Walliams Scandal Rocks Entertainment; AFM Market Deep Dive & ‘Ebenezer’ Opens in London

Good afternoon, friends — welcome back to another edition of Deadline International Insider with Max Goldbart, bringing you the latest. Scroll down and sign up here.

AFM Heats Up

Kicking the tires: This week’s American Film Market (AFM) in Los Angeles was busy, with a raft of new packages circulating in the days leading into and during the market. While there haven’t been a flood of splashy, headline-making sales reported yet, that doesn’t mean activity hasn’t happened — deals are simply taking longer to close these days. Among the transactions we flagged at the market: Lionsgate picking up Alma Har’el’s constellation-studded drama Wet, and CMG landing domestic rights for Venice Golden Lion winner An Unknown Woman. Amazon has been taking a close look at some of the larger projects on offer, and the market again showed a strong appetite for horror as buyers hunt for the next Obsession or Backrooms. Notable genre entries included NorthFiveSix’s Seeker, starring Cooper Tomlinson, Jessica Rothe and Mika Abdalla, and FilmNation’s Violet, featuring Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez and Suki Waterhouse. Interestingly, several major sales houses stayed quiet this market and didn’t debut new titles — but A24 arrived with heavy artillery. Their marquee package was the fantasy adaptation Elden Ring, reported to have a production budget in the neighborhood of $180–$200 million, making it arguably the most expensive single-title offering ever shopped at a market. We covered that project a few weeks back. Other new packages showcased names such as Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson and Renée Zellweger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s action entry Katana drew strong interest on Deadline.com — quite fitting for an AFM that leaned into genre. Expect more deal news to emerge in the coming days.

Walliams Scandal Prompts Renewed Introspection

Is this the turning point?: The week in the U.K. began with the sentencing of Russell Brand to over a decade behind bars for rape and sexual assault — and additional allegations continue to surface — and it ended with new scrutiny over how celebrities wield power in the entertainment business. The court process allowed for powerful victim impact statements, including testimony from a person who said they were employed by Channel 4 at the time of their assault. Shortly afterward, The Guardian and ITV News published allegations that David Walliams, co-creator of Little Britain, engaged in sexually exploitative conduct toward young women and teenagers, with much of the alleged behavior said to have taken place on or near television sets. Walliams has denied the charges and attempted to block publication through legal channels, but the stories’ release has reignited a fierce debate about consent and imbalances of power, both historically and today. Walliams served as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent as recently as 2022 — one of the environments cited in the reporting — and whether the conduct was widely known or an “open secret,” he has been a mainstream figure in British entertainment for decades. In both the Brand and Walliams situations, public jokes about their sexual exploits were commonplace at the time the alleged misconduct occurred. British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she’s had enough; after convening a meeting with industry leaders, including the BBC’s Matt Brittin, she announced plans to push legislation aimed at increasing accountability across the sector. It may feel like a familiar moment, but pressure for systemic change looks to be growing.

‘Ebenezer’ in London

Before he was Depp, he was… Johnny: Johnny Depp faced the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future this week when he turned up in chilly London for the premiere of what many are calling the centerpiece of his comeback: Ti West’s Ebenezer. Our correspondent Melanie braved Leicester Square to witness Depp in character — hat and all — alongside co-stars Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Ellie Bamber and Robert Strong. The red carpet was decked with Christmas trees and faux snow while 1950s holiday standards set the mood. Early reviews, published on Thursday, were generally favorable but hardly breathless — most critics called the film solid if not earth-shattering, and plenty had a laugh at the film’s cheeky tagline, “Before he was Scrooge he was… Ebenezer.” Read Pete Hammond’s verdict here. The bigger question now is how much of a career revival this actually represents for Depp; talk of a possible return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is already circulating.

The Deadline Interview: Katharina Eyssen

Katharina Eyssen says she’s experiencing “mixed emotions” as she looks back on the conclusion of her hit Netflix palace drama The Empress. The series has been one of Netflix’s most successful — and most costly — European productions, amassing a passionate global audience. Eyssen and Netflix have agreed to wrap the series after Season 3, but she points out that endings can open other doors. If Shonda Rhimes can spawn Bridgerton offshoots, Eyssen argues, there’s no reason the Empress universe couldn’t be revisited. “Some of the characters are complete based on where we leave them historically,” she says, “but you could also go back and tell an origin tale — a childhood or youth story.” >> Read The Interview

Local to Global: Anshuman Jha & Sarah-Jane Dias On ‘Lakadbaggha 2’

Our Local to Global series lived up to its name last week when it landed in Bruges, Belgium, to spotlight an ambitious Indian action film. Lakadbaggha 2: The Monkey Business looks primed for breakout success, and actor-director Anshuman Jha joined star Sarah-Jane Dias for a sit-down with Diana to discuss building an action movie rooted in martial arts and wildlife conservation. The plot centers around an illicit underground fighting circuit that secretly auctions off one of the last surviving Yaki monkeys — a premise that blends high-octane action with an emotional conservation hook. >> Watch The Video

The Essentials

Hot One: Carrie-Anne Moss has been added to the cast of Montreal-set psycho-sexual horror Replacer.

Another: Bridgerton alum Adjoa Andoh has created her first TV series, a detective drama titled Protect and Serve.

Global Breakout: We ran a profile on Avi Nesher’s Israeli hit Our Loves.

Restructure: Lionel Uzan has succeeded Pascal Breton as CEO of Federation Studios, with Montefiore taking a majority stake after a long investor search.

Setting up shop: Former SquareOne chief Al Munteanu’s production outfit, BriskPace Studios, has announced its leadership team.

Monsieur President: A presenter from Love is Blind France has declared a run for the French presidency.

Festival latest: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s Paris-set feature All Of A Sudden will open the 39th European Union Film Showcase.

Award latest: Nicole Kidman is set to be honored at France’s César awards.

Box office: The documentary NAZA has become one of the top-attended theatrical docs this year, drawing over 1.5 million admissions.

Trailer/Plot beat: James is battling for Ruby in the final season of Prime Video’s YA drama Maxton Hall.