his preference for, uh, penetrating interactions.) But before Whitney skips town, leaving his phone behind in an ominous sign of total abandonment, he tries one last audacious play: acquiring Pierpoint, the bank where HBO drama “Industry” — created by former bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay — first established itself before the entire institution collapsed in Season 3.
Whitney co-founded Tender with his Stanford buddy Jonah (Kal Penn), whom he pushed out of the company in the Season 4 premiere. Ever since, the entrepreneur has been on a mission to fake it until he makes it, covering the company’s fraudulent balance sheet with inflated acquisitions in Africa and attempting to pivot a payment processor for pornography sites into a mainstream bank. Taking a run at Pierpoint is one last, desperate attempt at distraction from increasingly loud calls for an audit, and Whitney sells the hell out of it. “We want speed. We want scale. We want certainty. We want America,” he tells a room of rapt shareholders. It’s almost enough to convince them, and us, that Tender can survive through sheer bravado.
But in the end, Whitney can’t escape his fate, at least while staying in the spotlight. He may put on a brave face, but behind the scenes, he’s being threatened by faceless Russian backers via his deputy Ferdinand (Nico Rogner), who tries to tell him running isn’t an option. Whitney chooses to risk it anyway, abandoning both Tender and his obvious infatuation with the aristocratic Henry. The mix of aspirational invention and forbidden same-sex attraction puts Whitney in the same lineage as other fictional antiheroes like Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley — which is fitting, because Minghella’s late father Anthony directed the 1999 adaptation of “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
Minghella arrived on “Industry” as a newly minted fan of the show, after nearly a decade on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a radically different (though in some ways, equally dystopian) series. Minghella has the perfect background for a story populated by American strivers — including Whitney, Harper and Harper’s mentor Eric Tao (Ken Leung) — trying to make it in the London financial scene. A native Londoner who now lives in the States, where he spoke to Variety about his time on “Industry” from his home, Minghella has spent time on both sides of the Atlantic. He applied that perspective to a performance he characterizes as spontaneous and ambiguous in a conversation that touches on Minghella’s inspiration, technique and approach to playing a fundamentally mysterious character.
Courtesy of HBO
You’ve said you weren’t familiar with the show before you became involved with it, but once you did become acquainted, what made you excited to enter this world?
I knew a lot about the show, because truly all of my closest friends — people whose taste I trust — it’s their favorite show. They had, like, a weekly screening of the show, and they watched together, and they loved it. I felt intimidated by that, that people I cared about were invested in it. I was also conscious of the fact that the season was going to be quite different. I view it almost like a reboot of the show in a way, so I felt tremendous responsibility.
But Mickey and Konrad, from reading the scripts and then watching the series and talking to them, I truly thought I was interacting with generational talents. They’re amazing, and they’re operating at such a high level, and the writing was so to my taste. I’ve since learned, having worked with them, that we really do share very specifically the same taste, and it’s a joy when you get to work with people who share your taste. It’s a very rare thing. It’s a lovely thing when it happens, because it leads to a sense of joy and excitement in the process.
Before this role, you were coming off of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which you were on for eight years. What was it like for you to shift gears between these two shows?
They’re very different in style, and so my approach was radically different to each part. I always viewed, correctly or incorrectly, Nick Blaine as a sort of archetypal character. That show was very heavy, and I always — maybe this is an incorrect perception of what his purpose was in the show — but I felt like his narrative was there to provide a sense of relief and melodrama and break from the more intellectual aspects of the show. And so I didn’t approach that part as naturalistically. I always saw it in a very specific way: embedded in a Brontë-esque literary history, something larger than life. I never approached it with naturalism. I always approached it within that context of something very heightened and almost like a soap opera, if I’m being honest. And I really enjoyed that, but that was very much the approach for that.
Then for this, it’s obviously something hyper-real. And so it was much less methodical. I would say it was much more about — I would almost black out shooting the show, because I would just let anything happen. I didn’t go in with any kind of plan or agenda of how I wanted anything to go. I would just let each take happen, and whatever happened in that take happened, for better or worse. It was very freeing and very different. It felt right for what the material was, and also the character, who I wanted to feel dynamic and unconstrained. I didn’t want him to feel like somebody who was deciding when to sit and when to pick up his mug.
This character, for obvious reasons, is fuzzy and unreliable in terms of what his background is. In your head, do you have a more definitive backstory, or did you prefer to keep it ambiguous on your end as well?
It’s a really relevant question, I think, to this character and to our process. I tried to be as honest as I could in the scenes themselves and at the same time, when I look back on it now with time, I lean probably a little bit towards the manipulation over the authenticity, or any kind of earnestness in his emotional state. My understanding, especially in how things come together in the edit and all of that, it gives you a new perspective on things. And with some distance, I consider him somebody so purely Machiavellian in his intent. But that could be wrong! That’s a Mickey and Kon question for sure.
Courtesy of HBO
I feel like whenever there’s a con man who’s sexually obsessed with his mark, the spirit of Tom Ripley has entered the room. Were there any influences like that that you were looking to when you were formulating who this person is?
Obviously, I noticed that. And there’s other characters — Steve Jobs in the Aaron Sorkin movie — that Whitney sort of resembles. Tom Ripley is tricky, because Tom Ripley doesn’t share any of the personality traits of Whitney. Tom is, in such a beautiful way, so openly sensitive and vulnerable and fragile. Whitney is the opposite of that. Thematically, I love those kinds of stories. I’ve always been drawn to those kinds of stories, for obvious reasons, I suppose. I don’t know how applicable that is to Whitney.
There were real people in the world, pretty inside baseball people, I guess, that we talked about. But they articulated on the page such a clear person and such an extraordinary role to get to play. I was very conscious the whole time of how unique it was to get to say these words and play somebody this multifaceted and complicated. It’s just very rare, and so I will endlessly be grateful to them for giving me this chance.
Before Whitney and Harper are set on this collision course with each other, they have a sexual encounter where you learn about Whitney’s proclivities. What do you think that scene, which is intimate on multiple levels, reveals about who Whitney is?
I would lean on there being some honesty there in that scene. If only because of the scene that happens later in Episode 6, where he says to Harper, “I wonder if that’s why I showed you so much of myself so quickly.” Which is alluding to that. To me, that feels like an admission of sorts. Because it could be interpreted easily that he’s planted that [strap-on] there to give Harper this moment of empowerment. Maybe he could subconsciously read whatever Freudian desire that she’d been harboring, that she sort of actually states earlier in that episode. It could be that.
What I like about these questions about Whitney is, I actually don’t know the answers. Really. And I didn’t find that prohibitive in playing him, because he is somebody who, however you interpret him, is a performer. That was enough for me to go off.
Watching Episode 7, it really hit home for me just how much the Whitney-Henry relationship is kind of this bizarro version of the Harper-Yasmin relationship. How did you and Kit Harington work together, and work out this dynamic between these two very different people?
I think it was different for both of us. First of all, I’d say that Kit was just a really important person to me in this whole process. He’s just so good, really lifts you up as an actor, but he’s an incredibly kind person and generous person. I was very nervous, intimidated by the whole thing, and kind of out of my depth, I think. And then he made me feel so safe. He was so supportive. It was unbelievable. I couldn’t have done it without him. So I was endlessly grateful to him on a personal level.
On the approach, the character dynamics, I’ll say this. I think, not to speak for [Kit], that [Henry] very much saw Whitney as a father figure, as a paternal figure, and leaned into that a lot in his thinking. For me, I related to Henry more than any other character in the show, in a kind of profound way. I found Henry so close to where I was at in my life, doing the show, going into it.
That was so great for me, because obviously Whitney, whether it’s authentic or not, is interested in this person. That was so easy for me, because I felt he found him so relatable. And that was really great.
Because Whitney, in many ways, possesses tributes I don’t have, and wish I did. But he’s so far away from who I am as a person. He’s got this confidence that’s amazing, this articulation that’s so impressive. It’s fun to pretend to be somebody who could do things you can’t. But at the same time, I was very grateful for how much I connected to Henry, who’s much more of a fool.
Without getting too personal, what did you find relatable about Henry as a character — who is in life circumstances I think most people do not find relatable?
In the broadest terms, I think he’s a very stunted person, and I consider myself, openly, a very stunted person. I don’t know if I dislike that about myself, but I would say I’m definitely frozen a bit in time. I’m not much different talking to you now than I would have been 22 years ago. There’s something interesting about that to me, in the character, that I really identified with. There’s other more personal things I identify with, but it was lovely. And also part of what I loved about this season. Episode 2, which I wasn’t really in, that’s my favorite episode of the season. It’s very much focused on Henry, and I was amazed by what the boys came up with on that one.
Courtesy of HBO
This is also a great episode in terms of the sexual interest that Whitney takes in Henry. Do you read that as Whitney letting the facade slip, or do you see it as another manipulation tactic?
My answer to all these is, I don’t fully know! I think that was very much the initial intent. I could say that. When we first were talking about this and we first started shooting the show, I think it was completely intended to be authentic. I do think things have changed as we shot it. That’s now become much more opaque in a really interesting way. A lot of these things that in the script are maybe a little bit more prescriptive became much more ambiguous. That’s another thing I share with Mickey and Kon is an interest in stuff that’s not didactic. So every time there was a shift towards ambiguity, it was always delightful to me.
Maybe authenticity isn’t the right framing. Whitney is clearly interested in Henry in that way. What do you think draws him to this person who he can clearly see the failings in, but is also pulled toward?
We don’t know the reality of Whitney’s story, but I know that he is not to the manner born at all. He’s an autodidact. He taught himself everything. So I think that’s what it is, you know? He wishes that he had that confidence, the actual innate confidence or comfort of somebody who had a silver spoon in their mouth, even if it was a toxic one. He probably finds even the toxicity rather glamorous and unattainable.
This episode, you also get the car confrontation scene, which unlocks aspects to Whitney we haven’t seen before. It’s the first time we’ve seen him backed into a corner and panicked and not sure what to do. What was it like to play the character in that mode after him being relatively in control for most of the season?
It was really fun. It was all really fun to me. But again, my approach was so consistent, which was, whatever happens in this space is going to happen in this space. And it felt very freeing to approach it like that. It was all quite exciting and unpredictable and also scary, because I didn’t feel a tremendous amount of control over the performance. It sort of felt like it was controlling me a bit. That was nerve wracking, I suppose, but I really enjoy doing that.
I also found it funny. I found it funny when he was so pathetic and I didn’t really know what he was doing. Every time I watched it, I was like, “Oh, that’s what he was doing in that scene!”, if that makes sense. When I saw how pathetic he is when he gets out of the car, he just looks so vulnerable and fragile in a way that I found just very humorous.
You’ve played American characters before, and you live in America. But Whitney is an ultra-American archetype, which plays into his whole Pierpoint spiel and certain things he says in the premiere. As someone who didn’t grow up here, was it interesting for you to step into that kind of person?
Well, I don’t know that Whitney is American.
That’s a good point!
So I didn’t necessarily treat it that way. I treated it as somebody who’s pretending to be something he’s not. And inherently, by me not sounding like me, that’s a very easy way to immediately be like him, right? We don’t know if he might be from Lithuania or somewhere else. We don’t know anything about him. That just never becomes explicit, anyway. So I just assumed he might not be. There’s even little, very subtle things I try to do with the accent to maybe raise that question. Probably in a way that just causes confusion more than anything else! But
I just thought he should have an undefined accent. It should maybe sometimes slip between regions in a way that’s a bit confusing. That was something I thought could be interesting.
“He likes to do a lot of things on social media,” the Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program Monday morning when host Amol Rajan asked him to respond to the president’s intervention. Sarandos added: “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world.”
The remarks came after Trump on Sunday reshared a post by MAGA influencer Laura Loomer calling on him to kill the Netflix-Warner deal, adding that “Netflix should fire racist Trump deranged Susan Rice immediately, or pay the consequences.” Rice, a former Obama administration diplomat, currently sits on the Netflix board.
Sarandos was speaking in London the morning after the BAFTA Film Awards, which he attended, and ahead of a visit to the National Film and Television School, where Netflix is announcing a fresh donation. The streamer has around 320 million subscribers globally, with nearly 20 million in the U.K. alone.
The interview came at a pivotal moment in the contest for Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix tabled an $83 billion bid for the company’s streaming assets on Dec. 5. Three days later, Paramount — led by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison — launched a hostile rival bid for the entire company at $108 billion. The Warner Bros. Discovery board has repeatedly stated its preference for the Netflix offer, but gave Paramount until later Monday to table a best and final bid.
Sarandos made the case for the Netflix deal in blunt terms. “Our deal is growth,” he said, noting the company has spent $6 billion on original programming in the U.K. since 2020 and created 50,000 jobs there. He characterized the Paramount approach as “the classic horizontal media mergers that are always bad for consumers, always bad for creators,” warning that if Paramount’s bid succeeded, Hollywood’s five major studios would be reduced to four. He also noted that Paramount has committed to cutting $6 billion from the business immediately after a deal closes, with an additional $16 billion in cuts needed to delever. “You look at that and think, ‘Wow, this industry will be much smaller under that ownership than it would be under Netflix ownership,’” he said.
Asked by Rajan about the argument he made to Trump for the Netflix deal, Sarandos pointed to its growth credentials. “This is a vertical merger. We’re buying assets that we don’t currently have — a movie studio and a distribution entity,” he said, emphasizing that Netflix would be adding to the market rather than shrinking it.
He also weighed in on the role of sovereign wealth funds in the Paramount consortium, which previously included Jared Kushner. Asked whether it was wrong for foreign governments to hold a financial stake in news networks, Sarandos said: “I think it’s a bad idea, typically.” He noted that some of the Gulf states involved “are not very big on the First Amendment” and said the suggestion that they would exercise no editorial influence over CNN and CBS “seems very odd to me, with the level of investment that we’re talking about.”
On filmmaker James Cameron, who wrote to the chair of the Senate antitrust subcommittee warning that a Netflix acquisition would be “disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business,” Sarandos said he found the intervention “disingenuous.” He said he personally met with Cameron on Dec. 20 and discussed Netflix’s commitment to 45-day theatrical exclusivity for Warner Bros. films. “We spent five minutes of our conversation on that, and we talked mostly about these glasses that he’s developing for Meta to watch movies at home,” Sarandos said. He argued that the average Netflix member watches seven movies a month, compared with the average American’s two cinema visits a year. “If more people see movies, the better, deeper, richer relationship they have with movies,” he said. “I don’t lose any business to the movie theaters.”
Sarandos pushed back on claims that Netflix crowds out homegrown British television, noting the streamer currently has 59 productions under way in the U.K., of which only around 17 are non-British projects. Asked pointedly whether Netflix would ever have made ITV’s “Mr. Bates vs the Post Office,” he replied without hesitation: “I would have made it in a heartbeat. I’m shocked that people use that example.”
On a parliamentary committee proposal that major streamers contribute 5% of their U.K. subscriber revenue to a cultural fund for British-focused drama, Sarandos was skeptical. “Incentive works much better than obligation,” he said, arguing that the U.K. had benefited greatly from production incentives and that adding obligations could undermine those economic gains.
Sarandos identified YouTube as a major competitive force, noting the platform accounts for close to 9% of all television viewing time in the U.K., with 55% of YouTube watching now taking place on TV sets. “That’s a zero sum game — the time that you spend on a connected TV, if you’re watching one app, you’re not watching broadcast, you’re not watching BBC, you’re not watching ITV and you’re not watching any other streaming service, including Netflix,” he said, adding that studios and broadcasters continuing to supply YouTube with free programming while it grows at their expense struck him as counterproductive.
On podcasts, Sarandos described them as a natural evolution of the late-night chat show. “It’s the new generation of chat shows, where you don’t have to make one show that appeals to everybody,” he said, pointing to their lower production costs and more specialized audiences as part of a broader diversification of the entertainment landscape.
COL Group International has formalized a cross-continental distribution structure and expanded its global microdrama catalogue to more than 1,700 titles, the company revealed at Mip London and London Screenings 2026.
The Singapore-headquartered division, which launched last year as the world’s largest dedicated microdrama distribution slate, is now moving into a structured second phase of international growth built around regional distribution alliances spanning MENA, Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
At the center of the new architecture are three distribution agreements. Narativ will oversee deployment across MENA, CIS and Africa, while Harbour Rights takes on Europe and Latin America. In Southeast Asia, Rock Networks has come aboard as the exclusive telco distribution partner for FlareFlow, COL’s flagship app, handling carrier integrations and subscription rollouts across telecom ecosystems in the region.
The company’s content pipeline has grown well beyond its original foundation of 1,000 English and Chinese microdrama series – anchored by Sereal+ and FlareFlow, alongside studio 17K, whose titles have performed strongly on ByteDance-owned HongGuo. The slate now tops 1,700 series, with more than 700 new titles drawn from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the U.K.
Central to this expansion phase is an exclusive global distribution deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, giving COL broader access to premium Middle Eastern and Indian microdrama content. The pipeline also takes in Indian series from Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV – billed as the U.K.’s first dedicated microdrama app – including the title “Dog Dates.” COL said additional regional partnerships and genre rollouts are still in development.
The company said its distribution partners will also gain access to curated premium English and Chinese catalogues from U.S. and international microdrama platforms beyond FlareFlow, positioning COL as what it describes as a neutral global gateway for premium vertical content.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, general manager of COL Group International. “Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience.”
COL Group is a publicly listed Chinese media and entertainment company with interests in content development, production and IP management. In addition to FlareFlow, it is behind ReelShort, one of the pioneering platforms in the U.S. microdrama market.
As the U.K. TV industry scrambles for cash beyond U.S. players, the 2026 London TV Screenings weigh in as a tribute to its resilient status as international’s biggest talent hub.
This year’s line-up takes in upcoming shows by Jack Thorne, George Kay, Chris Brancato and Bill Dubuque, co-creators of “Adolescence,” “Lupin,” “Narcos” and “Ozark.”
Talent attracts talent. Stars in Screenings shows – drawn from their four founders Banijay, Fremantle, ITV Studio and All3Media Intl., plus the BBC, big U.S. players and U.K. and overseas independents – take in Bella Ramsay and Daisy Haggard, Shemar Moore, Catherine Zeta Jones, Brenda Blethyn and Sheridan Smith and Australia’s top-notch Anna Torv and Robyn Malcolm.
To help you cut through the slates, here’s Variety’s pick of 20+ shows that will whet buyers’ appetites:
Anna Pigeon. Courtesy of Michelle Faye/USA Networks
“Anna Pigeon” (Cineflix Rights)
A banner title in USA Networks’ drive into character-driven blue-sky procedurals – and there’s a huge expanse of blue sky in the Alberta locations where “Anna Pigeon” shot, if a trailer dropped last October is anything to go by. “Out here, you can leave your past behind,” says Anna, She needs to. After tragic loss, she starts over as an itinerant crime-solving park warden, her halting recovery endowing a multi-episode backbone. Cineflix Right’s big LTVS scripted play and Versant-owned USA Network’s first co-commission with Canada’s Bell Media. Tracy Spiridakos, “Chicago P.D.” lead over 2017-24, plays Anna. Morwyn Brebner (“Coroner,” “Rookie Blue”) showruns.
“California Avenue” (Mediawan Rights)
Starring Bill Nighy (“Living,” “About Time”), Helena Bonham Carter (“(The Crown,” “Nolly”) and Erin Doherty (“The Crown,” “Adolescence”) and Tom Burke (“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,”), a series reuniting Hugo Blick, Drama Republic, Eight Rooks and the BBC following “The English,” “The Honourable Woman” and “Black Earth Rising.” Seeking a fresh start, Lela and her daughter join a canal-side caravan community, as Lela reconnects with estranged parents and falls for Cooper. But the life she escaped begins to hunt her down. 1970s-set, “a riveting family saga featuring A-list talent,” says Mediawan. A humor-fuelled “world of precious relationships and unexpected revelations,” adds producer Greg Brenman at Drama Republic.
“The Cage” (Fremantle)
A powerful package: Written and created by Tony Schumacher (“The Responder”), fronted by Sheridan Smith (“Mrs Biggs,” “Cilla,” “She Fought the Law”) and Michael Socha, star of Sean Meadows’ “This Is England” saga and “The Gallows Pole.” And produced by high-flying Element Pictures, behind “Poor Things,” “Room” and “Normal People.” Smith and Socha play Leannie and Matty, a single mum and compulsive gambler who skim cash from the safe of their Liverpool Casino, soon with the mob and police on their tail. Expect a taut crime drama, “high-stakes and high-energy,” says Fremantle, which stands out from the pack by its illuminating performances, a story of “two unforgettable characters” and its heart, through crime thriller/ family drama blending.
“Careless,” (All3Media International)
Billed by All3Media Intl. as “bold, provocative and relentlessly compelling,” a psychological thriller with Scottish backpacker determining to become carer to a notorious rock’n’roll legend Mike. He gets the gig, ingratiates himself but his real intentions may put Mike and wife Angela in grave danger. Fronted by Solly McLeod (“House of the Dragon”), Robyn Malcolm “After the Party”), Katie Leung (“Bridgerton”) and Richard Roxburgh (“Rake”) a mystery thriller which promises engrossing top-notch performances. Made for Australia’s Stan and the U.K’s Channel 4 and created by Helen Fitzgerald (“The Cry”) and Louise Fox (“Broadchurch”) for Easy Tiger Productions (“Colin From Accounts”) and “The Tattoo of Auschwitz” maker Synchronicity Films.
“The Center,” (Movistar Plus+ International)
From tandem creator David Moreno and director David Ulloa, who broke out with Canneseries gangster saga “The Immortal,” set at Spain’s Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, “The Center2 weighs in as a fast-paced country-hopping espionage thriller. It surprises, however, with three Movistar Plus+ hallmarks: Auteurist originality, character focus, and high production values. Ep. 2 kicks in, for instance, with fears of a sleeper at the CNI. Its identity is known before the episode plays out. The personal constantly interrupts the professional. And no scene is too humdrum not to be stylishly shot, as the series shuttles from one new location to another to another.
“Deadpoint” (BBC Studios)
A powerful package fronted by Callum Scott Howells (“It’s a Sin”) and Christine Tremarco (“Adolescence”) from “Baby Reindeer” and “Misfits” producer Clerkenwell. Despite a pathological fear of climbing after a tragic accident, Aaron sets off to rescue sister Seren in stunning Snowdonia, colliding with a far-right faction plotting a violent outrage in the local mountains. “A fresh, timely take on the action thriller in the beautiful, brutal Welsh mountain setting, a side of Britain never seen before, and full of nerve-shredding, propulsive cliffhangers (sometimes literally),” says BBC Studios. Marco Kreuzpaintner (“Those About to Die”) lead directs.
“Dustfall” (Federation Entertainment)
Selected for 2026 Series Mania main competition and starring “The Newsreader’s” Anna Torv, a Primetime Emmy nominee for “The Last of Us.” Here, she plays detective Tig Pollard investigating how 18-year-old Edie is found naked in a cane field with no memory of how she got there. Pollard’s “deep sense of justice is challenged by a world where victims are doubted, predators hide in plain sight, and the legal system too often falls short,” says Federation. A prime premium series, chicly shot with cinematographic ambition, produced by Soapbox Pictures and Moonriver TV Production for Australian broadcast network ABC in association with the BBC. Emma Freeman (“The Newsreader”) directs.
“The Five-Star Weekend” (NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution)
The upcoming Peacock drama series is fronted by “Alias” star Jennifer Garner as an impeccable lifestyle influencer who after devastating loss stages a weekend getaway in Nantucket with best friends. “However, the curated coastal escape quickly turns into a tumultuous reckoning,” says the synopsis. Readying for an exclusive first-look unveil in London, also starring Chloë Sevigny and Regina Hall, produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Elin Hilderbrand. The series is created by Bekah Brunstetter, a writer on “This Is Us” and “American Gods.”
“Hit Point” (Studiocanal)
One of Studiocanal’s four action titles at LTVS, along with the Ronan Bennett Jean-Pierre Melville makeover “Army of Shadows,” “Apollo Has Fallen” and “Spinners” Season 2. Detectives Leo (Nick Blood, “Day of the Jackal”) and Bella (Saffron Hocking, “Top Boy”) trace their latest case into London’s underworld. Just wrapped production and not your average cop-show, Studiocanal argues, but a much grittier action thriller with intertwined edge of your seat action and sizzling romance. From Howard Overman, writer of “War of the Worlds” and the “Paris Has Fallen” franchise, and Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy and Overman for Urban Myth Films, producing for UKTV.
The Hunt: Prey vs. Predator
“The Hunt:Prey vs. Predator” (Seven.One Studios International)
Set for a first episode unveil in London, a reality adventure competition unfolding “deep in a vast unforgiving forest” where 10 contestants are dropped into a real world game of hide-and seek. Developed by Redseven Entertainment and now produced simultaneously for the U.K. Channel 4 and Germany’s Prosieben and its VOD service Joyn. “With in-house developments such as ‘Married at First Sight,’ we have already created global reality hits. ‘The Hunt’ is a promising new format The adaptation for the British and German markets by our production subsidiaries and distribution by Seven.One Studios International demonstrate the creative exchange and strength of Seven.One Studios,” says Henrik Pabst, CEO of Seven.One Studios.
“The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” (CJ ENM)
Park Ji-hoon (“Flower of Evil”) stars as Kang Sung-jae, a young man from the bottom rung of Korea’s social ladder who enlists to escape a harsh reality, only to stumble upon a mysterious virtual “Quest” system that sets him on an unlikely path to becoming a legendary army cook. From the cookhouse to the dormitories and training grounds, each mission he clears peels back the base’s hidden secrets — including those surrounding his father’s death. Yoon Kyung-ho co-stars in this high-concept military comedy-fantasy, directed by Jo Nam-hyeong and written by Choi Ryong, produced by Studio Dragon and Studio N as a TVING Original series.
David Harewood
Getty Images
“Pierre” (Sphere Abacus)
Fronted by David Harewood – known for “Homeland,” “Sherwood” and “Supergirl” – in his first lead role in a 40-year career. Here, he plays Pierre, a West London duty solicitor shaken up by the suspicious death of a young black client, and now prepared, as Harewood told Variety“to walk through fire to do the right thing.” “For the first time, I’ve been able to show my full range: the funny, the serious, the clever and the witty. The husband, the dedicated father, the public servant,” he added. “Pierre” is produced by The Lighthouse for Channel 4, with Sarmad Masud (“Boarders”) lead directing.
‘Maxima’ Season 2
‘Maxima’ Season 2 Delfina Chaves as Maxima @Millstreet_Films credit Mark de Blok
“Maxima,” Season 2
Some fairytales end with a royal wedding. Season 2 of “Maxima” starts with one, Variety has observed. Maxima, a bundle of nerves when just about to marry Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, asks if she’s ready to serve 17 million people. Racing towards the couple’s coronation, the series takes in the birth of daughters and the Apeldoorn royal family attack but the most constant drama of “Maxima” Season 2, is how Maxima can carry out her responsibilities as a wife, mother and future Queen while retaining her own voice. One of Europe’s major post-peak TV sales hits, now sold by Beta Films to over 85 territories, and generating a first spinoff.
M.I.A. — “American Immigrant” Episode 103 — Pictured: (l-r) Brittany Adebumola as Lovely, Shannon Gisela as Etta, Dyaln Jackson as Stanley — (Photo by: Peacock)
Peacock
“M.I.A.” (Paramount Global Content Distribution)
From “Ozark” co-creator Bill Dubuque and MRC, behind Peacock hit “Poker Face,” M.I.A.,” a Peacock crime drama-thriller, delivers the origin story of Etta Tiger Jonze who, after her family’s murder, sets out to take down one of Miami’s most powerful cartels. “Etta’s pursuit for revenge will push her to the edge, defining who she is and what she’s ultimately capable of,” the synopsis runs. Shannon Gisela stars along with a starry supporting cast taking in Cary Elwes, Edward James Olmos, Alberto Guerra, Billy Burke and Sonia Braga. “M.I.A” will screen for the first time at the LTVS.
Number 1 Fan
“Number One Fan,” (Keshet Intl.)
Keshet Intl.’s first English-language pickup this side of COVID, a seemingly light drama for very early stretches about morning show host Lucy, the nation’s BFF whose meets simpering Donna, who declares herself Lucy’s Number One Fan. But her fandom turns to a darker obsession as Donna abducts Lucy’s daughter and reveals she knows Lucy’s terrible hidden secret which could derail her career and life. Billed by Keshet Intl. as a high-stakes psychological duel starring Jill Halfpenny (“The Long Shadow”) and Sally Lindsay (“The Madame Blanc Mysteries”), produced by Clapperboard for 5, directed by Paul Wilmshurst, who helmed episodes of “The Day of the Jackal” and “The Last Kingdom” and lead written by Rachel Kilfeather (“Vikings: Valhalla”).
The Others. Photo Credit: Manoella Mello
“The Others,” Season 3 (Globo)
Fresh off scoring the Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award at Berlinale Series Market with “Emergency 53,” Globoplay is now readying Season 3 of one of its rapidly consolidating greatest scripted franchises to date: “The Others,” from “Under Pressure” writer Lucas Paraizo. Here, after robbing Sérgio’s casino, Cibele (Adriana Esteves) and Marcinho (Antonio Haddad) skedaddle to a quiet mountain community with Tavares (Cadu Fávero) in hot pursuit. “What at first seems like an idyllic place is also permeated by intolerance,” Paraizo has told Variety. Major Brazilian star Lázaro Ramos plays a new neighbor in a Season 3 which also talks about “humans and nature,” Paraizo added.
Lula Cotton FRAPIER
Caroline Dubois
“Sorority” (TV France Distribution)
Starring Lula Cotton-Frapier, seen in Dominik Moll’s “The Night of the 12th” which swept France’s 2023 César Awards, “Sorority” is set in 1889 Paris, delivering the tale of two women, a nanny and mid-wife, who join forces with a third, grieving the loss of her child. Together they seek to “carve out a place for themselves in a male-dominated world and claim their freedom,” the synopsis runs. Written by Alexandra Echkenazi (“Simon Coleman”) and directed by Savina Dellicour who helmed two episodes of breakout Netflix 2023 hit “Who Is Erin Carter?” Liberty TV produced for France Télévisions this period drama, a genre in which the French public broadcaster excels.
S.W.A.T. Exiles – Season 1 – Episode 102 — Photo Credit: Kit Karzen/Sony Pictures Television
Kit Karzen/Sony Pictures Television
“S.W.A.T. Exiles” (Sony Pictures Television)
Still starring Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson and one of the big LTVS conversation drivers, a spinoff which has “big epic action,”· but “pushes it into more personal territory,’ showrunner-EP Jason Ning has told Variety.SPTs biggest bet at the Screenings, with Harrelson pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance, experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits. An action thriller that’s about the Gen X/Gen Z cultural divide, as SPT’s Katherine Pope has observed, as well as Hondo’s battle to preserve his legacy and sense of self. Part of a foreseeable star-studded SPT showcase on Thursday.
“Two Weeks in August”
Courtesy of ITV Studios
“Two Weeks in August,” (ITV Studios)
“Call the Midwife” star Raine plays Zoe, on a two-week vacation at an idyllic Greek villa where an impulsive kiss sends the holiday spiralling towards nightmare. “Zoe’s a devoted wife, a mother and a carer but the story is really about what happens when she acts on her deepest desires,” ITV Studios’ Tom Clarke tells Variety. A very contempo relationship drama acquiring a survival thriller edge in later stretches, from “I May Destroy You,” producer Various Artists Limited (VAL) for the BBC in association with ITV Studios and creator-writer Catherine Shepherd who co-wrote Apple TV+ hit “The Shrink Next Door.” 103
J.K. Simmons in The Westies
“The Westies” (Fifth Season/MGM+)
Produced by MGM+ Studios and created by “Narcos” co-creator Chris Brancato and writing partner Michael Panes and fronted by a powerful key cast led by J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”), Titus Welliver (“Bosch”), Jessica Frances Dukes (“Ozark”), the ‘80s Hell’s Kitchen-set chronicle of its violent home-turf gang battling with the mafia to share the spoils of the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center. Helmed by “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones” director Alan Taylor. “It’s sharp, character-driven storytelling set against the gritty pulse of 1980s New York, with all the ambition and edge you want from a world like this,” says Fifth Season’s Jennifer Ebell.
Along with the Jack Thorne-created “Falling,” one of two big, big titles from the Banijay-owned The Forge Entertainment at LTVS, handled by Banijay Rights and just annouced as a Britbox pickup for the U.S.. 1911, a young Emma Harte works at a stately home in Yorkshire. New York, the 1970s, Harte is now the world’s richest woman, surveying her empire from a luxurious penthouse. Reimagining Channel 4’s record-breaking smash hit, now led by “Vera” star Brenda Blethyn, adapting the first half of Barbara Taylor Bradford best-selling first novel in the series but expanding the canvas of the original TV series. A foreseeably ravishing down-the-decades tale of revenge, ambition and one woman’s empowerment and – ultimately – love and reconciliation.
As Banijay‘s chief content officer, development James Townley is responsible for not resting on those laurels and instead driving the development and creation of original non-scripted intellectual property (IP), format acquisitions and documentaries across the company’s 23 territories and its network of production banners. Co-leading the firm’s unscripted unit Creative Networks, “he supports and champions a strong pipeline of new formats with international appeal,” Banijay says. “He also manages group-level investment in non-scripted via the company’s Creative Fund and internal creative incentivization schemes.”
Townley, who previously served as global head of Creative Networks at Endemol Shine Group, as Endemol Shine U.K.’s director of operations and held roles at Princess Productions and Sky, has a particularly busy week ahead. On Monday afternoon, he will be part of a MIP London panel entitled “Disruption in Formats Acquisitions and Sales,” and on Wednesday, Banijay’s London TV Screenings events take place.
Ahead of London’s big annual TV week, THR talked to Townley about the state of unscripted content, cross-collaboration across Banijay, the company’s London TV Screenings lineup, including sport adventure reality format Football Island, culinary competition 100 Knives, quiz show How Old Is Your Brain?, and psychological reality game The Dinner.
How do you approach your role, given the size and reach of Banijay across its various territories?
It is a significant footprint, and the beautiful thing about having around 130 production companies is that it’s about that creative community. They’ve all got their own identity. But in that creative community, what we’re fully focused on now is creation. It’s about taking advantage of opportunities, because we’re still working in a very risk-averse market. So we are working on the development and creation of big new shows to launch globally to complement our current catalog, and in the industry’s current catalog of big shows.
So, we’re looking for what’s our next MasterChef, what’s our next BigBrother, our next Survivor. They all sit at the top of their genres, whether it is competitive reality, whether it is adventure, whether it’s romantic reality, or the world of social experiment. Reality feels like it is still absolutely king.
‘100 Knives’
What are the key opportunities you see in this risk-averse market you mentioned?
I think there are opportunities because we’re able to do co-development, collaborations, partnerships, and these have been really, really successful. And when we spot a new embryonic creation, we’re really lucky in that we have an internal investment creative fund with which we can supercharge those new ideas and try and get them launched with a partner somewhere in the world.
Absolutely, that big new IP that can sit alongside current super brands. And whether it is reality and all those sub-sections of reality, or whether it is the next big quiz, game or talent show, there’s opportunity.
Coming into the [soccer] World Cup, you will probably hear everyone talking about how expensive sports rights are. But we also know that it’s not just about those. Those channels need more than sports to complement those live events.
Your team at Banijay has talked about finding new hits in that space where sports and entertainment meet, right?
The infamous “where sport meets entertainment” – I present to you: sportainment! We’ve got a big show coming out of Holland called Football Island, a collaboration between SimpelZodiak and Southfields for Videoland. The clue is in the title. Yes, it absolutely is under the banner of football [aka soccer]. I think football fans, certainly Dutch football fans, will watch that show. There’s fantastic talent. What we want to do, though, is to bring in that family viewing audience. We want them to watch it for other layers that are in that format. The show has that survival element, with 13 Dutch ex-footballers stuck on the island, and they talk about a lot of stories from when they were players on the field, but also off the field.
I guess it’s a special twist on Survivor and the like. Any other new twists you are presenting to the market?
As the home of MasterChef, we’re always looking for ideas under this banner of big, competitive reality food shows. And we’ve got one from Mastiff Sweden, Bunim/Murray Productions and Smart Dog Media [for TV4] called 100 Knives, which has just shot in Sweden. It really looks fantastic.
The twist is essentially that it’s not about individuals at all. It’s about teams. They’re actually called brigades in the format. So, there’s that competitive element. But what I love about it is the camaraderie of bringing people together. Audiences are incredibly savvy, and I think we have to bring that positive tone, that tone of where you are stronger together and people wanting other people to succeed. We’ve seen lots of reality shows where everyone’s competitive, and there’s the evil contributor on the side – absolutely, there still is that element when you have a competition. But what I love about 100 Knives is brigades all working together, and the bond that they develop.
What’s also fantastic is that it’s got real scale, but we have the ability to produce it as a huge scale show, a medium scale show, or a slightly smaller show. So we can fit these formats to various global needs, because each territory is slightly different.
‘Football Island’
Any other new themes or trends you are seeing?
In the vein of entertaining audiences, comedy entertainment is something we’re really keen on. It’s no secret that Amazon has had huge success with LOL, and we’re lucky to produce that in 11 territories. We’re keen to work on comedy entertainment inside the studio, comedy entertainment outside the studio, and hybrid formats that have a comedy entertainment edge. There’s a big show coming from Metronome in Denmark called Who’s Guilty?, which is filming as we speak. That is using comedians and celebrities who have to guess who the guilty comedian is. [In each episode, a group of comedians is thrown into a fictional crime and interrogated in a courtroom in front of a celebrity jury. One comedian is secretly assigned to play the guilty party; the others are innocent, but they all work together to convince the jury to convict one of them of the crime.]
So, how do you balance the familiar and popular, in this case, maybe a dash of The Traitors, with the new?
There are some big psychological reality shows in our industry, such as The Traitors. And when we are creating these big shows, you have to make sure they’ve got their own DNA. You have to make sure that they stand on their own. You have to [look for] what’s the new unique element. They’ve got to have this element.
Banijay is also working with third-party partners on some of their big IPs, right?
That is also a huge priority for the business. We’ve seen such success from LEGO Masters in the past in that regard. So we nurture that third-party format and are always looking for new partners. Other third-party successes include [strategic reality format] Werewolves, Ninja Warrior, and [digital-first format] All Star Hide and Seek.
Our teams within Banijay want to work on the best formats, and our partners want to create the best formats and work with the best people. I talked about 100 Knives and the brigades. It feels like we’re creating quite a few internal brigades in that regard. We’re just trying to bring everyone together, because there’s so much that these teams learn and that they can share – on third-party and our own [IP].
‘Ninja Warrior’
Who is willing to take risks in this risk-averse market?
Probably from our pipeline’s point of view, the streamers are the ones who are taking the biggest swings. When we are launching a huge amount of new IP, actually, sometimes the hardest part is to prioritize what we feel is the biggest international hit of the future.
You can’t wait to make a format strong. You have to make it strong before it launches. If you don’t put the time and effort into it at Base Camp One, it will die, it will fizzle out in an industry and in a content market that is as competitive as it has ever been. So, we really do put a huge amount of time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and investment into those potential opportunities that we can see traveling around the world.
In the U.K., at the moment, we have The Summit on ITV, which is a format that’s now traveled to nearly 10 territories, having originated in Australia. [The ITV version sees 14 strangers trying to summit a mountain in New Zealand, competing in a test of resilience and strategy. “Can teamwork prevail or will £200,000 ($270,000) tempt betrayal?” asks a synopsis.) The Australian team didn’t take a few weeks to come up with that format. It was in their pipeline for 18 months of rigorous development and investment stages.
What do you think is appealing to audiences about non-scripted shows?
It’s still escapism, nostalgia. Because the news is not always the most positive, that is appealing. And for others, they’re just a brand new audience that has never seen anything like this before.
But you have to keep formats fresh. One in particular that seems to be hugely successful out in the U.S. is [the Fear Factor revival] Fear Factor: House of Fear with Johnny Knoxville, which has done brilliantly in overnight numbers that apparently no one cares about anymore. And it is also incredibly successful on Hulu. And I think where you have that opportunity to drive audiences to [networks and] streaming, so you have a dual purpose, that’s great.
I heard you will also be talking about a new format called The Dinner this week. What’s that about?
The Dinner isn’t really about the dinner and what you eat. It’s a fantastic partnership of SimpelZodiak and Talpa Studios [for SBS6] that has elements of psychological and strategic reality. It’s also one of those scenarios where it’s like a mirror moment for the audience. You know, when you sit with friends around a dinner table, there are always friends who’ve got lots of different stories. But in this particular case, it’s more of a game show where money is at stake. The individuals, who in this particular case are celebrities, are telling stories, and the other diners at the table have to guess whether that story is real or fake.
There are some fantastic stories in there, and some of them you just would never, ever believe were true. It’s incredibly watchable and very bingeable as well. We’ve got a great legacy with panel shows. So we have the expertise and know how we can appeal to audiences, but now put it into a totally different environment. And if you get the cast right, it’s fantastic, so the casting is absolutely integral. And this one is very addictive. It doesn’t need to be a quiz show to play along at home, so this is a way to bring the family together.
‘Werewolves’
Speaking of quizzes: any new quiz formats?
Our team at DMLS in France has created a show originally called Brain Master, which is now known as How Old Is Your Brain? What’s great about it is that you have all these different questions, so people can play along together at home. It’s a great quiz that goes across all sorts of demographics. And there is a little sidebar for the format with a scientist giving you tips and tricks on how to keep your brain fresh. So you get a little bit of science into it, as well as the game show, making it a hybrid.
You mentioned the opportunity to super-charge hot ideas with your fund. Can you tell me a bit more about that fund?
The very-well stocked Creative Fund we have is there to invest solely in creativity, because that sits absolutely at the heart of what we all do. The people who have the creativity sit at the heart. When we are looking for those big, new ideas, we set up various creative initiatives.
Last year, we launched the Genre Accelerator Fund that is really simple. We have six genres, in which we feel there is a multi-territory, multi-buyer opportunity: romantic reality, adventure reality, quiz and game shows, talent shows, sportainment, and social experiment. And we asked every single non-scripted label at Banijay to submit one big idea. They were allowed to decide which genre they wanted to submit to, and we chose a winner whose bounty was an investment in that idea. So we ended up with six winners, and we’re currently talking with all of them at the moment about the best use of that investment. Some are further down the line than others.
Banijay has talked about using AI in the development of shows. What role does AI play in some of the shows/formats Banijay is showcasing at the London TV Screenings – whether on screen or in the development and production process?
AI is increasingly part of our creative workflow, both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, and you’ll see that reflected across our London TV Screenings showcase this week. A ground-breaking example is Staying Alive, our new music entertainment format from EndemolShine Germany, where cutting-edge technology enables today’s artists to perform showstopping duets with legendary voices like Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Freddie Mercury. Creating a performance entertainment format like that simply wasn’t possible before. Beyond that, AI now helps our teams visualize concepts faster, streamline production, and unlock new ways to elevate storytelling and amplify creativity.
Anything else you’d like to highlight?
You have to hook people early, and you have to give them what they want. But sometimes the premise of a format can be incredibly simple, and that’s the beauty of it. Staying Alive is an example of that.
The beautiful thing about the Banijay pipeline and the new shows is that it is not monotonous, and we’re always looking for what is different enough from everything else, not only within our catalog, but within the world.
China’s theatrical market surged during the Lunar New Year holiday period (Feb. 17–22), earning RMB4.47 billion ($647.4 million) over the six-day frame, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
The period was led by a slate of major simultaneous releases that debuted on Tuesday, propelling the territory to temporarily become the world’s top-grossing film market for 2026. Racing-comedy “Pegasus 3” emerged as the runaway champion, amassing $369.3 million in its first six days. Directed by Han Han and starring Shen Teng, the third installment in the franchise follows racer Zhang Chi as he leads an underdog national team into the international Muchen 100 Rally.
Zhang Yimou’s espionage thriller “Scare Out” secured the second spot for the holiday period, earning $110.7 million. Starring Jackson Yee and Zhu Yilong, the film centers on a high-stakes counterintelligence operation to plug a leak of classified data.
In third, martial arts epic “Blades of the Guardians” took in $97.3 million (RMB 691.0 million). Directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and Jet Li, the adaptation of the popular manhua follows a skilled mercenary named Dao Ma as he treks across the harsh deserts of the Western Regions. Tasked by a benefactor with an escort mission, he must safely transport a mysterious fugitive to Chang’an, unknowingly becoming caught in a perilous scheme with national consequences.
Animation staple “Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector” followed in fourth with $89.7 million (RMB 637.0 million). The 12th feature film in the Fantawild franchise sees Briar, Bramble and Vick embark on a new adventure in Eve City.
Jackie Chan’s action-comedy sequel “Panda Plan 2” rounded out the holiday top five with $24.6 million (RMB 175.0 million). Directed by Derek Hui, the film follows Chan as he protects the beloved panda Hu Hu from international thieves after stumbling upon a hidden primitive tribe that hails the panda as a divine key to their survival.
While the 2026 year-to-date revenue of $1.08 billion is currently down 64.6% from the 2025 period, the holiday surge has significantly narrowed the gap for the spring season.
The former Prince Andrew, who is the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and brother of King Charles III, was arrested in the U.K. three days ago on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released after several hours in custody.
Police arrested him after emails came to light as part of the Epstein files being released by the U.S. Department of Justice. His ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have put him under scrutiny for years, leading to his being stripped of his royal titles, including that of Prince and also the Duke of York.
On his HBO show Sunday, Oliver showed video from a news report wherein the reporter noted that the arrest came after “growing revelations about the alleged connections” between the two men. The report showed a photo of Epstein and Andrew walking side by side, appearing to be in conversation.
Said Oliver: “It’s true, they arrested former Prince Andrew, and I don’t know why they’re still going with ‘alleged’ connections to Epstein there, while also running a photo that makes them look like the two closest friends I’ve ever seen. It looks like they’re brainstorming a new podcast. It looks like Andrew’s soft-launching, ‘Hey, would it be crazy if we moved in together?’ I’m just saying, maybe drop the ‘alleged’ part when you’re dealing with two guys that look so close they could finish each other’s prison sentences.”
Oliver continued: “And if you’re thinking, ‘Well, what was the new revelation that did it? Was it the grotesque new photo of Andrew on all fours over a young woman? Incredibly, no, it was apparently this.”
He then showed a clip from another news report noting that the arrest reportedly was linked to emails that Andrew forwarded to Epstein when the former was the U.K. trade envoy. Some of the emails were dated 2010, which was after Epstein’s conviction, and contained files from Andrew’s trips overseas.
“Yeah, they got him on forwarding documents, which is a little underwhelming,” Oliver said. “Though, to be honest, when it comes to bringing down monsters, I don’t really care if it’s for a boring computer crime, the same way I’m not that mad if what finally ends a toddler throwing a tantrum is a cardboard box [on his head]. The method doesn’t matter. What’s important is, you have been stopped.”
“Now, Andrew has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing and has been released, although that does not mean he’s been found not guilty,” Oliver added, showing the widely circulated photo of Andrew being released from custody, in which he can be seen slumped down in the backseat of a car. “All we really have to go on right now is this fantastic picture of him leaving custody, and you can draw your own conclusions there. Reasonable people can disagree on whether this makes him look guilty — or dead.”
Oliver then showed a report from the Australian version of 60 Minutes in which a former officer who was assigned to guard Andrew hesitantly revealed that the nickname given to him by some of his staffers was “the c***.”
“According to that guy, that was Andrew’s unofficial nickname, and it’s a little weird he was so wary of saying that word on TV given he was appearing on Australia’s 60 Minutes, and Australians say c*** all the time. I’m pretty sure Bluey’s said it at least three times,” Oliver joked.
An experienced cinematographer before he turned to directing, Warwick Thornton has a feel for the Central Australian desert and the craggy MacDonnell Ranges that’s both epic and intimate. His refined sense of composition is directly informed by the landscape around Alice Springs where he grew up and his subcutaneous connection to it imbues his films with soulful beauty. Wolfram is no exception. A four-chapter saga of escape, pursuit and survival, the film, for all its brutality, ultimately becomes less a lament for stolen lands and stolen children than a stirring account of endurance.
Family and community are the thematic foundation of this sequel of sorts to Thornton’s 2017 drama Sweet Country, again co-written by Steven McGregor and David Tranter. It picks up a few years after the events of the earlier film in and around the same fictional Northern Territory town of Henry, though all but two of the principal characters here are different. That gives the two movies the feel of a shared ancestral map, marked by overlaps and diverging tangents.
Wolfram
The Bottom Line
Not without flaws, but equal parts haunting and healing.
Venue: Berlin Film Festival (Competition) Cast: Deborah Mailman, Erroll Shand, Joe Bird, Thomas M. Wright, Matt Nable, Pedrea Jackson, Eli Hart, Hazel May Jackson, Ferdinand Hoang, Jason Chong, Aiden Du Chiem, John Howard, Anni Finsterer, Luka May Glynn-Cole, Gibson John, Natassia Gorey-Furber Director: Warwick Thornton Screenwriters: Steven McGregor, David Tranter
1 hour 42 minutes
The nominal center this time is Pansy, played with an expressive gaze and few words by the invaluable Deborah Mailman, first seen clutching her newborn and hacking off locks of her hair with a rusty knife. With minimal preamble or exposition, Pansy and new partner Zhang (Jason Chong) set off on a horse and cart for Queensland, their last shot at finding her lost children. She beads the braids of hair with seeds, hanging them on shrubs to mark the way, like a trail of breadcrumbs.
Meanwhile, Indigenous child laborers Max (Hazel May Jackson) and Kid (Eli Hart) chip away at the walls of a tight mine shaft, removing chunks of the ore used to make wolfram (now more commonly known as tungsten) for their ill-tempered boss Billy (Matt Nable).
A separate thread follows the arrival in Henry of criminals Casey (Erroll Shand) and Frank (Joe Bird), all mean attitude and swagger as they look to stake a claim in the area and prospect for gold. Ignoring the advice of the local storekeeper (John Howard) to avoid the back trails where they are likely to encounter “wild Blackfellas,” they head off in that direction. When they come upon young Max, left behind to keep an eye on Billy’s camp, Casey and Frank rob the camp and forcibly take the child with them.
Once Kid discovers his sibling is gone, he steals a donkey from the mining site and goes after him, his exit timing helped by a convenient snake bite.
Further off the dusty track on a run-down cattle station, belligerent drunk Kennedy (Thomas M. Wright) benefits from the virtual slave labor of his 18-year-old mixed-race son Philomac (Pedrea Jackson), the two main characters carried over from Sweet Country. (Philomac, then 14, was played by twins Tremayne and Trevon Doolan.)
When Casey and Frank roll up, they pretty much take over, claiming they found Max wandering alone. Kennedy is oddly deferential to the strangers as they start antagonizing Philomac, whose suspicions about them are confirmed when he talks to Max alone.
Just as he did in Sweet Country, Thornton evokes the Old West-style lawlessness of the time and place, particularly as sneering villain Casey and cocky dope Frank go from vaguely menacing to outright ruthless. Their heartless treatment of Black petty thief Archie (Gibson John), another Sweet Country holdover, shocks Philomac into action as the movie shifts gears into a chase thriller. Blood is shed in killings both horrific and gratifying. In the latter case, Thornton reclaims the dignity of First Nations Australians with a rousing image of strength.
Much of the story comes from oral history passed down by his great-grandfather to Tranter, whose family roots on both sides — Indigenous and Chinese — come into play. That said, the narrative feels a tad shapeless at times and the plot turns — one surprise revelation in Part Four aside — often familiar.
The number of significant characters and story strands makes it a challenge for the director and writers to settle on a focus and maintain it until the threads are stitched together. But even when it ambles along rather than races, the movie’s heart and integrity keep Wolfram engrossing, buoyed by sterling work from the entire cast.
Pedrea Jackson, sporting an excellent mustache, is a standout as Philomac, contemplative, observant, simmering with indignation and longing to be with his people; Shand makes Casey chillingly contemptible, treating the Aboriginal characters like animals; despite her role being largely symbolic, Mailman is enormously touching, her grace and quiet fortitude standing in for countless mothers whose children were taken from them; and the young actors playing Max and Kid are terrific.
Two Chinese gold prospectors introduced toward the end, Shi (Ferdinand Hoang) and Jimmi (Aiden Du Chiem), indicate the sense of solidarity among victims of discrimination. They become a key part of an affecting conclusion, which maybe ties up the story too neatly, but few will be unmoved by seeing people so dehumanized by colonial rule show their resilience.
Thornton once again serves as his own DP, drawing texture from the rich palette of reds, oranges, golds and browns in the sun-blasted landscape. The movie has no original score as such but makes distinctively atmospheric use of Charlie Barker’s saw playing. The director has still not surpassed the poetic simplicity of his lauded 2009 debut, Samson & Delilah. But Wolfram represents a very solid entry in his impressive body of work and a return to form after his more uneven last feature, The New Boy.
The United States was always going to have a good Winter Games. The country jumped from sixth in the medal count to second between the 1998 Nagano Games and the 2002 Salt Lake Games and has been holding in the top five ever since — thanks to impressive results in relatively newer disciplines like snowboarding and curling and newfound competitiveness in classic realms like bobsledding and speed skating.
In Milan Cortina, the United States managed 33 medals, good for second overall and the most ever for the country at a Games outside North America. When you’re out-medaling Germany and the Netherlands at winter sports, you’re doing something right.
But it’s not just how many you win — it’s how you win. And the U.S. had some truly wild and miraculous triumphs, from a figure skater who had been retired just two years go to a cross-country skier who raced with a badly damaged rib to a TikToker who waited at the last possible moment to grab his gold. Here in ascending order are Team USA’s seven most inspirational moments (from among many) as they played out on Peacock/NBC over the past two weeks. Read it and feel all over again.
7. The U.S. Women’s Hockey Team Wins Gold By Beating Canada in OT
In one sense, the U.S. women’s hockey gold was not a surprise: The team had come in a favorite and only got hotter from there, outscoring opponents 31-1 in the six games entering the final. But in another sense, the victory over Canada on Thursday night at Santagiulia Arena was a stone-cold shocker. The U.S. was down 1-0 to its archival with the clock coming up on two minutes and superstar goalie Aerin Frankel heading to the bench. Canada had beaten the U.S. in five of the previous seven gold-medal games they played, and it was about to be a sixth.
Then the improbable happened. Veteran captain Hilary Knight tipped in a Laila Edwards shot to tie the score with 2:04 left and send the game into OT. That led to the snapshot moment: Taylor Heise springing Megan Keller with a stretch pass that the streaking defender took before deking a Canadian defender and tucking the puck into the goal on her backhand. Narrative reversed — the U.S. now had its third gold medal and a possible sendoff of sendoffs to a possibly retiring Knight. It was just a prelude of what was to come between the two hockey powers, but it was plenty gratifying in its own right.
6. Jessie Diggins Skis 10 Kilometers — and Medals — While in Agonizing Rib Pain
Remember that time you had a cold and didn’t go to work? Jessie Diggins may have something to say to you. The decorated U.S. cross-country skier (she previously was a part of the best television Olympics moment of the 2010s with the stir-to-patriotism “Here comes Diggins” in PyeongChang) had badly bruised a rib in a nasty crash in skiathlon at the start of this Games. She seemed done, destined to head into retirement with her memories and three previous medals. “It’s easy to stress and think ‘this isn’t how it was supposed to happen,’” she posted meditatively on Instagram. “But there are always so many things that are totally out of our control.”
Yet just days later, Diggins skied the 10 km freestyle and somehow ended up finishing in bronze position; at the finish, she collapsed, writhing in more pain than James Caan when Kathy Bates picked up that ax in Misery. “I thought i was gonna maybe pass or die. it would have been nicer if I could have passed out,” she said later. Fortunately she didn’t, and got to experience the bronze as it happened. Us too.
5. Alex Ferreira Wins His First Gold Medal on His Last-Ever Olympic Run
Some Olympic athletes are phenoms. Then there’s Alex Ferreira. At 31, Ferreira had been a professional halfpipe skier for more than a decade, including at three Olympics. The ski TikToker landed on plenty of podiums, but he never has won an Olympic gold medal. After two runs at the freestyle halfpipe ski run, that didn’t seem likely to change — he was in fifth place and ready for the double cork 1260 in the sky (or, like, the exhibition circuit). But the halfpipe just takes your best run, and Ferreira came out for his third and and laid out exactly that — a beauty — in the final run of his final Olympics to take a gold.
How did he do it? Risk taking and technical skill, of course. But also, a mantra. “I am greatness, and this is my moment,’” he would tell himself at the top of the halfpipe before the runs. “I can feel it in my bone marrow.”
4. Elana Meyers Taylor Wins Gold Medal for Her Deaf Toddler Sons
Speaking of waiting a while for gold, consider Elana Meyers Taylor. The 41-year-old bobsled mainstay was entering her fifth Games and, despite five previous medals, had never won a gold. Yet somehow in the new sport of monobob — one pilot doing everything — she finished four one-hundredths of a second faster than the 27-year-old German competitor Laura Nolte to win her first gold and become the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Games history.
If Meyers Taylor’s win along wasn’t enough to tug at the heartstrings, the athlete is mom to two deaf toddlers, Noah and Nico (he also has Down syndrome), who come with her and her husband-coach Nic to many of their competitions and were present at the sliding track in Cortina. Meyers Taylor spoke with NBC’s Mike Tirico about how all the training and triumphs were for her sons, prompting an “I’m not crying, you’re crying” outpouring on social media. “Parenting my two sons with disabilities has done everything for me,” she said, “If I win medals or lose medals, it doesn’t matter because I’m still mom to them.” Then she added, “Hopefully when they’re older they’ll look back and realize what actually happened. I was just so happy to be able to hug them and hold them for a brief moment while everything played out.” (We can’t embed this one but check out the interview here.)
3. Corinne Stoddard Posts That She’s “Embarrassed” By How She Keeps Falling — Then Goes Out and Grabs a Bronze
Corinne Stoddard is currently ranked third in short track for 500 and 1,000 meters. She became known for something else for much of the Milan Cortina Games — she fell a shocking four times during races and wrote a self-lacerating Instagram post that “Part of me thinks I haven’t been able to handle the pressure and expectations I put on myself” and said that she feels “embarrassed by how much I’ve choked on the Olympic stage over and over again.” (She also fell in Beijing in 2022.)
But on Friday in the 1,500-meter race, her last, she pulled off a third-place finish for bronze after holding off a pair of hometown heroes, including Italian legend Arianna Fontana. Stoddard has has been public about her battles with anxiety and insomnia, and the sight of her battling through to reach the podium gave hope to anyone familiar with mental-health struggles. Stoddard’s tearful parents were mirrored by broadcaster Katherine Reutter-Adamek, who choked up with emotion. “Forgive us if we all join the parents in shedding a tear,” play-by-play man Ted Robinson said.
It would be the first individual medal for a U.S. woman short-track athlete in 16 years. “Every person on that ice understands what Stoddard lived through,” Robinson said.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Reutter-Adamek said.
2. Alysa Liu Skates Like No One Is Watching and Reminds Us Why We Do This
We could use words to describe what Alysa Liu — barely two years ago retired because she didn’t find figure-skating pleasurable anymore — pulled off with her gold-medal skate on Thursday. But nothing compares to the contact high from just watching her pull off the most joyous figure-skating performance in modern memory.
On an Olympics stage where competitors can be uptight, dour and neurotically serious because of the pressure placed on them, Liu reminded us what events should really be all about: fun. Watch the skate here and your day will instantly become 37 percent better.
1. The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Wins Gold By Beating Canada in OT
Where to start with one of the best hockey games ever played, talent-wise, and also the one with the most TV storylines?
The United States’ first-ever gold medal win in hockey over Canada? The fact that it happened on the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, aka the event widely regarded as the best TV moment of the 1980s? The vengeance against Canada from last year’s Four Nations tournament? The sheer wizardry of Matt Boldy and Connor Hellebuyck? The touching tribute to the late Gaudreau brothers? The dominance of the ascendant Hughes brothers? The fact that one of said brothers, Jack, poked the puck away from Cale Makar and then sniped the winning shot in OT after having a few teeth knocked out on a high stick near the end of regulation?
Hughes’ goal was the burst of unity and the palliative we need at this moment — not, with the Miracle on Ice, to heal a country fractured by the Cold War but to heal a country fractured by itself. (“I’m so proud to be an American today,” he said.) Plus who doesn’t love a good sports-dentistry story? “Would you trade a couple of broken teeth for a gold medal?” broadcaster Kenny Alert asked. Fortunately for America, Hughes would.
