International
Big screen, star studded adaption of French Novella-‘The Little Prince’
MUMBAI: The star studded cast comprising of James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro and Paul Giamatti have been brought on board to voice the characters of the big screen adaption of Antoine de Saint-Exupery‘s French novella The Little Prince. The film adaption of the classic children‘s book will see a brilliant voice cast with three Oscar winners including Bridges, Cotillard and Del Toro.
The film adaption will be directed by the Kung Fu Panda director, Mark Osborne and is being produced by Onyx Films‘ Aton Soumache along with Dimitri Rassam. Soumache had also produced the stylish 2006 animated film Renaissance. While there is speculation that the Melrose studio would be involved as the film‘s U.S. distributor, the official statement regarding the same hasn’t been declared.
The film’s story will centre on a pilot who crash-lands in the Sahara desert and comes across a little boy who says he is a prince fallen to Earth from his home on an asteroid. As the pilot repairs his plane, the little prince amuses him with stories about his homeland and the foolish inhabitants of nearby asteroids. It shall also include societal criticism, remarking on the strangeness of the adult world.
While Bridges will voice the protagonist pilot, it was not revealed which roles the other actors were taking on.
The French book Le Petit Prince was first published in 1943 and translated into over 250 languages. Its philosophical nature had appealed to both adults and children making it the most read and most translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France.
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
