ProSieben and UKTV buy North American version of Primeval

German free-to-air broadcaster ProSieben and UK pay TV channel UKTV have acquired Primeval: New World, a North American-produced spin-off of the hit UK dinosaur drama Primeval. This comes after Entertainment One snapped up the international rights to the new show, which was commissioned by CTV’s Space channel in Canada.

New World will be produced by Canadian indie Omni Film (Defying Gravity). The thirteen-part show will be set in British Columbia where it will also be shot. The series will be launched internationally at MIP TV.

“We’re excited to be working with Impossible Pictures again – this time on the scripted side,” Prentiss Fraser, senior VP, worldwide sales and acquisitions told TBIvision. “And kudos to Omni Film for securing the right to produce this fantastic international success story. TV buyers everywhere are excited about this new take on the original hit.”

The producers say that Primeval: New World will be a primetime series and darker and edgier than the original Primeval with an emphasis on the suspense and action elements.

The fifth season of the original UK Primeval series aired on UKTV in the UK last year and is expected to air on ITV later this year. The UK version of the show is distributed by BBC Worldwide.