Tag: Entertainment-Variety

We go to a pop-music biopic to re-experience the power and glory of a star we love. We also want to tap into a feeling of discovery — to see that artist up close and personal in a way that we hadn’t quite before. Yet Michael Jackson may be a special case. He grew up in the limelight, a global pop superstar from the age of 10, and when he moved into adulthood and launched his career as a solo artist, he became the most obsessively scrutinized pop idol of his time. His staggering genius, his elfin but cagey personality, his cosmetic surgery, his troubled family ties, his fabled eccentricities: All of it was covered like a biopic in real time.

Michael Jackson was — and remains — the most transcendent pop-music artist since the Beatles, and that means it’s almost inevitable that “Michael,” Antoine Fuqua’s lavishly conventional biopic, is going to deal with drama, both onstage and off, that’s already extravagantly familiar. Since the movie avoids any reference to the child-sexual-abuse allegations that dogged Jackson starting in 1993 (allegations that have only grown more prominent since his death in 2009), you could say that that leaves “Michael” with a hint of a void at its center. Simply put, this is not a movie about Michael Jackson’s dark side.

Yet the surprise of “Michael” is how well it plays, and what an engrossing middle-of-the-road biopic it is. It’s basically an ’80s-TV-movie version of the Michael Jackson story with sharper acting and snazzier photography. It trots out the greatest hits of his career, from the “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” video to his epochal performance of “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25th anniversary special, and winnows his inner demons down to just one demon — Joe Jackson, his hard-bitten hustler of a father, played under heavy prosthetics by Colman Domingo as the domestic Svengali monster Michael fought to liberate himself from. The movie is full of montages that use Jackson’s hits in an obvious fan-servicey ear-candy way. It’s got a boisterous cameo by Mike Myers as CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff, for the inevitable scene in which Michael pushes Yetnikoff into strong-arming MTV to show Michael’s videos.

Yet if you zero in on what’s standard about “Michael,” or what the movie leaves out, you may miss the compelling urgency of what it gets in: Michael Jackson’s journey to become himself by freeing himself from the past. I think audiences are going to embrace that journey, and “Michael” itself, in a major way.

What holds the movie together and gives it meaning is the deft command and high sizzle of Jaafar Jackson’s performance. Jaafar, the 29-year-old son of Jermaine Jackson, is Michael Jackson’s nephew, and he has never acted in a movie before. But does he ever nail the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves — and, more than that, the mixture of delicacy and steel that made Michael who he was. Jaafar isn’t as beautiful a camera object as Michael (in the same way that Austin Butler wasn’t as divine-looking as Elvis), but his slightly more earthbound cuteness allows him to play up Michael’s vulnerability. And the movie, in its rather familiar way, conducts the electricity of Michael Jackson. It shows you how, like Brian Wilson or Little Richard, he was an artist of vision shaped by his wounds.

The film starts in the living room of the Jackson family home in Gary, Indiana, in 1966, where Joe is putting his five sons through the paces of a rehearsal as if it were a military hazing ritual. Joe is the coach and the manager, the one who believes that his boys can lift the Jackson family out of the lower-middle-class doldrums that would otherwise be their fate as Black Americans. Joe has a dream — the American Dream. But another way to put that is that the Jackson 5, led by Michael and his mini James Brown moves and unprecedented soprano soul virtuosity (no child in history has sung with that adult phrasing), are going to be his meal ticket. Joe is hardest on Michael, who he beats with his belt. There’s no ambiguity about what this is (it’s child abuse), but what’s even more wrenching is that Juliano Valdi plays the young Michael as a sweet kid who’s too sensitive to relate to other children. That’s why celebrity fulfills him. It makes his “specialness” into his very identity.

Having captured the rise of the Jackson 5, “Michael” cuts to 1978, when Michael teams up with the producer Quincy Jones (Klendrick Samson) to record “Off the Wall.” Jamaal Jackson gets Michael’s tentative high sugary voice just right, but he also shows us how that famous personality evolves. When Michael starts turning the Jackson home in Encino into a menagerie, filling it with a llama and a giraffe and Bubbles the chimp, those critters are Michael’s only friends, but they also express his inner aggression. At a law office, Michael bonds with John Branca (Miles Teller), a shaggy-haired entertainment lawyer who once repped the Beach Boys and Neil Diamond, and he immediately instructs Branca to fire Joe as his manager, which Branca does with a one-sentence termination notice delivered via fax. This gives Michael the emotional space to conceive and record “Thriller.”

There’s a terrific sequence where Michael goes into an L.A. club, with real gang-bangers, and draws the choreography for the “Beat It” video out of their moves. He wants a dance-pop aesthetic that channels the anger of reality; that will become his trademark. Yet even as Michael takes control of his life and his image (we see him get a nose job — though, in fact, he had more cosmetic enhancement at the time than that, and the film writes off all his skin lightening to vitiligo), the specter of his domineering father looms. After “Thriller” launches the age of Michael mania, Joe cuts a deal with Don King (Deon Cole), behind Michael’s back, for Michael to go on tour with the Jackson 5. Michael’s deal with Pepsi is part of that, and the film’s portrayal of the horrifying accident that befell him during the filming of a Pepsi commercial — a spark set his hair, and scalp, on fire — makes the trauma feel like an outgrowth of Joe’s karma.

I saw the Victory tour in 1984, and have always felt that it was a mistake for Michael to rejoin his brothers. Yet in the movie, watching Michael’s incandescent onstage performance of “Human Nature,” we see how even there he was able to express his sublime artistry. And then…he blows Joe off. Forever. After leaping ahead to an onstage Michael performance of “Bad,” the movie leaves us with the words, “The story continues…” In other words, “Michael” may be the first biopic that’s been set up to be a franchise. Normally, I’d be cynical about that. But if the filmmakers choose to continue Michael Jackson’s story, it will not be just a brand extension but an opportunity: to maybe get into that dark side after all.

Have we got news for you: CNN’s “Have I Got News For You” hosts Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black have all been tapped to host the upcoming Sports, News and Documentary Emmy ceremonies — but individually, on different nights, next month.

Wood will host the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards on Tuesday, May 26, followed by Ruffin hosting the news categories of the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday, May 27. Rounding it up, Black will host the documentary categories of the News & Documentary Emmys on Thursday, May 28.

All three events will take place at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the hosts on Tuesday, as well as recipients for this year’s lifetime achievement honors at all three ceremonies.

At the Sports Emmys, former ESPN president/CEO and former NFL Network president/CEO Steve Bornstein will receive the lifetime achievement award. During the News Emmys, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz will receive the honor. And at the Documentary Emmys, film/TV edtior and documentary producer/director (“Four Little Girls,” “When The Levees Broke”) Sam Pollard will be given lifetime achievement honors.

At ESPN, Bornstein launched ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com. He was also behind the ESPYs and the X-Games before moving to the NFL. He’s now president of the North American division of Genius Sports. Raddatz has covered the State Depaertment, the White House and international wars, has moderated two election debates and is the author of “The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose” and “The Long Road Home—A Story of War and Family.” Pollard received an Oscar nom for “Four Little Girls” and a Peabody and three Emmys for “When The Levees Broke.” Most recently, he was an EP on Netflix’s “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” and EP on the Oscar-nominated “The Perfect Neighbor.”

Wood is host of CNN’s “Have I Got News For You,” based on the long-running UK series; the American adaptation premiered on CNN in September 2024 and launched its fourth season in January. Ruffin and Black are team captains on the show, which airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on CNN and streams the next day on CNN.com, CNN apps and HBO Max.

Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman, J.J. Watt and Charles Barkley are among the on-screen sports talent landing nominations for the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The full list of nominees is led by ESPN, which earned 62 nominations (bolstered by programs including “E60”), and can be found here.

National Geographic‘s “Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller” continues to dominate the News & Documentary Emmy nominations — earning 25 nods this year, followed by PBS’ “Frontline” series, which earned 19 nods. Nat Geo led the pack with 51 nods; see the full list here.

Turkish production powerhouse OGM Pictures has forged a strategic partnership with prominent Spanish outfit Grupo Ganga that is behind Spain’s longest-running prime-time TV series “Remember When.”

Under their deal, the two companies will collaborate to develop scripted projects in Turkey and Spain, “with an initial focus on building a slate of series to be coproduced for linear broadcasters and global streaming platforms,” they said in a statement.

For OGM – which has gained prominence since launching in 2019 thanks to a production portfolio comprising popular Netflix series “The Gift,” “The Taylor,” and “Paper Lives” – the agreement with Grupo Ganga follows the recent launch of an international arm called OGM Pictures that aims to bolster the company’s global ambitions through strategic alliances.

In January OGM hired as its head of international production long-time YellowBird executive Berna Levin whose producing credits include “The Playlist,” “Young Wallander,” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Last year OGM Pictures partnered with Fremantle-owned companies Wildside and The Apartment, and Italian indie Fandango, to produce a Turkish adaptation of Italy’s globally well-received Elena Ferrante adaptation series “My Brilliant Friend,” that is currently in advanced script stage.

The partnership between these two outfits from Turkey and Spain, which are both big players on the global TV market, will involve “both the adaptation of existing formats from each company’s catalogue and the creation of original content tailored for international audiences,” the statement said.

“The collaboration is rooted in a shared ambition to blend distinct narrative sensibilities and production approaches, creating stories that feel both locally authentic and internationally scalable,” it added.

“Bringing together different storytelling traditions creates new opportunities for layered and compelling narratives. Our collaboration with Grupo Ganga reflects our ambition to develop stories that can travel across borders while staying authentic to their roots,” said OGM Pictures chief executive Onur Güvenatam in the statement.

Commented Miguel Angel Bernardeau, founder and general manager of Grupo Ganga: “This union is not just an addition of teams; it is the multiplication of our creative capacity. By joining forces with OGM Pictures, we are in a privileged position to tackle larger-scale projects and international complexity.”

Besides its record-breaking “Remember When,” Grupo Ganga is behind hit procedurals and dramas such as “UCO,” “Desaparecida,” and “HIT.”

Pictured above: Onur Güvenatam (left) and Miguel Angel Bernardeau (right)

One very rarely gets the chance to be in a room with almost two hundred filmmakers from one single country, gathered not to pitch against one another for scarce grants, but to discuss ways of collaborating and understand where their national cinema is headed. This is precisely the offer on the table with the Projeto Paradiso National Talent gathering, which just wrapped a successful third edition, held in the burgeoning film capital of Recife. 

The biannual gathering celebrates the work of the renowned philanthropic initiative, led by the Olga Rabinovich Institute and supporting the Brazilian film sector through talent development, bursary programs, seminars and mentorship. This year’s meeting took place over April 16-18 and saw curated networking sessions, roundtables, and in-conversation events with Kleber Mendonça Filho, producer Emilie Lesclaux and British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. Attendees included Anita Rocha da Silveira (“Medusa”), Nara Normande (“Heartless”), Grace Passô (“Our Secret”), Vitrine Filmes’s Letícia Friedriech and Amazon Studios’ Jaqueline Souza, plus lauded Projeto Paradiso council members Marcelo Gomes (“Dolores”) and Gullane director Debora Ivanov. 

Variety was present at the event and spoke with several attendees to take the temperature of the national industry following two banner years of international success with the country’s first-ever Oscar for Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” and four Oscar nominations for Recife’s very own Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.” From a strong Northeast momentum to a meagre Cannes presence in 2026, read our five takeaways below: 

The Northeast is the moment 

Despite the Northeast of Brazil having a strong cinema tradition, with exponents from Glauber Rocha to Marcelo Gomes and Guel Arraes, for decades, much of the money-churning industry was concentrated in the Southeast — specifically Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Filmmakers from other corners of the country have long voiced frustrations with a lack of access to resources and a certain feeling of segregation regarding available networking initiatives and opportunities. 

The last three years, however, have further solidified the Northeast as a prime talent exporter and a rich creative hub. While renowned regional filmmakers such as Gabriel Mascaro (“The Blue Trail”), Kleber Mendonça Filho (“The Secret Agent”), and Karim Aïnouz (“Motel Destino”) continued their well-established trajectories with successful titles at major festivals, a burgeoning new generation of filmmakers signalled a much-needed sense of continuation and renewal in the region. Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline. 

During the Projeto Paradiso National Talent Meeting, many young filmmakers have voiced their desires to bring untold stories to the big screen and continue to expand a plural idea of Brazilianness through cinema internationally. With more and more film commissions popping up in the Northeast and renewed regional incentives as well as savvy producers with a wealth of co-producing experience, we are about to see many more interesting films coming out of the region. 

Cannes disappointment = new European opportunities 

Last year, Kleber Mendonça Filho brought the frevo from Recife to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet for the world premiere of his competition title “The Secret Agent.” Brazil was also the country of honor at the Marché du Film and brought a record-breaking number of industry attendees to the Croisette. With no Brazilian films announced at the festival this year, the feeling of surprise and disappointment was palpable at the gathering whenever the French fete popped up in conversation. So far, Brazil is only present through co-productions (“Elephants in the Fog” in Un Certain Regard, “Six Months in the Pink Building” in Critics’ Week and “La Perra” in Directors’ Fortnight) with no Brazilian directors scheduled to appear at the event in the official selection or sidebars. 

While the lack of Brazilian titles at Cannes bringing a bitter taste to the start of summer festival season, many producers and directors have emphasized a desire to look beyond the big European triad of Berlin, Cannes and Venice as launching pads. Rotterdam, which has a historic connection to Brazilian cinema, is a long-time darling and favorite, but more and more local talent is shifting their attention to festivals like San Sebastián, Karlovy Vary and Locarno as top choices to launch their films. 

Looking beyond Europe 

Europe still remains the goal for many Brazilian filmmakers when it comes to first sharing their films with audiences, but, more and more, producers are looking outside of Europe and the U.S. when setting up co-productions. Several producers attending the Projeto Paradiso gathering have shown a keen interest in better understanding financing systems in neighboring South American countries, with Chile in particular seen as a strong partner. 

British-Nigerian Akinola Davies Jr., who attended the gathering for a lengthy in-conversation event and a screening of “My Father’s Shadow” at the imposing Cinema São Luiz, opened a local appetite for collaborations with African countries. Black Brazilian filmmakers spoke at length about the opportunities that lie in working within the diaspora, and how African countries offer not only similar cultures but also a felt kinship when it comes to understanding the post-colonial wounds permeating Brazilian society. Currently, there are very few co-productions set up between Brazil and the African continent, so there are still some logistical and bureaucratic hurdles on the way to making it a more common collaboration, but the desire is very much there in the South American country. 

Collaboration over competition 

Towards the end of the weekend, many attendees could be heard saying, “I wish we worked like this in São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro.” This sentiment often punctuated conversations with filmmakers from the Northeast, who have built a thriving industry based on collaboration over competition. While, of course, there is still high competition in the region, makers had to band together in the mid-2000s to figure out how to sustain an industry before incentives, and then again a few years later, once public funds became available and people needed to help one another to understand how to best access what was on the table.  

Projeto Paradiso has also adopted a similar ethos, structuring their talent network meeting around collaboration and knowledge sharing instead of creating a more traditional market event structured around competitive sections. “We want everyone to feel good,” Projeto Paradiso program director Rachel do Valle told Variety. “What other markets would call a pitching session, we call a connection session. It’s a space for talking, but also for listening. We want it to be enjoyable and fun.”

Consistent public funds: key to the future  

You can’t attend an industry event in Brazil without clusters gathering to talk about the country’s public policies and incentives. While filmmakers acknowledge the historic momentum of their national cinema on the international stage, many have voiced concern that the sense of victory might obscure the very real issues still permeating the industry. Key issues include the long-awaited regulation of streaming services, the need for a centralized national film commission, and, perhaps most pressingly, better-structured funding calendars. 

“10 years ago, the Ministry of Culture had specific open calls for debut filmmakers with a regional focus; we no longer have that,” said veteran producer João Vieira Jr. of Carnaval Filmes. “We need to have differentiated open calls: for first or second-time directors, established production companies, rural production companies… It is not a privilege, it is an intelligent way of managing public policies that ensures sustainability.” 

Producer Thais Vidal echoed that thought: “We have a consolidated state fund in Pernambuco, qualified crews and the structure to produce and post-produce in Recife, but we face the same issue that plagues the rest of the country, which is the lack of a fixed national financing calendar. This is needed so we can effectively plan ahead.” 

Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” held the No. 1 spot at the U.K. and Ireland box office for a third weekend, taking £2.6 million ($3.4 million) and lifting its total to £32.9 million ($44.5 million), according to Comscore.

“Project Hail Mary,” distributed by Sony, remained in second place, adding $2.3 million in its fifth frame to reach $41 million.

Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Drama” placed third with $1.6 million in its third weekend, pushing its cumulative total to $10.9 million. Warner Bros.’ “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” was the top new entry in fourth place, debuting with $1.3 million.

Anime Ltd.’s reissue of “Akira” followed in fifth with $1.2 million, while Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Magic Faraway Tree” continued its run in sixth place, adding $1.1 million for a $18.1 million total.

Further down the chart, Miracle Comms’ “Time Hoppers: The Silk Road” debuted in seventh place with $296,000. Trafalgar Releasing’s “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Goyang: Live Viewing” held eighth with $275,000, while National Theatre’s “All My Sons – NT Live 2026” was in ninth place with $265,000 for a $807,000 cumulative.

Rounding out the top 10, Bakrania Media’s “Bhooth Bangla” added $253,000 in its second weekend, bringing its total to $299,000.

Meanwhile, in its fifth weekend, Moviegoers Entertainment’s Bollywood blockbuster “Dhurandhar” The Returns” was at No. 19 with $61,400. With a total of $5.92 million, it has surpassed the $5.91 million earned by “Pathaan” to become the highest grossing Indian film in the territory.

Looking ahead, Universal will look to maintain its dominance with “Michael,” launching wide across 300 locations, while Kazoo Films counters in the family space with “Hitpig!,” also rolling out broadly. A24 adds drama “Mother Mary,” directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, opening across 100-plus sites.

Event cinema remains a key component of the slate, led by Trafalgar Releasing’s “The Magic Flute – ROH, London 2026.” Disney brings “Fight Club” back to cinemas in a 4K restoration, while Dogwoof releases documentary “The Last Spy” and Underground Slate adds “Searching for Satyrus” at the start of the following week.

The specialty and international market is particularly busy. Mubi releases “Submarino” and “Agon,” while Curzon adds “Primavera.” Vertigo Releasing launches “Exit 8,” and BFI Distribution opens “Rose of Nevada,” starring George MacKay and Callum Turner. Bulldog Film Distribution releases “Ultras,” while Tull Stories debuts “The North,” and Metis Films adds “Surviving Earth.”

Further titles include Zee Studios International’s “Ginny Weds Sunny 2,” Miracle/Animitas Cine’s “Olivia,” and Miracle Comms’ “London’s Last Wilderness.”

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the second oldest film festival in the world after Venice, is preparing to celebrate two milestones: 80 years since the first festival, and its 60th edition.

Among the events planned to commemorate the anniversaries is the exhibition titled “KVIFF 60/80 (1946–2026),” in which the festival looks back on its rich history with an exhibition of photographs focusing on its early years, the atmosphere of its pre-1989 editions, important moments and festival guests.

Thirty outdoor panels, located along the path between two of the festival’s iconic venues – the Grandhotel Pupp and the Hotel Thermal – will take visitors on a journey through the festival’s history and allow them to witness the changes it has undergone.

The Out of the Past section will “consist of 20 carefully selected films from previous editions of the festival, which are firmly linked to its history as milestones key to the KVIFF’s identity and reputation,” the festival’s artistic director, Karel Och, said.

The include Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” which screened at the festival in 1947, and Ken Loach’s “Kes,” which won the top prize in 1970. Other films include Emilio Fernández’s “Río Escondido” in 1948, and Konrad Wolf’s “Lissy” from 1957.

The twin-city format of the festival’s first edition will be recalled in the form of a special preview screening of a selected film from this year’s program on July 1 at the historic Municipal Theatre in Mariánské Lázně.

As a gesture of thanks for playwright, author and Czech president Václav Havel’s long-term support and goodwill, the festival is marking what would have been his 90th birthday with a photographic exhibition at the Hotel Thermal commemorating his visits to the festival and his meetings with various representatives of world cinema.

For this and future editions, the Karlovy Vary festival is redesigning the area around the entrance to the Hotel Thermal’s Grand Hall with a new architectural design that will allow audiences to “more intensely experience and share in the festival atmosphere during the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies as well as at festival screenings.” Guest arrivals with live commentary will bring the festival action “closer to visitors and add interesting behind-the-scenes observations.” Screenings in the Grand Hall will offer audiences “a natural opportunity for a glamorous red carpet entrance.”

This year’s edition of the festival will present a gala screening of a digitally restored copy of Věra Chytilová’s tragicomedy “Tainted Horseplay,” which was shot in 1988.

At the center of this generational portrait of thirty-somethings is a group of friends who engage in regular drinking sessions, the occasional borderline prank, and casual sexual adventures – until, that is, the wild and promiscuous Pepe ends up in the hospital.

The group of friends subsequently undergo an anonymous blood test, which shows that one of member of their wild gang is HIV positive. This harsh confrontation with reality leads to a radical crisis of friendship.

Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová will receive the President’s Award at the festival, and in her honor it will screen Juraj Jakubisko’s “Birds, Orphans and Fools,” shot in the turbulent year of 1968. Its three main protagonists – Yorick, Marta, and Andrej – manage to survive in a world full of hopelessness and disillusionment thanks to “foolishness,” light-hearted play, and a philosophy of joy that, in their view, is the only possible path toward happiness.

Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema, a program organized by the Karlovy Vary and European Film Promotion, which has been helping talented European directors start their careers in the film industry since 2015, will return once again.

For the fourth year in a row, the program has been able to expand the opportunities it offers thanks to its partnership with lottery and entertainment company Allwyn, and also by collaborating with U.S. talent agency UTA and Range Media Partners, which provide young filmmakers with expert guidance and the chance to make important contacts.

Karlovy Vary’s programming team selects 10 film school students and graduates for Future Frames from a pool of candidates nominated by member organizations of European Film Promotion. The participating filmmakers present their short and medium-length films at the festival and take part in a mentoring program that includes training, networking and promotion.

This year’s Future Frames will take place from July 5 to 8 at the Hotel Thermal, which will once again host the creative and networking space that is the Allwyn Lounge. Here, participants will attend training sessions and individual meetings with representatives from UTA and Range Media Partners, who will provide them with feedback and subsequently select one director for a residency in Los Angeles sponsored by Allwyn. Last year’s winner was German director Simon Schneckenburger.

Sister Group, Jane Featherstone and Elisabeth Murdoch‘s growing transatlantic powerhouse, has added to its portfolio of acquisitions by taking a majority stake in British digital-first production company After Party Studios.

Founded in 2016, After Party was set up by YouTuber Callum McGinley (best known by the name Callux), film director Ben Doyle (who goes by Rvbberduck), CEO Joshua Barnett (formerly of YMU and ITV), and Base79 founder Richard Mansell.

The company has become known for original content, branded entertainment and social productions spanning platforms, brands and online talent. Series and formats from After Party include Sky Sports docuseries “Scenes” (150 million+ views), Channel 4.0 shows “Don’t Get Catfished,” “Find The…” and “Hear Me Out,” the sell-out annual Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley Stadium; and digital content supporting Netflix’s “House of Guinness,” “Stranger Things” and “Being Gordon Ramsay.” They’ve also made wider campaigns for the likes of Red Bull and Just Eat.

Upcoming projects include “In Search of Peace” with Jordan Stephens for MTV UK; “Race To The Top,” the docuseries following KSI’s takeover of Brit soccer team Dagenham & Redbridge FC; and the ongoing social rollout of the “SNL U.K.” digital series “Five To Live” for Sky One.

“The After Party Studios team occupy a unique space — a digital-native creative company driven by creator instincts and built on deep relationships with talent, brands and platforms and first-class execution,” said Sister Group CEO Lucinda Hicks. “Our partnership enables them to continue to do what they do so brilliantly, originating groundbreaking IP, deepening direct relationships with audiences and shaping the next era of digital storytelling.”

According to the companies, the Sister acquisition fuels After Party’s ambitions to “supercharge” its slate, with the potential for collaboration across other entities under the Sister Group umbrella.

Among these entities are Sister Pictures, the multi-award winning TV and film production banner behind shows such as “Chernobyl,” “This is Going to Hurt” and “Black Doves” (the second series of which is currently in production). Also in the TV and film sphere are Dorothy St Pictures, Yes Yes Media, Locksmith Animation, South of the River and Unanimous Media. On the podcasting side, Sister Group has a majority stake in Campside Media, with publishing it has backed Zando and AWA and it has even invested in London nightlife venue Koko. After Party marks Sister’s first foray into digital media.

“Over the last decade, we’ve built After Party Studios alongside some of the best talent in front of and behind the camera, making work that is creatively ambitious and always striving to push internet culture forward. We’ve always cared deeply about storytelling, craft and originality in a space that has historically rewarded the opposite, because we believe the future of entertainment is online,” said After Party co-founders Callum McGinley and Ben Doyle. “Joining the Sister family feels like a natural next step for us. Their track record of backing bold, distinctive storytelling makes them an ideal partner as we take the company into its next chapter.”

Added Sister’s Murdoch, co-founder and executive chairman, and Jane Featherstone, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer: “Sister Group has always stood for excellence in storytelling in all its forms, enabling exceptional creative entrepreneurs to do their best work and where every company is additive to the whole. Callum, Ben, Josh and their ridiculously talented team are exactly that… relevant, engaging storytellers committed to excellence and to connecting with audiences wherever they are. We welcome them wholeheartedly into the Group where there are many like minds and many opportunities for new, impactful collaborations.”

The deal was brokered by Sister Group COO Chris Fry and Joshua Barnett, CEO and Kevin Deeley, CFO for After Party Studios. After Party Studios were advised by Waypoint Partners. Sister Group were represented by CMS and After Party Studios by Harbottle & Lewis.

Gabriel Byrne and Geraldine James will lead the world stage premiere of “45 Years,” Hannah Patterson’s theatrical adaptation of Andrew Haigh’s 2015 film, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, U.K., from June 12 to July 11.

The story centres on a couple in the days before their anniversary celebrations, whose relationship is quietly upended when a letter arrives from Switzerland – connected to the decades-old discovery of a woman’s body preserved in glacial ice.

Byrne, making his Chichester debut, takes the role of Geoff. A Golden Globe winner with two Tony nominations, he has built an expansive career on both sides of the Atlantic – on stage most recently in Eugene O’Neill productions and Samuel Beckett-influenced work on Broadway, and on screen in “Miller’s Crossing,” “The Usual Suspects” and “In Treatment.”

James plays Kate, also appearing at Chichester for the first time. A Tony-nominated stage actress, her recent theatre work includes productions at the Orange Tree and the RSC. On television, she has accumulated an extensive body of work across four decades, with notable recent appearances in “Silo,” “This Town” and “Back to Life.”

Patterson has written for both fringe and mid-scale venues in London and New York, with work including a Hampstead Theatre commission and a piece that earned dual award nominations before transferring off-Broadway.

Puwanarajah, who won the 2025 U.K. Theatre Award for best director for his RSC production of “Twelfth Night,” makes his CFT debut with the production. As an actor, his screen credits include “The Crown,” in which he played journalist Martin Bashir, as well as “Patrick Melrose” and “Line of Duty.” He made his feature directorial debut with “Ballywalter,” which opened the Belfast Film Festival in 2022, and subsequently co-wrote and co-executive produced the drama “Breathtaking.”

“It’s an honor to be directing Hannah Patterson’s sensitive adaptation of Andrew Haigh’s surgical, devastating ’45 Years,’” he tells Variety, “and to be working with an extraordinary team of creative artists to find its real-life theatrical voicing.” He described Byrne and James as “two of the finest and most treasured players from these islands,” adding that they would “find new richnesses and rhythms in this story which serves as a celebration of deep relationship honesty and a warning against the quietly ossified secret.”

The production’s creative team includes designer James Cotterill, lighting designer Guy Hoare, composer Ruth Barrett, sound designer Beth Duke, movement director Natasha Harrison and casting director Matilda James CDG.

Haigh’s source film premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2015, where Rampling won the Silver Bear for best actress and Tom Courtenay took the Silver Bear for best actor. Rampling subsequently received an Academy Award nomination for best actress in a leading role at the 88th Oscars.