Richard E. Grant bags guest role in ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ retelling
Withnail & I star Richard E. Grant has joined Disney+’s live-action drama Nautilus, with Muki Zubis (This is Going to Hurt) Benedict Hardie (The Luminaries), Jacob Collins Levy (Young Wallander) and Luke Arnold (Black Sails) also signing up to the cast. The show, from Moonriver TV and Seven Stories, is currently shooting at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland, Australia. The show tells Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea from the point of view of Indian prince Captain Nemo (Shazad Latif) for the first time. Grant will guest star as the leader of Karajaan, a port town Nemo and his crew encounter on their adventures.
Vue International appoints Chief Operating Officer
Privately-held European cinema operator Vue International has hired Claire Arksey as Chief Operating Officer. She joins from clothing store Urban Outfitters, where she was responsible for 269 standalone stores across 14 countries. Prior to this, she held senior operational roles at Superdry, Reiss and Ted Baker, overseeing operations and retail. In her role at Vue, Arksey will report into Steve Knibbs, Group Managing Director and Deputy CEO of Vue International.
EXCLUSIVE: Loop Talent hires James Dawson as senior agent; launches editors division
British agency Loop Talent has hired former Casarotto and Revolution Talent exec James Dawson as Senior Agent to manage the opening of its division of Production Designer and Costume Designer clients, and has launched a division for editors. Dawson previously placed Heads of Department on several high-end TV, film and commercial projects, including Channel 4’s upcoming Truelove for Clerkenwell Films, Sky’s Gangs of London and the BBC’s Noughts & Crosses. On Loops roster are Cathy Prior, who designed the standout costumes for all three series of Derry Girls, and Production Designer Byron Broadbent (Black Mirror, The Corrupted). Meanwhile, the editor division will rep the likes of Alex Fountain (Boiling Point, The Responder) and Mark Davis (Gangs of London, The Crown, The Fear Index. Jim Page (Wormeater, Murder in Provence), Christopher CF Chow BFE (Little Darlings), Anna Meller (Sitting), Anil Griffin (The Lazarus Project, Mood) and Tom Henson Webb (Screw).
Phoenix Worldwide grabs sales for Lech Majewski’s ‘Bridgette Bardot Forever’ — Cannes Market
UK-based Phoenix Worldwide has picked up world sales (excluding Poland and Italy) to director Lech Majewski’s film Brigitte Bardot Forever and is introducing it in Cannes. Majewski made the film in conjunction with co-producer Mike Downey, and Malgorzata Domin and Dominika Mandla are executive producers. Angelus Silesius produces with Domino Film, with finance from Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej and Urzad Miasta Katowice. It is based on Majewski’s novel Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Brigitte Bardot the Wonderful, about a boy who spends his days hoping his pilot father will return from World War II who is transported to a young Brigitte Bardot’s dressing room after watching Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt.
DAZN scores rights to Fulwell 73’s Chelsea FC Women doc series
Sports streamer DAZN has acquired worldwide rights (excluding Asia Pacific) to Fulwell 73’s sports documentary series One Team, One Dream, a behind-the-scenes look at Chelsea F.C. Women (CFCW), that was co-produced with Waffle Iron Entertainment. Produced and directed by Alex Sunderland (The Secret Life of 4 and 5 Year Olds ) and executive produced by Fulwell 73’s Leo Pearlman and Ben Turner, the six-part series follows the fortunes of the club, which has won the FA Women’s Super League five times.
‘The Phone Call’ director James Lucas to dramatize Kate Moss & Lucien Freud encounter
Writer and director James Lucas, known for his Academy Award-winning live action short film The Phone Call, has set Moss & Freud as his next feature — a dramatized account of when supermodel Kate Moss sat for famed British artist Lucian Freud while at the height of her fame. Moss will executive produce with the support of the Lucian Freud Archive and Cornerstone Films will handle worldwide sales and distribution, commencing later this year. Auckland’s GFC Films is attached to the film, which produced by Matthew Metcalfe (McLaren, Dean Spanley, 6 Days). Freud’s nude portrait of Moss sold in 2005 for almost £4M ($5M).
Noel Tovey named Sky Studios Elstree chief
Former Pinewood, Warner Bros Leavesden and Shepperton Studios exec Noel Tovey has named Managing Director at Sky Studios Elstree, Sky’s new film and TV studio. The 27.5 acre-studio is becoming home to a range of productions from Sky and Comcast cousin NBCUniversal when it opens later this year, and Universal Pictures’ Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, was earlier this week confirmed as the first production to take up residence.
Viaplay orders second run of young adult drama ‘Threesome’
European streamer Viaplay is getting a second run of Threesome. The young adult drama, set in London, will return in late 2022, with Matilda Källström and Simon Lööf continuing in their roles. Produced by Yellow Bird, ‘Threesome’ is created by first-time director Lisa Linnertorp, known for on-screen roles in worldwide Nordic hits such as The Bridge. The show picks up immediately after the emotionally intense finale to season one, in which Siri (Källström) and David (Lööf) pushed the boundaries of their relationship by embarking on a threesome with French art student Camille.
