Distribution round-up: Cineflix picks ‘Warrior Women’; Dynamic snaps up ‘Creepshow’; Eccho Rights scores US remakes

Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o

Cineflix Rights takes ‘Warrior Women’ 

London-headquartered distributor Cineflix Rights has picked up Channel 4’s Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o (1 x 60 minutes), in which the Oscar-winning actress will head to West Africa to uncover the legacy of the Agoji women.

Produced by SandStone Global Productions for Channel 4, the film follows the actress, author and producer as she discovers the tribe, which is known to the Europeans as ‘Amazons’. The women – in armies of up to 4,000 strong – fought African and European powers from the 17th to 19th centuries in the former Kingdom of Dahomey, now modern-day Benin.

Kate Laffey, VP of acquisitions for Cineflix Rights who brokered the deal, said: “Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong’o has a global superstar investigating the true story of the real women who were remarkably similar to the Dora Milaje of Black Panther—one of the biggest movies of all time. It’s beautifully shot, rooted in blue-chip historical research, and is engaging and informative to viewers. It’s the perfect mix for buyers and we’re thrilled to be working with SandStone to bring the film to global audiences.”

Bettany Hughes, creative director of SandStone Global, added: “This was a unique opportunity to combine Lupita Nyong’o’s passion and forensic interest in the power and origin of stories with grassroots research in Benin. The ‘Agojie’ women were recruited by their kings across three centuries and fought in huge numbers in highly-trained battalions. Women have frequently been written out of history, and powerful women fetishised – this is a case in point. Lupita Nyong’o asks searing questions about power play in history and who tells whose story.”

Creepshow

Dynamic picks up ‘Creepshow’ reboot

Los Angeles-based producer-distributor Dynamic Television has picked up global distribution rights to SVOD Shudder’s horror anthology series Creepshow.

The show (6 x 60 minutes; 12 x 30 minutes) is based on the 1982 horror classic written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero, which premiered last week on Shudder in the US.

From The Walking Dead writer and director Greg Nicotero, the new Creepshow series features 12 stories and stars the likes of David Arquette (Scream), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), Tobin Bell (Saw), Bruce Davison (X Men) and DJ Qualls (The Man In The High Castle).

The new series is produced by The Cartel with Monster Agency Productions, Taurus Entertainment and Striker Entertainment. Stan Spry, Jeff Holland and Eric Woods are executive producers for The Cartel. Greg Nicotero and Brian Witten are EPs for Monster Agency Productions, while Robert Dudelson, James Dudelson and Jordan Kizwani are executive producers for Taurus Entertainment.

Russell Binder is executive producer and Marc Mostman is co-executive producer for Striker Entertainment.

Daniel March, managing partner for Dynamic, said: “Creepshow is a great classic brand led by a pioneer in the genre who has brought together a powerhouse of veteran horror creators and the brightest up-and-coming talent. We are thrilled to introduce it at this year’s MIPCOM and audiences worldwide.”

Honour

Eccho Rights’ ‘Honour’, ‘Trap’ score English remakes 

US producer-financier Starlings Television is developing local adaptations of Eccho Rights-distributed Swedish format Honour and South Korea’s Trap.

Viaplay’s Honour, which premiered on the Swedish SVOD service in August, follows four talented female lawyers fighting for justice for the vulnerable, while also protecting their own dark secret that could threaten everything they’ve worked hard to build.

Elsewhere, Trap is a collaboration between director Shin-woo Park (White Night) and drama writer Sang-wook Nam (Ten). The suspense format aired on OCN in 2019, and follows a retired news anchor on vacation with his wife and son who suddenly finds himself trapped in a gruesome hunting game that ends with him severely injured and his family’s fate unknown.

The latter is among a burgeoning number of South Korean titles in Eccho Rights’ catalogue. The distributor was acquired by South Korean media giant CJ ENM late last year.

Starlings Television is currently producing and financing two scripted series, including The CW’s Pandora, from showrunner Mark Altman and producer Thomas Vitale, and Departure, starring Emmy Award-winner Archie Panjabi and Academy Award-winner Christopher Plummer, directed by TJ Scott and produced by Shaftesbury.

Chris Philip, president of Starlings Television, said: “Eccho Rights consistently delivers great content and both of these formats are of exceptional quality and will be easily adapted for the US market. We are thrilled to be working with Fredrik and his team on these two exciting series.”

Fredrik af Malmborg, MD of Eccho Rights, added: “We are excited about co-operating with Starlings on these two US adaptations. Chris and the team at Starlings share our global approach and they have a very good eye for matching the right talent to projects.”