Hopkins, Costner & Wahlberg Honored At Joy Awards; BBC & Virgin TV Order Revenge Drama; Miss World Plans; ‘Des’ Producer Makes Kids Drama; ZDF Studios Greenlight In Canada — Global Briefs

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Saudi’s Joy Awards Honors Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner & More

The likes of Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner and Mark Wahlberg were honored at Saudi Arabia’s Joy Awards 2024 on Saturday. Jean Reno, Eva Longoria, Salman Khan, Martin Lawrence, Quincy Jones, Alia Bhatt, Georgina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson, Sam Worthington and Paul Anderson were also either celebrated or in attendance in Riyadh, along with the likes directors Zach Schneider and Doug Liman, and global sports stars Tyson Fury, John Cena and Francis Ngannou. The awards are part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program and recognize major names in music, cinema, television, sports, and more from the Arab world. Hopkins, Costner and Jones were among several recipients of Lifetime Achievement honors, while industry awards went to Bollywood star Bhatt, Schneider and Bad Boys actor Martin Lawrence among others. MBC Group, the Middle East’s largest broadcast and media firm, co-hosts the awards, which are led by Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority.

Annabel Scholey & Colin Morgan Star In BBC Drama ‘Dead And Buried

Annabel Scholey (The SplitThe Serial Killer’s Wife, The Salisbury Poisonings) and Colin Morgan (HumansBelfastDead Shot) will star in Dead and Buried, a psychological drama series for BBC Northern Ireland and Ireland’s Virgin Media Television. Colin Bateman is the writer. Cast for the series, made in association with All3Media International, also includes Kerri Quinn (Hope Street), Waj Ali (Carnival Row), Owen Roe (Vikings) and Niamh Walsh (The Sandman). Three River Fiction and Vico Films are co-producing with support from Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Coimisiún na Meán, and filming has begun in on the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The series is set on the border between the two countries. It follows a woman who intimates a clandestine relationship with the man who brutally murdered her brother 20 years prior, engaging in a campaign of harassment and deceit. As her obsession grows, dark fantasies of revenge and reality blur as she tries to destroy the man’s life.

Endemol Shine India To Produce Miss World Festival

The Miss World Organization has appointed Endemol Shine India as the producer of coverage for the 71st Miss World Festival. The event is scheduled to take place between in New Delhi, kicking off with an opening ceremony on February 20, with the finale held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on March 9. It will be streamed and telecast around the world, and marks the first time in 28 years that it’s been held in India. “This opportunity allows us to bring our expertise to one of the most celebrated global events, right here in India,” said Rishi Negi, Group COO – Banijay Asia & Endemol Shine India. Negi took on his new role in December following Banijay Asia’s full takeover of Endemol Shine India, which was previously a joint venture between Banijay and CA Media.

BBC Children’s Orders Series From ‘The Missing’ Indie

The All3Media indie behind the likes of Des, The Missing and Catherine the Great is making a drama series for BBC Children’s. New Pictures is working with writer and comedian Archie Paddocks to adapt Alex Wheatle’s Crongton novels for TV. Casting is underway on a ten-part series, which chronicles the lives of a group of young people living in a thriving, multicultural community in a fictional urban housing estate, as they navigate the complexities of social politics, peer pressure and identity. Joanna Hanley is producing with Ethosheia Hylton (Boarders) directing, and Imogen O’Sullivan, Elaine Pyke and Willow Grylls executive producing. Aisha Bywaters is casting the series. New Pictures is making the show in association with distributor All3Media International.

Germany’s ZDF Studios Greenlights Canadian-Made Space Series

ZDF Studios in Germany has ordered an eight-part science series from Canadian indie Go Button Media. Canadian network Super Channel is also attached to Into the Universe: The Secrets of the Cosmos Uncovered, which is billed as “an accessible and entertaining space and science series that will shine a light on some of the universe’s most intriguing and baffling questions.” Produced in 4K, episodes will cover subjects such as the size, scope and shape of the universe, how stars collide to become supernovas and the origins of existence on Earth. This is the first time ZDF’s production and sales arm has commissioned a series from the Canadian indie. ZDFS will also get international sales rights outside Canada. The show will begin delivering at the end of 2024.

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