Update: Finnish comedy “Money Shot,” about an ex-porn star venturing out of her comfort zone, is heading to Canneseries. The producers have also shared a first trailer with Variety.
Sari, now in her forties, gets fired from her last role. Forced to find a new way to make a living, she teams up with Linnea – an aspiring director who struggles to get into film school. They start to make feminist erotic films and begin a journey to fulfil women’s desires. As well as their own.
Produced by Solar Republic and sold by Federation Studios and Nordisk Film, it stars Pihla Viitala as Sari and Reetta Ylä-Rautio as her new – and unlikely – partner in crime. Paula Vesala, Mikko Kouki, Jukka Puotila and Alex Anton are featured as well.
“It’s a comedy about making feminist porn. It’s sweet and daring, and it makes you laugh. I’m not just...
Sari, now in her forties, gets fired from her last role. Forced to find a new way to make a living, she teams up with Linnea – an aspiring director who struggles to get into film school. They start to make feminist erotic films and begin a journey to fulfil women’s desires. As well as their own.
Produced by Solar Republic and sold by Federation Studios and Nordisk Film, it stars Pihla Viitala as Sari and Reetta Ylä-Rautio as her new – and unlikely – partner in crime. Paula Vesala, Mikko Kouki, Jukka Puotila and Alex Anton are featured as well.
“It’s a comedy about making feminist porn. It’s sweet and daring, and it makes you laugh. I’m not just...
- 3/12/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Assest Sales Disclosure
Rights to the second season of Irish crime drama series “Hidden Assets” have been licensed by Dcd Rights. Buyers include the BBC for the U.K., Sbs and Stan for Australia, TV4 for Sweden and TV2 for Norway.
The 12-part series is produced by Saffron Moon, Facet4Media & Potemkino for Rte, Super Channel & Acorn TV, and was written by Peter McKenna, Morna Regan, Mary Fox and Marthy Thornton. It was co-directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan and leading Belgian director Kadir Ferati Balci (“Cold Courage”). The second season, which had co-funding from Screen Ireland and Creative Europe Media, was first transmitted on Rte Ireland in September this year.
It stars Nora-Jane Noone, Wouter Hendrickx and Simone Kirby. Series One also starred Angeline Ball.
The story picks up from the first season in which Irish investigators probed a series of bombings in Belgium. Personnel changes mean that the Criminal Assets Bureau...
Rights to the second season of Irish crime drama series “Hidden Assets” have been licensed by Dcd Rights. Buyers include the BBC for the U.K., Sbs and Stan for Australia, TV4 for Sweden and TV2 for Norway.
The 12-part series is produced by Saffron Moon, Facet4Media & Potemkino for Rte, Super Channel & Acorn TV, and was written by Peter McKenna, Morna Regan, Mary Fox and Marthy Thornton. It was co-directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan and leading Belgian director Kadir Ferati Balci (“Cold Courage”). The second season, which had co-funding from Screen Ireland and Creative Europe Media, was first transmitted on Rte Ireland in September this year.
It stars Nora-Jane Noone, Wouter Hendrickx and Simone Kirby. Series One also starred Angeline Ball.
The story picks up from the first season in which Irish investigators probed a series of bombings in Belgium. Personnel changes mean that the Criminal Assets Bureau...
- 11/30/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Always a frontrunner at Co-Pro Series, the Berlinale Series Market’s annual project pitching event, “Tipping Point” walked off Tuesday morning with the Series Mania Award.
The prize is an invitation to the production’s team to present again at the industry centrepiece at next month’s Lille-based get-together, the Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. “Tipping Point” joins 15 other projects as a sixteenth project presented out of competition in partnership with the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Set in the extraordinary Svalbard – an archipelago half way between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole, it turns on a feisty young eco-activist at constant odds with her father, an oil exec, until he is murdered. Teaming with some of his friends to investigate his death, she discovers another man from the one she knew, as she chases a stolen software which could solve climate crisis or destroy the world.
The prize is an invitation to the production’s team to present again at the industry centrepiece at next month’s Lille-based get-together, the Series Mania Forum’s Co-Pro Pitching Sessions. “Tipping Point” joins 15 other projects as a sixteenth project presented out of competition in partnership with the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Set in the extraordinary Svalbard – an archipelago half way between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole, it turns on a feisty young eco-activist at constant odds with her father, an oil exec, until he is murdered. Teaming with some of his friends to investigate his death, she discovers another man from the one she knew, as she chases a stolen software which could solve climate crisis or destroy the world.
- 2/21/2023
- by John Hopewell and Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Keshet International (Ki) has picked up the anticipated Flemish drama “Storm Lara” which is set to world premiere at the Berlinale Series Market Selects.
The four-part thriller series marks the first scripted project to be commissioned by Belgian streamer Streamz. Produced by the Belgian banner A Private View, “Storm Lara” takes place in real-time during a two-hour radio call-in show. When late-night radio DJ Lara receives a call from suicidal Suzy, she feels in control. But as events unfold, a grueling game of cat and mouse reveals that Suzy has been holding all the cards all along. Confronted, Lara realizes that it’s time to stop living a lie.
“Storm Lara” stars Ella Leyers (“Hidden Assets”) as DJ Lara, Wouter Hendrickx (“Blackout”) as her producer and lover Rafik, and Anemone Valcke (“Generation B”) as Suzy (“Aka Liv”). Created and written by Daan Gielis (“La Holandesa”), this intimate and sensory drama...
The four-part thriller series marks the first scripted project to be commissioned by Belgian streamer Streamz. Produced by the Belgian banner A Private View, “Storm Lara” takes place in real-time during a two-hour radio call-in show. When late-night radio DJ Lara receives a call from suicidal Suzy, she feels in control. But as events unfold, a grueling game of cat and mouse reveals that Suzy has been holding all the cards all along. Confronted, Lara realizes that it’s time to stop living a lie.
“Storm Lara” stars Ella Leyers (“Hidden Assets”) as DJ Lara, Wouter Hendrickx (“Blackout”) as her producer and lover Rafik, and Anemone Valcke (“Generation B”) as Suzy (“Aka Liv”). Created and written by Daan Gielis (“La Holandesa”), this intimate and sensory drama...
- 1/18/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Starlings Entertainment and StoryFirst have partnered for a drama and family entertainment development fund, with Starlings also taking a financial stake in StoryFirst.
The joint venture will enable the companies to mutual select drama, family entertainment and possibly even non-scripted projects currently in development to move forward.
As part of the deal, which was announced by Starlings’ CEO and executive producer Karine Martin and StoryFirst’s founder Peter Gerwe (pictured above), they also announced two projects: the first is “The Manager,” a melodic look at the music industry in the 1970s and ’80s inspired by (and featuring the music of) Eric Clapton and other artists of the era. The second is murder mystery “Sherlock’s Daughter,” in which the famous detective’s fictional daughter sets about tracking down her dad.
Martin and Gerwe will work in tandem with Starlings’ recently promoted entertainment executive vice president, Patricia Brown, and television president-executive...
The joint venture will enable the companies to mutual select drama, family entertainment and possibly even non-scripted projects currently in development to move forward.
As part of the deal, which was announced by Starlings’ CEO and executive producer Karine Martin and StoryFirst’s founder Peter Gerwe (pictured above), they also announced two projects: the first is “The Manager,” a melodic look at the music industry in the 1970s and ’80s inspired by (and featuring the music of) Eric Clapton and other artists of the era. The second is murder mystery “Sherlock’s Daughter,” in which the famous detective’s fictional daughter sets about tracking down her dad.
Martin and Gerwe will work in tandem with Starlings’ recently promoted entertainment executive vice president, Patricia Brown, and television president-executive...
- 7/7/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
AMC+ has picked up a trio of foreign crime dramas to premiere in the U.S., AMC Networks announced Thursday.
“Kin,” starring Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne and Aidan Gillen; “Too Close,” starring “Chernobyl” alum Emily Watson; and “Cold Courage,” starring John Simm, will all roll out on the streaming service later this year. “Cold Courage” will be the first to debut on Thursday, March 11, with the other two to follow later this year.
“Cold Courage,” produced by Lionsgate, is an adaptation of the series of novels by Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen. The series centers on Mari, a fierce psychologist, and Lia, a shy graphic artist, who are drawn together through the “Studio” — a clandestine group of like-minded people operating off the grid, dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt. Simm, Caroline Goodall and Arsher Ali star in the series from writers David Joss Buckley and Brendan Foley.
“Kin,” starring Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne and Aidan Gillen; “Too Close,” starring “Chernobyl” alum Emily Watson; and “Cold Courage,” starring John Simm, will all roll out on the streaming service later this year. “Cold Courage” will be the first to debut on Thursday, March 11, with the other two to follow later this year.
“Cold Courage,” produced by Lionsgate, is an adaptation of the series of novels by Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen. The series centers on Mari, a fierce psychologist, and Lia, a shy graphic artist, who are drawn together through the “Studio” — a clandestine group of like-minded people operating off the grid, dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt. Simm, Caroline Goodall and Arsher Ali star in the series from writers David Joss Buckley and Brendan Foley.
- 2/18/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Maude Apatow, William Hurt, Corey Stoll, and Lara Pulver have all joined the cast of the upcoming AMC animated drama “Pantheon,” the network announced Thursday as part of the Television Critics Association winter press tour.
Apatow, Hurt, Stoll and Pulver will be joining a voice cast that is jam-packed with diverse celebrity talent. Those previously announced “Pantheon” stars include Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang, Paul Dano, Rosemarie DeWitt, Aaron Eckhart, Taylor Schilling, Ron Livingston, Chris Diamantopoulos, Raza Jaffrey, Scoot McNairy, Anika Noni Rose, Grey Griffin, SungWon Cho, Kevin Durand, Samuel Roukin and Krystina Alabado.
In tandem with the “Pantheon” casting announcement, AMC Studios also confirmed that series creator and showrunner Craig Silverstein has inked an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with the network to develop and produce new series for AMC Networks’ Entertainment Group as well as other content companies. Silverstein was the creator and showrunner for AMC Network’s period drama “Turn: Washington’s Spies.
Apatow, Hurt, Stoll and Pulver will be joining a voice cast that is jam-packed with diverse celebrity talent. Those previously announced “Pantheon” stars include Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang, Paul Dano, Rosemarie DeWitt, Aaron Eckhart, Taylor Schilling, Ron Livingston, Chris Diamantopoulos, Raza Jaffrey, Scoot McNairy, Anika Noni Rose, Grey Griffin, SungWon Cho, Kevin Durand, Samuel Roukin and Krystina Alabado.
In tandem with the “Pantheon” casting announcement, AMC Studios also confirmed that series creator and showrunner Craig Silverstein has inked an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with the network to develop and produce new series for AMC Networks’ Entertainment Group as well as other content companies. Silverstein was the creator and showrunner for AMC Network’s period drama “Turn: Washington’s Spies.
- 2/18/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
BBC America has set a U.S. premiere date for the salvaged “Doctor Who” serial “Fury From the Deep,” AMC Networks announced Wednesday.
The six animated episodes were produced by BBC Studios last year using audio tracks from the original installments starring Patrick Troughton as The Doctor. (The original 1968 versions are among the classic “Doctor Who” episodes that are famously missing from the BBC archives.) The updated animated versions, which aired in the U.K. back in September, will get their U.S. debut on BBC America on Sunday, March 21.
The announcement came along with a slew of other new premiere dates for AMC’s various networks and streaming platforms, including BBC America, IFC, the flagship AMC linear network, Shudder and Acorn TV.
See the full list of dates below.
AMC
“Ride with Norman Reedus” Season 5
Premieres Sunday, March 7 at Midnight Et/11c on AMC and AMC+
Early access begins Sunday,...
The six animated episodes were produced by BBC Studios last year using audio tracks from the original installments starring Patrick Troughton as The Doctor. (The original 1968 versions are among the classic “Doctor Who” episodes that are famously missing from the BBC archives.) The updated animated versions, which aired in the U.K. back in September, will get their U.S. debut on BBC America on Sunday, March 21.
The announcement came along with a slew of other new premiere dates for AMC’s various networks and streaming platforms, including BBC America, IFC, the flagship AMC linear network, Shudder and Acorn TV.
See the full list of dates below.
AMC
“Ride with Norman Reedus” Season 5
Premieres Sunday, March 7 at Midnight Et/11c on AMC and AMC+
Early access begins Sunday,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
AMC+ announced on Thursday that it has has acquired the rights to three crime drama series: Cold Courage, Kin and Too Close.
The first to premiere on the streaming service is Lionsgate’s Cold Courage, which will hit AMC+ on Thursday, March 11. Based on the award-winning and best-selling novels from Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage follows two women as they collide during a series of murders in present-day London. Mari (Pihla Viitala), a fierce psychologist, and Lia (Sofia Pekkari), a shy graphic artist, are drawn together through the “Studio” – a clandestine group of like-minded people operating off the grid, dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt.
John Simm appears as populist politician Arthur Fried and joins fellow cast-members Caroline Goodall and Arsher Ali. Jakob Eklund, Peter Coonan and Matteo Simoni also star.
The series was adapted for the screen by David Joss Buckley and Brendan Foley.
The first to premiere on the streaming service is Lionsgate’s Cold Courage, which will hit AMC+ on Thursday, March 11. Based on the award-winning and best-selling novels from Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage follows two women as they collide during a series of murders in present-day London. Mari (Pihla Viitala), a fierce psychologist, and Lia (Sofia Pekkari), a shy graphic artist, are drawn together through the “Studio” – a clandestine group of like-minded people operating off the grid, dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt.
John Simm appears as populist politician Arthur Fried and joins fellow cast-members Caroline Goodall and Arsher Ali. Jakob Eklund, Peter Coonan and Matteo Simoni also star.
The series was adapted for the screen by David Joss Buckley and Brendan Foley.
- 2/18/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Titles backed or produced by HBO Europe (“Welcome to Utmark”), NBCU (“Sisterhood”), Fremantle (“Cargo”) and ITV Studios (“Thin Blue Line”) have been nominated for the 5th Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, the most prestigious Nordic award for drama series screenwriting.
In a powerful smackdown, a fifth series, “Cry Wolf,” is produced by Dr Drama, the Danish producer of Nordic Noir icons “The Killing” and “The Bridge” as well as “Borgen.”
Adding another edge to competition, the five contenders are produced by companies based in the five main Nordic countries and backed by three of its biggest public broadcasters, Sweden’s Svt, Denmark’s Dr and Finland’s Yle, as well as pan-Nordic pay TV giant Viaplay, part of the Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent).
The winner of the award, which goes to the main writer, will be announced on Feb. 3 at Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival during its TV Drama Vision,...
In a powerful smackdown, a fifth series, “Cry Wolf,” is produced by Dr Drama, the Danish producer of Nordic Noir icons “The Killing” and “The Bridge” as well as “Borgen.”
Adding another edge to competition, the five contenders are produced by companies based in the five main Nordic countries and backed by three of its biggest public broadcasters, Sweden’s Svt, Denmark’s Dr and Finland’s Yle, as well as pan-Nordic pay TV giant Viaplay, part of the Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent).
The winner of the award, which goes to the main writer, will be announced on Feb. 3 at Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival during its TV Drama Vision,...
- 12/18/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
BritBox Acquires ‘Cold Courage’
BritBox UK has acquired Viaplay and Lionsgate’s John Simm-fronted political drama Cold Courage. The BBC and ITV-owned streamer will premiere the eight-part series on September 3, telling the story of how two Finnish women get drawn into a clandestine group dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt. Based on the award-winning and best-selling books by Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage was written by BAFTA-nominated David Joss Buckley (Hinterland) and Brendan Foley (The Riddle). The series is produced by Markku Flink and Pauli Pentti, and directed by Agenta Fagerstrom-Olsson and Kadir Ferati Balci. Fredrik Ljungberg, Jon Petersson, Kjartan Por Pordarson, Cormac Fox, Tom Hameeuw, Peter De Maegd and Marc B. Lorber are executive Pproducers.
Banijay Recruits Owain Walbyoff As Commercial Chief
Banijay has hired former Endemol Shine Group executive Owain Walbyoff to the newly-created role of chief commercial officer. Walbyoff will be...
BritBox UK has acquired Viaplay and Lionsgate’s John Simm-fronted political drama Cold Courage. The BBC and ITV-owned streamer will premiere the eight-part series on September 3, telling the story of how two Finnish women get drawn into a clandestine group dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt. Based on the award-winning and best-selling books by Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage was written by BAFTA-nominated David Joss Buckley (Hinterland) and Brendan Foley (The Riddle). The series is produced by Markku Flink and Pauli Pentti, and directed by Agenta Fagerstrom-Olsson and Kadir Ferati Balci. Fredrik Ljungberg, Jon Petersson, Kjartan Por Pordarson, Cormac Fox, Tom Hameeuw, Peter De Maegd and Marc B. Lorber are executive Pproducers.
Banijay Recruits Owain Walbyoff As Commercial Chief
Banijay has hired former Endemol Shine Group executive Owain Walbyoff to the newly-created role of chief commercial officer. Walbyoff will be...
- 8/25/2020
- by Jake Kanter and Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Germany’s Zdf Enterprises, experts in crime and the production and sales outfit behind Nordic Noir original “The Bridge” and Swedish mega-hit crime thriller “Before We Die,” is at it again. This time round, the commercial arm of German public broadcaster Zdf has greenlit “Body of Water,” an eight-part crime drama showrun and written by Brendan Foley. Production is scheduled for 2021.
A Northern Irish writer, Foley has built up Nordic Noir credentials, co-writing Lionsgate and Viaplay series “Cold Courage” and adapting Finnish crime drama “Man Who Died” for Elisa.
Production partners include Nucleus Media Rights, with offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Mumbai and Seoul, and Italy’s 3zero2, part of France’s Euro Media Group.
Euro Noir “Body of Water,” which Zdfe will bring onto the market, begins when the bodies of a man and woman are dredged up three years apart from the River Thames and a Venice canal,...
A Northern Irish writer, Foley has built up Nordic Noir credentials, co-writing Lionsgate and Viaplay series “Cold Courage” and adapting Finnish crime drama “Man Who Died” for Elisa.
Production partners include Nucleus Media Rights, with offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Mumbai and Seoul, and Italy’s 3zero2, part of France’s Euro Media Group.
Euro Noir “Body of Water,” which Zdfe will bring onto the market, begins when the bodies of a man and woman are dredged up three years apart from the River Thames and a Venice canal,...
- 7/22/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
It takes a while to warm up to Agneta Fagerström-Olsson and Kadir Balci’s new series, and not just because of its Nordic roots. Based on Pekka Hiltunen’s first novel in the so-called “Studio” series, the London-centred Cold Courage, directed by Agneta Fagerström-Olsson and Kadir Balci, could easily be mistaken for something produced a good ten years ago, looking and feeling akin to the likes of The Bridge or The Killing when they premiered some time around 2011, although with the acting chemistry not quite reaching those heights. Having premiered exclusively on the Viaplay video streaming service in Finland and Scandinavia at the beginning of May, despite the merry mix of accents, it still remains in the firm clutches of Nordic noir, with all its recognisable gloominess, troubling backstories and a tendency to sacrifice the odd sex worker in order to get the story rolling. It has an added treat in.
Exclusive: Here’s an intriguing TV project coming together across international boundaries. John David Coles, the U.S. director and exec producer on two series of House Of Cards, is working with Brit scribe Tom Williams (Kajaki) and UK producers Clipper Media on Emerald Eye, a noir thriller series set during the Bolshevik Revolution.
The team have now attached leading Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV3 and Finnish co-producers Markku Flink and Pauli Pent at their banner Luminoir (Viaplay and Lionsgate’s Cold Courage) to the English-language project. This is the first time that MTV has developed a drama series in English.
Cole’s Talking Wall Pictures will produce alongside Clipper. The latter, founded by Michael Nakan and Jake Alexander, is a London-based company focused on international projects that has strong relationships in China. Clipper is working on further English-language projects in Germany and Sweden, and is also producing feminist horror anthology...
The team have now attached leading Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV3 and Finnish co-producers Markku Flink and Pauli Pent at their banner Luminoir (Viaplay and Lionsgate’s Cold Courage) to the English-language project. This is the first time that MTV has developed a drama series in English.
Cole’s Talking Wall Pictures will produce alongside Clipper. The latter, founded by Michael Nakan and Jake Alexander, is a London-based company focused on international projects that has strong relationships in China. Clipper is working on further English-language projects in Germany and Sweden, and is also producing feminist horror anthology...
- 2/20/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Paris — “Narcos” showrunner Chris Brancato and “Godfather of Harlem” star Giancarlo Esposito, actors Carole Bouquet and Zabou Breitman, and the cast and crew behind the Canal Plus series “The Bureau” will be among the many guest of honor at this year’s Series Mania, which will kick off its 11th edition on March 20.
Returning to the north-eastern French city of Lille, Series Mania will once again offer a broad cross-section of international scripted dramas, with a selection culled from 25 different countries including Chile, Peru, Niger, Senegal and South Korea, alongside high profile productions from the U.S., the U.K. and France.
Among the 38 productions world premiering in Lille, the BBC/Tvnz literary adaption “The Luminaries,” with Eva Green, will play as opening series while the closer remains unannounced.
Once again, Netflix makes a strong showing this year. Beyond bringing the cast and crew of their Paris-set drama “The Eddy,...
Returning to the north-eastern French city of Lille, Series Mania will once again offer a broad cross-section of international scripted dramas, with a selection culled from 25 different countries including Chile, Peru, Niger, Senegal and South Korea, alongside high profile productions from the U.S., the U.K. and France.
Among the 38 productions world premiering in Lille, the BBC/Tvnz literary adaption “The Luminaries,” with Eva Green, will play as opening series while the closer remains unannounced.
Once again, Netflix makes a strong showing this year. Beyond bringing the cast and crew of their Paris-set drama “The Eddy,...
- 2/19/2020
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
International TV event Series Mania has unveiled its 2020 lineup, which boasts world premieres for dramas including The Luminaries, Little Birds and Adult Material.
The event is staged in Lille, northern France, between March 20-28, and is becoming an increasingly prominent part of the international TV calendar, taking place in the week before Mip TV.
Tom Perrotta, creator of HBO’s The Leftovers, will serve as president of the International Competition jury, while guests of honor will include Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito.
BBC Two’s The Luminaries will be screened as part of the opening and closing ceremonies. Based on Eleanor Catton’s 2013 novel of the same name, the six-part season stars Eva Green and is made by Working Title Television.
As part of the International Competition, Sky Atlantic’s Little Birds, a Warp Films adaptation of Anais Nin’s collection of erotic short stories starring Juno Temple, and Channel 4...
The event is staged in Lille, northern France, between March 20-28, and is becoming an increasingly prominent part of the international TV calendar, taking place in the week before Mip TV.
Tom Perrotta, creator of HBO’s The Leftovers, will serve as president of the International Competition jury, while guests of honor will include Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito.
BBC Two’s The Luminaries will be screened as part of the opening and closing ceremonies. Based on Eleanor Catton’s 2013 novel of the same name, the six-part season stars Eva Green and is made by Working Title Television.
As part of the International Competition, Sky Atlantic’s Little Birds, a Warp Films adaptation of Anais Nin’s collection of erotic short stories starring Juno Temple, and Channel 4...
- 2/19/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The UK Screenings are due to kick-off in London and Liverpool next week, with U.S. studios and big British players showcasing their wares to buyers from all over the world.
The BBC’s commercial arm, now known as BBC Studios, has been holding an annual sales event for hundreds of international buyers for more than 40 years, with stars and producers including Richard Dormer, Jodie Whittaker, Will Arnett and Tom Werner heading to Liverpool this month. In recent years, UK and U.S. rivals have piggybacked on the Showcase with a week of events in London.
Scripted projects, including The North Water and Love Life, will be paraded to international broadcasters throughout early February, while the likes of ITV Studios and Warner Bros. International TV Production will be touting their formats.
All of this increased activity has had a knock-on effect on April’s Mip TV event in Cannes,...
The BBC’s commercial arm, now known as BBC Studios, has been holding an annual sales event for hundreds of international buyers for more than 40 years, with stars and producers including Richard Dormer, Jodie Whittaker, Will Arnett and Tom Werner heading to Liverpool this month. In recent years, UK and U.S. rivals have piggybacked on the Showcase with a week of events in London.
Scripted projects, including The North Water and Love Life, will be paraded to international broadcasters throughout early February, while the likes of ITV Studios and Warner Bros. International TV Production will be touting their formats.
All of this increased activity has had a knock-on effect on April’s Mip TV event in Cannes,...
- 2/3/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Established Nordic prodco Sagafilm is producing Icelandic crime series “Sisterhood,” in association with Sky Studios, for commissioners Nent Group’s Nordic streamer Viaplay and Iceland’s Ott service Síminn.
The six-part series will premiere simultaneously on Viaplay and Síminn in 2021, with the latter retaining domestic first window rights. NBCUniversal Global Distribution handles international sales.
“Sisterhood” is the first project to originate from a multi-year development and distribution deal inked by Sagafilm and U.K.-based Sky Studios last fall. Sagafilm’s head of development Jóhann Ævar Grímsson is its creator/writer, with Björg Magnúsdóttir (“The Minister”) as co-writer. Silja Hauksdóttir (“Agnes Joy”) will direct all episodes.
“Sisterhood” begins with the skeletal remains of a young girl, Hanna, who disappeared 20 years ago, being unearthed in a picturesque fjord town in Iceland. Vera, a newly-promoted investigator is assigned to the case and delves deeper into it than anyone expects. Her...
The six-part series will premiere simultaneously on Viaplay and Síminn in 2021, with the latter retaining domestic first window rights. NBCUniversal Global Distribution handles international sales.
“Sisterhood” is the first project to originate from a multi-year development and distribution deal inked by Sagafilm and U.K.-based Sky Studios last fall. Sagafilm’s head of development Jóhann Ævar Grímsson is its creator/writer, with Björg Magnúsdóttir (“The Minister”) as co-writer. Silja Hauksdóttir (“Agnes Joy”) will direct all episodes.
“Sisterhood” begins with the skeletal remains of a young girl, Hanna, who disappeared 20 years ago, being unearthed in a picturesque fjord town in Iceland. Vera, a newly-promoted investigator is assigned to the case and delves deeper into it than anyone expects. Her...
- 1/29/2020
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Agatha Raisin producer Free@Last TV is developing a TV detective drama based on Freeman Wills Crofts’ classic Inspector French novels with Cold Courage writer Brendan Foley.
Wills Crofts, a railway engineer turned author, was a peer of Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler and was thought to be highly regarded by these writers.
Set in 1920s Ireland, Scotland and England, Inspector French is a dogged world-class detective banished from Scotland Yard to post-partition Northern Ireland where he battles to introduce modern policing techniques to a reluctant force.
Books include Inspector French’s Greatest Case, Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery and Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy.
Foley, who recently wrote John Simm-fronted Finnish political drama Cold Courage for Viaplay and Lionsgate, initially tracked down the rights to Crofts’ books at the Society of Authors before penning a script.
He told Deadline that the adaptation would be “as...
Wills Crofts, a railway engineer turned author, was a peer of Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler and was thought to be highly regarded by these writers.
Set in 1920s Ireland, Scotland and England, Inspector French is a dogged world-class detective banished from Scotland Yard to post-partition Northern Ireland where he battles to introduce modern policing techniques to a reluctant force.
Books include Inspector French’s Greatest Case, Inspector French and the Cheyne Mystery and Inspector French and the Starvel Tragedy.
Foley, who recently wrote John Simm-fronted Finnish political drama Cold Courage for Viaplay and Lionsgate, initially tracked down the rights to Crofts’ books at the Society of Authors before penning a script.
He told Deadline that the adaptation would be “as...
- 7/2/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
A Norwegian sleuth, a team of Chilean female investigators and the tribes of ancient Rome are headed to Cannes — by way of London.
Britain’s place in the world is the subject of debate and hand wringing in Blighty, with Brexit on the horizon. Amid the delays and confusion wrought by the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, its production and distribution powerhouses have embraced drama from the continent.
As production and distribution groups add non-English drama to their lineups or buy European shingles, the U.K., and specifically London, has become a hotspot for high-end scripted from around the world.
The U.K.-based boom in international fare stems from the consolidation that has seen the likes of Fremantle and ITV Studios assemble stables of production companies from across Europe. The growing appetite for foreign-language fare is another factor. On the distribution side, a factor is the...
Britain’s place in the world is the subject of debate and hand wringing in Blighty, with Brexit on the horizon. Amid the delays and confusion wrought by the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, its production and distribution powerhouses have embraced drama from the continent.
As production and distribution groups add non-English drama to their lineups or buy European shingles, the U.K., and specifically London, has become a hotspot for high-end scripted from around the world.
The U.K.-based boom in international fare stems from the consolidation that has seen the likes of Fremantle and ITV Studios assemble stables of production companies from across Europe. The growing appetite for foreign-language fare is another factor. On the distribution side, a factor is the...
- 4/8/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
The number of big-ticket dramas coming to the international market continues to increase as viewers embrace shows from all corners and consume them on a dizzying range of channels and platforms.
In a cluttered landscape, movie-inspired shows and book adaptations have built-in marketing appeal and bring a fan base, which is one way to cut through. There are multiple examples of both at MipTV,
from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “To Catch a Thief,” to Canneseries opener “Vernon Subutex,” based on the hip French novel.
“The Walking Dead” producer Channing Powell envisages a dystopian future about a technology embedded inside our heads, while other series tackle the populist politics taking hold in many parts of the world. Immigration tales from the past, but with a modern-day relevance are also to the fore.
As thousands of acquisitions execs land in Cannes with checkbooks at the ready, Variety highlights the scripted...
In a cluttered landscape, movie-inspired shows and book adaptations have built-in marketing appeal and bring a fan base, which is one way to cut through. There are multiple examples of both at MipTV,
from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “To Catch a Thief,” to Canneseries opener “Vernon Subutex,” based on the hip French novel.
“The Walking Dead” producer Channing Powell envisages a dystopian future about a technology embedded inside our heads, while other series tackle the populist politics taking hold in many parts of the world. Immigration tales from the past, but with a modern-day relevance are also to the fore.
As thousands of acquisitions execs land in Cannes with checkbooks at the ready, Variety highlights the scripted...
- 4/8/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s Mip TV in Cannes is facing a major challenge as a slew of the largest international companies have shunned the April market and A-list buyers and producers have joined them.
The increasingly active London screenings in February have taken a noticeable chunk out of the market for the bi-annual Reed Midem-organized show, which is struggling to attract the volume, and quality of participants that attend its October equivalent Mipcom. The spring confab has always been quieter than the fall event but this year many of the big companies are treating it as a secondary sales market rather than the glitzy launch pad for their hot new shows.
Next week’s event will be without the full participation of Endemol Shine Group, BBC Studios and Fox Networks Group Content Distribution, while the beachside will be very quiet as Fremantle is sending less staff than usual and Disney...
The increasingly active London screenings in February have taken a noticeable chunk out of the market for the bi-annual Reed Midem-organized show, which is struggling to attract the volume, and quality of participants that attend its October equivalent Mipcom. The spring confab has always been quieter than the fall event but this year many of the big companies are treating it as a secondary sales market rather than the glitzy launch pad for their hot new shows.
Next week’s event will be without the full participation of Endemol Shine Group, BBC Studios and Fox Networks Group Content Distribution, while the beachside will be very quiet as Fremantle is sending less staff than usual and Disney...
- 4/5/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
John Simm plays a rabble-rousing populist politician in “Cold Courage,” and Lionsgate has stepped up and taken international rights to the series.
Based on the series of novels by Pekka Hiltunen, the drama is billed as the biggest yet out of Finland and will bow on the Viaplay streaming service in Scandinavia. With a cast from all over Europe and a shoot spanning Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and the U.K., “Cold Courage” is international in scope and ambition.
That was part of the appeal for Simm, a familiar face on British TV, playing The Master in “Doctor Who” and starring in a host of other shows for British networks. “There was a point I was on BBC and ITV at the same time and that was a bit much,” he told Variety. “I thought it would be nice to step away from that for a little bit and do something I haven’t done,...
Based on the series of novels by Pekka Hiltunen, the drama is billed as the biggest yet out of Finland and will bow on the Viaplay streaming service in Scandinavia. With a cast from all over Europe and a shoot spanning Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and the U.K., “Cold Courage” is international in scope and ambition.
That was part of the appeal for Simm, a familiar face on British TV, playing The Master in “Doctor Who” and starring in a host of other shows for British networks. “There was a point I was on BBC and ITV at the same time and that was a bit much,” he told Variety. “I thought it would be nice to step away from that for a little bit and do something I haven’t done,...
- 3/22/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak has a new series. Margeaux, an international drama about the Munich Olympic massacre, hails from Scandinavian Svod service Viaplay and Leaving Neverland distributor Kew Media.
The drama is told from the point of view of an Israeli Mossad psychologist as well as the Palestinian co-ordinator behind the attack. The series will be produced in multiple languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, English and German.
Margeaux, which is set to set production this fall, is the latest straight-to-series order for the Netherlands-born, Israeli-raised Hasak. It follows the Jennifer Lopez-fronted cop drama Shades of Blue, which ran for three seasons on NBC, as well as Hasak’s adaptation of Norwegian crime thriller Øyevitne as Eyewitness for USA Network. He is also developing a U.S. remake of German drama The Last Cop with Red Arrow Studios International and Universal Television. Additionally, Hasak has teamed up with Dynamic TV for a U.
The drama is told from the point of view of an Israeli Mossad psychologist as well as the Palestinian co-ordinator behind the attack. The series will be produced in multiple languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, English and German.
Margeaux, which is set to set production this fall, is the latest straight-to-series order for the Netherlands-born, Israeli-raised Hasak. It follows the Jennifer Lopez-fronted cop drama Shades of Blue, which ran for three seasons on NBC, as well as Hasak’s adaptation of Norwegian crime thriller Øyevitne as Eyewitness for USA Network. He is also developing a U.S. remake of German drama The Last Cop with Red Arrow Studios International and Universal Television. Additionally, Hasak has teamed up with Dynamic TV for a U.
- 3/11/2019
- by Peter White and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
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