10 Stories You Should Know: 12/01/2022

Here are the stories that should be on your radar

Here are the stories that should be on your radar for Thursday, December 1st, 2022:

Prime Video France Strikes Unions Agreement, Teases Trio Of Films And ‘Killer Coaster’ Series & Adds Paramount+ (Deadline)
Prime Video France used a lavish dinner in Paris to unveil an agreement with several local entertainment unions and several new original films, shows and channels.

Prime Video has already signed up to spend 20% of its French revenues on French content, alongside Apple TV+, Disney+ and Netflix, and today’s agreement brings the streamer closer to the local production sector, with the guilds representing sectors ranging from animation through to docs. 

Ireland Moves Closer To Introduction Of ‘Netflix Levy’ On Streaming Services (Screen Daily)
Under government proposals,  independent producers will receive 80% of all investments from a contestable fund that comes from the content levy - which is sometimes referred to as the “Netflix levy” in Ireland.

Notably, new rules will govern IP ownership deals between streamer and producers for projects funded by the new levy fund, enabling a return of investment for the producer.

Studiocanal To Develop Epic Series ‘Agoodjie’ About Female Army In 19th-Century Africa (Variety)
Studiocanal has boarded the epic action drama “Agoodjie,” an English language series based on the extraordinary true story of a fearsome female army in 19th-century Africa.

The eight-part series, commissioned by Canal+ International and co-developed with Studiocanal, is created by Didier Lacoste (“Guyane,” “Spin”) and Joy Fleury (“Tristesse et beauté”), along with Nigerian screenwriters Ukamaka Olisakwe, Jude Idada and Adachioma Ezeano.

Viaplay Inks IHF Handball Deal (Broadband TV News)
Viaplay Group and the International Handball Federation (IHF) have agreed a partnership that makes the Viaplay streaming service home to the IHF’s competitions in 10 European countries until 2031.

Viewers will be able to stream more than 40 IHF events live and exclusively on Viaplay, including all upcoming IHF Women’s and Men’s World Championships. The deal covers Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, the Netherlands, the Baltic countries and the UK – a footprint spanning many of the world’s leading handball nations.

CBS Studios Readies Baltimore-Set ‘Shuga’ Paramount+ Series With Damon Wayans Jr’s Two Shakes Entertainment, And Unveils Co-Productions In Australia And Europe (Deadline)
CBS Studios has teamed with Damon Wayans Jr to create a Baltimore-set version of its African drama MTV Shuga for streaming sister company Paramount+ and is co-producing shows in Australia and on the France-Spain border.

WildBrain Rescues Ukrainian Kids’ Animation ‘Brave Bunnies’ (Variety)
Kids’ entertainment company WildBrain has hopped in to save beloved Ukrainian animation “Brave Bunnies,” taking a majority stake in the IP after its production was disrupted by the Russian invasion.

Saudi Arabia’s MBC Group Expands Anime Partnerships With Toei, Aniplex; Acquires TV Tokyo’s Hit Reboot ‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ (Deadline)
Middle East and North Africa media and entertainment giant MBC Group has expanded its partnerships with key anime studios and production houses in Japan to bolster its anime offering on its streaming platform Shahid.

Under the move, the group has acquired a number of series, including TV Tokyo’s recent 52-episode hit Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, based on the Bleach manga series by Tite Kubo, about a teenager with the ability to see spirits.

Cleopatra Wong Asian Blaxploitation Heroine To Be Revived For TV Series (Variety)
Cleopatra Wong, a kick-ass Interpol agent known to have influenced some of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, is to be revived in an upcoming Asian TV series.

The female action hero was created by The Philippines’ Bobby Suarez (aka George Richardson) and featured in three movies – “They Call Her Cleopatra Wong,” “Dynamite Johnson” and “Devil’s Angels” (aka “Mean Business”) – produced in the late 1970s by BAS Film Productions. Her name is a reference to Blaxploitation character Cleopatra Jones, albeit melded with Bruce Lee action and early James Bond cool. Marrie Lee (aka Doris Young) starred in all three movies.