Behind the Scenes Buzz

GIANCARLO GIANNINI ADDED TO GEORGE CLOONEY’S CATCH-22: The Oscar-nominated Giancarlo Giannini is joining the cast of George Clooney‘s Catch-22, a limited series based on the novel by Joseph Heller. The series will debut on Hulu in 2019. Giannini is best known in the U.S. for his roles in 007 films, including Casino Royale. Clooney will also star, along with Christopher Abbott, Hugh Laurie and Kyle Chandler. Giannini will play the role of a brothel-owner in Rome. (The Hollywood Reporter – Click our Twitter or Facebook buttons to share this link!)

JAKE GYLLENHAAL IN TALKS FOR SPIDER-MAN: Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to play the villain Mysterio in Sony Pictures‘ Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel. Mysterio, a bubble-headed baddie, joined the Spider-Man universe in 1964. Gyllenhaal was recently booked for The American, the Cary Fukunaga-helmed drama about the life of Leonard Bernstein.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, DAVID SIMON, AVA DUVERNAY SIGN ON FOR ATRIUM TV DRAMAS: Atrium TV has launched a second slate of projects with new dramas from Michael Douglas, Ava DuVernay, David Simon and the producers of Sherlock, Deadline reports. Former Sony Chairman Howard Stringer, DRG CEO Jeremy Fox and MTG EVP/Head of Programming Jeremy Fox created Atrium TV, which develops programming for its members who can opt in for series they are interested in. Members of Atrium include OTT and TelCos such as BT TV (UK), Televisa (Latin America) Viaplay (Nordics), Orange (France), Movistar+ (Spain), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Iflix (Asia/MENA), Sky New Zealand, Antenna (Greece), NewFilm (Russia), BigFlix (India) and Yes TV (Israel).

LUC BESSON DENIES RAPE ACCUSATION: The Fifth Element director Luc Besson has been accused of raping a 27-year-old actress, who filed a complaint with the Parisian police. The unnamed accuser claims the assault took place at Le Bristol hotel in Paris after drinking a cup of tea that left her feeling “unwell” and caused her to lose consciousness. According to reports, when she woke, Besson was penetrating her. He left the hotel and left her money, she alleges. Besson denies the allegations. Besson has been married to Virginie Besson-Silla, his fourth wife, since 2004. They share three children together.