BBC Two has picked up the three-part German miniseries Generation War. The drama will air in its original language, the first time BBC Two has premiered a foreign language series since 2001′s The Kingdom. (BBC Four, on the other hand, airs such subtitled shows as Borgen and Wallander.)Generation War traces the fate of young men and women who fought in World War II. The Band Of Brothers-like story is from ZDF, teamWorx and Beta Film and scored record ratings on ZDF with a 24% market share. It also triggered a local debate about personal guilt in WWII. Music Box took U.S. rights at MIPTV in April.
South Korean actress Ji-won Ha is readying for a Hollywood crossover. The Asian TV and film star has signed with UTA for representation in all areas and has been taking meetings stateside. Ha’s UTA reps are looking at domestic and international film roles, TV, and digital media and endorsements. They are also focusing on developing Korean and American co-productions around the award-winning performer known for the popular romantic comedy Secret Garden as well as horror pics Nightmare and Phone, period drama Damo, disaster blockbuster Haeundae and action film Sector 7. Ha continues to be represented by HaeWaDal Entertainment Co.
Wellington-based writer Neil Cross says he is back on board to pen some Doctor Who episodes for the upcoming season. Cross wrote Season 7 stories “The Rings Of Akhaten” and “Hide”. “I am going back,” Cross told Fairfax News. “I have got story ideas tucked away, but if I told you about them I would have to kill you. There’s a whole bunch of stuff I want to do.” Last year, outgoing Doctor Matt Smith expressed an interest in filming an episode in New Zealand with Peter Jackson directing. Jackson then said he was a big fan and that he just needed to be given a time and a place. On the chances of Jackson shooting an episode with new Doctor Peter Capaldi, Cross said, “Never say never.”
Doha Film Institute has formed a new strategic alliance with the Sarajevo Film Festival. They will partner on a number of initiatives at their respective festivals to increase and strengthen connections between Arab and European cinema. DFI will curate a selection of films from the Arab world to be shown at Sarajevo which runs through August 24. Sarajevo, in turn, will present three films from its official 2013 program at the Qumra Film Festival in Doha in March.
Spaniards recently lined up in droves in the southern towns of Almeria and Pechina for a chance to play an extra in Ridley Scott’s upcoming biblical epic Exodus. AFP reports that people flocked to the Andalusia region, where unemployment is 35%, given the prospect of work as an extra with a per diem of $107. “Half of Almeria and half of Spain has come,” said casting organizer Nerea Herrero. There will be 3,000-4,000 extras in the movie, which stars Christian Bale as Moses. The final casting call was Friday, and by then about 15,000 people had shown up. Shooting is expected to start in mid-October. – Via Yahoo News
Fortissimo Films and Taiwan distributor CatchPlay have closed an all-rights deal for Hong Kong horror pic Rigor Mortis. Juno Mak’s directorial debut is a re-imagining of the 1970s/’80s Chinese vampire genre. It’s co-produced by Takeshi Shimizu (Ju-On, The Grudge) and will world premiere in Venice ahead of its Midnight Madness screening in Toronto. – Yahoo News
