See what else is happening in film & TV industries around the world.
Major studios back Pinewood studios expansion plan Executives from film giants Walt Disney Studios, Marvel, 20th Century Fox, and Universal have written to Pinewood’s local council in South Buckinghamshire in England, urging approval of a scheme to expand Pinewood Studios after a previous proposal was rejected, according to the Independent. Blockbusters such as ‘Skyfall’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ have all been filmed at Pinewood, but they have also had to turn away several major projects due to a lack of capacity. The £200 million (€236 million) scheme would involve 100,000 sq m of new facilities adjacent to Pinewood’s current site. The film company, chaired by former ITV chief executive Lord Grade, claims it needs to expand its facilities to keep up with a growing demand in the global film-making industry for more advanced production facilities. In addition to this, the expansion would secure an additional 3,100 jobs and generate an additional £37 million (€43 million) a year in exports, according to an economic impact study. The studios have written to the planning officer at the local District Council, Stephen Kyle, calling for the expansion to be given the all-clear, ahead of a meeting on Wednesday.
The Works U.K. Distribution snaps up Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Kill Your Darlings’ The British rights to John Krokidas’ ‘Kill Your Darlings’, which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg, have been acquired by The Works U.K Distribution. The film centres on a murder in 1944 that draws together the great poets of the Beat Generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs. The film has been garnering extremely positive reviews ever since its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and Radcliffe will star alongside Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines), Ben Foster (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), Michael C. Hall (TV's Dexter), David Cross (Arrested Development), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Jack Huston (Wilde Salome). Ginsberg was one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s and he is perhaps best known for his epic poem, ‘Howl’, which became famous for its denouncement of capitalism and conformity in the United States. James Franco also portrayed the famous poet in Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s experimental drama ‘Howl’ in 2010. Radcliffe recently finished shooting on the Irish co-production ‘The F Word’, which was also shot in Dublin.
Watch the trailer for Ari Folman’s upcoming film ‘The Congress’ The trailer for Ari Folman’s ‘The Congress’ has been released online. Director Ari Folman gained plenty of critical admiration for his 2008 film ‘Waltz with Bashir’, and his latest film will debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s classic short story ‘The Futurological Congress’ and is a blend of live-action and animation. The story centres on an aging actress desperate for work (Robin Wright) who takes one last job to support her disabled son (Kodi-Smit McPhee). The film also stars Danny Huston, Harvey Keitel, and Paul Giamatti.
