News round-up: Netflix axes ‘Altered Carbon’; C4 orders STV drama; Cineflix expands factual offer

Altered Carbon

Netflix ditches Altered Carbon

Netflix has cancelled its sci-fi drama Altered Carbon after two seasons and ordered a drama about lockdown.

The big budget show’s second season landed on the streamer on 27 February but is not being renewed, although the cancellation is not due to the impact of Covid-19.

Altered Carbon was based on the eponymous novel by Richard Morgan and created by Laeta Kalogridis, with US-based Skydance Television producing.

UK’s C4 turns on Screw

Channel 4 in the UK has ordered a six-part prison drama from STV Studios.

Screw will be filmed in 2021 and is written by Rob Williams (The Victim, Killing Eve). The show tracks life as a prison officer in an all-male prison in 21^st century Britain. At the centre of the story are a senior officer and a new recruit, two women who couldn’t be more different but who both carry secrets which, if discovered, could end careers and even lives.

Banijay Rights will manage global distribution, with the show commissioned by Caroline Hollick, C4 head of drama.

Cineflix expands factual slate

Cineflix Rights has added four new factual series from UK and North American producers across the lifestyle, crime, paranormal and history genres for its summer slate.

Wizard Of Paws is from Nomadica Films and features stories of creatures overcoming the odds, while Believers has been produced by Karga Seven Pictures for Travel Channel in the US and recounts shocking and unexplained paranormal events.

Ted Bundy: The Survivors, from Hoff Productions and originally for Reelz in the US, tells the story of America’s most notorious serial killer from the perspective of the lucky few who escaped him, while Lost Treasures Of Egypt has been produced by Windfall Films.

It has aired on National Geographic International, the UK’s C4, RMC Décoverte in France and SBS Australia, and uses cinematography and CGI to explore the country’s  ancient civilisation.

The deals for Wizard Of Paws and Ted Bundy: The Survivors were brokered by Felicia Litovitz, VP of acquisitions for North America, while Lost Treasures Of Egypt was brokered by acquisition manager Catherine McCormick, and Richard Life, head of acquisitions, struck the pact for Believers.

BBC to stream Battlestar Galactica

The BBC has added sci-fi drama Battlestar Galactica to its streaming service iPlayer, after striking a deal with NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

The show, which debuted in 2004 in the US on Syfy (then known as Sci-Fi Channel), launches 5 September and will also air on BBC Two.

The UK pubcaster has been expanding its boxsets recently, adding shows including older shows such as Heroes as well as new entries including Mrs America.