movies

Emma Thompson’s ‘Nanny McPhee’ Musical Sets Summer 2027 London Debut

Published

2 hours ago

August 27, 2026

The Nanny McPhee stage musical with a book by Emma Thompson, first revealed by Deadline back in 2024, will open in London in summer 2027.

Based on the Universal Pictures/Working Title Nanny McPhee films, and the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand and Edward Ardizzone that inspired them, the new musical will take the tale to the stage for the first time.

The creative team behind the production will feature actor and writer Thompson, music by singer-songwriter Gary Clark (frontman of the band Danny Wilson who wrote the music for Sing Street on stage and film), with original lyrics by Thompson and Clark.

‘I’ve lived with Nanny McPhee for so long that to see her finally tread the boards is supremely exciting,” said Thompson, who starred in the 2005 and 2010 McPhee films. “Theatre feels like her natural home – magic, music, mischief and a good dollop of danger can all happen right in front of you. Working with Gary Clark to create the musical heart that beats through the story has been an unforgettable journey of a lifetime. And I am thrilled and so proud that the brilliant Katy Rudd will be bringing it all to life with her inimitable witty wonderment. I can’t wait to introduce the all-new Nanny McPhee to audiences next summer.”

Nanny McPhee will be directed by Katy Rudd (Ballet Shoes and The Ocean at the End of the Lane), with set and costume designs by the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rob Howell (Matilda the Musical) and choreography by Ellen Kane, winner of the 2023 World Choreography Award for Best Motion Picture Choreography for Matilda the Musical.

The musical’s synopsis: “When the mysterious figure of Nanny McPhee arrives at the Browns’ door she discovers a household in chaos; anarchic children who have driven away every Nanny before her, a desperate father, a donkey that is out of control, and a baby who will stop at nothing. Armed with her strange knobbly stick, exceedingly unorthodox methods and quite a lot of magic, Nanny McPhee begins to restore harmony. And as it turns out, the children aren’t the only family members who have lessons to learn.”

Also part of the creative team are orchestrations by Simon Hale, music supervision by Nigel Lilley, and music arrangements by Simon Hale and Nigel Lilley. Lighting is by Howard Hudson, sound designs by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, illusions by Chris Fisher, puppetry by Samuel Wyer, and projections by Andrzej Goulding.

Nanny McPhee is presented by Working Title Films and Universal Theatrical Group. The show is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lindsay Doran, Emma Thompson, Paul Warwick Griffin, Gareth Hewitt Williams and Rebecca Quigley for Working Title Films.

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Prime Video To Adapt Stephen King Short Story ‘Crouch End’

Published

6 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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Prime Video has greenlit a six-part limited series based on Stephen King’s Crouch End short story.

The series will also be titled Crouch End and produced in the UK. The official synopsis reads: “London never sleeps deeply, and its dreams are uneasy. When global movie star Doris Freeman bursts into a London police station claiming that strange phenomena are behind the disappearance of her husband, police inspector Ted Vetter must investigate whether she’s telling the truth, whether she could be a murderer, or whether there’s something even more chilling at play…”

The series will be adapted by Paul Tomalin (Bodies) and directed by Tom Shankland (Berlin Noir, The Serpent). The series producers will be Mammoth Screen (Hercule, The Serpent) and Fifth Season (East of Eden, Severance). Executive Producers are Paul Tomalin, Tom Shankland, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane and Ben Irving.

“I’ve been a Stephen King super-fan forever,” Shankland said in a statement.

“The chance to work with this great team and bring his utterly brilliant London mystery to life is beyond exciting – Crouch End will be cinematic, original and thought-provoking in equal measure.”

Nicole Clemens, VP of International Originals at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, added: “Stephen King is one of the defining storytellers of our time, and we’re thrilled to bring his Lovecraftian tale to life in London with Crouch End. Paul Tomalin brings a singular, character-driven vision to the series and, paired with Tom Shankland at the helm, plus the first-class production teams at Mammoth Screen and Fifth Season, this show will grip audiences worldwide with its visceral crime thriller and supernatural mystery.”

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Cercamon Boards John Trengove’s Toronto-Bound ‘The Smell Of Apples’

Published

18 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Cercamon has acquired international sales rights to South African director and writer John Trengove’s Apartheid era drama The Smell of Apples and released a first trailer ahead of its world premiere in Toronto.

Based on Mark Behr’s eponymous 1993 Booker Prize-nominated novel, the film follows a young boy growing up in a white utopia in Cape Town in the 1970s at the height of the racial segregation imposed by the Apartheid system.

On the surface his family leads a charmed life, but the complex family drama will expose the brutality beneath the idyllic façade.

“John Trengove has made a film of remarkable precision and emotional force,” said Sébastien Chesneau, Founder and CEO of sales company Cercamon.

“Through the intimate story of one family, The Smell of Apples exposes how violence and ideology take hold behind the façade of an idyllic world. It is bold, unsettling and deeply human cinema, and we are proud to bring it to international audiences as it begins its journey in Toronto.”

Trengove previously made waves with The Wound, which debuted at Sundance in 2017 before making it onto the nomination longlist for the Academy Award for the then Best Foreign Language Film category in 2018.

In between times, Trengove has also directed Berlinale-selected toxic masculinity drama Manodrome, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody, as well as episodes of Cape Town-set crime show White Lies.

New film The Smell of Apples is produced by Eric Abraham and Jack Sidey at Portobello Productions), Cait Pansegrouw at Cadence) and Frank Hoeve at BALDR Films.

It is the second South African film produced by Abraham and Sidey at London-based Portobello Productions, whose credits include the Academy Award-winning films Kolya and Ida.

“Cercamon are the perfect fit for The Smell of Apples,” said Sidey. “They grasped the film’s nuance and emotional impact from the very first conversation, and we’re confident their expertise and formidable reputation will carry the film to a global audience.”

The Afrikaans and English-language film will premiere in TIFF’s Platform section, giving it a potential pathway to the Best International Feature Film race at the 99th Academy Awards. Under new Academy Awards rules, a non-English-language winner of the main TIFF Platform award will be eligible for consideration in the category.

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‘Youth’ Trailer: Sharon Horgan Is Searching For Sex & Love In HBO Comedy

Published

24 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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Sharon Horgan‘s Alex is struggling with getting older as she searches for sex and love in HBO comedy Youth.

“It looks like it’s arthritis in your lower jaw,” Harriet Walter’s character tells Alex at the beginning of the trailer. “So what next,” asks Alex. “Or is this just the start of a general decline?”

“It’s just an age thing,” replies Walter. “You have a decreased range of opening. So, no more blow jobs for you.” A clearly disappointed Alex replies, “No more for me?”

Written, executive produced and starring Horgan, Youth follows a 50-year-old divorcee’s search for sex and love whilst juggling caring for her ailing parents and parenting her should-be grown up son.

Rupert Friend also stars as Patrick, Sharlene Whyte as Sam, Aran Murphy as Ruari and Robbie Gee as Frank.

Youth will premiere with the first two epsiodes on Sunday, September 20 at 10 p.m. on HBO and stream on HBO Max.

Youth is produced by Merman (Amandaland, Bad Sisters, Vladimir). In addition to Horgan, executive producers are Faye Dorn for Merman, Jim Kleverweis, and Dawn Shadforth, who also directs.

Check out the trailer above.