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Something that happens in Hollywood once in a blue moon is the splitting up of a movie into two parts. Rarely does a movie franchise or brand ever warrant something as massive as a story that takes place over multiple films. With that said, many have earned that incredible honor before, from Kill Bill to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to, as the most recent example, Wicked. As Hollywood box office receptions have been bigger than ever, many studios are electing to tell more of their stories over the course of two or three films in order to maximize their profits and increase the longevity of a franchise. But if this practice is still going on today, why are films like Dune, Wicked and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hiding the fact that there is more than one part to the movie?

It's been noted by audiences that movie studios...

Oliver Berben, who took the reins of German production and distribution powerhouse Constantin Film on March 1, faces a German media landscape that is “changing radically and quickly,” he says. In response, he is adjusting the company’s approach to the business.

He welcomes the government’s proposed reform of the German Film Law, which will change the country’s production incentives, including for television, and will introduce an obligation on broadcasters and streamers to invest 20% of sales generated in Germany back into European productions, 70% of which would have to be in the German language.

“You have stagnating funding of public broadcasters. You have declining revenues for the private stations. The question is: Is the model functioning altogether? It is not, if we just keep on doing the same thing again and again.”

He adds, “Everything is changing, and these changes, by the way, are good. Us, as producers, we need...

Brazil’s Fantaspoa film festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the festival is breaking numerous records, presenting an impressive total of 114 feature films, 22 of these as World Premieres, marking the largest number of feature films in Fantaspoa’s long history.

The final selection of feature films for Fantaspoa’s highly-anticipated 20th edition has been exclusively presented to Bloody Disgusting, so read on for everything you need to know!

The festival tells us this week, “With a diverse selection, the feature films screening at Fantaspoa Xx have been divided into seven distinct competitive categories: International, Ibero-American, National, Documentary, Animation, All-Nighter, and Low Budget, Great Films. These categories promise audiences a variety of cinematic experiences, from the fringes of horror and fantasy to the depths of the human imagination.

“In addition to feature films, Fantaspoa will screen 123 short films, totaling 237 participating works, making this edition of the festival the largest in its history.

Night Shift: " While working her first night shift at a remote motel, a young woman, Gwen Taylor (Phoebe Tonkin), begins to suspect that she is being followed by a dangerous character from her past. As the night progresses, Gwen’s isolation and safety, however, are made all the more worse when she starts to realize that the motel might also be haunted."

Writer & Director: The China Brothers (Paul & Ben) Cast: Phoebe Tonkin, Lamorne Morris, Madison Hu, Patrick Fischler, Lauren Bowles, Christopher Denham. Producers: Eric B. Fleischman, Maurice Fadida, John Hodges, Bradley Pilz, Dennis Rainaldi Runtime: 82 minutes Rated: TV-ma Distributor: Quiver Distribution

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Queer Horror - A Film Guide: "From the beginning, horror has been part of the cinema landscape. Despite some of the earliest genre films with gay directors such as F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) and James Whale, Lgbtqia characters have rarely been portrayed in full view. For decades, filmmakers have...

On Wednesday, Fremantle revealed that it had secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. Variety spoke to Jan Ehlert, one of the producers on the show, and Jens Richter, CEO commercial and international at Fremantle, about why they backed the ambitious production, which is budgeted at around Euros 45 million ($48.8 million) and will be produced as a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release.

“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

Returning to the original “Nibelungen” saga was key to Constantin’s decision to turn the story into a premium drama, and one of...

Constantin Film has released the first images from Hagen, its hotly-anticipated new fantasy drama, which is looking to tap into the global Game of Thrones and Vikings fan base with a swords-and-magic tale inspired by the Teutonic Nibelungen saga.

Fremantle has picked up worldwide distribution rights outside German-speaking territories to the series from Constantin. Fremantle parent Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

The series is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s Hagen von Tronje, a reimagining of the Niebelungen saga, the medieval German folk tale considered the inspiration for such modern-day fantasy epics as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Hagen follows the story of the soldier Hagen, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, the princess warrior Kriemhild, and the magical Valkyrie queen Brunhild in a tale of love, family, power and war that ends —this is a Germanic tale after all — catastrophically.

Gijs Naber (The Story of My Wife...

Fremantle revealed Wednesday that it has secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. The deal includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release. Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will be showcasing “Hagen” as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday as part of London TV Screenings.

“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

The show centers on dutiful soldier Hagen and Siegfried, the legendary dragon slayer. Hagen, bound by loyalty to the kingdom, is Lord Commander, ready to serve and stand by his king.

Much of Tolkien’s lore spawns from other well-established mythology and lore that has stood the test of time. The themes in Lord of the Rings have a cross-generational relevance devoid of any intentional allegory. Tolkien created fantastical characters whose humanity grounds them in relatability.

Though it was first published in 1954 (and preceded by the first edition of The Hobbit in 1937), J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings has gone on to be one of the most enduring works of fantasy to come out of the 20th century. Tolkien redefined a genre and even bumped fantasy fiction, myth, and lore further into the pop culture zeitgeist. Long before Peter Jackson's now beloved film adaptations in the early 2000s, the author inspired musicians, filmmakers, and visual artists alike in their own creative endeavors. What was once a niche novel known to a relatively obscure fan base has become an...

Leading German producer and distributor is prepping an ambitious 2023 slate.

One of Germany’s leading production and distribution companies, Constantin Film is delivering one of its “most ambitious” slates of films and series this year, according to executive chairman Martin Moszkowicz.

They include Berlinale gala screening Sun And Concrete (Sonne Und Beton), directed by David Wnendt, which Constantin co-producers and distributes, and Paul W.S. Anderson’s fantasy adventure In The Lost Lands, starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista. Hagen, a big budget feature and six-part series based on the epic German Nibelungen saga, has also started shooting, and Constantin is...

'Die Nibelungen: Siegfried': Paul Richter as the dragon-slaying hero of medieval Germanic mythology. 'Die Nibelungen': Enthralling silent classic despite complex plot and countless characters Based on the medieval epic poem Nibelungenlied, itself inspired by the early medieval Germanic saga about the Burgundian royal family, Fritz Lang's two-part Die Nibelungen is one of those movies I can enjoy many times without ever really understanding who's who and what's what. After all, the semi-historical, fantasy/adventure epic is packed with intrigue, treachery, deceit, hatred, murder, and sex. And that's just the basic plotline. As seen in Kino's definitive two-disc edition, artistically and cinematically speaking Die Nibelungen contains some of the greatest visual compositions I've ever seen. Filmed mostly in long shots that frame the imaginative sets and high ceilings, each static shot is meticulously composed with such symmetry and balance that, even though Die Nibelungen takes the viewer through a mythical fantasia,...

0:00 - Intro 9:30 - Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 1:05:50 - Headlines: Pacific Rim Trailer, Man of Steel Trailer, Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer 1:22:35 - Other Stuff We Watched: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Uncle Buck, Killer Joe, Finding Nemo, The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, Hugo, Bernie, Mirror Mirror, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Die Nibelungen: Siegfried, Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache, Die Hard, Dick Tracy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2:02:05 - Junk Mail: Film Junk Rating Ratios, Foreign Actors Speaking their Native Tongue in Hollywood Movies, Movies We'd Like to See Receive Oscar Nominations, Worst Trilogy Cred and Frank's Top 5 Animals, Movies with Bleak Endings, Getting Performances Out of Documentary Subjects, Wilhelm Scream 2:35:45 - This Week on DVD and Blu-ray 2:37:33 - Outro 2:40:10 - Spoiler Discussion: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey...