David Tennant Takes On ‘Don Juan In Soho’; Joanna Strevens Joins Carnival – Global Briefs

Marking a return to the West End, David Tennant has taken on the title role of Patrick Marber’s Don Juan In Soho. The erstwhile Doctor Who will begin previews at Wyndham’s Theatre from March 17, 2017 with a limited run ending on June 10. Marber is directing the “savagely funny and filthy” modern update which moves the action to contemporary London and follows the final adventures of its debauched protagonist — a cruel seducer who lives only for pleasure. A veteran of stage and screen, Tennant earlier this year reprised his eponymous role in Richard II at the Barbican and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He was most recently on the West End playing Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. He has also just wrapped on the third season of ITV’s Broadchurch. Marber scripted Mike Nichols’ Closer based on his own play, and Richard Eyre’s Notes On A Scandal, for which he received an Oscar nomination. In December this year, Ivo van Hove will direct Marber’s new version of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler for the National Theatre starring Ruth Wilson and Rafe Spall. Don Juan In Soho, which first premiered 10 years ago at the Donmar Warehouse, is now produced for the West End by Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions in association with Sonia Friedman Productions.

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NBC-owned Carnival Films (Downton Abbey, The Last Kingdom) has appointed Joanna Strevens as its new Head of Development. The exec will report to Gareth Neame and will be responsible for overseeing the company’s development activity. Strevens was previously Head of Development at Kudos Film & Television, where she was across the entire slate. Prior to that, she was Story Producer for The Tunnel: Sabotage (Sky Atlantic/Canal+), developing it from the initial premise into an eight-part series. She also served as Head of Drama Development for Hat Trick Productions where her credits include ITV’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Case Sensitive; the BBC’s Fairytales; and Sky 1’s Critical.

India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry is launching the Film Promotion Fund to help support Indian movies at international festivals. The initiative is aimed to help indie filmmakers promote their work around the world. The fund will provide financial assistance to films which are selected in any competition section of a reputed international fest, or as India’s official submission to the Academy Awards. The Indian entry this year is Tamil film Interrogation by director Vetrimaaran. The indie Indian scene has grown in recent years, drawing increased global attention, though no Indian movie has ever won an Oscar and only three have advanced to a nomination in the Foreign Language category.