News

Anonymous Content has partnered with independent production company btf (Bildundtonfabrik) on a new joint venture in Germany, one of Europe’s leading markets.

The partnership will kick off with Ari Folman’s anticipated next project, “Death and the Penguin,” which is based on a novel by Andrey Kurkov.

Btf is a well-established German banner whose credits include “How to Sell Drugs Online,” “King of Stonks” and “Buba” for Netflix, “Pauline” for Disney+ and “Perfekt Verpasst” for Amazon Prime Video.

Anonymous Content will be able to leverage btf’s stronghold in the German marketplace, while btf will tap into Anonymous Content’s ecosystem, in particular the banner’s sales arm AC Studios, to develop and produce premium film and TV projects.

The joint venture in Germany furthers Anonymous Content’s strategy to build alliances with local producers and companies in key territories around the world, including Anonymous Brouhaha in Australia/New Zealand,...

Teresa Palmer had the honor of presenting a prestigious award to one of her best friends – Phoebe Tonkin!

Phoebe won the award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama at the 2025 AACTAs on Friday (February 7) at Home of the Arts in Gold Coast, Australia.

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards is an awards ceremony to celebrate the best of Australian films and television. Phoebe won the award for her work in the limited series Boy Swallows Universe, which is streaming on Netflix.

Teresa wrote on her Instagram Stories, “One of the most incredible moments of my career getting to present this award to one of my best friends. So Proud.” Phoebe replied, “The most surreal moment. Best night.”

A decade ago, Teresa and Phoebe opened up about their friendship in an interview with Vogue.

Keep reading to find out more…

“We first met in Bondi at a screening in 2009,” Teresa said.

Netflix series 'Boy Swallows Universe' is well on its way to topping the winners' list at this year's Aacta Awards, converting six of its 11 nominations at the Industry Gala at the Gold Coast on Wednesday night.

The post ‘Boy Swallows Universe’ snaps up six Aacta Industry Awards as ‘Better Man’, ‘Furiosa’ take home five each appeared first on If Magazine.

Comedy Convergence

Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris are heading to Queensland, Australia with cameras set to roll this month on destination comedy “Spa Weekend.” The Gold Coast-set film, from “Bad Moms” helmers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, follows three best friends whose luxury escape goes sideways when their chaotic fourth shows up unannounced.

Black Bear and Suzanne Todd Productions are producing the film, with Australian production outfit Brouhaha Entertainment handling local services. The project marks Brouhaha’s third Queensland venture following “Boy Swallows Universe” and upcoming thriller “Dangerous Animals.”

“Queensland’s reputation as a production destination of choice has never been stronger,” said Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek, touting the Queensland government’s production incentives. The production is expected to generate 200 jobs and pump AUD12 million ($7.4 million) into the local economy.

Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney noted the state’s recent run hosting international fare like “Voltron,...

A wide variety of compelling new series have captured the attention of both critics and audiences in the television landscape of 2024. From intense psychological dramas to reimagined historical epics, these shows have pushed the boundaries of storytelling by providing original viewpoints and compelling narratives.

This article lists the top 10 new TV series of 2024, from number 10 to 1, and includes a summary of each show that delves into what makes it so popular.

10. “Boy Swallows Universe”

The Netflix limited series “Boy Swallows Universe,” premiered in January 2024, is based on Trent Dalton’s semi-autobiographical novel. The series is set in Brisbane, Australia, in the 1980s and is about a smart teen named Eli Bell who is trying to find forgiveness in a life full of crime and family problems. While Lee Tiger Halley plays Eli’s selectively mute brother, Gus, bringing layers of complexity to the family dynamic, Felix Cameron gives an outstanding performance as Eli,...

UFA Hires ‘September 5’ Exec Producer Christoph Müller

Fremantle’s German production house UFA has hired Constantin Film’s Christoph Müller for its cinema division. The producer, who is an exec producer on the Golden Globe-nominated September 5, joins from Constantin Film and will begin at UFA Fiction on February 1, 2025. He also is known for productions including the Oscar-nomnated Sophie Scholl, box office hit Er Ist Wieder Da and Elyas M’Barek and Sönke Wortmann’s films Contra and Der Nachname. “We want to open up new business areas and continue to expand on already successful ones,” said Sascha Schwingel, CEO of UFA. “I am therefore very pleased that we are now strengthening our team with Christoph Müller, who is a renowned producer of cinema productions that delight audiences and critics alike. With him on the team, we will significantly increase the rate of our successful cinema productions.” Sebastian Werninger, Managing Director of UFA Fiction,...

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) has unveiled the nominations for its 14th International Awards, with Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” securing six nods.

The film earned nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, along with acting nominations for its cast.

“The Brutalist” follows with five nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Australian actor Guy Pearce. “Emilia Perez,” which has already received Golden Globe recognition, earned four nominations, while “Anora” and “Dune: Part Two” round out the Best Film category.

George Miller received a Best Director nomination for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” while fellow Australians Toni Collette and Nicole Kidman earned acting nominations for their performances in “Juror #2” and “Babygirl” respectively.

In television categories, “Shogun” received three nominations, matching “The Bear,” which competes in the Best Comedy Series category. The Australian production “Boy Swallows Universe” earned a Best Drama Series nomination,...

“Better Man,” the Australian-made biopic inspired by the life of British pop star Robbie Williams, received a leading six nominations for the 2025 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) International Awards on Tuesday. That reinforced the Oz academy’s love affair with writer-director Michael Gracey‘s (“The Greatest Showman”) musical spectacular, in which Williams is transformed into a chimpanzee, after it garnered a record-breaking 16 nominations at Aacta’s local awards earlier this month. “Better Man” is nominated for Best Film alongside “The Brutalist,” which tied with six noms, as well as Denis Villeneuve‘s epic sequel “Dune: Part Two” and critical darlings “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez.”

This is the fourth year that the Aussie kudos have included categories for television, with FX’s “Shōgun” and “The Bear” leading with three nominations each.

This year’s Aacta International Awards also marked a historic moment with the inclusion of motion-capture and...

Exclusive: Actor and Director Simon Baker has signed with Gersh for representation.

Baker won international acclaim in the television series The Mentalist which screened in over 130 countries and garnered him Best Actor nominations for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. His film credits include the 1997 Academy Award-winning film, L.A. Confidential, The Devil Wears Prada and Margin Call.

Baker has had himself quite the. 2024 and his 2025 looks to remain busy as he is currently shooting the Amazon Series, Scarpetta, alongside the likes of Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ariana DeBose. He also recently wrapped production on Klara And the Sun from Taika Waititi in the can at Sony opposite Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, and Natasha Lyonne. Additionally, he will soon be seen opposite Jacob Elordi in the Sony limited series, The Narrow Road To The Deep North directed by Justin Kurzel.

His most recent credits...

The Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” has taken center stage in the 2025 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) Awards nominations.

“Better Man” earned a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most ever received by a single film in the awards’ 66-year history. Directed by Michael Gracey, the musical film secured nods across key categories, including Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay, as well as multiple acting, technical, and creative honors.

“Better Man” is joined in the Best Film category by George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “How to Make Gravy,” both with 15 nominations, the horror standout “Late Night with the Devil” with 14, the animated feature “Memoir of a Snail” with 11, and “Runt,” which received four.

For the first time, the Aacta Awards have recognized motion capture and voice performances in acting categories. Jonno Davies received a nomination for his motion capture portrayal of Robbie Williams in “Better Man,...

Musicals may be having a moment at the box office but its music-based films have led the charge in 2025 Aacta nominations today, with Michael Gracey's upcoming Robbie Williams-inspired 'Better Man' and Nick Waterman's adaptation of Paul Kelly's 'How To Make Gravy' securing 16 and 15 nods, respectively.

The post ‘Better Man’, ‘Boy Swallows Universe’ top Aacta nominations appeared first on If Magazine.

When Amy Heckerling scored a teen comedy hit in 1995 with "Clueless" by working from the Jane Austen's 1816 novel "Emma," Hollywood figured there might be a potential goldmine in youth-skewing films based on classic works of fiction. Gil Junger certainly found this to be the case with "10 Things I Hate About You," his high school-set take on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," while Robert Iscove scored a box office hit with his "Pygmalion" riff "She's All That." So it wasn't all that shocking when Roger Kumble found intrigue and no shortage of sex appeal via "Cruel Intentions," his scheming rich kids reworking of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' "Les Liaisons dangereuses."

Why did the film work so well? Columbia Pictures' willingness to release the film with an R rating allowed Kumble to push much further with the sensuality. He also had an absolute juggernaut of a young cast in Sarah Michelle Gellar,...

“Cruel Intentions” is getting a new life in Prime Video’s TV series adaptation, which takes the twisted tale to collegiate Greek life.

Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess star as Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, respectively, step siblings who strike up a malicious deal for Lucien to seduce the VP’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who Caroline sees as her ticket to make her sorority untouchable amid backlash for a controversial hazing incident.

The main characters follow closely in the footsteps of the 1999 movie, Selma Blair’s Cecile Caldwell transforming into Sara Silva’s CeCe Carroway. Sean Patrick Thomas also reprises his role from the movie as CeCe’s love interest, but with more of an age difference this time.

For a full breakdown of the “Cruel Intentions” cast and where you might have seen them before, see below.

Prime Video

Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline Merteuil...

Cruel Intentions has gotten a TV adaptation thanks to Prime Video, and it introduces a new cast of wealthy teenagers who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions introduced the audience to wealthy and ruthless step-siblings Kathryn and Sebastian, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe. Cruel Intentions spawned a failed prequel and a sequel, and now theres also a TV series that borrowed its premise but with a different setting and a new cast.

The Cruel Intentions TV series is set in a new university and focuses on wealthy step-siblings Caroline and Lucien. Caroline is the president of the Delta Phi fraternity and Lucien is part of the Alpha Gamma fraternity, but when a group of angry students begins a movement to end all fraternities, Caroline makes a bet with...

Territory season 1 embellishes its dangerous neo-Western story and setting with scarce but effective song choices. The new Netflix series puts impressive effort into developing its drama with authenticity, building every aspect of its world with high-quality production value. Aside from outstanding performances from Territory's cast and a solid script, what the TV series really excels at is establishing a unique atmosphere that's simultaneously dangerous and captivating. Music is a vital tool in making that work.

While music is fairly abundant in Territory, a majority of the soundtrack is the musical score from composers Johnny Klimek and Gabriel Mounsey. The two have collaborated on various projects, such as The Matrix Resurrections, and they've also both worked on other Netflix TV shows like Boy Swallows Universe and Sense8. Territory is a succession story set on Marianne Station, the world's largest cattle ranch, and it follows the Lawson family through their struggles...

People have harbored a deep fascination for werewolves, vampires, witches, and ghosts for ages. While ample series and movies have been made on the supernatural theme, The Originals has managed to satisfy fans’ craving in a way like no other.

A spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, the CW show features the origin and present of the first vampires ever created: the Mikaelson family—Mikael, Finn, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, and their half-brother and hybrid, Niklaus. While the show features all of the Mikaelson family at different times, it primarily deals with Elijah, Niklaus, and Rebekah.

The Originals | Credit: CW

The show aired from 2013 to 2018, and its five seasons were extremely gripping, exploring the emotional bonds that kept the Mikaelsons together and their battles against various supernatural threats amid constant power struggles. The Originals‘ fan-favorite cast has since embarked on diverse projects, from movies to television series.

So while in 2024, the Mikaelsons...

Anonymous Content has struck a partnership with Brouhaha Entertainment, the production banner behind “Boy Swallows Universe,” on a new joint venture in Australia and New Zealand.

Under the deal, Brouhaha will be working closely with AC Studios to develop and produce premium film and television projects. The first project stemming from the joint venture will be “Panopticon,” a TV series written by Australian screenwriter and director Craig Rosenberg, the showrunner of hit show “Based on a True Story” starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina.

This partnership marks the latest international joint venture for Anonymous Content as they continue to build partnerships with local producers and companies in key territories around the world. As part of its strategy to ramp up its global footprint, the group has launched Anonymous Content Brazil, Anonymous Content España, France-based Anonymous Federation, Anonymous Content Nordic, and U.K.-based AC Chapter One.

David Davoli, Anonymous Content’s president of international,...

Amazon Prime Video has officially ordered a series adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels with Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis set for the lead roles.

It was reported in February 2023 that the series, currently titled “Scarpetta,” was in the works. Now, Amazon has greenlit two seasons of the series and added five additional cast members. As previously reported, Liz Sarnoff will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series hails from Blumhouse Television and Amazon MGM Studios.

Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen (“Blue Jean”), and Jake Cannavale will all star alongside Kidman and Curtis.

“Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta has enraptured fans for decades and I am honored that Prime Video is entrusted to bring the series to screen for our global customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “The most exemplary group has been assembled for the series...

If you thought 2023 was a good year for Netflix shows, 2024 just might have last year beat. The year has already provided new hits like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Gentlemen, Baby Reindeer, and Emily in Paris, but there are plenty more highly anticipated shows on the horizon. New seasons of Outer Banks, Squid Game, The Diplomat, and more are still to come in 2024.

Although the Hollywood strikes left multiple Netflix shows delayed until 2025, the streamer has confirmed plenty more shows premiering or returning with new shows in 2024. Now that we're heading into the last few months of the year, we're starting to see some big hits coming back to our watch lists and splashy new shows making their debuts.

While fans will surely be anxiously awaiting Ginny & Georgia season 3, Wednesday season 2, The Watcher season 2, You season 5, and more, there's still so much to look forward to in 2024. For now,...

Exclusive: Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s movie with Tom Cruise has assembled a murderers’ row cast. The four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker’s untitled movie for Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment counts Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall actress Sandra Hüller, Emmy winner John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons and Talk to Me actress Sophie Wilde. Oscar winner Riz Ahmed is in final negotiations to join the cast.

Deadline first told you back in February that Cruise was starring and he’s also producing the latest feature project from The Revenant and Birdman filmmaker. The Mission: Impossible franchise star, you’ll remember, has a strategic movie partnership at the Burbank lot.

Iñàrritu co-wrote the 2023 screenplay with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone. The logline as we know it centers on the most powerful man in the world, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before...

Exclusive: The Mentalist actor Simon Baker, Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories and Australian agent-producer Lee-Anne Higgins are taking to adapt Emily Perkins’ novel ‘Lioness.’

The trio have optioned the hot book, which comes from bestselling Aotearoa New Zealand author Perkins and won the recent Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Baker, who took his first full TV series starring role since The Mentalist in Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe earlier this year, will direct all episodes. Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Katie Amos will produce for Made Up Stories, along with Higgins, Baker and Perkins.

Lioness follows Therese Thorne, a woman who has married a wealthy older man and built a successful career, but now finds a fraud investigation threatening her sense of loyalty as well as her reputation. She faces a midlife reckoning about love and complicity, while being drawn to her neighbour,...

Exclusive: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Mallory Jansen and Emmy and Tony Award winner Anthony Lapaglia are boarding Alex Proyas’ upcoming sci-fi satire R.U.R. opposite Lindsay Farris (Ash vs Evil Dead).

Cameras roll on Oct. 21 in Sydney, Australia.

Proyas penned the screenplay which is an adaptation of Karel Capek famous science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), published in 1920. R.U.R. follows Helena, played by Jansen, who visits the island factory of Rossum’s Universal Robots to emancipate the robots from capitalist exploitation, with catastrophic results.

Proyas is the filmmaker behind the $353M-grossing Will Smith 2004 summer hit I, Robot.

The film is being produced by Proyas, Morris Ruskin, former CAA agent Adam Krentzman, Steven Matusko and Brett Thornquest. EPs are Matthew Rhodes of The Hideaway Entertainment, Rohit Khanna,...

Rhiannon Fish and Mitchell Bourke in A Prince in Paradise 2: A Royal Proposal [Image Great American Family]

Rhiannon Fish and Mitchell Bourke star in the Great American Family sequel to A Prince in Paradise. Meanwhile, A Prince in Paradise 2: A Royal Proposal continues where the first movie left off with the two lead actors heading to a proposal.

While it’s still summer right now, this Christmas movie is one of several that Great American Family is working on. This movie was filmed in Australia.

A Prince in Paradise 2: A Royal Proposal on Great American Family Mitchell Bourke and Andrea Moor [Image The Steve Jaggi Company/YouTube]

According to the official synopsis, Olivia (Rhiannon Fish) and Prince Alexander (Mitchell Bourke) travel together to his family’s majestic palace in Torovia to spend Christmas with their two families.

Meanwhile, despite their busy schedules that push Olivia and Prince Alexander in two different directions, they seem poised to...

Shooting is underway on horror thriller Dangerous Animals, starring Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston and Ella Newton, in Australia.

Screen Queensland, the government-owned investment agency, announced that the feature is now filming on the country’s Gold Coast.

Directed by Sean Byrne, known for genre features The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, it is produced by London and Sydney-based Brouhaha Entertainment, Ld Entertainment, Oddfellows Entertainment and Range Media Partners. Mister Smith Entertainment introduced the project to the market at Cannes this month.

Written by Nick Lepard, the story follows a surfer (Harrison) who is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer,...

Challengers star Mike Faist and Talk to Me breakout Sophie Wilde have a date with Chopard during this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The luxury jeweler has selected the actors to receive the prestigious Trophée Chopard, an award doled out since 2001 at the invitation of the house’s Caroline Scheufele as a way to honor cinema’s rising stars. Faist and Wilde will receive the trophies during a glitzy dinner at Carlton Beach on May 17. As previously announced, godmother Demi Moore will take the stage and present the pair with the honors.

The winners are selected by an academy comprising previous winners as well as those who have served as godmothers and godfathers at the ceremony. Winners have included Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Niels Schneider, Florence Pugh, Jessie Buckley, Naomie Ackie and Daryl McCormack.

Faist can currently be seen on screen in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers opposite Zendaya and Josh O’Connor.

“Vikings” star Travis Fimmel reprises his role as Detective Cormack in a second season of Australian mystery drama series “Black Snow.” The six-part series is now shooting in Queensland, Australia, and has unveiled first-look images.

“Australian film and television have never been stronger. Now, with the addition of streaming networks and their reach, I’m so proud that our local productions and their hard work can be recognized not only here, but around the world,” said Fimmel in a prepared statement.

The first season of “Black Snow” was nominated as ‘most outstanding drama series’ at the 2023 Logie Awards and received two nominations at the 2024 Aacta Awards – for best drama series and best lead actor in a drama, for Fimmel. It sold to all major international territories including the U.S., where it screened on AMC Networks’ streamer Sundance Now. “Black Snow” also won the Screen Business Export Award at the recent Australian Screen Producer Awards.

Vikings TV series aired from 2013 to 2020, focusing on the historical saga of the Lodbrok family. The show centered on Ragnar Lothbrok's rise to power as a Viking warrior and king with a focus on his sons. Actors like Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, and Gustaf Skarsgård brought these characters to life with extensive training.

The cast of Vikings was in charge of bringing to life some of the most notable characters from history and legends, and many of these actors have become well-known names. In 2013, Michael Hirst brought the historical drama Vikings, which, even though wasn’t entirely historically accurate, gave the audience an idea of what some of the biggest names in Viking history did and their impact. Vikings aired from 2013 to 2020 for a total of six seasons, and though the final seasons weren’t as popular as the first ones, Vikings maintained its popularity until its final episode.

Inspired...

The early life of original AC/DC front man Bon Scott will be dramatised in the film, The Kid From Harvest Road. Here are the details:

Musical biopics have had a successful resurgence in recent years, with films like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Bob Marley: One Love and the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black.

The life of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott will be dramatised in The Kid From Harvest Road. The film is currently in development in Western Australia and production is expected to commence in early 2025.

Bon Scott was AC/DC’s second vocalist, hired after the firing of original singer Dave Evans. Scott sang on their first seven albums, which spawned hits like It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll), High Voltage and Highway To Hell. Scott passed away in 1980, Brian Johnson, formerly singer of the band Geordie, became...

Although Phoebe Tonkin was in the 2012 shark thriller Bait and the high profile 2022 flop Babylon, most viewers probably know her from her work in television: she has been on multiple episodes H2O: Just Add Water, Home and Away, The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Westworld, Safe Harbour, and more. I just finished watching a Netflix series she was in, Boy Swallows Universe, which I thought was pretty great. Now Tonkin has the lead role in a thriller called Night Shift, which just received a VOD and limited theatrical release today, courtesy of Quiver Distribution. To help you figure out whether or not Night Shift is a movie you’d like to see, we have a clip and the film’s trailer embedded above.

Written and directed by Paul China and Benjamin China, a.k.a. The China Brothers, Night Shift has the following synopsis: While working her first...

Exclusive: Following her breakout role in the A24 horror hit Talk To Me, Sophie Wilde has found her follow-up project as she is in talks to star in New Regency’s Watch Dogs, an adaptation of the popular UbiSoft hit video game. The film is set within the universe of Ubisoft’s blockbuster video game franchise of the same name, with over 50 million players.

The film is being directed by acclaimed French genre director Mathieu Turi, from an original screenplay written by Christie LeBlanc, known for writing the Netflix original sci-fi thriller Oxygen based on the 2016 Black List script O2, and revised by Victoria Bata.

Yariv Milchan and Natalie Lehmann will produce for New Regency Pictures, alongside Margaret Boykin for Ubisoft Film & Television.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, the popular game is set in fictionalized versions of real-life cities, at various points in time, and follow different hacker protagonists who,...

A biopic on late AC/DC singer Bon Scott is currently in the works via Australian production companies Halo Films and Protocol Pictures. Young actor Lee Tiger Halley has been cast as the rock icon in the movie, titled The Kid From Harvest Road.

Per Halo Films’ website, the movie “promises to be a poignant portrayal of the man behind the legend,” adding, “His path from a cherished yet troubled youth to a prodigious artist is a tale interwoven with the threads of magic and passion.” Production on the film is expected to begin in early 2025.

Like Scott, Lee Tiger Halley hails from the Australian city of Fremantle. He stars in the new Netflix limited series Boy Swallows Universe, based on Trent Dalton’s novel of the same name. He also has a lead role in the Australian comedy series Crazy Fun Park, which is available to stream on Hulu.

A biopic on late AC/DC singer Bon Scott is currently in the works via Australian production companies Halo Films and Protocol Pictures. Young actor Lee Tiger Halley has been cast as the rock icon in the movie, titled The Kid From Harvest Road.

Per Halo Films’ website, the movie “promises to be a poignant portrayal of the man behind the legend,” adding, “His path from a cherished yet troubled youth to a prodigious artist is a tale interwoven with the threads of magic and passion.” Production on the film is expected to begin in early 2025.

Like Scott, Lee Tiger Halley hails from the Australian city of Fremantle. He stars in the new Netflix limited series Boy Swallows Universe, based on Trent Dalton’s novel of the same name. He also has a lead role in the Australian comedy series Crazy Fun Park, which is available to stream on Hulu.

A new film depicting the early life of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott is being developed with 'Boy Swallows Universe' star Lee Tiger Halley attached to play a young version of the famed singer.

The post Lee Tiger Halley tapped to play Bon Scott in David Vincent Smith’s ‘The Kid From Harvest Road’ appeared first on If Magazine.

Exclusive: As production is about to begin on 3000 pictures’ adaptation of Klara and the Sun directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi, Natasha Lyonne and Simon Baker have rounded out the cast, with Jenna Ortega playing the titular character. Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams, Mia Tharia and Aran Murphy also star in the film.

Eying a fall theatrical release, the film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s New York Times best-selling novel, and is being produced by Heyday Films’ David Heyman, Garrett Basch and Waititi. Ishiguro will also exec produce. Heyday’s Jeffrey Clifford and Rosie Alison brought the project to Heyday. Drew Reed was instrumental in bringing the project to 3000 Pictures and Sony. Elizabeth Gabler and Aislinn Dunster are overseeing the project for 3000 Pictures. Dahvi Waller-penned script.

The novel tells the story of Klara (Ortega), an Artificial Friend designed to prevent loneliness. Klara is purchased by a mother...

The week of Jan. 15-21 was a big one for streaming.

Seven titles — three original series, three acquired shows and one movie — each drew more than 1 billion minutes of viewing for the week, the most that have ever hit that mark in the four-year history of Nielsen’s streaming charts. The previous high was six, which has happened four times (including two weeks earlier).

Kids’ favorite Bluey was the overall No. 1, with just over 1.5 billion minutes on Disney+. Reacher (1.23 billion) reclaimed the top spot among original shows from the prior week‘s leader, Fool Me Once, which fell by more than 50 percent to 1.06 billion minutes of watch time. Netflix’s heist movie Lift grew by 19 percent week-to-week, scoring 1.04 billion minutes.

Young Sheldon (1.16 billion minutes), Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare (1.12 billion) and Grey’s Anatomy (1.09 billion) also hit the billion-minute mark.

Former NBC series This Is Us was the latest recipient of...

For a second straight week, Netflix’s Fool Me Once again easily topped Nielsen’s U.S. ranking of streaming originals, this time amassing 2.4 billion minutes viewed across its eight episodes.

For the week of Jan. 8, Prime Video’s Reacher similarly held steady at No. 2 with north of 1 billion minutes viewed across 15 available episodes — its fifth straight billion-minute haul. It was followed by Netflix’s The Brothers Sun (960 million minutes viewed/eight episodes), the chart debut of Disney+’s Echo (731 million minutes viewed for its five-episode binge drop) and Disney+’s newly renewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians (up a...

Netflix’s The Brothers Sun had a solid opening on Nielsen’s streaming charts, but the show took a sizable leap forward in its second week of release.

The series, starring Michelle Yeoh, Sam Song Li and Justin Chien, grew by 38 percent over its debut week to record 960 million minutes of viewing for Jan. 8-14. That was good for third place among original series, behind Fool Me Once (2.4 billion minutes of viewing) — which was also the No. 1 overall title for the second straight week — and Reacher (1.06 billion), which recorded its fifth straight week over the billion-minute mark.

Disney+ and Hulu also saw a good start for Echo, its first binge-released Marvel series and the first Marvel show in the Disney+ era to receive a TV-ma rating. The five-episode show drew 731 million minutes of viewing for the week. That’s above recent premieres for shows like Loki and Secret Invasion, but...

Boy Swallows Universe star Phoebe Tonkin will executive produce and act in a new Australian crime drama series titled The Dark Lake.

Based on the debut novel by Sarah Bailey, the series will be produced by London- and Sydney-based Brouhaha Entertainment, which also helmed Netflix’s Australia drama Boy Swallows Universe.

The Dark Lake follows a detective, Gemma, as she is forced to confront the secrets of her past when assigned to the murder of her high school nemesis in her small and tight-knit hometown.

Brouhaha was set up by British producer Gabrielle Tana, Australia’s Hopscotch Features founder Troy Lum and The Matrix executive producer Andrew Mason.

The Dark Lake is the first book in the Gemma Woodstock series, with Bailey currently writing the fourth instalment. It won both the 2018 Davitt Award for Best Crime Debut and the 2018 Ned Kelly award for Best First Crime. The two other books...

Phoebe Tonkin is to star in and executive produce a new Australian TV crime drama series, “The Dark Lake,” based on a novel by Sarah Bailey.

The series is to be produced by Brouhaha Entertainment, the Australia-u.K. outfit headed by veteran producers Gabrielle Tana, Troy Lum and Andrew Mason. The company recently delivered Netflix’s Brisbane set “Boy Swallows Universe,” in which Tonkin also stars.

Production and financing details were not disclosed and the series has not revealed a director or a broadcast or streaming partnership.

The story follows Gemma (portrayed by Tonkin) as she is forced to confront the secrets of her past when assigned to the murder of her high school nemesis in her small and tight-knit hometown. Through law enforcement, Gemma anchors herself to the dichotomy of right and wrong, in an effort to redeem her own deeply compromised decisions.

“The series investigates the moral workings...

“Griselda” reigned supreme as a queenpin of the Netflix Top 10 following its Jan. 25 premiere. Inspired by the life of notorious cartel boss Griselda Blanco scored 20.6 million total views during the Jan. 22-28 viewing window, and was No. 1 in 89 countries, making it the most watched title of the week. Starring and executive produced by Sofia Vergara, the series is created by Eric Newman and directed by Andres Baiz.

Meanwhile on the film side, “Leave the World Behind,” which previously spent several weeks at No. 1, joined, entered the Most Popular English Films List at No. 8 with 136.3 million views in its first 52 days on the streamer.

Also, F. Gary Gray and Kevin Hart’s “Lift” continued its No. 1 run on the English Films chart with 17.4 million views as Daniel Kaluuya’s dystopian directorial debut “The Kitchen” took third place with 7.7 million views and Adam Sandler’s “Leo” spent its 10th week among the top 10 with 2.9 million views.

Leave the World Behind has officially become one of Netflix’s most popular films of all time.

Sam Esmail’s thriller has been steadily moving toward the English Films list for several weeks and finally crossed the threshold during the week of January 22 to 30, debuting at No. 8 with 136.3M views in its first 52 days. Since Netflix now uses a 91-day premiere window to measure the success of its titles, the film still has plenty of time to cement itself higher on the list.

In fact, it’s likely that Leave the World Behind will jump quickly past The Mother, which is currently at No. 7 with just 136.4M views in its premiere window.

Also headed to the most popular list is Berlin, which has tallied 50.1M views in its first 31 days on Netflix — enough to get it to No. 10 on the Non-English language list. The Money Heist franchise now holds four...

Lift was once again Netflix’s most-watched title.

For the second consecutive week, the action heist dominated the streamer with 36.7M views from January 15 to 21. According to Netflix, the film was in the Top 10 in 93 countries.

The Legend of Tarzan came in second on the English-language film list, while the new dystopian film The Kitchen took third. Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya made their directorial debut, collecting 5.6M views in the film’s first full week on the platform.

Adam Sandler’s Leo made it on the list for the ninth time with another 3.3M views, securing tenth place.

Over on the non-English language film list, Society of the Snow is still putting up impressive numbers after securing a spot on the most popular list. With another 13.4M views, the film rose to No. 4 on that all-time list, just in time to secure two Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

On the TV side of things,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Boy Swallows Universe.

Boy Swallows Universe features a recurring dream of a car floating through space that symbolizes a traumatic childhood memory for Eli and Gus. The dream is actually a distorted memory of a car accident involving their father, which led to strained relationships within the family. Eli uses his dream as a way to cope with his difficult upbringing and seeks to uncover the truth about his hometown through a wild journey.

Boy Swallows Universe features a recurring dream sequence that actually plays a major thematic role in the Netflix series. Based on the 2018 semi-autobiographical novel written by Trent Dalton, Boy Swallows Universe follows the misadventures of Dalton's childhood alter-ego Eli Bell, who is perpetually met with heavy and even dangerous challenges from the corrupt and broken people around him. Eli, along with his older brother Gus who doesn't speak much in Boy Swallows Universe,...

Gus Bell, played by Lee Tiger Halley, doesn't speak for most of the first half of Boy Swallows Universe series until his brother Eli is in danger. Gus stopped speaking after a traumatic car crash involving his father and Eli, which was caused by their father's panic attack. There were initial speculations of a suicide attempt but the panic attack was the true reason for the crash. Gus's decision to not speak is attributed to his ability to see the future and his knowledge of the truth, which makes him a target and puts him in danger if he speaks too much.

One of the biggest headscratchers in Boy Swallows Universe is the mystery of why Gus doesn't talk for so long in the new Netflix series. Gus Bell, who is played with great authenticity to the character in Trent Dalton's novel by Lee Tiger Halley, doesn't speak for...

The red phone in Boy Swallows Universe could act as an extended metaphor for the shared childhood trauma of the main characters, Eli and Gus. The true meaning or function of the red phone is never fully explained, leaving readers/viewers to come up with their own interpretation. The red phone could potentially be Gus calling from the future or a coping mechanism for the characters' trauma, symbolizing the persistent ringing of their past.

One of the biggest mysteries in the Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe is who is calling Eli and Gus from the mysterious red phone. Boy Swallows Universe is based on the 2018 semi-autobiographical novel written by Australian author Trent Dalton. Dalton incorporated many of the actual events from his life, including the discovery of a strange red phone with his brother Gus, into Boy Swallows Universe, which is also mixed with a unique blend of gory violence,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Boy Swallows Universe.

The Netflix series adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe closely represents the events and emotions of the original novel, with a phenomenal cast and a combination of coming-of-age sentimentality and gritty action sequences. The series opens with an intense scene featuring one of the main antagonists, Ivan Kroll, while the book starts on a less action-packed note with Eli contemplating Gus's cautionary words. There are several differences between the series and the book, including the portrayal of Teddy's violence, the level of optimism in Eli's character, and the ending, which is more focused on exposing Tytus in the series but is broader in the novel.

The Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe differs in a few minor ways from the celebrated novel of the same name written by Trent Dalton. Dalton wrote Boy Swallows Universe as a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood in 1980s Brisbane,...

Eli's wish of bringing his broken family back together is finally fulfilled in the ending of Boy Swallows Universe. The final scene of the series emphasizes the importance of resiliency and staying true to oneself. Key sentiments about characters, such as Gus's love for Eli and the determination of the Bell family, are reinforced in the conclusion of the show.

The new Netflix series out of Australia Boy Swallows Universe ends on a violent but relatively happy note. After jumping ahead in time from 1985 to 1989 in the series' final two episodes, Eli has matured greatly from being the boy who was always picked on at school to rising quickly as one of the staff writers at the regional newspaper. Following the series of traumatic incidents both he and his mostly silent older brother Gus (Lee Tiger Halley), who is also some type of soothsayer, experience during their upbringing, Eli finally...

Eli makes the best of his tumultuous childhood, despite the odds: His stepdad is a drug dealer, his mom lives with addiction, his elderly babysitter just served 25 years in jail, and his brother’s a poetic clairvoyant with selective mutism. As he faces the harsh realities of life — and the looming dangers that threaten his family — Eli tries to follow his heart and understand what it means to be a good person. Directed by Bharat Nalluri (Shantaram), Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker), and Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), and written by John Collee (Hotel Mumbai), the coming-of-age slash crime thriller series Boy Swallows Universe stars Travis Fimmel, Phoebe Tonkin, Emmy nominee Simon Baker, and Sophie Wilde. It was executive produced by Andrew Mason and Troy Lum.

When will Boy Swallows Universe be released?

Stream it now.

Where can I find the trailer for Boy Swallows Universe?

Check it out at...

In the magical, genre-bending series Boy Swallows Universe, a 13-year-old boy battles the demons that haunt his family as he barrels toward adulthood. The show, based on the book of the same name by bestselling author Trent Dalton, was inspired by Dalton’s own atypical childhood in Brisbane, Australia. The coming-of-age story with a crime-thriller edge, written by John Collee (Hotel Mumbai), swiftly landed in Netflix’s Global Top 10 after its Jan. 11 premiere.

Tudum talked with one of the series’ directors, Bharat Nalluri (Shantaram), and one of the executive producers, Andrew Mason, about the finale and what it all means. Nalluri directed Boy Swallows Universe alongside Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) and Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket). Mason executive produced the series alongside Troy Lum.

Read on for a conversation with Nalluri and Mason about the final episode, and check out this guide for everything else you need...

Felix Cameron portrays the 13-year-old Eli Bell with a childlike spark and youthful optimism, capturing the character's journey of navigating a dysfunctional family and a challenging environment. Lee Tiger Halley plays both 15-year-old and 19-year-old Gus Bell throughout Boy Swallows Universe, reflecting the character's emotional depth and nuance. Zac Burgess takes over the role of Eli in later episodes, demonstrating his ability to mirror the performance and body language of Cameron, ensuring the continuity of the character as he ages throughout the series.

The Netflix Australian drama Boy Swallows Universe centers on the titular “boy” and his teen brother, but how old are the actors playing them? Inspired by the semi-autobiographical novel by Trent Dalton, Boy Swallows Universe follows Eli Bell and Gus Bell, two brothers who live in lower-class Darra, Brisbane in 1985, as they try to navigate a family that’s been torn apart by drugs and substance use disorder.