logo
Mel Gibson, Trump 'Special Ambassador', & Italian Producer Andrea Iervolino Propose U.S.-Italy Co-Production Treaty

Mel Gibson, Trump 'Special Ambassador', & Italian Producer Andrea Iervolino Propose U.S.-Italy Co-Production Treaty

Yahoo13-05-2025
Recently appointed 'special ambassador' to Hollywood Mel Gibson and Italian producer Andrea Iervolino (Ferrari) are proposing a co-production agreement between Italy and the US, which they hope could serve as a 'pilot project' for the development of similar treaties between the US and other countries around the world.
The filmmakers are proposing that:
More from Deadline
Mel Gibson's Gun Rights Restored Following Justice Department Attorney's Firing
'The Resurrection Of The Christ:' Mel Gibson To Begin Shooting Sequel This Summer, Says Rome's Cinecittà Studios Boss
John Oliver Takes Jab At Mel Gibson Following Justice Dept. Attorney Firing: "Best Known For His Work In Screaming"
​•​Italian producers are incentivized to make Italian films in the USA, involving American stars and therefore investing in the U.S.;
​•​The Italian government launches support programs for productions that strengthen cultural ties between Italy and the United States.
We understand from sources that Iervolino and Gibson met recently and agreed on the proposal. According to reports, Gibson is due to begin filming his Passion Of The Christ sequel The Resurrection Of The Christ in Italy this summer.
The main benefits of the agreement would be that it would 'allow Italian producers to develop and co-produce international films between Italy and the United States, thus opening new markets; and that it will offer the USA the opportunity to attract new foreign investments, supporting the goals of the Trump agenda'.
Iervolino, who as we recently revealed is working on a Trump biopic, estimates the value of such a pact could be as much as $10BN annually in direct investments in the US, thereby encouraging local American production while also giving future participating countries the opportunity to internationalize their local film industries. No word yet whether Gibson has floated the proposal with the U.S. government.
The goal, Iervolino says, is to officially sign the agreement during the 2025 Venice Film Festival, a cornerstone of both the Italian and international film industry. The aim is to involve 'authoritative representatives' of both industries and both governments.
An Italian-US co-production treaty has been an ambition of Italian industry for a little while. Last year there were reports that Cinecittà's Roberto Stabile was working on a similar pact with Washington but the scent went cold. Japan currently has a similar co-production treaty with the U.S.
Iervolino stated: 'The world must recognize that the American entertainment industry has always been the leading one globally: it remains the main point of reference, capable of setting the rules of the industry worldwide. Meanwhile, many countries have established incentive programs to attract foreign productions and have signed bilateral agreements with various nations — but never with the United States. This has essentially left a crucial cultural bridge unresolved. It is therefore essential to initiate a win-win agreement between the USA and the rest of the world. Mel Gibson and I are actively working in this direction, using this initial agreement with Italy as inspiration for the rest of the world.'
A draft version of fellow 'special ambassador' Jon Voight's plan for Hollywood was recently revealed by Deadline and included a 10% federal tax incentive for film and TV production and an American 'cultural test' akin to the rules in the UK. Voight, Gibson and Sylvester Stallone were appointed 'special ambassadors' by Trump earlier this year.
The background here is that the industry has been scrambled by Trump's announcement last week of tariffs on U.S. projects that shoot overseas.
Best of Deadline
Everything We Know About Ari Aster's 'Eddington' So Far
Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far
List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ex-Superman Dean Cain Joins ICE, Social Media Cooks Super Lame
Ex-Superman Dean Cain Joins ICE, Social Media Cooks Super Lame

Black America Web

time6 hours ago

  • Black America Web

Ex-Superman Dean Cain Joins ICE, Social Media Cooks Super Lame

Source: DOMINIC GWINN / Getty Former 'Superman' actor Dean Cain announced that he's joined ICE, leading to unsurprised replies and jabs from social media. As the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has wreaked havoc in the United States in line with President Donald Trump's agenda towards immigrants, conservative actor and former 'Superman' star Dean Cain has announced that he's joined ICE. He spoke about joining the agency while appearing on Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime on Wednesday (August 6), revealing that his posting of a recruitment video led to his ultimately signing up. 'I'm actually… a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer – I wasn't part of ICE, but once I put that (the recruitment video) out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy,' Cain said to Watters. 'So now I've spoken with some officials over at ICE and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent ASAP.' Cain is a sworn sheriff's deputy in Frederick County, Virginia and has served as a reserve officer in two Idaho counties in 2018 and 2019. We care about your data. See our privacy policy. The former Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman star continued, 'This country was built on patriots stepping up, whether it was popular or not, and doing the right thing. I truly believe this is the right thing.' He added that it was what Trump ran on, and 'It's what I voted for and he's going to see it through, and I'll do my part and help make sure it happens.' The announcement earned Cain an overwhelming amount of scorn online. The 59-year-old has been a staunch conservative for years as well as an avid supporter of Trump. Many weren't surprised at the actor's moves, with media personality Van Lathan dismissing fellow panelist Scott Jennings' defense of him on CNN: 'Scott, it's not 1995. No one gives a sad hell what Dean Cain thinks. Dean needs the $50,000 – that's what got him off the couch.' Others pointed out how Cain is willfully joining an agency who has been consistently criticized for its aggressive mass deportations and arrests nationwide placing people in detention camps, recalling the actor's detailing of how his Japanese-American relatives on his father's side of the family were in the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho during World War II. Ex-Superman Dean Cain Joins ICE, Social Media Cooks Super Lame was originally published on

Exclusive: How Doja Cat's surprise show at Oasis came together during Outside Lands
Exclusive: How Doja Cat's surprise show at Oasis came together during Outside Lands

San Francisco Chronicle​

time13 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Exclusive: How Doja Cat's surprise show at Oasis came together during Outside Lands

Doja Cat stunned fans with a surprise announcement during her set on the first night of Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park: an exclusive afterparty at Oasis, the popular South of Market queer nightclub. For 10 days leading up to the San Francisco music festival, club owner D'Arcy Drollinger had been quietly negotiating with the 'Paint the Town Red' singer's team to make the event happen — a well-guarded secret in a city where rumors move fast. Then 29-year-old headliner made the announcement live on stage on Friday, Aug. 8, inviting the festival crowd for an intimate preview of her upcoming fifth album, 'Vie.' The result was a mad rush to the South of Market where fans queue up in a line that wrapped around the block. Just weeks earlier, Drollinger — who also serves as San Francisco's inaugural drag laureate — announced Oasis would be closing its doors after more than a decade, citing unsustainable finances. He hopes the club, which has hosted major celebrities like Cher and Jane Fonda, can remain open at least through New Year's Eve to mark its 11th anniversary. In an exlcusive interview with the Chronicle the following day, between his own appearance at the pop-up queer space Dolores' at Outside Lands, Drollinger noted Doja Cat's appearance is just another example of the unforgettable moments that make saying goodbye so difficult. At least, Drollinger said, they're going out with a bang. Q: How did you get Doja Cat to Oasis? A: Her people approached us. She wanted to drop her three new songs in a queer venue, and Another Planet (Entertainment, producers of Outside Lands) suggested us. There was a lot of back and forth, and it was one of those things where we couldn't announce until after her show was done at Outside Lands. We were all sort of bracing for it, and then she announced onstage, 'Come meet me at club Oasis and I'm going to drop my new music.' Everyone raced to the club as fast as they could. Q: How long were the discussions with her team? A: We had about 10 days' notice. It was a very hard secret to keep because if it leaked, it was not going to happen. Q: Were you at capacity at the club? A: Yes, and there were hundreds of people who couldn't get in. We had people there who said it was such a joyous feeling in the room, and it was so intimate. She was so playful. (Fans) said it was more satisfying than seeing her at Outside Lands. I think the combination of it being a small venue and a queer venue allows for there to be more playfulness and sexiness. She drove up in a red Ferrari and got out, which was fabulous, and she was so gracious. Not a single diva moment. She was so sweet to everybody, so kind and easy and effortless. It was really fun. Because it was so contingent on her, there wasn't all the stuff that goes along with a celebrity. There were no riders and contracts. It was like, if she wants to do it, she's going to do it. Q: Did Doja Cat's team pay a fee to use the club? A: They did not. But we were able to charge cover, and we made good money at the door and the bar. It's fabulous for us. It helps us in our financial situation, and it got to be one of those amazing star moments like Cher, Lil Nas and Jane Fonda. A: It'll definitely get us closer to January. Of course, there's these moments where we're like, 'How can we stop when so much magic is happening?' We have Big Freedia tonight (Saturday, Aug. 9) and Doja Cat killed it here last night. It does make me crazy that we announced that we're closing and we have a runaway hit with ' Jurassiq Parq,' where we're sold out every night, and we've had two big stars come in. When I sit here at Outside Lands and I watch all of the amazing talent on the stage and I watch this audience, we're really fabulously blowing people's minds. I'm so proud of this, it's hard to not be able to continue showcasing this talent. Q: What was the most magical moment of the night for you? A: Her getting out of the car with a giant line of people and saying hello to everybody in the line and being so casual and generous with her time was pretty amazing. But I think that having her bend down and shake hands and hug the audience was really magical to watch. The room was filled with a lot of joy. It was also cool to have a lot of people that had never been to Oasis that heard about it at the festival and ran over. I would say 50% of the people that were there last night had never been there. I think it says a lot about Doja Cat that she wanted to drop her music in a queer club. It makes me proud to be able to be the club that could be small enough, yet big enough, to host something like this. It is a reminder that if you create something that is joyful, people want to be in the space.

You Might Become A Bit Obsessed With These 44 Products
You Might Become A Bit Obsessed With These 44 Products

Buzz Feed

time14 hours ago

  • Buzz Feed

You Might Become A Bit Obsessed With These 44 Products

A set of breathable seamless thongs specifically loved by several reviewers who "hate" thongs, with many saying these are the "most comfortable thong" they've ever worn. 👀 Folks say these are comfortable all day *and* claim they're comparable to (and even better than!) brands like Skims and Victoria's Secret. These are from Amazon for just about $4 a piece — who would've thought?! A Gold Bond neck and chest firming cream, because our décolletage is too often forgotten when it comes to skincare needs. This elixir is a pro at improving your skin's firmness, texture, *and* elasticity. Its salicylic acid gently exfoliates dead skin cells while its stress response proteins boost your skin's moisture retention to improve smoothness and suppleness. It also contains glycerin and aloe, which adds some extra hydration. Iconic, truly. A stunning minimizer bra that's more than just a pretty face. It won't just frame your chest in the most seductive way, it *also* basically gives you a surgery-free breast reduction. 👀 Reviewers rave about the bra's ability to support breasts while minimizing bulk without the awkward separating and squishing that often result from lesser bras. Plus, the comfortable sheer mesh and lace details will have you feeling so sexy, it'll be a shame to have to put a shirt on over it. *Sighhh* A Cup Cozy Pillow to take your Sundays to their *maximum* laziness level. This genius gem has five expandable cup holes to fit mugs, water bottles, and snacks, with an insulating foam that keeps drinks hot or cold for longer periods. Need I say more? Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream if you want to be known for smelling like a walking Italian bakery, leaving the enchanting scent of salted caramel, pistachio, and vanilla everywhere you go. Enriched with caffeine, guarana extract, and coconut oil, this miraculous little jar of cream will help smooth, firm, and add a glow to your skin. But may I just highlight again its intoxicating scent? According to the reviewers, you might just get a little obsessed. Consider this your warning. A bottle of professional-grade callus-removing gel that only needs one "before and after" pic to prove that it works wonders on those rough, dry areas that can develop on your feet. Just apply the gel and let it sit for 5–10 minutes, then follow up with a foot scrubber. This is the *perfect* addition to your next self-care day. A Java Sock for your emotional support iced beverage (and yes, I am a little biased towards my fellow iced coffee lovers). It'll keep that vanilla almond milk latte cold for ages — hours, according to reviewers 👀 — *and* it'll keep your drink from sweating into your cupholder or all over your desk. Now, you can stay cool while sippin' on your iced drink, and neither of you will be breaking a sweat. SweatBlock antiperspirant wipes to help stop hyperhidrosis, nervous sweating, and hormonal sweating from ruining a good night's sleep. Give your pits a swipe of this before bed, enjoy a sweat-free slumber, and wash in the morning! An easy-to-apply fungal nail renewal formula if you wanna get those toes lookin' healthy and sandal-ready for the sunny season. Apply this fast-acting formula, and you can start seeing visual improvements in as little as two days! A Denman Hair Brush that's designed with seven rows of evenly-spaced bristles to help anyone with wavy, curly, or coily hair define their textured tresses in half the time it usually takes to style. Guess this means you've got some extra time for your coffee run tomorrow morning (I mean, you never skip it, but at least this time it won't make you late. 🤷🏻‍♀️) A super plush and cozy "dog bed for humans" for every time you've looked at your furry bestie snuggled up in their cozy bed and thought, "Wow. MUST BE NICE." 🙃 With this super soft (and slightly firm!) bed, you can have the same glorious naps! A set of internet-famous Mellanni extra soft cooling bedsheets reviewers are favoring over their Cozy Earth and Egyptian cotton sheets that cost $$$. They've earned over 238,000 5-star ratings thanks to the super-soft and moisture-wicking microfiber fabric — at an unbeatable price! Get ready to be cozy all summer long. You just might ditch your expensive sheets for these babies after the first night. And a pair of cooling pillowcases with a clever double-sided design — one ~cooling~, one cotton! One side is a comfy, soft cotton while the other side is a heat-absorbing fabric with ~Arc-Chill cooling fibers~ that gives you that oh-so-wonderful chilly sensation *and* helps prevent dry, frizzy hair (buh-bye bedhead). Kojic Acid Dark Spot Remover Soap, which you can use on your face as well as your hands, neck, bikini area, inner thighs, and underarms. Its wonderful mix of shea butter, olive oil, turmeric, hyaluronic acid, and retinol will give hyper-pigmented areas an even glow by helping to reduce scars and restore moisture. A personalized book stamp perfect for any nerdy bookworm because it serves as a very ~pretty~ way of ensuring your favorite novels get back to you when loaning them out (especially your beloved Jane Austens)! A cult-fave supportive seamless compressive bodysuit because you can wear it under your clothing as shapewear or pair with jeans to achieve an outfit that has countless ways to accessorize. 😍 It's seamless, breathable, and will hug your body *just* right. A set of "wine wands" that anyone who enjoys an evening glass of red wine will appreciate because it gives them all the flavor *without* that dreaded headache in the morning. All they gotta do is swirl this wand (which contains a histamine and sulfite filter) in their wine for 20 seconds, and voila. No more wine hangovers! A paper incense tin, aka the star of the show in your next "What's In My Bag?" video. Inside the wrapped tin is a decorative paper envelope filled with 48 teeny tiny incense papers. To use, clip one piece of paper to the tin and wait as it burns (for about five minutes). After that, the soothing smell should fill your space for up to a few hours. A fruit tart cat bed with removable fruit pillows and a comfy cushioned crust. You've cat to be kitten me with how cute this is! A moisture-wicking tennis skort designed with a dreamy four-way stretch, built-in shorts, and two secret inner pockets for your phone and keys so you can hold your iced coffee in one hand and gesticulate with your other as you tell your bestie the latest tea in your love life while on your Hot Girl Walk. Also, no need to worry about a strong breeze! A timeless tennis bracelet made with 14-karat gold-plated cubic zirconia so you bling your wrist out without wearing your wallet out. Like this reviewer says, "Cartier who?!" A pack of wall plant clips — a whopping SIXTY of them, in fact — for all those posing as humans, but are secretly Pixie Hollow fairies (don't worry, I won't tell a soul). These gentle clips are paint-safe and sticky on the back, so you can display vines without using nails or aesthetic-killing clips. An exfoliating mitten you can use in the bath or shower to achieve that ~buttery soft~ skin. It helps you gently lather off dead skin, prevent ingrown hairs, and eliminate bumps caused by keratosis pilaris. The best part? You can get specific about the exfoliation pressure, since it's on your own hand! A refillable roll-on sponge sunscreen applicator that's extraaa helpful if you have a little one that would rather skip the SPF and go straight to the water — this makes the necessary step of sun protection super quick! Just fill up the chamber with your go-to sunscreen, give it a shake, and the genius roller ball and sponge combo will take care of the rest. A pair of reusable silicone nipple covers, which give you every reason to ditch the bra because they serve as a super discrete alternative — they're also waterproof! Now you can confidently dance the night away without fear of a nip slip. A jar of The Pink Stuff (the internet's favorite cleaning product) because it takes the time-consuming factor away from achieving squeaky clean surfaces. It's bound to earn its own labeled space in your bathroom cabinet. Seriously. The way it effortlessly removes stains, grease, and grime and leaves just about any surface shiny and scratch-free should be considered witchcraft. Cerave eye repair cream — don't you just love it when everyone points out how tired you look? This hydrates and repairs your undereye's delicate skin barrier with three essential ceramides so that you can say "see ya" to those dark circles. A bag of citrusy Liquid I.V. Hydration packets, which will serve as your little lifesavers when it comes time to go on that all-inclusive trip with the besties this summer (who are gonna be ready for shots 24/7). This stuff will help you rehydrate fast and make hangovers a thing of the past! Drink one of these and be headache free and fresh as a daisy for your early morning excursions. An oscillating tower fan that gives off such cold air, some reviewers have found that they use it more than their AC! Take👏 my👏 money.👏 It has six speeds (up to 24 feet per second velocity), three modes, and it's whisper quiet. All you gotta do is plug it in, and you'll be transported to a winter wonderland. Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil because it uses the calming powers of heartleaf oil to soothe irritated skin and eliminate makeup residue, blackheads, and sebum while preventing pore congestion — perfect to incorporate in a double cleansing routine! It's also hypoallergenic and works wonders for sensitive, acne-prone skin. A versatile veggie chopper with four interchangeable blades that slice and chop your fruits and veggies for you. It cuts down your food prep time by a LOT, making it a huge relief for when you have guests coming over and you didn't know making stir fry could take that long. A Bio-Oil because it's made with vitamins A and E, chamomile, sunflower, and lavender oils to help fade scars and stretch marks while helping your skin retain moisture and achieve a more even tone. One reviewer even compares this stuff to sorcery. A TBH *too* nice Tineco 2-in-1 cordless vacuum and mop — that's right, it does both at the same time. The things we get excited about as adults, am I right? It always uses clean water for mopping (dirty water goes in a separate tank) *and* is safe to use on sealed hard floors. It also retains 90% of dirty water, so your floors will be clean and dry in just minutes. Take THAT, regular mops. A set of Wonder Hangers to really and truly maximize all the extra space in your closet (even if it doesn't *look* like there's any extra space 😬). And bonus! They come fully assembled, so all you gotta do is hang them in your closet and go buy cute new tops to fill them with. A tomato table lamp because it's less than half the cost of the Urban Outfitters version (which is always here today, gone tomato), and reviewers think it's even better! This is sure to be the center of attention next time you host a get-together. A ChomChom pet hair remover roller, which picks up all your fur baby's (and your!) hair — zero struggle! It's a fan fave and requires no adhesives, sticky tape, or batteries to clean up after your furry family member. Seriously, this deserves ALL the rounds of appaws. A cruelty-free butter gloss that has a hydrating, shiny gleam that *won't* hold strands of your hair hostage. The only downside? You'll probably have a super hard time choosing from their dozens of gorgeous shades that range from subtle to bold! A high-pressure rainfall showerhead with a stainless-steel finish that's sleek and a rainwater feature that's gonna be ooh-so-soothing. Now, you can relax under the "rainwater" and let your mind wander as you re-create that one iconic scene from The Notebook. A pack of stain-removing, nontoxic cleaning cups — just what your single-serving coffee maker needs before it's time for dessert! It flushes out all of the residue that's been making your coffee taste a little... weird. Pop one in and brew as if you were making your go-to hot drink, then brew again without the cup to rinse it out. Now all that's left to do is *sips coffee* ~enjoy~. A nongreasy hair wax stick with a whopping 29,000 5-star reviews, aka the quickest and easiest way to tame flyaways and smooth edges without weighing down your entire look with globs of gel or spraying on layers of crunchy hairspray. Simply glide the stick directly along your hair for mess-free application and all-day staying power. A scrunchie/towel hybrid because reviewers are raving about as an alternative to the heat damage caused by drying tools. Plus, it's wayyy better than a heavy towel (especially when you're trying to get ready with wet hair)! A tattoo aftercare salve that more than 13,000 reviewers swear by — it's made with a creamy formula to help moisturize your beloved ink and enhance its vibrancy. This game-changing salve is enriched with almond oil to improve the tone and texture, as well as shea and cocoa butter to hydrate and add a subtle sheen. It's useful for both old and new tats, colored art or just black ink, *and* it'll work for all skin tones, too. A Bissell multipurpose carpet and upholstery cleaner, which is likely to become your BFF when it comes to tackling the toughest stains in your home. This little machine's strong spray and suction can easily remove spots, stains, and odors. Use it in your car too — it's compact and portable! A bed canopy to make your space feel airy and bright in the midst of the summer heat. Reviewers also enjoy entwining them with fairy lights for some twinkly prettiness at night!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store