News round-up: All3’s ‘Van Der Valk’ returns; Apple TV+ unveils Julia Roberts drama and more…

Van Der Valk

More Van Der Valk detected

ARD Degeto in Germany, Masterpiece in the US and ITV in the UK have ordered a second season of detective drama Van Der Valk.

The three-part instalment is from All3Media-owned Company Pictures and sold globally by All3Media International. It will again be set in and around Amsterdam, with Dutch public broadcaster NPO also onboard.

Additional financing comes via the Netherlands Film Production Incentive, while ARD has joined as co-commissioner. Masterpiece and ITV are co-producers.

Numerous sales of the first season have also been revealed, with
Discovery (Italy), France Televisions (France), NRK (Norway), TV2 (Denmark), TV4 (Sweden), Croatia (HRT), Canal Cosmopolitan (Spain) and a pan-regional deal in the CIS region (Okko) all taking rights.

Japan’s NHK has acquired the title in Japan and ViuTVsix will play the title in Hong Kong, while ABC (Australia) and Sky (New Zealand) have also struck deals. The drama has also secured sales with DirecTV in Latin America and BBC Global Channels will play the title in Africa.

Julia Roberts

Apple TV+ unveils Julia Roberts drama

Apple TV+ has given a straight-to-series order to an adaptation of Laura Dave’s upcoming novel The Last Thing He Told Me from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Disney’s 20th Television.

Actor Julia Roberts is attached to star in the series and also executive produce through her Red Om Films. Dave will adapt the story for the screen alongside her husband Josh Singer.

The story follows a woman who forms an unexpected relationship with her teenage stepdaughter while trying to get to the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

Dave and Singer will executive produce the show alongside Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter and Red Om Films’ Roberts, Marisa Yeres Gill and Lisa Gillan.

Lionsgate signs overall deal with Katori Hall

Lionsgate has signed an overall TV deal with Katori Hall, creator and showrunner of Starz series P-Valley.

Under the agreement, Hall will continue to executive produce the series for Starz and Lionsgate and develop and produce new premium scripted series for Lionsgate Television across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.

“Adapting my play from the stage to the screen was a decade-long odyssey, and I’m so grateful that the journey led me to a studio that understands the value of complex storytelling centered on marginalized people of color,” said Hall. “I’m thrilled about this partnership with Lionsgate and I look forward to continuing to tell bold, impactful stories with the ability to reach a rich, diverse, global audience.”