Legendary Entertainment & Tobis form JV for German scripted series

Sløborn

US studio Legendary Entertainment and German producer & distributor Tobis have teamed to launch a joint venture that will create scripted German-language content.

The new firm, which was announced by Legendary CEO Joshua Grode and Tobis principals Timm Oberwelland and Theo Gringel, will be based in Tobis’ recently opened Munich office, where it will develop, produce and distribute scripted series and miniseries.

The as-yet-unnamed company will work with traditional local braodcasters in Germany as well as with streaming platforms, with a focus on “exceptional local content and talent.”

Tobis is to take operational lead of the JV in Munich, while Legendary is to look after distribution outside of Germany of all content created by the new firm.

The two companies expect the JV to be in operation by the end of the summer, but must first await clearance from Germany’s antitrust agency.

Better known as a film distributor, Tobis has recently been moving into TV, including the co-production of 2020 series Sløborn, with ZDF Neo.

Legendary, meanwhile, is behind international series such as Spanish-language series You Would Do It Too for Disney+ and recently struck a $760m deal that saw former Endemol Shine Group owner Apollo take a minority stake in the company,

“Forging a strategic partnership with Timm and Theo to identify and collaborate on best-in-class episodic content is a key part of our strategy to continue Legendary’s international growth,” commented Grode.