International Insider: Rebel Wilson’s Legal Battle; Russos Return To Sands; Watching The ‘Neighbourhood’

Here we go, again, Insiders. Jesse Whittock with you to run through the week’s top film and TV news. Sign up to the newsletter here.

Rebel Wilson‘s Explosive Legal Battle

Courtroom drama: Few defamation cases involving clashing movie stars ever make it to court, which is why people are so fascinated when they do. This week, the dispute between The Deb actress Charlotte MacInnes and its director, Rebel Wilson, spilled into the Federal Court in Australia, and Jake has been tracking the story. MacInnes is suing Wilson for damaging her reputation through social media posts that claimed MacInnes had been the victim of “inappropriate behavior” but dropped a complaint against producer Amanda Ghost to further her career. Wilson alleges Ghost made MacInnes uncomfortable when they shared a bath together before MacInnes withdrew her claim in exchange for “incredible opportunities” such as being cast in a Gatsby stage show and landing a record deal. Both sides deny the others’ allegations, and it was been a wild week in court, sometimes tough to watch. MacInnes made a teary appearance on the stand yesterday, where Wilson’s barrister quizzed her intensely about her claims of a bad relationship with the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress. That came after MacInnes’ lawyer accused Wilson of being a “bully.” The court also heard that the crisis PR team Wilson allegedly engaged to attack Ghost called their own client “f****** nuts” in a text message exchange between staff. Today, the court heard Wilson knew MacInnes had “zero issues” with the bathroom incident, and a seemingly collegiate exchange after it had happened between Wilson and Ghost was shown. Meanwhile, Wilson’s wife shared a meme appearing to compare MacInnes to Dory, the forgetful fish in the Pixar movies, and this was submitted to the court. It’s been bruising all round. The case continues.

Shifting Sands

Russos return: Over the weekend, Zac was up in Scotland at the fifth Sands International Film Festival, which has quietly grown a reputation as an influential event – thanks in no small part to the continued support of the Russos and their AGBO imprint. It was no different this year, as Joe Russo (appearing via video link after being held up at Cinemacon) and Angela Russo-Otstot took to the stage with Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. to discuss how an Avengers: Endgame re-release later this year will “create a bridge” to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday in December. They also touched on Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Dr. Doom among other Marvel-related fun. Elsewhere at the fest, which is held in St. Andrews, Festival Director Ania Trzebiatowska lauded her event making the half-decade mark, noting, “Half of new ventures don’t make it to five years,” before musical comedy Power Ballad opened the latest edition. Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas star. All Sands coverage is here.

‘Neighbourhood’ Watch

Keep your enemies close: The Neighbourhood is one of the most ambitious new formats to launch in a while. I saw a teaser for the show at ITV Studios’ London TV Screenings a few months back and remember being impressed by the sheer scale. The set up sees real-life households – families and friend groups – move in side-by-side to compete in challenges in a constructed cul-de-sac, while simultaneously trying make frenemies with those next door. As with any reality show, the proof is in the watching and we won’t know how the show fares before it launches on ITV in the UK later today, but it’s one to keep an eye on. Max spoke with Richard Cowles and John Hay, who run the ITV Studios-owned producers, Lifted Entertainment and The Garden, which make The Neighbourhood. They recalled how the pitch persuaded show host Graham Norton, who’s easily one of the UK’s most bankable presenters and a close friend of Taylor Swift, and that he subsequently moved in round the corner from the contestants for a month to show his commitment. “By being there and by being the presence at its heart he set the tone for us perfectly,” Hay told us. “We feel lucky to have got him in between Taylor Swift video shoots.” The full story is here.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: To Leslie star Andrea Riseborough and Adolescence‘s Ashley Walters will front First Woman, an ITV thriller drama about a missing female astronaut.

🌶️ Another One: Ralph Fiennes and Viggo Mortensen are leading cast in Oscar winner István Szabó’s under-the-radar period drama Embers, which has begun filming in Budapest, Hungary.

🔥 A third: Canada’s CBC and BBC Northern Ireland have greenlit Committed, a ten-part comedy co-production starring Schitt’s Creek actor Dustin Milligan and Derry Girls‘ Diona Doherty.

⚽ He’s football crazy, he’s football mad: Stewart spoke with Diego Luna, who is executive producing and starring in Mexico 86, a Netflix movie about an ambitious pen-pusher who brought the 1986 World Cup to Mexico.

🪓🪓 Double Baz: Our roving International Editor-At-Large had exclusive interviews with Amadeus director Jeremy Herrin about Michael Sheen’s West End return and actor Bill Pullman, who is making his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in in a new adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

💰 Buyers’ market: Prime Video has swooped for rights to Embassy, the action-thriller series starring Anna Kendrick, Sam Heughan and J.K. Simmons, taking it for the UK, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand.

🛑 Stunted: A split has emerged in the British stunt community, with some performers allegedly facing bullying and the threat of losing work after joining a new professional body.

📋 Add them to the list: The Cannes Film Festival revealed a fresh round of 16 titles for the Official Selection of its 79th edition, including James Gray‘s Paper Tiger and Judith Godrèche’s A Girl’s Story.

⛺ Fest news: Maggie Gyllenhaal has been announced as Jury President for the 83rd Venice Film Festival, running from September 2 to 12.

🚶🏻‍♂️‍➡️ Going solo: Rollercoaster Television has become a standalone indie as ITV Studios concluded its investment after five years.

🏪 New shop: The Wing, a post-production and film financing company with a specialism in international co-productions with New Zealand, is launching ahead of the Cannes market.

💬 In conversation: Audrey Diwan, Jack Rooke, Will Tracy and Harry Lighton were among the names speaking at Dublin’s Storyhouse screenwriting festival.

🖼️ Poster children: The poster for the 79th Cannes Film Festival is out, featuring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon from Thelma & Louise, which premiered on the Croisette in May 1991.

👀 First look: At Kylie, the under-wraps Netflix doc series about the Australian pop icon.

International Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Stewart Clarke.