‘Ms Marvel’ Actor Asfandyar Khan Boards ‘Sapiens’; ‘Temptation Island’ France; APAC Market Grows To $145B; Sitcom Studio In Jordan – Global Briefs

Max Goldbart, Jesse Whittock and Nancy Tartaglione
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

‘Ms. Marvel’ Actor Asfandyar Khan Joins ‘Sapiens’

EXCLUSIVE: Indie filmmaker Junayed Alavi has set his debut feature, Sapiens, with Ms. Marvel actor Asfandyar Khan joining the project. Sapiens centers on two rival families who face each other in a cyborg colonized village in India. Khan is playing a narrator who experienced the apocalypse and its aftermath. Currently in production, Sapiens is produced by Alavi and his partner Firdoushi Begum under the Alavi Motion Pictures banner. Also starring are Kalyan Goswami, Sayan Biswas and Bulbul Ahamed. Alavi is known for horror short Hunger which was championed by writer and producer of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, Peter Cameron.

More from Deadline

‘Temptation Island’ Returning To France After Five Years

Temptation Island is returning to France after five years off air. Banijay Productions France is making the revived version of the hit format for M6 network W9. Temptation Island sees couples at a crossroads in their relationship embark on a journey to test their commitment. Separated in two different beach resorts, the couples interact with a group of singles to determine if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they will encounter on the island. The hit format, which airs on the USA Network in the U.S., has been on and off French screens for more than two decades, and was last on W9 in 2019, although it only ran for one season. Banijay Chief Content Officer, Operations, said the move is evidence of the “continuing trend for creatively-evolving formats for new audiences,” pointing out that new versions have also been greenlit Mexico, Brazil, Chile/Argentina and India. “Not only is it culturally adaptable, but also highly scalable, importantly without losing any of the core elements which makes it so popular,” he added. Last year was a year of change for Banijay France, with Alexia Laroche-Joubert signed as President and CEO alongside a fresh leadership team.

APAC Market Grows To $145B — Study

The Asia Pacific Market hit $145B in 2023, according to a study from Singapore’s Media Partners Asia Research Services (MPA). The performance was up 5.5% on 2022, and was driven by online video sector sales, which reached $57B – a rise of 13%. TV revenue was the largest contributor at $98B, but saw growth of just 1%. China remains the “largest and most regulated video market in APAC,” according to MPA, generating $64B in revenue last year. Broken down by medium, SVOD services in APAC grew 15% to $28B, while AVOD was up 11% and delivered $29B. Pay-TV revenues were “marginally below flat” with declines in India and Japan and contraction across the region. MPA predicts revenues will grow around 2.6% in the 2023-28 period to top $165B.

Jordan’s Olivewood Opens Sitcom Studio

Jordan’s first studio complex is to open a sitcom studio. Olivewood Film Studios has partnered with Roya TV Production on the studio, which will host filming of new comedy My Sister & Her Kids from producer Sari Saad Silawi and director Alaa Ismaeel. The show centers on a 40-year-old carefree individual, Sami,  diving deep into his life as a single man living in his parents’ house and exploring the rich tapestry of his relationship with society. Olivewood opened last year in the nation that has hosted movies such as Dune and Lawrence of Arabia. Located 15 minutes outside the center of the capital city of Amman, the studio launched with King Abdullah II, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and Princess Rym al-Ali in attendance. The facility, which hopes to attract large scale productions, comprises two 1,500m² (16,145 sq ft) soundstages and a 1,000m² (10,764 sq ft) mill, and a leveled backlot of 68,000m² (731,946 sq ft), 4,000m² (43,056 sq ft) basecamp area, on-site canteen, parking for 95 cars, and a dedicated space for technical vehicles. Jordan also has a cash rebate program that offers filmmakers up to a 25% recovery of the cost of local labor and supplier expenses.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.