DQE launches remake of Lassie

Indian producer DQ Entertainment is set to launch a new animated version of classic kids property Lassie after striking a number of deals with international coproducers.

The company has inked a deal with Classic Media, the company that sprung up in the wake of the collapse of Entertainment Rights, which owns the brand.

French commercial broadcaster M6 and German public broadcaster ZDF are also on board as coproducers, as are DQE’s French and Irish production subsidiaries.

The series, which is based on Eric Knight’s 1940 novel  about a heroic dog, is expected to launch next year.

This follows DQ Entertainment’s other big budget moves including a remake of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book with ZDF and a range of international coproducers including NBC Universal, Moonscoop and TF1.

Lassie, which launched in 1954, aired for 17 seasons on US network CBS and has also been made into a number of feature films including a 2005 version with Peter O’Toole and Samantha Morton.