Tag: Entertainment – Variety

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the series premiere of “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” now streaming on HBO Max.

HBO Max’s “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” opens in a post-apocalyptic Pasadena, an alternative world where zombie hands poke out of the ground, giant moths terrorize, random tears in reality serve as vacuum portals to unknown parts of the galaxy and survivors barter with their last remaining canned goods.

About the only thing still operating is the comic book shop run by Stuart Bloom (played by Kevin Sussman), where the gang on “The Big Bang Theory” would sometimes hang out. But even that store is no longer normal, as geeky fights among patrons quickly turn deadly. It’s not a great place, so when another Stuart from a different dimension arrives, so begins our main character’s quest to save the universe.

According to Alt Stuart, it was “The Big Bang Theory” characters Leonard, Sheldon and Howard who built a quantum interference device that caused reality to be altered. Regular Stuart and Bert (Brian Posehn) embark on a quest to find the device at Cal Tech — and along the way, reconnect with Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and discover that Kripke (John Ross Bowie) has turned into an evil gang leader controlling much of the San Gabriel Valley. They also find Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who’s been imprisoned by Kripke for quite some time and is looking to help them fix the device.

They’re all captured, but Bert uses his geology expertise to create bombs with rocks and water — and they make it to the device. All is saved, until Kripke kills Raj — and the device then activates, taking Stuart, Bert and Kripke to another universe.

So how much of the show’s multiverse can be explained by science? Sussman credits co-creator Bill Prady with having a handle on where the science works. “There’s a bunch of quantum physics involved in the show, and Bill is an expert on quantum physics theory,” Sussman says. “You can get away with a lot because at the end of the day, it is theory. It’s popular theory, but it’s legit. So I would ask him a question like, ‘how can my character be here and be there at the same time?’ And I had an epiphany at one point when I realized, oh wait, so it’s not just parallel universes — it’s parallel universes with a little time travel mixed in!”

Sussman says there were points while filming the show where it would help to understand the quantum physics theory behind what was happening in a particular scene.

“I look forward to people on Reddit trying to dissect what’s happening because I know that all of it can be argued,” he adds. “I would try to poke holes in it on set, and Bill always walked me through. ‘No, see, the reason why this does make sense is A, B and C.’”

Prady explains that the device that Leonard, Sheldon and Howard built seems to have shifted the primary characters to a universe with a separate, distinct history that has an apocalyptic event that occurs sometime after “The Big Bang Theory” and before we meet them.

“The Einsteinian issue that time is a fourth dimension comes into play here,” he says. “Because when the device malfunctions, it alters reality, but it creates a new past as well. So when we meet them in the first episode, the apocalypse is some years ago, and that’s a result of the alteration. Both the past and present and the future are altered from what they should have been.”

So then the question is, when the characters move between universes, does the universe they left still exist, or is it being restructured?

“That is ambiguous, and they don’t know, and we don’t know,” he says. For example — now that Kripke has killed Raj, that doesn’t seem good right? But in Episode 2, he will point out that either the universe they just left doesn’t exist anymore, in which case he didn’t kill Raj because that Raj never existed, or that they’re we are dealing with an infinite number of universes, and so he just killed one Raj out of an infinite number, which is pretty minor.

But “the branching theory of multiverses states essentially that every quantum event that could go one way also could go the other, and at that point there’s a branch, both universes exist side by side… The theory is that the universe branches at every decision point, so there’s a rapidly growing, infinite number of universes. That gets into the very annoying realization that some infinities are bigger than other infinities, which is mathematically true and conceptually uncomfortable. But it would state that from the point of the Big Bang, the number of infinite parallel universes increases with every moment that the universe ticks by. So that was kind of the science and pseudoscience that sort of lays this out.”

Prady jokingly adds: “How useless is that?”

But it’s a reminder that “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” may be science-fiction, but it’s still grounded in some ways.

“When I was teaching at USC, and somebody had a project that involved fantasy elements, I’d say, the most important rule in writing fantasy is that the rules you create for your fantasy have to be as real as the laws of physics. They have to be consistent, and they always have to be the same,” he says.

Prady uses “Bewitched” as an example, with its arbitrary rule that only the witch who casts the spell can remove it. “It’s based on nothing, but it keeps every ‘Bewitched’ episode from being three minutes long,” he says. “Because without that rule, Endora would give Darrin donkey ears, and Samantha would remove them, and we’d be done. Now, can your universe be raggedy around the edges? 100%. And that’s ‘Doctor Who.’ The rules are there, but sometimes they don’t quite work out, and the Doctor will explain.”

In the case of multiverses, the parameters of what we think of as the “multiverse” has been cemented in pop culture by Marvel films, “Rick and Morty,” “Dark Matter” and more. “I think the reason that you wind up with multiverses with similar stories is that the notion that multiverses exist mathematically. Things like string theory and stuff touch on that. So you can build off of what has sort of percolated through the general consciousness.”

Prady notes that not all of it makes sense, and he’s proud of the fact that the characters will acknowledge that.

“A guy online did a scientific analysis of what must be happening in this, and where he explains all the various scientific multiverse theories that we are clearly drawing from,” Prady says. “It was thick, thick science. It does state that there’s an infinite number of multiverses. So clearly, we should send that article to HBO Max and say, ‘look, there’s a scientific basis for additional seasons!’”

Mark H. Rapaport’s new film “Godhead” is a master-class in ratcheting up tension. Shot in black-and-white with camerawork that makes the audience feel like a voyeur uncovering perverse secrets, the film blends faith, sex, lies and discomfort into an unknowable dance between its leads.

The premise begins simply: A rural Catholic priest (Al Warren) is visited by two bizarre twins (Sarah Coffey and Kimball Farley), who look like an unholy blend of Die Antwoord, Grimes and overcooked ravers. They believe they are part of a prophecy and need the priest’s help to fulfill it. They also have a gun. And the priest has a young boy (Luke Speakman) that he seems to keep captive indoors …

To say more would ruin the film’s twists and turns, which were met enthusiastically at its world premiere screenings at Montreal’s genre-focused Fantasia Festival this week.

Rapaport, whose well-received 2023 debut feature “Hippo” also premiered at Fantasia, spoke with Variety about his choice to do another film in black and white, how “Godhead” takes aim at crooked authority figures and leaving the audience with challenging questions.

What inspired you to develop this story?

I always find that in life I come up against authority figures in a way that feels unfair. I often am too nice to people, and I think I have a little bit of second-born’s gullibility. As I grow up and hopefully become a dad, I’m trying to shed that. I think in this movie, I was able to put a finger on that feeling of being aware of the hypocrite or the manipulator. From childhood until adulthood, you have your religious figures, you have your family, you have your bosses. I’m always a very trusting person, and so I found that there’s real horror in that. This movie, although framed as a Hitchcockian thriller of sorts, is really a canvas for me to explore those frustrations.

With a film like this that has a twisty plot, how are you able to balance disseminating information to the audience without overexplaining and giving them easy answers?

It’s a tough tightrope to walk. I hope I’m able to do that successfully by staying with the characters first and being able to feel with them, and writing the script from their intentions and their heart, and not letting the plot of a horror film take over the greater emotional core. Of course, we do go there and go to dark places and twist and turn, but I try to always bring it back to the characters. I always can do better finding that humanity.

There are plenty of dark moments in this film. How did you determine how bleak versus hopeful you ultimately wanted your work to be?

It’s funny, there was another version of the ending where it was a massive, obvious F-you to all of these evil characters. I was talking to Al Warren, who plays the priest beautifully and with so much real emotion, and he got me thinking about the end beat. Without spoiling it, he said, “Let’s think about where this could go if you, as the director, practiced forgiveness,” and I found that in doing that I actually ended up with a much more horrifying ending than had I brought the hammer down on his character. I think there’s an eeriness to forgiveness as well, in that the ultimate manipulation is forgiving your manipulator. I wouldn’t mind if the audience felt maybe characters made the wrong decision at the end. That just keeps the question going, because the movie at its core is a question for the audience, less than an answer. In my old version, I tried to provide the answer, and it just wasn’t satisfying. So it was a real exercise in reeling back that sword that the director wields. That’s where we ended up.

What was the creative choice to shoot in black and white instead of color?

It was my instinct off the bat just because my first film was in black and white and it was such a fun, beautiful little film. People loved the black and white. It felt like a different world. And so it started as a, “Well, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” My brain was thinking in black and white. But of course, you need the narrative to deserve black and white. As I started to write the script, I just couldn’t see it any other way. I was very much into Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse.” He makes a ton of great movies, but this three-hander … I wanted to place us in some sort of timeless world. It felt black and white was an effective way to do that.

In addition to the beauty of the shadows and the moodiness that it’s able to convey, there’s how it relates to the themes of good and evil, right and wrong, truth and untruth. I had a full-circle moment in writing the script where there’s a gray area that I put in there, because, even though it’s in black and white, it potentially concludes on a gray area, which to me is the most horrifying area of all. We all want to know: Are we black or white? Are we right or wrong? When I was able to think of it as a spectrum and not just black and white, it opened up a whole new visual language for me.

Alief is representing “Godhead” for worldwide sales as it searches for distribution.

Watch the “Godhead” teaser trailer below.

The Beach Boys‘ endless summer has run into a hitch. The touring version of the group, led by sole remaining original member Mike Love, has called off six weeks’ worth of concerts scheduled for this summer, amounting to nearly 30 dates, citing the need to “recharge” before hitting the road again in the fall.

The cancellations and postponements cover the concerts that the band had scheduled from Thursday night, when they were to have played at Wolf Trap in Virginia, through Sept. 3, when they were scheduled to perform at the Colorado State Fair. The group — which for years has maintained one of the most active touring schedules of any name-brand act on the road — is now slated to resume its touring schedule on Sept. 24.

A message on Love’s Instagram page appeared alongside an illustration with the emblem “Gone Surfing.” It read: “Playing for you is the highlight of our summer every year — especially as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States while saluting the 60th Anniversary of ‘Pet Sounds.’ We’ve been having a blast out there, and to keep the good vibrations going strong, we’ll be taking a short break to recharge before getting back on the road in September. All tickets for postponed performances (July 23 through September 3) will be honored following our return in late September. Please contact your local box office for additional information and questions. Thanks for your love — we can’t wait to see you back out there for a September to Remember… We look forward to continuing our Endless Summer with you.”

The refreshed schedule on Love’s page shows 11 concerts slated for this fall or next year. Four of those were already on the group’s itinerary, while the other seven are rescheduled dates for shows that are being postponed. It’s not clear whether the nearly 20 other dates that are being called off in the summer schedule will also be rescheduled for a later date or not.

The Beach Boys have been touring with Love as the only remnant of the classic lineup since the retirement earlier this year of Bruce Johnston. 

Another original member, Al Jardine, continues on the road leading his own group, billed as “Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band,” also playing the music of the Beach Boys. Jardine’s group has been booked to fill in for one of the appearances that Love’s crew called off, at the Oregon State Fair in Salem on Aug. 29.

The touring Beach Boys played a three-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this month, for the venue’s annual Independence Day fireworks spectacular. The shows went over well, although, even as he still took the lion’s share of lead vocals, Love, 85, was a less robust presence on stage than he has been on other recent tours, leading some to wonder if the demanding tour schedule had been taking a toll. Emcee/ringleader duties in the shows were mostly split between frequent guest star John Stamos and Love’s son, Christian Love (who sings lead on numbers formerly sung by the late Carl Wilson).

The Beach Boys’ revised touring schedule:

9.24 @ The Big E – The Big E Arena in West Springfield, MA
9.25 @ The Sounds of Summer Concert Series in Quakertown, PA
9.27 @ Alabama Theatre in North Myrtle Beach, SC
10.9 @ Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, IL
10.10 @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend in Cincinnati, OH
10.11 @ Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
10.19 @ Grey Eagle Resort & Casino – Grey Eagle Event Centre in Calgary, AB
11.11 @ Walt Disney World Resort, Florida – Epcot, America Gardens Theatre in Orlando, FL
11.12 @ Walt Disney World Resort, Florida – Epcot, America Gardens Theatre in Orlando, FL
11.13 @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Bristol in Bristol, VA
5.8.27 @ River Cree Resort and Casino – Entertainment Centre in Enoch, AB

Affected shows taken off the itinerary:

7/23 – Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA
7/24 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY
7/25 – Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
7/26 – Univest Performance Center, Quakertown, PA
7/30-31 – Niagara Falls, ON OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
8/1 – Schenectady, NY M&T Bank Event Center
8/2 – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
8/6 – Grand Rapids, MI Frederik Meijer Gardens
8/7 – Indiana State Fair
8/8 – Bristol, VA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
8/9 – Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
8/12 – PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH
8/13 – Bloomington, IL Grossinger Motors Arena
8/14 – Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park
8/15 – Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
8/16 – West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair
8/19 – Waupaca, WI Indian Crossing Casino
8/21 – Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen, MN
8/23 – River Cree Resort and Casino, Enoch, AB, Canada
8/24 – Grey Eagle Event Centre, Calgary, Canada
8/26 – Pocatello, ID Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
8/27 – Nampa, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
8/28 – Lewiston, ID Clearwater River Casino Event Center
8/29 – Oregon State Fair, Salem, OR
8/30 – Redmond, WA Marymoor Park
8/31 – Alaska State Fair, Palmer, AK
9/2 – Rendezvous Event Center, Winter Park, CO
9/3 – Colorado State Fair, Pueblo, CO

“Avatar: Seven Havens” has an official premiere date at Paramount+. And what a date it is.

The new entry in the “Avatar” franchise will debut on Oct. 9 on the streaming service. That date should stick out to fans, as it was originally the date set for the premiere of the movie “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender,” before that release was moved up to July 25 after the movie leaked online earlier this year.

And unlike past “Avatar” shows, which released weekly and had time between seasons, all 26 episodes of “Seven Havens” (divided into two “books” as with the past shows) will debut all at once as a binge release.

Paramount has also released the first teaser trailer for the show, which can be seen below.

Per the official logline, the new show “centers around a young Earthbender who discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra in a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm. In this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.”

It stars Saheli Khan as Pavi, Aishu Devan as Nisha, Akshay Khanna as Karthik, Major Curda as Jae, Sakina Jaffrey as Agam, Darren Barnet as Daemin, Dianne Doan as Zi, and Dee Bradley Baker as Geet and Ruhi.

“Avatar: Seven Havens” is created by franchise masterminds Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who also serve as executive producers via Avatar Studios. Ethan Spaulding is an executive producer as well, with Sehaj Sethi as co-executive producer. Nickelodeon and Avatar Studios produce.

“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” is set to debut with a special screening at San Diego Comic-Con on July 24 before its streaming release the next day. The film is also playing a one-week awards qualifying run in theaters in New York and Los Angeles in lieu of the full theatrical release it was originally supposed to get.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005 and ran for three seasons. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated series of all time, and was followed by sequel series “The Legend of Korra,” which premiered in 2012 and ran for four seasons.

Sony Pictures has signed on as international distributor for “Ramayana,” the two-part Indian mythological epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra‘s Prime Focus Studios, covering all territories outside India.

Indian distribution will be handled by media personality Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

The story follows the exiled prince Rama and his wife Sita, whose abduction by the demon king Ravana sets in motion an epic war between the forces of righteousness and evil.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita. Designed for audiences across cultures, it will be released in multiple languages, including an English-language version.

Score duties fall to Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman. The production also features action choreography by Terry Notary and Guy Norris, and production design by Ramsey Avery and Ravi Bansal.

Visual effects are being delivered by DNEG – the eight-time Academy Award-winning studio also led by Malhotra – whose credits include the “Dune” trilogy, “Blade Runner 2049,” “Interstellar,” “Inception” and “The Odyssey.”

Prime Focus Studios previously co-produced “The Garfield Movie” with Alcon Entertainment for Sony Pictures, a title that has taken in more than $257 million worldwide.

“For generations, the ‘Ramayana’ has inspired people through its timeless humanity and enduring values. Our ambition has always been to honor that legacy while creating a cinematic experience worthy of audiences everywhere. Through DNEG, we have spent decades helping filmmakers realize some of the world’s most ambitious cinematic visions. With Prime Focus Studios, we are now bringing that same commitment to storytelling to one of the world’s greatest epics. Collaborating with Sony Pictures gives ‘Ramayana’ an extraordinary opportunity to connect with international audiences and introduce this timeless story to moviegoers around the world,” Malhotra said.

The film is due to release in November, during the Diwali holiday frame.

Prime Focus Studios is also currently in production on “Animal Friends,” a live-action/animation hybrid with Legendary Entertainment and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort production company, and “The Angry Birds Movie 3” for Paramount Pictures.

Rapper Yung Miami has signed with WME for worldwide representation in all areas. The South Florida rapper and former member of the City Girls will release her solo debut on the relaunched Uptown Records later this year. The album’s lead single, “Spend Dat,” topped the Billboard Rap Airplay charts and is currently at No. 17 on the Hot 100, and she performed it during the New York Knicks’ Championship Parade last month.

+ New York’s City Parks Foundation will honor SummerStage festival founder and executive producer Joe Killian and Alex Blavatnik, Vice Chairman of Access Industries and Director of the Blavatnik Archive, at its 2026 Dinner & Concert benefit fundraiser, taking place September 10 at the SummerStage venue at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Killian, who founded SummerStage and served as its executive producer from 1986 to 1993, will receive the SummerStage Icon Award, as the storied festival celebrates its milestone 40th anniversary this season, and Blavatnik will be honored with the 2026 City Parks Foundation Icon Award. The evening will also feature a performance by New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band and others to be announced.

City Parks Foundation, through its Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Festival, is one of the largest presenters of free arts and cultural programs in New York City parks, and serves nearly 300,000 New Yorkers each year through arts, education, sports and community building initiatives.

“As we celebrate SummerStage’s 40th anniversary this year, we are truly honored to be presenting our trailblazing festival founder Joe Killian with this year’s SummerStage Icon Award. Joe had a groundbreaking vision to bring free, world-class performing arts programming to New Yorkers, and we are so proud to be continuing his mission across the city to this day” said Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation.  “We are also equally excited to present Alex Blavatnik with the City Parks Foundation Icon Award and shine a spotlight on the longtime commitment and philanthropic support that he and his Foundation have provided to preserving cultural history and making it freely accessible to all – something we strongly believe in.”

+ Sony Music Publishing Nashville has signed Adam James to a global publishing deal. James has penned songs for Luke Combs, Dierks Bentley, Nate Smith and more. He recently contributed four songs on Cody Johnson’s CMA Album of the Year winner “Leather,” including “Whiskey Bent” featuring Jelly Roll. He also penned the “Knowing You” by Kenny Chesney, which was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards.

James said, “I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be at Sony Music Publishing. The energy I feel from the team when I walk through the door every day is truly inspiring. I’m sincerely fired up to work with all y’all. It also makes me super happy to know my songs will be hanging out with Roger Miller’s and Dennis Linde’s on a massive cloud storage database somewhere. Dreams do come true!” 

+ Traditional country artist Colton Dawson has signed with WME for global representation. The 19-year-old Arizona native recently signed with Warner Records Nashville and is managed by TKO Artist Management.

“Signing with WME is a huge milestone for me,” said Dawson. “I grew up loving country music and dreaming about playing these kinds of stages, so to now have a team that believes in what I’m building means the world. I’m ready to get out there and keep earning it every night.”

+ Universal Music Group has named Tseyin Foo has been appointed President of Global Supply Chain, reporting to Boyd Muir, Chief Operating Officer, and based in Los Angeles.

Foo will lead UMG’s global supply chain, strengthening the capabilities that underpin the company’s worldwide business across its ecosystem of digital partnerships and direct to consumer destinations, as well as physical formats, merchandise and other consumer products, according to the announcement. She joins UMG from Skechers, where she served as Head of Global Supply Chain Planning & Strategy. and previous held senior positions at VF Corporation, across Timberland, Vans and 7 For All Mankind.

“As we continue to create more opportunities for growth throughout the music ecosystem, it’s increasingly important that we operate as one global organization with greater speed, flexibility, and precision,” said Boyd Muir. “Tseyin brings a rare combination of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and technology expertise that will help us deliver greater impact at greater scale, driving even more value for artists, songwriters, labels and entrepreneurs around the world.”

+ Detroit-based producer and executive Justin “Jay” Norman, who most recently served as Global Director of Creative Strategy and Global Head of Music Marketing at Spotify, has left the streamer to lead Verse + Hook (V+H); the creative strategy, branding, and marketing consultancy he co-founded.

Co-founder Miso Brown steps in as Head of Brand Amplification, Partner Tierra Filhiol assumes the role of Head of Cultural Intelligence & Strategy, and Kyle Bernhardt will take on the position of Executive Director, Head of Creative. Rounding out the team, Chelsea V Huguley will manage Client Partnerships & Business Development as Director, Apryl Gordy joins as Director of People & Operations, and Joe Zimmer will serve as Director of Project Management. According to the announcement, Verse + Hook operates across five practice areas: Strategy, Brand + Creative, Production + Content, Experiential, and Music + Sync via its sync licensing arm, Soundry.

Wonder Project is expanding its investment in international scripted programming with three projects from the U.K. and Ireland. These include the “Leonard and Hungry Paul,” narrated by Julia Roberts, “You & Me,” executive produced by Russell T Davies and “Rewarding,” a new original commission with BBC Northern Ireland.

“The UK and Ireland have an incredible track record of developing distinctive voices and building shows that travel internationally without losing what makes them unique,” said Tristen Tuckfield, head of content acquisition at Wonder Project. “That’s exactly what we’re interested in — stories that are deeply rooted in a specific world but broadly relatable because of the people and relationships at their center.”

“Leonard and Hungry Paul” is the critically acclaimed Northern Irish series narrated by Oscar winner Roberts. Wonder has acquired exclusive U.S. streaming rights to the six-part series from Avalon, which will be branded as a Wonder Project Original. Based on the novel of the same name, the feel-good series follows two board-gaming friends in their thirties who meander through leafy suburban life finding solace in their quiet routines. Unexpected events prompt both men to meet a world that is suddenly wider and full of unfamiliar possibilities.

The series stars Alex Lawther, Laurie Kynaston and “Derry Girls” star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and premiered on BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer to critical acclaim. “Leonard And Hungry Paul” is a Subotica production for BBC Northern Ireland in association with BBC Comedy, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and RTÉ, and a co-production with Avalon.

“Following its critical success in the UK and strong international sales, we’re thrilled to partner with Wonder Project to bring ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul’ to U.S. audiences and continue building the series’ momentum around the world,” said Adam Barth, SVP, scripted & digital distribution at Avalon.

Wonder has also secured exclusive U.S. premiere rights to “You & Me,” the three-part drama from “Happy Prince,” part of ITV Studios, executive produced Davies. Originally produced for ITVX, the series stars Harry Lawtey and Jessica Barden and explores love, loss and the possibility of finding happiness again after a profound tragedy. All three parts of “You & Me” will debut on Wonder on Aug 6.

Rounding out the slate is “Rewarding,” a new six-part comedy series commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland and Wonder Project with support from Northern Ireland Screen. Made by Conker Pictures, part of Banijay UK, the series is set on the frontlines of domiciliary care and follows the messy lives of support workers and their disabled and neurodivergent clients. Banijay Rights handles international distribution for the series.

“Rewarding”  was originally developed as a short pilot episode as part of BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen’s Green Lit scheme — an initiative designed to support and showcase emerging talent in writing, directing, production and acting across Northern Ireland.

“We’re interested in creators who have a deep understanding of the worlds they’re writing about,” said Justin Rosenblatt, head of global TV at Wonder Project. “‘Rewarding’ comes from a place of genuine insight, and that’s what gives the series its humor, specificity and emotional honesty. It’s also what made this partnership with BBC NI such a natural fit. From the beginning, we shared the same creative instincts, vision and ambitions for the series.”

The series features disabled, neurodivergent and learning disabled talent in key roles and draws on Matthew McDevitt’s own experiences in the care system to bring authenticity and nuance to its portrayal of social care. Starring comedian Vittorio Angelone and Hannah McClean, “Rewarding” is expected to premiere on Wonder in late 2026.

“It’s wonderful to see ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul’ and ‘Rewarding,’ both commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland, reaching a wider international audience through Wonder Project,” said Eddie Doyle, head of content commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland.

Paradise City Sales has boarded worldwide sales on Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Gharaei’s latest feature, “Falling House” which is set to world premiere in the Horizons section at the Venice Film Festival.

“Falling House” marks his follow up to “Blockage,” a 2017 drama that portrayed contemporary Iranian society and won best film at Busan before going on to play at Rotterdam and Munich.

CAA Media Finance is handling U.S. rights, while Paradise City Sales represents international sales on “Falling House.”

The film follows a modest family on the outskirts of Tehran who faces the imminent destruction of their home as part of a vast redevelopment project. While Rashid, the father and a prison guard, is being accused of corruption, he discovers that his eldest daughter, Ensi, is secretly planning to leave Iran to become a model. As the bulldozers draw ever closer, the tensions within the household begin to rise.

“The most terrifying structures are the ones that no longer need a tyrant,” said Gharaei. “Their logic has already taken root in the minds of many. They become truly powerful the moment they are no longer recognized as violence. A prison no longer needs walls. It only needs people willing to call it home.”

Written by Mohsen Gharaei and Amir Mohammad Abdi, “Falling House” stars Laleh Marzban, Rima Raminfar, Farhad Aslani and Elena Khakbaz. The film is scored by critically acclaimed composer Max Richter (“Hamnet”), cinematography by Farshad Mohammadi, editing by Evelyn Rack (“Sound of Falling”) and Emad Khodabakhsh, and sound design by Oscar-nominated Ansgar Frerich (“Of Fathers and Sons”).

“Falling House” is produced by Milad Khosravi and Mohsen Gharaei for Seven Springs Pictures (“Divine Comedy”), Oscar-winning producer Odessa Rae for RaeFilm Studios (“The Voice of Hind Rajab”), and Daya Fernández, Amaury Nolasco and Alois Rubenbauer for 3SIX9 Studios. Basis Berlin Filmproduktion (“Of Fathers and Sons”) and Zentropa Germany (“King’s Land”) are co-producing, with Oscar-nominated producer Jon Kilik (“Babel,” “The Hunger Games”) serving as executive producer.

“‘Falling House’ carries a warning we have felt growing for years,” said Khosravi, who is producing for Seven Springs Pictures. He added that the idea for the film “was conceived long ago, and the screenplay was completed before the present madness in our country could have been imagined.” “Yet today the film feels painfully prophetic, reflecting the long-term suffering of ordinary people who have endured decades of oppression and now face the fear and uncertainty brought by the ongoing war,” he continued.

Rae at RaeFilm Studios pointed “Falling House” is not a film about politics, but rather a “film about people living under its weight.” “Every system eventually arrives at someone’s front door. Mohsen captures this with extraordinary restraint,” she added.

Jeanne Loriotti, sales executive at Paradise City Sales, said “Mohsen Gharaei has crafted a compelling, plot-driven story that combines a true sense of urgency with remarkably rich and layered characters.” She said the company was “struck by the film’s mounting tension, its emotional depth, and its remarkable performances, particularly from the female cast.” Mohsen Gharaei is represented by Seven Springs Pictures.

Paradise City Sales’ Venice slate also includes Andrea Pallaoro’s “The Echo Chamber” and Lili Horvát’s “My Notes on Mars,” opening Venice Days.

Fandango Sales has boarded international sales on “The Girl With the Leica,” directed by Alina Marazzi, just announced by the Venice Film Festival as the opening film of its Horizons section.

The film paints a portrait of pioneering photojournalist Gerda Taro, the German-Jewish war photographer, anti-fascist and artist whose legacy has long been overshadowed. Together with her partner, the Hungarian photographer André Friedmann, Taro created the fictional photographer “Robert Capa” — a pseudonym adopted by Friedmann designed to overcome growing political intolerance in Europe and appeal to the American market. As a result, many of the photographs long attributed to Capa were in fact taken by Taro. While covering the Spanish Civil War, she became the first female photojournalist to be killed on the battlefield.

“The Girl With the Leica” re-centers the story firmly on Taro herself — her work, her deeply held political beliefs, and the vibrant circle of admirers, artists and intellectuals drawn to her beauty, intelligence and independence.

The film is set in Paris on July 14, 1937. Taro spends her final day before returning to the Spanish front with Capa, and the close friends with whom she escaped Nazi Germany. As past and present intertwine, the defining moments of her life resurface: her political activism in Leipzig alongside her first love, her years of exile in Paris, her whirlwind romance with Capa, her discovery of photography, and her growing determination to use her Leica as a tool for resistance and freedom.

Raffaella Di Giulio, managing director, international sales and acquisitions for Fandango Sales, commented, “We are delighted to reunite with Vivo Film and to work for the first time with Alina. Through a beautiful and poetic blend of archival footage and fiction, she has crafted a stunning film that lets audiences rediscover a long-forgotten figure: Gerda Taro. We cannot wait to share her story with distributors and audiences alike.”

Producers Marta Donzelli and Gregorio Paonessa for Vivo Film and Jonas Dornbach for Komplizen Film added: “Gerda Taro’s story feels even more urgent and relevant today than when we first began developing the project years ago. Through her work, she fought for freedom and never lost sight of the political power of photography, especially in times of war. Alina Marazzi is one of the most distinctive voices in Italian cinema. With this film she takes a remarkable step into fiction while remaining deeply true to what has always defined her work: an exploration of women’s lives, a creative incorporation of archival material, and a constant dialogue between history and the present.”

The film features Emilia Schüle, Aaron Altaras, Luna Wedler, Lucas Englander and Thomas Schubert, along with Sebastian Schneider, Idan Weiss, Lia von Blarer, Hans-Christian Hegewald, Jeremy Mockridge and Joel Basman.

Schüle, who stars as Taro, is best known for playing the lead role in the Canal+ and BBC Series “Marie Antoinette” and TV roles including Netflix’s “Der Parfumeur” and ZDF’s popular “Ku’damm” series. Her film credits include recent Berlinale breakout “The Trial of Hein,” as well as German box-office hits “Wunderschön” and “Wunderschöner.”

“The Girl With the Leica” was lensed by Chilean-Danish cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro, known for his Lars von Trier collaborations including “Melancholia” and “Nymphomaniac,” and integrates images shot by Taro as well as rarely seen archival material into the drama.

The film is freely adapted from Helena Janeczek’s novel “The Girl With the Leica” (2017), recognized in Italy with the Premio Strega — widely regarded as Italy’s most prestigious literary award. The novel also won the Premio Bagutta, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes, before being translated into several languages, including English, German, French and Spanish, and published in 15 countries.

Marazzi is an acclaimed director working across documentary, fiction and theater, with women’s subjectivity and the imagery of memory at the heart of her work. Her films include “For One More Hour With You” (Un’ora sola ti vorrei), which received a Special Jury Mention at the 2002 Locarno Film Festival; “We Want Roses Too” (Vogliamo anche le rose), presented at Locarno and winner of the FOCAL Award in 2008; and “All About You” (Tutto parla di te), winner of the Tao Due – Caméra d’Or Award at the Rome Film Festival in 2012. She is also co-artistic director of the UnArchive Found Footage Fest.

The screenplay was written by Marazzi and Valia Santella, freely adapted from the novel by Janeczek.

“The Girl With the Leica” is an Italian-German co-production, produced by Marta Donzelli and Gregorio Paonessa for Italy’s Vivo Film with Rai Cinema, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski and Maren Ade for Germany’s Komplizen Film, in co-production with ZDF/ARTE, in association with Beatrice Bordone Bulgari for Eolo Film Productions, in co-production with Film i Väst and Zentropa Sweden, with the support of Eurimages – Council of Europe; MIC – Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo; with the contribution of PR FESR Piemonte 2021 – 2027 Bando Piemonte Film TV Fund; with the support of Film Commission Torino Piemonte; with the support of Avviso pubblico Lazio Cinema International (PR FESR Lazio 2021-2027); with the support of DFFF – Deutscher Filmförderfonds and MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung; with the support of Creative Europe Media.

The film will be distributed in Italy by BIM Distribuzione with a release date to be announced and released in Germany by Port au Prince.