NEW STARS WARS SERIES IN THE WORKS: Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland is creating a new Star Wars series for Disney Plus, Variety reports. Details are scant, but sources say it will be a female-centric series that will take place in a different part of the Star Wars timeline than other series in the works. Two other Star Wars shows at Disney Plus are in the works: an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor and a Cassian Andor/ Rogue One prequel series starring Diego Luna.
THE MANDALORIAN TRAILER DROPS: The debut trailer for Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the Star Wars spin-off series, which will drop May 4th on Disney Plus.
SKY STUDIOS INVESTS IN LUTHER PRODUCER VENTURE: Comcast‘s Sky Studios has taken a minority stake in The Lighthouse, a production outfit established by BBC Studios drama chiefs Hilary Salmon, Radford Neville and Nick Betts. Salmon oversaw series including Luther and Richard Gere‘s MotherFatherSon at the BBC. Sky Studios CEO Gary Davey said: “Hilary, Radford and Nick are three of the most renowned drama players in the broadcast field today. They share our vision to make thought-provoking, relevant dramas for audiences both in the UK and worldwide.”
BERGAMO FILM FEST POSTPONED: Italian film festival Bergamo Film Meeting, set to run May 23-31, has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event screened 178 films last year. “We are also waiting to hear the decisions that our supporting institutions will make to safeguard the future of Bergamo Film Meeting, to allow us to overcome this challenging year, which we hope we’ll soon be able to consider a transition,” today’s statement read. “Many other festivals in Italy and the rest of Europe are in the same predicament. The entire audio-visual sector – which consists in businesses, cultural organizations and hundreds of thousands of workers – is paying a very steep price for the emergency.”