The burgeoning content group made headlines beyond Europe last December when it announced it was acquiring a significant stake in Brad Pitt’s company Plan B Entertainment.
Curiosity about the $300 million deal and how the production house behind The Departed, 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight will fit into the Mediawan fold is rife on both sides of the Atlantic.
“This partnership is an important step for us,” says d’Arvieu. “We’re a European studio, our DNA is European, but our vision is international. While our producers and talent are carrying projects that are local in nature, their international ambitions are growing.”
She continues: “The American market is an important one for European works, and we understood we needed a partner in situ. Until now, we’ve been working on a case-by-case basis, but we wanted a partner who could be the image of Mediawan in the U.S.”
Nicola Serra, managing director of Rome-based film and TV The Name Of The Rose production company Palomar which joined the Mediawan fold in 2019, thinks the partnership will be a game-changer.
Category: plan b
Brad Pitt’s Plan B Makes First Foray Into Audio Entertainment With Audible Deal
Audible signed an exclusive, multiproject development deal with Plan B Entertainment, the production company led by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, for a slate of audio originals.
Under the worldwide deal — which represents Plan B’s entry into audio entertainment — the production company will create a slate of Audible originals. It’s the latest pact by Amazon-owned Audible with high-profile Hollywood talent to create exclusive audio productions.
Plan B’s inaugural project for Audible is “A Summer Love Thing” from cinematographer Bradford Young. Currently in active development, “A Summer Love Thing” follows a woman who leaves her successful singing career to return to her Southern hometown and pursue her first love, a blue-collar worker, for the second time. Plan B and Audible describe the project as “moody, lyrical and ethereal, as is all of Bradford’s work,” using “Southern soundscapes to evoke a place, space and time.”
‘Lego Masters’ Renewed for Fourth Season
Fox is going to continue playing with Lego.
The network has renewed its competition series Lego Masters, hosted by Will Arnett, for a fourth season. Fox has also picked up a second edition of the short-run spinoff Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular ahead of its Dec. 19 premiere. Both are set to air in the 2023-24 season.
“Lego Masters represents what TV does best, bringing all ages together for a night of family-friendly fun and competition,” said Allison Wallach, president unscripted programming at Fox. “The builders raised the bar with an incredible fusion of creativity and engineering genius in season three, which featured even more pop culture-piercing themed episodes and our toughest competition yet. With Will Arnett back as host, alongside our immensely talented production crew and partners at Endemol Shine North America, the sky’s the limit on season four.”
Plan B’s New Owner, Mediawan’s Pierre-Antoine Capton, on the Future of Brad Pitt’s Oscar-Winning Company
Brad Pitt’s Plan B may have a new owner in Mediawan. But Pierre-Antoine Capton, the head of the conglomerate behind “Call My Agent!,” says he plans to take a hands-off approach to overseeing the Oscar-winning company he just bought.
“Plan B will continue to operate independently with the same leadership,” Capton told Variety shortly after the deal closed.
That doesn’t mean Capton isn’t looking to change some things. He says Plan B’s new chapter will include more TV and collaborations with Europe. Capton, a well-connected TV producer who launched Mediawan in 2015 with telco billionaire Xavier Niel and financier Matthieu Pigasse, began talks with Plan B a year ago and engineered the deal which is expected to formally close in January. Under the pact, Plan B was paid half in shares of Mediawan and half in cash. The deal values Plan B at about $300 million.
Golden Globes Nominees
Best picture, musical or comedy: “Babylon”
Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, “Babylon”
Best actress, musical or comedy: Margot Robbie, “Babylon”
Best actor, musical or comedy: Diego Calva, “Babylon”
Original score: Justin Hurwitz, “Babylon”
Check out the entire list right here. So excited for Brad and this movie! Some of Plan B’s productions are also nominated!