Industry News: Zac Efron, Gerard Depardieu, Paramount and More!

ZAC EFRON’S GOLD SELLS: The Zac Efron thriller Gold has sold to Screen Media following a competitive bidding situation that saw several studios and distributors circling the project, Variety reports. Anthony Hayes co-stars, and he also directed and co-wrote the script. The film focuses on two men who find a massive nugget of gold in the desert.

GERARD DEPARDIEU FILM TO OPEN CANNES CRITICS WEEK: Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique, or Critics Week, has revealed its 2021 lineup. Of the 13 films selected, 11 are directorial debuts. The section launches July 7 and will run through July 15, and will open with Robuste, Constance Meyer‘s first feature, starring Gérard Depardieu and Deborah Lukumuena.

PARAMOUNT JUICES SERVICE: Paramount Plus is adding 1,000 movie titles to its ViacomCBS streaming service this week as streamers get ever more competitive. The films include Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg, which will debut on Paramount Plus this Thursday. Paw Patrol will debut on the streamer on the same day it lands in theaters (August 20^th).

LOVE ISLAND TO GET SCRIPTED TWIST THROUGH ITV APP: The seventh season of Love Island on ITV will be launched with an app that will allow users to immerse themselves in a fictional version of the reality dating show. The I’ve Got a Text! app features an interactive fictional story titled Love Island: The Drama. Users will be able to follow the action on that drama, while also watching the “real” series broadcast. Neil Bowler, ITV controller of games, said: “This is a really exciting development in our strategy to widen out our programmes and make them ‘More than TV’. The continued success of the Love Island game over the past few years has shown the appetite there is around gaming, and for this show in particular, and I’ve Got A Text is a really innovative and new way to engage with viewers.”