International Insider: Winter Olympics Gets Political; ‘SNL UK’ Cast; World Watches Disney Succession Battle

Roll up roll up, it’s getting icy in Europe with the start of the Winter Olympics. Over at Deadline we’ve got you covered. Max Goldbart here with your weekly International Insider. Sign up here.

ICE on the ice

Winter Olympics gets political: The Winter Olympics opening ceremony gets going in just a few hours’ time in Milan’s 76,000-capacity San Siro stadium, with Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli on the bill. But regardless of whether you know your luge from your curling, or your bobsleigh from your skeleton, there is no doubt that things are getting political this year. That is, in the main, due to the presence of ICE (all caps), the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers travelling to Italy, whose overlords have of course been generating headlines for weeks. While some have sought to downplay ICE’s presence on the ice, protests have been taking place. Italian politicians of all stripes, who are preparing for the arrival of JD Vance and Marco Rubio, are not happy. “The issue isn’t whether ICE agents will patrol public squares or conduct intelligence gathering. The issue is who ICE is and what it represents,” a centre-left MEP told Mel in this nifty primer, which covered political tensions, the opening ceremony and the possible appearance of one Mr Tom Cruise. The MEP called ICE an “apparatus accused in the United States of systematic violence, paramilitary operations and intimidation.” Strong words. Hopefully (but not too likely), the political noise can ease somewhat, as the Winter Olympics tends to be enormous fun. Jesse had this handy rundown of the athletes to watch (keep eyes peeled for a flamboyant Spanish figure skater who has gained a cult following by performing to a Minions musical medley), while Jake examined whether, if the biggest entertainment M&A deal of the century goes through, rights to the Olympics could jump to Netflix.

‘SNL UK‘ Sets Cast

Nearly there: Deadline first brought news of Saturday Night Live UK way back in 2021 and this week we moved a step closer to the long-gestating version of America’s biggest late night show becoming a reality. The British comedy world has been waiting with bated breath for the cast, which came Tuesday featuring 11 of the UK’s best and brightest comedians. None are household names but that was never the point, with Sky and Universal Television Alternative Studio always making clear that SNL UK would be a platform. The cast includes Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun, Emma Sidi, who played Rose Matafeo’s flatmate in Starstruck, and Al Nash, a viral comic who satirizes social media tropes. The March 21 launch of SNL UK is now just weeks away. The creative team led by Late Late Show producer James Longman and having received training from the great Lorne Michaels has long been in place and finishing touches will now be being applied. It feels as though scepticism has always swirled around a UK version of SNL. Personally, I’m not quite sure the show’s American comic sensibilities quite match up with the Brits, while SNL UK is on pay-TV channel Sky One, meaning millions will be shut out from watching. But that’s not to say it can’t be a success, and in a few week’s time I may be eating my words. More on this coming in the run-up to launch.

World Watches Disney Succession Battle

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a D’Amaro: The new occupant of arguably the biggest job in American entertainment was unveiled Tuesday and this will of course have international ramifications. After a year-long bake off, parks chief Josh D’Amaro was named Bob Iger’s successor at Disney, while TV boss Dana Walden was handed a new, improved role (Nellie’s piece on the American media glass ceiling remaining intact is well worth a read). International executives will be familiar with Walden, but are unlikely to know a huge amount about D’Amaro, a Disney lifer who has come up through the parks and experiences division. Iger cited his “tremendous energy, great curiosity, great EQ, and a deep respect for creativity and creators” as the reasons he landed the top job. Those I’ve spoken with who work for or adjacent to the Mouse House internationally are very much taking a wait and see approach. Under global originals chief Eric Schrier and new EMEA content lead Angela Jain, Disney+’s European arm appears to have been given license to make some big swings, most recently striking a deal with Stephen Graham’s indie and promoting four executives, including Rivals commissioner Lee Mason. How D’Amaro shepherds international will be of great interest to all and sundry.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: Big hitters in the run up to EFM were an adaptation of The Girl about a Roman Polanski victim, Goodfellas launching sales on Michael Morpurgo’s Lucy Lost and Chris Hemsworth joining Taron Egerton in Kockroach.

🌶️ Another One: D’Arcy Carden and Will Forte comedy series Sunny Nights sold to Hulu.

🔥 A third One: A veritable super group of formats producers in Traitors maker Studio Lambert and Talpa are teaming on The Golden Elevatorsa quiz format that is going to the U.S. and UK.

📱 Microdramas: Tattle TV, which we profiled last month, has partnered with vertical drama production house Onset Octopus.

🏆 Awards latest: The inaugural Palestine Film Fund has awarded movies on life in Gaza and Bedouin displacements, amongst others.

🥷 Agencies: Conway van Gelder Grant has hired Becky Williams, who reps the likes of comedians Jon Pointing (Big Boys) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Stath Lets Flats).

💰 Record spend: More money was spent on film production in the UK last year than ever before, but only 7% of it went on local movies. Meanwhile, cinema admissions tumbled.

🤝 Done deal: The Next Narrative Africa Fund has partnered with Parrot Analytics on a first-of-its-kind African entertainment landscape study.

🚪 Exiting: Gladiators exec Dom Bird, who is leaving Amazon MGM Studios to launch his own thing.

🍿 Box office: Melania, which has been making plenty headlines, came 29th on its debut weekend in the UK and 38th in Italy. Director Brett Ratner was distracted by his appearance in the Epstein Files.

📺 Streaming regs: Long-gestating quotas for the SVoDs are finally coming to Germany.

🎥 Trailer: For A Family, Mees Peijnenburg’s Dutch-language drama.

International Insider was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock.