International Insider: AFM Deep Dive; Walliams Scandal; ‘Ebenezer’ In London

Good afternoon friends, welcome back to another edition of the Deadline International Insider with Max Goldbart bringing you the latest. Scroll down. And sign up here.

AFM Heats Up

Kicking the tyres: The American Film Market (AFM) took place in Los Angeles this week with no shortage of packages announced in the days before and during. There’s been little reported in the way of major action on those packages so far but that’s not to say deals haven’t been done, they are just slower to be finalized these days. Among deals we revealed during the market were Lionsgate clinching Alma Har’el’s starry drama Wet and Venice Golden Lion winner An Unknown Woman getting a domestic deal with CMG. Meanwhile, Amazon continues to kick the tyres on some of the bigger projects in the market, one awash with horror projects as the industry continues to chase the next Obsession or Backrooms. Among the horror was NorthFiveSix’s Seeker with Cooper Tomlinson, Jessica Rothe and Mika Abdalla, and FilmNation’s Violet with Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez and Suki Waterhouse. Unusually, a number of leading sales companies didn’t announce a new title this market. A24, however, came with barrels loaded. The big-ticket project on sale was fantasy movie Elden Ring, which comes with a budget in the $180 million-$200 million range, making it the biggest budgeted stand-alone film ever at a market. We told you all about the project a couple weeks ago. There were new packages with Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson and Renée Zellweger, while Jean-Claude Van Damme action pic Katana generated some serious interest on deadline.com. Very fitting for the genre-heavy AFM. We should hear more in the way of dealmaking in coming days.

Walliams Scandal Kickstarts More Soul Searching

Enough is enough this time?: In the UK, the week started with Russell Brand being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for rape and sexual assault (more allegations have since come in) and by its end yet another conversation about the way in which celebs abuse their power in the entertainment industry was being had. The court heard powerful impact statements from Brand’s victims, including one who worked for Channel 4 at the time of the sexual assault. A day later, The Guardian and ITV News revealed allegations of sexually exploitative behavior towards young women and teenagers at the hands of Little Britain co-creator David Walliams, much of which is alleged to have happened on or around TV shows. Walliams firmly denies the allegations and tried to have the articles blocked through the courts, but their publication has kickstarted another fierce debate around power dynamics and consent, both then and now. Walliams was a judge on Britain’s Got Talent – where some of the behavior was alleged to have happened – as recently as 2022 , and whether his actions were an “open secret” or not, he has been part of the mainstream industry for decades. In both Brand and Walliams’ case, jokes about their promiscuity during the time they committed (or were alleged to have committed) these acts were frequently made in public. British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has had enough. While convening a meeting of industry chiefs including BBC boss Matt Brittin, she has said she will pass legislation to force the sector to be more accountable. Enough may be enough, but one can’t help feeling like we’ve been here before.

‘Ebenezer’ in London

Before he was Depp, he was… Johnny: Johnny Depp met up with ghosts of Christmas past, present and future this week when he arrived in a chilly London for the premiere of what may be deemed the biggest of his “comebacks” to date: The premiere of Ti West’s Ebenezer. Melanie headed down to Leicester Square to see what all the fuss was about and saw Depp kitted out in his traditional garb, hat ‘n’ all, alongside stars Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Ellie Bamber and Robert Strong. The red carpet was decked out with Christmas trees and artificial snow, while 1950s festive classics blasted out in the backdrop. On Thursday, the reviews came in, and “pretty decent but not earth-shattering” was mostly the read (many poked fun at the movie’s rather silly tagline, “Before he was Scrooge he was… Ebenezer”). Read Pete Hammond’s take here. Attention now turns to how much of a comeback this proves to be for Depp. Rumors of a return for Pirates of the Caribbean abound.

The Deadline Interview: Katharina Eyssen

Katharina Eyssen is feeling a “mix of emotions” as she reflects on the end of her Netflix royal hit The Empress. The show has been one of Netflix’s most successful and expensive to come out of Europe, generating a big fanbase around the world. Katharina and Netflix are ending things after Season 3, but if Shonda Rhimes can do it with Bridgerton spin-offs, then why can’t Katherina? “Some of the [Empress] characters are finished, given where we leave them historically, but there could be possibilities to go back in time and tell an origin story, or a childhood or youth story,” she explains. >>Read The Interview

Local to Global: Anshuman Jha & Sarah-Jane Dias On ‘Lakadbaggha 2’

Our Deadline Local to Global series neatly defined its title last week by touching down in Bruges, Belgium to profile an upcoming Indian action title. Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business appears set for seriously big things and its actor-director Anshuman Jha alongside star Sarah-Jane Dias sat down with Diana to discuss crafting an action flick that has its roots in martial arts and animal conservation. The movie follows an underground fight tournament hiding the auction of one of the last few surviving Yaki monkeys. What’s not to love? >>>Watch The Vid

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: Carrie-Anne Moss has joined the cast of Montreal-set psycho-sexual horror Replacer.

🌶️ Another: Bridgerton star Adjoah Andoh has created her first TV project, detective drama Protect And Serve.

🌎 Global Breakout: We profiled Avi Nesher’s Israeli box office hit Our Loves.

🔄 Restructure: Lionel Uzan has replaced Pascal Breton as Federation Studios CEO, while Montefiore has taken a majority stake after a lengthy search for investment.

🏪 Setting up shop: Former SquareOne boss Al Munteanu’s film and TV production company BriskPace Studios has set its leadership team.

🇫🇷 Monsieur President: A presenter on Love is Blind France has thrown his hat in the ring for the French presidential race.

⛺ Festival latest: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s Paris-set feature All Of A Sudden will open the 39th European Union Film Showcase.

🏆 Award latest: Nicola Kidman will be honored at France’s Césars.

🍿 Box office: NAZA has become one of the most-watched docs on theatrical this year with more than 1.5 million admissions.

🎥 Trail: James is fighting for Ruby in the final season of Prime Video’s hit YA drama Maxton Hall.