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German Deep Dive

From ‘CSI: Berlin’ to nothing at all: The Munich Film Festival kicks off this morning, almost a year to the day that it emerged Sky Deutschland would be exiting the scripted original game in Germany, a decision that rocked the local production community. The tide has barely turned since, with Paramount+ and Starzplay (aka Lionsgate+) following suit and exiting drama and comedy production. “Paramount+ went from wanting CSI: Berlin to flatlined communications,” a well-known drama producer mused to Jesse and Stewart, who have spent plenty of time in Germany this past month. They’ve pieced together a comprehensive investigation spotlighting how the market has reacted to myriad setbacks, with potentially hundreds of projects back on the market and stuck at...

Am Dienstag wurde die fünfte und letzte Staffel von „Babylon Berlin“ bestätigt. Die Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw hat jetzt eine Förderung in Höhe von zwei Mio. Euro beschlossen.

Die Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw fördert die fünfte und letzte Staffel von „Babylon Berlin“ mit zwei Mio. Euro. Das teilt die Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw heute mit. Demnach seien 30 Drehtage in und um Köln geplant.

Die Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw fördert die fünfte und letzte Staffel von „Babylon Berlin“ (Credit: Ard/Frédéric Batier/X Filme Creative Pool/Ard Degeto/Sky/Beta Film)

Walid Nakschbandi, Geschäftsführer der Film- und Medienstiftung: „’Babylon Berlin‘ kommt nach Köln und darüber freuen wir uns sehr. Die Filmstiftung unterstützte 2015 als erste Förderung die Produktion der ersten Staffel und wird diese großartige historische Buchverfilmung bis zum Serienfinale konsequent weiter unterstützen. Ein starkes Stück Fernsehgeschichte, ein herausragendes Team und eine Serie zum richtigen Zeitpunkt.“

Erst am Dienstag war die fünfte...

For U.S. fans of Babylon Berlin the wait is finally over. The epic, ground-breaking German series, a noirish crime drama set during the Weimar Republic, was unceremoniously dropped by Netflix, which had been streaming the show stateside, after three seasons. Season 4 premiered in Europe in late 2022 but American viewers had to wait until specialist streamer MHz Choice finally picked up the show earlier this year. Season 4 launched on Tuesday, June 25.

For the uninitiated, Babylon Berlin is the story of Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch), a police detective traumatized by his experience in the trenches of World War I, who joins the Berlin force. The German capital is at the cutting edge of social and artistic experimentation — with a giddy, hedonistic nightlife — but is also a political tinderbox as sky-high inflation and rampant poverty meet a rising movement of far-right nationalists. At Rath’s side is Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries...

Babylon Berlin, a critically acclaimed German television series set during the Weimar Republic in late 1920s Berlin, has taken the world by storm.

The show follows Gereon Rath, a troubled police inspector transferred from Cologne to Berlin, as he navigates the capital's chaotic and decadent world.

The series masterfully intertwines historical events with fictional narratives, presenting a vivid picture of a society on the brink of upheaval.

In the fourth season, Gereon faces his greatest fears and personal challenges yet, including the complex dynamics of love and loyalty.

The season promises more intense political intrigue, personal turmoil, and the captivating blend of historical and fictional storytelling that has made Babylon Berlin a standout series.

Related: TV Shows Should Make Stars, Not Depend on Them

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Volker Bruch, the series' leading man, to discuss his experience and insights into playing Gereon Rath, the show's complex protagonist.

Die Ard und ihre Partner haben heute eine fünfte und letzte Staffel der auf den Kriminalromanen von Volker Kutscher basierenden Serie „Babylon Berlin“ angekündigt, die ab Oktober gedreht werden sollen.

Volker Bruch und Liv Lisa Fries spielen auch in der fünften Staffel von „Babylon Berlin“ die Hauptrollen (Credit: Frédéric Batier/X Filme Creative Pool/Sky/Ard Degeto/Composing: Saskia Marka)

Wenn die entsprechenden Ard-Gremien ihre Zustimmung geben, sollen ab Oktober die acht Folgen der fünften und letzten Staffel von „Babylon Berlin“ gedreht werden. Das gaben X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto Film, Swr, Wdr, Radio Bremen und Beta Film heute offiziell bekannt. Sky, bei den ersten vier Staffeln der auf den Kriminalromanen von Volker Kutscher beruhenden Serie mit Volker Bruch in der Rolle des Kommissars Gereon Rath und Liv Lisa Fries als ebenfalls bei der Polizei tätigen Charlotte Ritter noch an Bord, hatte im Juni vergangenen Jahres den Rückzug aus der fiktionalen Produktion verkündet.

It’s official: After more than a year of negotiations and financial wrangling, the producers of Babylon Berlin have received the green light for a fifth and final season of the ground-breaking award-winning German period drama.

Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries will return to reprise their lead roles as police detective Gereon Rath and assistant Charlotte Ritter for a final eight-episode arc set in February 1933 as the Nazis finally seize power in Germany. The season will be based on Volker Kutscher’s fifth Gereon Rath novel, The March Fallen. Series co-creators and showrunners Henk Handlogten, Achim von Borries and Tom Tykwer will return for the finale season, producing via X-Filme Creative Pool and directing all eight episodes.

“In the final season of Babylon Berlin we put February 1933 under the magnifying glass: Rarely has a society been torn apart more radically in such a short period of time than Germany in this chaotic month,...

The fifth and final season of the global hit series “Babylon Berlin” has received an official green light, and eight new episodes will be shot this fall.

“Babylon Berlin” is produced by X-Filme Creative Pool in co-production with Ard Degeto, Swr, Wdr, Radio Bremen and Beta Film. When former producer-distributor Sky Deutschland announced last year that it was pulling out of scripted originals, there was a concern that “Babylon Berlin” could be a casualty of that change. However, Beta Film assured Variety it was talking with partners at German broadcaster Ard’s production company Ard Degeto and X Filme to continue the show, and the groups have found a way to do just that.

Based on Volker Kutscher’s fifth novel, “The March Fallen,” Season 5’s synopsis reads: “Set in the darkest period of German history, the new season dives deep into the dreadful February 1933 and its consequences, the take-over of power of the Nsdap.

The wait for news is over… Babylon Berlin is officially coming back for a fifth and final season.

The hit period drama’s future has been a topic of discussion since Sky Deutschland pulled out of original commissioning, leaving a funding gap in the series it shares with German pubcaster Ard Degeto.

It was still expected to move forwards, with producers saying they expected it to film a final season and star Liv Lisa Fries recently telling us of plans to shoot later in 2024. Today, the news became official, with X-Filme Creative Pool producing season 5 in co-production with Beta Film and local pubcasters Ard Degeto, Swr, Wdr and Radio Bremen.

Set in the darkest period of German history, the new season will be set in the dark times of February 1933, when the Nazi Party took power. The director/writer trio of Henk Handlogten, Achim von Borries and Tom Tykwer will return for the finale,...

The genre-bending detective fiction series that is quickly becoming everybody’s favorite of the year is Sugar. The Apple TV+ series created by Mark Protosevich is set in Los Angeles and it follows the story of a private detective John Sugar as he is hired by a big-time film producer Jonathan Siegel to find his missing granddaughter Olivia. While, trying to find Olivia, Sugar stumbles into something far more dangerous than he could have anticipated. Sugar stars Colin Farrell in the lead role with Amy Ryan, James Cromwell, Sydney Chandler, Nate Corddry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Dennis Boutsikaris starring in supporting roles. If you loved the mystery and thrill of Sugar here are some similar shows you could check out next.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Showtime

The Man Who Fell to Earth is a sci-fi drama series created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman.

“Babylon Berlin: Season One” is the beginning of a complex political crime period drama that has run for four seasons in Germany, with a fifth yet to come. It’s won a scheisse-load of awards and nominations for the series and many of its components, and is best appreciated by concentrated viewing – preferably in binges – rather than casual or background entertainment.

It’s set in 1929. Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) is an honest, intelligent cop who has just moved to the titular city. He’s paired with Burno Wolter (Peter Kurth), a brutish fellow detective of questionable virtue. The former looks like mellowed version of Tim Roth; the latter somewhere between Gert Frobe and Simon Oakland. The crimes they’re assigned to cover seem local, but lead quickly down the rabbit hole of international intrigue, overrun with individual and group conflicts, misdirection and betrayals, spanning from Russia to Germany and beyond.

Babylon Berlin has landed a new U.S. home on a newly-merged streaming service created as Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice and Topic combine.

The boutique streamer will be named MHz Choice and feature the likes of The Killing, The Bridge, Detective Montalbano, The Sea Beyond and Pagan Peak, alongside the popular Babylon Berlin, which moves over from Netflix after three seasons on that streamer.

Kino Lorber said the new streamer will “combine the best European dramas and mysteries with Nordic noir crime and thrillers under the MHz Choice brand.”

The Four Daughters distributor owns MHz Choice and Topic, the latter of which in a Jv with First Look Media under which Kino has a majority stake and management oversight. The news comes a few weeks after we revealed layoffs at First Look production subsidiary Topic Studios.

Viaplay has also exited the U.S. following a disastrous 12 months that has...

Exclusive: Things have been quiet on the Babylon Berlin front since the shock news came down middle of last year that Sky was pulling out of original commissioning in Germany, including on the hit period drama.

Series four aired last fall and fans have been waiting for an update on the fate of series five, which producers said last summer would go ahead without Sky.

In a new interview with Deadline set to run tomorrow, the show’s lead actress Liv Lisa Fries confirmed that the plan is to shoot the “last” series of the show later this year:

“At the end of this year we’re going to shoot the last season of Babylon Berlin. It’s still in financial process but they’re writing. Money is a question mark but my schedule is to shoot it later this year.”

Producer Beta Film couldn’t confirm a timetable or...

Babylon Berlin is leaving Netflix next month, and subscribers won't be seeing the fourth season before it goes. The German series premiered on the streaming service in January 2018, and seasons two and three followed. Season four aired on Sky in 2022 but was never released on Netflix.

Created by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Henk Handloegten, the series is set in 1920s Berlin and is inspired by the novels by Volker Kutscher. Starring Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth, and Matthias Brandt, the Babylon Berlin series follows a police inspector from Cologne trying to take down an extortion ring.

Read More…...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired UK & Ireland and Australia & New Zealand rights to Daniel Brühl (Rush) and Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick: Chapter 2) rally racing film Race For Glory: Audi vs. Lancia from HanWay Films.

The film follows the true story of the fierce rivalry between Roland Gumpert and Cesare Fiorio, the two respective heads of Audi and Lancia’s motor racing teams, during the 1983 Rally World Championships.

Pic is produced by Scamarcio and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) and is directed by Stefano Mordini (The Invisible Witness) from a script written by Mordini, Scamarcio and Filippo Bologna (Perfect Strangers).

Also starring are Volker Bruch (The Reader), Haley Bennett (Cyrano) and Katie Clarkson-Hill (Hanna).

The deal was negotiated between Signature Entertainment’s Director of Acquisitions and TV Elizabeth Williams and HanWay Films’ Head of Sales Nicole Mackey.

Signature will release the film in the UK next month from February...

You have to give the makers of “Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia” credit for their honesty in describing their “inspired by true events” drama. Not only do they offer twice in the closing credits the standard disclaimers about invoking dramatic license and inventing some characters out of whole cloth. To make sure we fully understand how fast and loose they have played with reality, they cap things off thusly: “This film cannot be considered a faithful description of facts.”

Trouble is, the film isn’t a grippingly exciting or even consistently compelling description, either. Mostly, it’s a competent yet uninspired overview of events before and during the globetrotting series of races that comprised the 1983 World Rally Championship, with the primary focus remaining affixed throughout on Cesare Fiorio, the ferociously competitive manager for Italy’s Team Lancia.

That narrative imbalance is not altogether surprising, considering that Firori is played by Riccardo Scamarcio,...

"You can't beat them with a normal car." "Yes we can... if you drive it." Yet another racing movie on the horizon. Lionsgate Movies has unveiled an official trailer for Race For Glory: Audi vs Lancia, formerly known as simply 2 Win (all of these titles are bad). This project is an Italy / UK / Ireland co-production directed by an Italian filmmaker, and starring, co-written by, and produced by the Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio. Inspired by true events that occurred during the fierce rivalry between Germany (Audi) and Italy (Lancia) at the 1983 Rally World Championships. Race For Glory stars Riccardo Scamarcio as rally driver Cesare Fiorio, Volker Bruch as racing champion Walter Röhrl, with Katie Clarkson-Hill, Esther Garrel, Giorgio Montanini, Gianmaria Martini, Haley Bennett, and featuring Daniel Brühl as the German engineer Roland Gumpert, founder of the sports car manufacturer Apollo Automobil. This is being dumped in theaters and on VOD at...

The producers of Babylon Berlin have confirmed the drama will get a fifth season, despite partner Sky Deutschland pulling out of commissioning in the country.

The future of the show was thrown into doubt when news broke Sky’s German arm had decided to stop ordering new shows and films. However, its German free TV network Ard Degato and producers Beta Film and X-Filme released a statement saying they have put season 5 into development.

Babylin Berlin has a unique funding and release model, in which Sky gets a first window on the show for its pay-tv service before public broadcaster Ard runs it later in the year. It then sits on both channels’ streaming services. Season four went out on Sky last October and is set to premiere on Ard this fall.

Beta, co-finances the show and sells it internationally, shopping the show to more than 140 territories to date. In the U.

To mark the release of Babylon Berlin Series 4 on 12th December, we’ve been given a Babylon Berlin Complete Series One to Four Box Set to give away to 2 winners.

Babylon Berlin Series Four finds us in 1930s Berlin. The 1920s culminated in the global stock market crash, and the Great Depression and now the Nazis’ march to power is in full swing. Detective Gereon Rath’s (Volker Bruch) investigations lead him into the boxing milieu – and politically uncomfortably close to Hitler’s militant supporters. His ambitious colleague Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) risks her job to help her homeless sister, who roams the streets of Berlin with a group of young peers, fighting for survival, all the while continuing an ongoing fight for recognition in the male-dominated police department.

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Exclusive: French distributor Arp Selection has just acquired Cannes Competition movie Eo by Polish veteran Jerzy Skolimowski.

The film is a vision of modern Europe as seen through the eyes of a donkey. HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and the deal was negotiated by Gabrielle Stewart and Arp’s Michèle Halberstadt.

Eo is presented by Skopia Film and Jeremy Thomas and stars Sandra Drzymalska, Isabelle Huppert, Lorenzo Zurzolo and Mateusz Kosciukiewicz. Pic was produced by Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski and Eileen Tasca.

Jeremy Thomas is the executive producer. Screenplay was written by Ewa Piaskowska and Jerzy Skolimowski.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. Eo, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into...

It is Italian Mordini’s first English-language feature.

Italian filmmaker Stefano Mordini is to direct 2 Win, inspired by true life events around the 1983 Rally World Championships, with UK-based HanWay Films launching worldwide sales at Cannes.

The title is Mordini’s first English-language feature.

Riccardo Scamarcio, Daniel Brühl and Volker Bruch will star in the title, which is produced by Lebowski with Recorded Picture Company and Metropolitan Films co-producing. Jeremy Thomas (Recorded Picture Company) and Scamarcio (Lebowski) are producers on the title. Rai is the Italian distributor.

Filippo Bologna wrote the screenplay together with Mordini and Scamarcio.

Mordini and Scamarcio are...

Riccardo Scamarcio, Daniel Brühl and Volker Bruch are set to star in Italian director Stefano Mordini’s 2 Win, inspired by the events surrounding the 1983 Rally World Championships and the intense rivalry between Germany and Italy.

The story is written by Perfect Strangers scribe Filippo Bologna, Mordini and Scamarcio, who frequently collaborate together and have worked on titles such as 2016 Un Certain Regard title Pericle and, most recently, The Catholic School. 2 Win marks their first English-language feature together.

Up against formidable rival Roland Gumpert (Brühl) and his superior Audi team, Italy’s team manager Cesare Fiorio (Scamarcio) faces certain defeat in the 1983 Rally World Championships. But Fiorio’s sets to steal victory and, like any good heist, he puts together an unusual team, including a team doctor and nutritionist who becomes a necessary foil against Cesare’s bravado. Cesare’s stroke of luck comes when he coaxes the zen-like Walter Rohl...

Daniel Brühl (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“John Wick 2”) and Volker Bruch (“Babylon Berlin”) are set to star in motorsport thriller “2 Win.”

Directed by Stefano Mordini (“The Players”), the film is inspired by true events that occurred during the fierce rivalry between Germany (Audi) and Italy (Lancia) at the 1983 Rally World Championships.

HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales, which will kick off at Cannes.

“It’s a real David vs. Goliath story where Italian flare, cheek and imagination battle against the engineering prowess and perfection of the Germans in a race to the finish,” reads the logline.

In the film, Brühl will play Roland Gumpert who is competing with Cesare Fiorio (Scamarcio) to win the 1983 Rally World Championships. Fiorio is almost certain to lose but thanks to ingenuity and cunning he rises to the challenge, partly thanks to his unusual team including a team doctor and...

World War II refugee drama “The Path” (Der Pfad) has debuted its international trailer (above) ahead of its market premiere at the European Film Market in Berlin. Warner will release the film theatrically in Germany, while Global Screen is handling international rights.

“The Path,” directed by Tobias Wiemann, is based on Rüdiger Bertram’s novel and is inspired by true events. The suspenseful drama, set in 1940, focuses on an escape route across the Pyrenees mountain range dividing France from Spain, used by hundreds of political refugees to escape Nazi persecution.

The film centers on German journalist Ludwig, who is on the run from the Nazis, and his 12-year-old son Rolf. They are trying to travel to New York, where Rolf’s mother is waiting for them, but are stranded in Marseille. The only route to freedom is a dangerous path over the Pyrenees to Spain. Núria, a girl only slightly older than Rolf,...

For fans of German period drama Babylon Berlin, the wait is almost over.

Shooting for season four of the hit series, a detective drama set against the backdrop of pre-World War II Berlin, has just wrapped, and Babylon Berlin producers X-Filme have released the first-look image of the new season. The new season shot for 129 days on the Neue Berliner Strasse-backlot at Studio Babelsberg as well on original locations across the German capital, including Berlin’s legendary Karl-Marx-Allee.

Seasons 1 to 3 followed the adventures of Gereon Rath, a police inspector from Cologne new to the German capital, played by Volker Bruch,...

For fans of German period drama Babylon Berlin, the wait is almost over.

Shooting for season four of the hit series, a detective drama set against the backdrop of pre-World War II Berlin, has just wrapped, and Babylon Berlin producers X-Filme have released the first-look image of the new season. The new season shot for 129 days on the Neue Berliner Strasse-backlot at Studio Babelsberg as well on original locations across the German capital, including Berlin’s legendary Karl-Marx-Allee.

Seasons 1 to 3 followed the adventures of Gereon Rath, a police inspector from Cologne new to the German capital, played by Volker Bruch,...

Global Screen has picked up global distribution rights to “The Path,” which is based on Rüdiger Bertram’s novel and inspired by true events. The Munich-based sales agency will be taking part in the virtual Pre-Cannes Screenings, where it will present a teaser trailer for the film as it kicks off presales. “The Path” will be released theatrically in Germany by Warner Bros.

The suspenseful drama, set in 1940, focuses on an escape route across the Pyrenees mountain range dividing France from Spain, used by hundreds of political refugees to escape Nazi persecution.

The film centers on German journalist Ludwig, who is on the run from the Nazis, and his 12-year-old son Rolf. They are trying to travel to New York, where Rolf’s mother is waiting for them, but are stranded in Marseille. The only route to freedom is a dangerous path over the Pyrenees to Spain. Núria, a girl only slightly older than Rolf,...

A series of ironic and satiric videos from some of Germany’s most prominent film and television actors criticizing and mocking new government lockdown measures have sparked a furious online debate, and support from an unlikely source.

Many in the media here have sharply criticized the videos, but members of the far right are applauding

Around 50 well-known German and German-speaking actors, including Vicky Kriebs (The Phantom Thread), Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others), Volker Bruch (Babylon Berlin), Heike Makatsch (Love, Actually), and TV stars such as Jan Josef Liefers, Meret Becker and Ulrike Folkerts, all posted short videos in which ...

A series of ironic and satiric videos from some of Germany’s most prominent film and television actors criticizing and mocking new government lockdown measures have sparked a furious online debate, and support from an unlikely source.

Many in the media here have sharply criticized the videos, but members of the far right are applauding

Around 50 well-known German and German-speaking actors, including Vicky Kriebs (The Phantom Thread), Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others), Volker Bruch (Babylon Berlin), Heike Makatsch (Love, Actually), and TV stars such as Jan Josef Liefers, Meret Becker and Ulrike Folkerts, all posted short videos in which ...

Exclusive: Mark Ivanir, the Ukrainian-Israeli actor who has starred in The Good Shepherd and Netflix series Away, has joined the cast of Season 4 of German crime drama Babylon Berlin.

Deadline understands that he will recur in the new season, which is produced by Tom Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool in co-production with Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky, and Beta Film. It airs on Sky in Germany and the UK, while Netflix streams the series in the U.S.

Centering on German author Volker Kutscher’s character, police inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch), the lavish German-language series about 1920s and ’30s Berlin has scored record ratings in Germany and has sold into more than 90 markets by Beta Film.

Ivanir has recurred on shows including Homeland, Transparent, and The New Pope, as well as appearing in films including The Terminal and Get Smart. He is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Thurline.

Variety’s “10 Europeans to Watch” were feted Saturday night at a party held by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg at Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Co-hosting the evening were Kirsten Niehuus and Helge Jürgens, managing directors of Medienboard, the regional film, TV and digital-media funding body.

Pictured above are U.K. filmmaker and rapper Andrew Onwubolu, known by his alias Rapman, Irish producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Italian director Carlo Sironi (“Sole”), German director Leonie Krippendorff (“Cocoon”), Estonian director Tanel Toom, Germany-based Kosovan director Visar Morina (“Exile”), and Hungarian actor Abigél Szõke (“Those Who Remained”).

Before welcoming to the stage some of Europe’s most promising stars of tomorrow, Variety executive VP of content Steven Gaydos noted: “Variety is celebrating our 115th year covering international entertainment, before people were watching movies.”

He also shared the story of local producer Sol Bondy, who met Russian producers Ilya Stewart and Murad Osmann at Variety’s “10 Producers to...

1. “Gentefied” (available February 21)

Why Should I Watch? From executive producer America Ferrera comes a half-hour comedy about a family trying to preserve their heritage, their neighborhood, and their livelihoods in a rapidly changing Los Angeles community. Yes, at its core, “Gentefied” sounds a lot like “Vida,” but a) that’s not a bad thing, given how damn good the Starz show remains, and b) this has a fresh look, larger ensemble, and its own ideas. The new original series is based off the 2017 Sundance web series of the same name, and focuses on three Mexican-American cousins whose big dreams conflict with established ideals: How does a family-owned taco stand adapt to meet modern customers’ demands without losing its cultural appeal? How do you become your own person without separating from the family identity? How do you pronounce Latinx? “Gentefied” promises to address all of these questions in bright, spirited, and authentic fashion.

Berlin — Described as continental Europe’s most expensive show ever, epic crime drama “Babylon Berlin” will bow on Sky’s streaming service on Jan. 24, now set in 1929, with a new murder mystery, based on “The Silent Death”, the second novel in Volker Kutscher’s trilogy, though the same intent: To trace with large artistic ambition yet historical accuracy the origins of Nazism.

A world premiere on Dec. 16 hinted, with its creators’ and cast comments, at what’s new, and the series’ growing relevance to the present day.

Produced again by Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool, pan-European pay TV giant Sky, German public network Ard Degeto and Munich-based production-sales house Beta Film, Season 3 follows police Inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) and flapper clerk Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) as they investigate a murder on a film set. The series diverges from its source material as co writer-show runners Tim Tykwer, Achim von Borries...

The international popularity of Germany’s “Babylon Berlin” shows no signs of abating.

Season 3 of the lavish historical crime drama, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, has sold in more than 35 countries, including China, where Lemon Tree Media nabbed the rights, and Brazil, where it was picked up by Blue Entertainment.

Produced by X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky and Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin 3” is based on “The Silent Death,” the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath.

Netflix will continue streaming the show in the U.S., Canada and Australia, while Telefonica’s Movistar+ acquired it for Spain and Mediawan for France. Nrk picked it up for Norway and Telenet for Belgium, while Yle took it for Finland and Dr for Denmark.

Beta Film will premiere the first footage of the new season of “Babylon Berlin” at its traditional brunch at MipTV on Tuesday.

A disused newspaper factory in the south of England is to be converted into a film studio complex. The Daily Mail printing press in Oxfordshire has been acquired by media company Rebellion, the games developer, motion capture firm and publishing outfit which owns the 2000 Ad comic book IP, which includes Judge Dredd. The complex is being lined up as a home for Duncan Jones’s Rogue Trooper film and Judge Dredd TV show Mega-City One. Six sound stages will be available at the 220,000 sq ft site, which is due to open in the spring. Rebellion founders Jason Kingsley and Chris Kingsley were producers on the 2012 feature film Dredd and set up Rebellion Productions in 2017 to develop and produce film and TV based on the company’s IP. Variety first reported news of the studio.

Shoot on hit German crime series Babylon Berlin by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and...

Stars: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant, Cameron Britton, Vicky Krieps, Sverrir Gudnason, Volker Bruch, Mikael Persbrandt, Claes Bang, Andreja Pejic | Written by Jay Basu, Fede Alvarez, Steven Knight | Directed by Fede Alvarez

Fede Alvarez’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web is the fifth entry into the famed Stieg Larsson franchise and the second attempt at creating a “successful” American revitalised product after the somewhat lukewarm financial success of David Fincher’s Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara starring remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, released in 2011.

Craig, Fincher and Mara are gone and to replace them seven years after the fact is Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez at the helm and The Crown star Claire Foy taking the role of Lisbeth Salander. And while this sequel is a welcoming return to the big screen, with the relentless nihilism and candid horror on offer,...

Picking up where the previous run left off, the new season of lavish German series “Babylon Berlin” will be set in the 1930s and will look at the seamy side of the movie industry, centering on the murder of a big star at a time when “the talkies” were beginning to take off, producers of the show said Tuesday.

Shooting is scheduled to begin in the fall in Berlin and at other locations. Season 3 of the hit noir series – whose renewal Variety reported exclusively in May – will consist of 10 new episodes and be based on the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath, titled “Silent Death.”

The series will be written by the directing-writing trio of Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries. Once again, the production partners on the show are X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film.

The first two seasons of “Babylon Berlin,...

As expected, well-received German crime-drama series Babylon Berlin is coming back for a third season.

Producing partners X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film have confirmed that shooting will begin this fall in Berlin and at other new locations.

Director-writer trio Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries are currently working on the scripts for ten new episodes, based on Volker Kutscher’s second Gereon Rath novel The Silent Death. As previously reported, the show’s writing team received German Government development funding last December and the team confirmed plans for a third season when I met them on the festival circuit late last year.

The new season will pick up in the early 1930s when the talkies start conquering the big screen, leaving many by the wayside: producers, cinema owners – and silent film stars. Inspector Gereon Rath encounters the dark side of the industry when...

Another win for Babylon Berlin: The biggest Asian TV festival in Shanghai has honored the Roaring Twenties-Drama as Best Foreign Series with the renowned Magnolia Award. The 16-hour show has beaten highly prestigious Us series such as David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and David Shore’s medical drama The Good Doctor. The Shanghai TV Festival jury states: “Babylon Berlin wins for its high production values, brilliant script, engaging characters, and thrilling story. It showed us a time in European history that still feels culturally and politically relevant.”

After sweeping five German Television Awards earlier this year, among them Best Drama Series, the Magnolia Award it is the next great success for the series by X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky Germany and Beta Film. Praised as “the most bingeable new drama since The Crown…” (Vogue) and “fabulous and stunning” (The Guardian) by international press Babylon Berlin garnered fabulous ratings...

A third season of “Babylon Berlin,” the landmark German period drama, is set to enter production later this year, Variety has learned. The new season of Europe’s most expensive non-English-language drama will continue to follow the exploits of police inspector Gereon Rath in decadent, seedy, politically fraught pre-war Berlin.

Work on the scripts is underway, with filming expected to start in October, a production source said. Some funding is in place from German agencies Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg and Film und Medienstiftung Nrw.

The production, broadcast and distribution partners – X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film – are in final negotiations on budgets and timing, but all are expected to board the third season. The partners said plans were underway for a new outing, and multiple sources told Variety it will happen this year.

“The process of development and financing of projects like ‘Babylon Berlin’ is rather complex,...

Canal Plus Group has acquired French rights to hit German drama series “Babylon Berlin” from Ab International Distribution, the Paris-based company owned by Mediawan group.

The series, which comprises 16 one-hour episodes, will screen on closing night on Series Mania Festival in Lille and will be broadcast on Canal Plus later this year.

Based on Volker Kutscher’s best-selling novels and directed by Tom Tykwer (“Sense8”), Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, “Babylon Berlin” broke audience records in Germany and in the U.S. where it streamed on Netflix.

Sold by Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin” stars Volker Bruch as a young police inspector in 1929 Berlin, transferred from Cologne to solve a case who finds himself caught up in a tangled web of corruption, organized crime and political extremism. “Babylon Berlin” is considered to be the most expensive TV drama in German history, with a budget of €40 million.

Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth,...

Beta Films has secured new deals which will see acclaimed German crime drama “Babylon Berlin” debut across Africa and India.

South Africa-based broadcaster M-Net, which is owned by Africa’s biggest subscription television network MultiChoice, has acquired rights across the whole of the African continent. Indian rights have been acquired by Tata Sky, the joint venture between Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox.

With these deals, Beta Film has now closed sales to more than 90 territories, including the U.S., Australia and throughout Europe.

The high-end drama from directors Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten is the most expensive non-English language television drama made to date. Spanning 16 hours across two concurrently shot seasons, “Babylon Berlin” stars Volker Bruch as a young police inspector in 1929 Berlin, transferred from Cologne to solve a case who finds himself caught up in a tangled web of corruption, organized crime and political extremism.

Two vibrant cities that love making movies, Berlin and Los Angeles will celebrate their 50th anniversary as sister cities by screening the highly anticipated Tom Tykwer series Babylon Berlin (Isa: Beta) in Downtown Los Angeles on October 6th at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. The two cities have a number of other exciting events planned for the anniversary as well.

The City of Berlin and the City of Los Angeles, two of the most exciting places in the world, connected through their inspiring and trend setting art scene, their social freedom, openness and their integration of different cultures and religions will join each other to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their Sister Partnership with events throughout September and October in Los Angeles, culminating with the International Premiere of Babylon Berlin.

Babylon Berlin, the much talked about new TV series, co-written and co-directed by BAFTA and Golden Globe Nominated Tom Tykwer,...

"Babylon Berlin," the path-breaking joint serial project of X-Filme, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film, is finalizing its pre-production and will start shooting in April. The high-end series, set in the roaring 1920s in Berlin, will be produced until the end of the year. Created by showrunner Tom Tykwer (“Sense 8”, “Cloud Atlas”, “Run Lola Run”) and his writer/director team Achim von Borries (“Alone in Berlin”) and Hendrik Handloegten (“Good Bye, Lenin”), "Babylon Berlin" stars “Generation War”-lead Volker Bruch and multiple-award-winning and up-and-coming actress Liv Lisa Fries (“She Deserved It”). The four partners have already signed in for two seasons. X-Filme producer Stefan Arndt: “We’re particularly happy that we’ll be able to complete two series of eight episodes each during the first shooting. This shows how enthusiastic and confident all of the partners are in our joint project.”

Kutscher’s "Babylon Berlin," centering on police inspector Gereon Rath, delivers an atmospheric portrayal of Berlin as the most exciting city in the world of that time, a hotbed of drugs and politics, murder and art, emancipation and extremism.

Sky will broadcast the series in 2017 and Ard in 2018. As co-producer, Beta Film will be responsible for the worldwide distribution of the series.

Beta Film’s director Jan Mojto explains, “Made in Germany is also a hallmark of quality in television. Due to the subject, the creative energy invested in the project, the names involved, its high standards, and not least, its budget, the first international reactions to the project have been very positive. 'Babylon Berlin' doesn’t need to take second stage to any of the major international series.”

The broadcasting team at Sky Deutschland and Ard Degeto emphasized how unique this collaboration is going to be. In the words of Volker Herres, program director at Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen: “We would like to build on the incredible success of Volker Kutscher’s novels. These are exciting stories with a historical background, and we want to present them to German television audiences in a serial production that holds up to international standards. With this goal, we benefit from a collaboration between three strong partners so X Filme and Tom Tykwer can implement the detective series in grand style.”

“Babylon Berlin,” Carsten Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Sky Deutschland reports, “is an exceptional project and a perfect match for Sky – bold storytelling, an outstanding cast, and Tom Tykwer’s incredibly creative team. The cooperation between X Filme, Ard, Degeto, and Beta Film is an impressive example of a fruitful and fair collaboration where all the partners are striking a unique path for Germany and Austria. With 'Babylon Berlin,' we are adding an in-house German production segment to our exclusive international agreements with such major partners as HBO and Showtime – a direction we will be moving in even more in the future.”

And Christine Strobl, managing director of Ard Degeto adds, “'Babylon Berlin' is a special project and very important for Ard. With this series, Ard Degeto will be offering Das Erste audiences a real treat that can stand up to international comparison from both the narrative and visual points of view. With regard to cooperation and financing, such an exceptional project deserves an exceptional approach. I am looking forward to the upcoming start of filming – judging from the screenplays, we can expect some outstanding television.”

A special challenge for the three authors and directors, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Hendrik Handloegten. “For a long time, we were searching for subject matter that could tell the story of this unique era in all its facets,” Tom Tykwer explains. “We finally found it in Kutscher’s novels. And after Achim, Hendrik, and I spent three years working intensively on the screenplay, I can hardly wait now to get started.”

Achim von Borries adds, “The final years of the Weimar Republic were a time of continual crisis and constant attacks from political extremists. A rapidly growing city with immigrants from all over the world was in the middle of it all – Berlin, the international melting pot, with the pressure constantly mounting. This was a source of inexhaustible material for us as authors. And to finally have the opportunity to portray the atmosphere of the late 20s is a challenge to us as directors – absolutely huge and incredibly exciting.”

For Hendrik Handloegten, the city of Berlin plays one of the key roles: “Berlin in the final Weimar years was characterized by its fast pace, freedom, and diversity. But soon it was too much speed, too much freedom, too much diversity. A city that is always becoming, but never is. In 'Babylon Berlin,' the city is the protagonist. And Berlin in 1929 is a bestial, monstrous, famished and satiated, exalted and down-to-earth, elegant and degenerate, perverse and chaste… and mysterious protagonist. The best thing that could happen to an author and director.”

Stefan Arndt adds, “We’re really looking forward to capturing this exuberant episode of Berlin’s history here in the city itself, thanks to all our partners and sponsors. A stunning outdoor set is being built right now in Babelsberg that will evoke so many impressions of the city at the time. Together with our experienced film artists from our previous productions, we are greatly looking forward to bringing the world of the 1920s to life in a TV series. For all of us, this project is the dawn of a new epoch in television production.”

Volker Bruch captivated millions of television viewers with his portrayal of Wehrmacht officer Wilhelm in “Generation War”. As one of the five leading actors, he won a special prize at the 2013 Bavarian TV Awards for his performance, as well as a German Television Award and Emmy Award.

Liv Lisa Fries won considerable acclaim in the Ard film “She Deserved it”, where she plays the aggressive teenager Linda who tortures her classmate to death. She was awarded the 2012 Golden Camera as Best Young Actress for her convincing performance, and also won the 2011 Günter Strack Television Award.

The chief editors of "Babylon Berlin" are Christine Strobl, Sascha Schwingel, and Carolin Haasis (Ard Degeto), Gebhard Henke and Caren Toenissen (Wdr), and Marcus Ammon and Frank Jastfelder (Sky Deutschland). The producers for X Filme are Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott, and Michael Polle.

The project is sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe Media, and the Nrw Film and Media Foundation.

The 16-part TVseries Babylon Berlin is based on Volker Kutscher’s bestselling crime thrillers.

Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries are to star in lead roles for Babylon Berlin, the most ambitious German TV production to date, based on Volker Kutscher’s internationally bestselling historical crime thrillers set in the Berlin of the Roaring Twenties.

Cast as the police inspector Gereon Rath, Bruch is already known for appearances in the internationally successful German TV series Generation War as well as such feature films The Reader, Young Goethe and Tour De Force, while Fries - as the shorthand typist Charlotte - has credits including The Wave, Boy 7 and Und Morgen Mittag Bin Ich Tot.

Tom Tykwer is serving as showrunner for the high-end 16-part series which he will direct with co-authors Hendrik Handloegten and Achim von Boerries.

Speaking on the eve of this year’s Berlinale, Tykwer revealed that this would be the first time he had...

There have been plenty of films made about World War II before, but this new three-part series has something new to say...

The Hollywood model for war movies is well known to us; certainly my generation was raised on Sunday afternoon fare of The Great Escape, Guns of Navarone, and Where Eagles Dare. These are all great films, but do they capture any truth of the experience? How far can any film capture the experience of war?

Well, Generation War does a great job with the emotions in particular. Other WWII movies may have the action sequences to amaze, but this three-part German drama concentrates on the feelings of five friends who meet up in Berlin in 1941, on the night before three of them depart for the Eastern front. Charlotte will become a nurse. Brothers Wilhelm and Friedhelm are soldiers. Staying in Berlin are lovers Greta and Viktor. She's a...

In the year that we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, the BBC have looked beyond the devastation of this earlier conflict to World War II, and the war on the Eastern Front with original German drama series Generation War.

In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.

For part two of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with producer Benjamin Benedict who discussed with us the birth of the series from an idea between two men, the importance of history and the role of storytelling in bringing history to life as well as reflecting on the evolving relationship between television and film. Read our interview with Volker Bruch here.

But before the interview got underway it...

In the year that we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, the BBC have looked beyond the devastation of this earlier conflict to World War II, and the war on the Eastern Front with original German drama series Generation War.

In the swirling chaos of the World War, Generation War crafts a tragic and intimate story of the lives of five friends who are impacted by the events of the German invasion of Russia.

For part one of our Generation War special feature, HeyUGuys had the privilege to speak with Volker Bruch who plays Wilhelm Winter, one of the tragic five lead characters. Volker looked back not only to the past of turbulent war, but to the roots of his career. He also shared with us amongst other things his thoughts on Generation War as a ghost story, albeit in a different sense of the word, his frequent...

Oliver Mahrdt, Andrew Nagorski, Ingrid Scheib-Rothbart, with moderator Anne-Katrin Titze on Generation War Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Philipp Kadelbach's Generation War, written by Stefan Kolditz, and produced by Nico Hofmann for the Zdf was first shown on German and Austrian television in 2013 on the evenings of March 17, 18 and 20, in 90 minute episodes as a three-part miniseries. It garnered more than 7 million viewers. The film stars Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Miriam Stein and Ludwig Trepte as five friends in Berlin, June 1941 whom we follow throughout the war.

Two brothers, Wilhelm and Friedhelm are Wehrmacht soldiers on the Eastern Front. Charlotte becomes an army nurse. Greta is an aspiring singer involved with Viktor, a tailor who is Jewish, escapes deportation and joins Polish partisans. The performances are outstanding, the battle scenes filmed by cinematographer David Slama and edited by Bernd Schlegel pull you in and yet the plot choices remain controversial.

A pair of trailers for two World War II films have arrived, the first is actually a three-part miniseries titled Generation War, which has been described as "Germany's 'Band of Brothers'" and will be released theatrically by Music Box Films on January 15, though only at New York's IFC Center and I doubt it will be expanding much further. Set in Berlin 1941, the miniseries centers on five friends eager to become heroes in the German army only to later find their lives irrevocably damaged after years of bloodshed. Directed by Philipp Kadelbach, the film stars Volker Bruch, Tom Schilling, Katharina Schuttler, Ludwig Trepte and Miriam Stein. Here's the trailer. yt id ="XwH35_w1oZY" width="610" Next we have Stalingrad from director Fedor Bondarchuk. The film is a 3D action film that recently stormed the Chinese box office to the tune of $8.3 million during its opening weekend and has been submitted by...

A+E Networks UK’s History channel has set details of its upcoming local version of Pawn Stars. The show will focus on Regal Pawn, a shop near Chester, England. The eight-part series will star Regal’s owner Mark Manning, (aka Big Mark), his daughter Vicki, his best friend Little Mark and Little Mark’s son, Marco. The UK will be the first market to make its own version of the series that will feature distinctly British items. The show airs in the UK this fall and is produced by Leftfield Pictures, the production company behind the original U.S. series which has increased in popularity in Britain since it debuted in 2010. Music Box has taken U.S. rights on Beta Film’s Generation War, a six-hour miniseries about the fate of young men and women who fought in World War II. The Band Of Brothers-like story is from Zdf,...