Mann participates in HBO's 'Witness'

Michael Mann, who currently exec produces HBO's horseracing series "Luck," will collaborate on a new docuseries for the pay cabler that follows war photographers. "Witness," from Mann and documentary filmmaker David Frankham, is set to examine the role of photographers in conflict zones, such as Mexico, Brazil, Uganda and Libya. The first episode was shot in Juarez, Mexico, and the next three are in production. "David Frankham and I share an admiration for combat photography that captures the universal -- and sometimes the indescribable -- in a single frame in the midst of chaos and danger," Mann said. Besides "Luck," other Mann projects include bigscreen pics "Ali," "Collateral" and "Public Enemies." In addition to being a documentarian, Frankham has shot several commercials. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Lady Gaga Reviews Moneyball

Gaga waxes poetic on pearls and baseball in the March issue of V Magazine: "I lay down on the airplane back from Japan, tossing around some dashi, fondling my pearls. I watched the movie Moneyball for the first time. I began to laugh and smile as [Brad] Pitt talked romantically about the game. I suddenly imagined that my pearls were teeny-tiny baseballs. When a player hits a home run, the baseball is flung into an abyss of enigma and screams so great. It travels so far that only rarely is one caught in the bleachers. Where do these balls go? Where do all these wins get encased? Are they in a heavenly baseball land floating around for players who pass to acknowledge? Or do they disappear?" [V Magazine via Deadspin]

Halle Berry Cancels Her Oscar Appearance

Act of Valor War film Act of Valor required home the very best place only at that weekend's box office, grossing $24.7 million, based on Box Office Mojo. The film, which stars mostly real active-duty Navy Closes, edged out Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, each of which opened up a few days ago. Perry's film arrived at No. 2 by having an even $16 million. Box Office: Safe House edges the Vow throughout holiday weekendComing within the third place was The Rock's adventure flick Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which made $13.5 million in the third week. Safe House, which opened up at No. 1 a week ago, adopted with $11.4 million. The Vow, starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, fells to No. 5 in the third week, consuming just $ten million. Rounding the Top Ten: Ghost Driver: Spirit of Vengeance (No. 6, $8.8 million), What This Means Is War (No. 7, $8.5 million, Wanderlust (No. 8, $6.six million), Gone (No. 9, $5 million) and also the Secret Realm of Arrietty (No. 10, $4.5 million). What have you check this out weekend?

Tale of roughed up children chills Swiss

'The Promote Boy' concentrates on children who had been acquired using their parents to function on farms.Markus Imboden's "Der Verdingbub" (The Promote Boy), a moving drama of a dark and nearly forgotten period inside the country's the past, is nearly the very best Swiss film formerly five years, up to now garnering $3.6 000 0000 from our box office and drawing some 230,000 moviegoers. The 19 fifties-set film follows a boy who's acquired from his parents and shipped to pay attention to a farm just like a "Verdingbub," or contract child -- a workout that made it in early 1800s prior to the sixties. The us government policy deprived categories of custody of the children from the children once they were poor or didn't live according to middle-class social mores that frequently incorporated single or divorced parents. Many contract children experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse consequently of promote parents, who used such children as farm hands. "People who experienced felt stigmatized instead of spoke relating to this for his or her families," states C-Films producer Peter Reichenbach. The pic's star, Max Hubacher, who was simply feted as Switzerland's Shooting Star within the recent Berlinale, states that before he was cast, he understood nothing relevant for this dark chapter in Swiss history. "It's good, because the subject is becoming being discussed in public areas,In . Hubacher states. "It absolutely was a taboo subject in Europe. But people are researching it now, especially youthful people." The subject may also be displayed in our exhibition "Verdingkinder Reden" (or Contract Children Speak) in Zurich, that delivers first-hands testimony from former contract children. Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at erection dysfunction.meza@mannaa.de

Producer Damian Manley Ink First-Look Pact With Path Uk

In the third first-look deal for your studio, Path Uk has became a member of a pact while using Iron Lady producer Damian Manley’ DJ Films Limited. Manley’ creating credits have Nicholas Hytner’s A History Boys, urban hit Kidulthood and Michael Winterbottom’s Thank You For Going to Sarajevo. DJ Films is presently in publish-production on sports drama Fast Women. Path also provides first-look contracts with Slumdog Uniform and 127 Several hours producer Christian Colson via his Cloud Eight Films with Matt Wilkinson of Stigma Films, with whom the studio is developing a slate of genre game game titles.

Fox lands Sutherland, Ferguson for aircraft pilots

SutherlandFergusonDonald Sutherland has signed on for Fox comedy pilot "Living Loaded," while Colin Ferguson continues to be cast within the lead from the network pilot "Like Father," from Bill Lawrence. Sutherland joins a cast including Mike Vogel and Michael Freedman in "Loaded," professional created by "It Certainly Is Sunny in Philadelphia" veterinarians Take advantage of McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Nicholas Frenkel, Michael Rotenberg and Take advantage of Rosell and compiled by Rosell, McElhenney and Serta Dunn. The only-cam project, from three Arts, Forex Prods. and twentieth century Fox TV, focuses on a tough-hanging out blogger who requires a job like a host on the public radio station and it is modified in the book by Dunn. On "Like Father," Ferguson ("Eureka") will have a widower who reconnects together with his boy by getting into his college campus apartment. Manager Perry Zimel and attorney Shaun Bernstein repetition Ferguson. The script is inspired by real-existence encounters of Lawrence ("Cougar Town"), who authored and it is pointing the pilot, that they will professional produce with Shaun Ingold for Warner Bros. TV. Phill Lewis ("The Suite Existence on Deck") and Kevin Michael Martin also snapped up supporting roles around the series. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

La Petite Reine button snaps into action

A redo from the 1980 cult serial-killer pic "Maniac," created and co-compiled by Alexandre Aja, is probably the high-profile projects within the works at Thomas Langmann's fast-growing La Petite Reine.Also on tap are actioner "Colt 45" from Fabrice du Welz and "Police Francaise" from Abdellatif Kechiche.The Paris producer's 2011 slate is falling into position as Langmann is talking about a movie-by-film pact for Wild Bunch to get worldwide privileges on Petite Reine projects."Piranha three dimensional" and "High Tension" helmer Aja is planning an British-language redo of William Lustig's brutal "Maniac."Gregory Levasseur, Aja's creative partner, will direct. Aja assists as producer and co-author and become on set every single day, Langmann stated. Allocated at $ten million-$12 million and presently casting, the current-day reboot is scheduled to shoot at the end of August in NY and Canada."This is a really frightening movie along with a tribute to Lustig," Langmann stated.Langmann, director-producer Claude Berri's boy, broke through with two 2008 Gallic tentpoles: live-action "Asterix in the Olympics" and Jean-Francois Richet's two-part gangster thriller "Mesrine."Though more decently allocated than "Mesrine," a couple of Langmann's three new photos likewise deliver modern riffs on France's lengthy tradition of noirish movies.After "Calvaire" and "Vinyan," Belgian author-director du Welz will helm "Colt 45" (also known as "Miles"), in regards to a weapons-expert cop who finds out his killer instinct."It will likely be a really strong film noir action movie occur central Paris in addition to a deep character study," du Welz guaranteed.Presently casting, the ten million ($13.4 million) pic comes at the end of fall, stated Julien Arnoux, "Colt 45" professional producer for La Petite Reine. Pic will shoot in France along with other nations. Du Welz has modified a Fathi Beddiar script.Kechiche is writing "Police francaise," adapting book "Omerta dans la police," ex-policewoman Sihem Souid's denunciation of corruption, abuse of energy, sexism and racism on France's police. Kechiche also directs."Police" is envisaged, rather like Olivier Assayas' "Carlos," like a miniseries on Canal Plus and something film for theatrical distribution, Langmann stated.For Berlin, Wild Bunch acquired worldwide privileges to Christophe Barratier's "The War from the Buttons," which comes in June, as well as on Petite Reine-created, $18.4 million "The Artist," with Jean Dujardin and John Goodman. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com