Scripted


Exclusive: AMC & ViacomCBS execs look to expand Acorn TV, SundanceNow & C5 originals push

AMC Networks’ exec Matt Graham has told TBI Talks he is looking to expand the original drama push for culture-focused SVOD SundanceNow and British content-skewing streamer Acorn TV. Speaking at one of yesterday’s two TBI Talks ahead of The London Screenings, Graham, general manager for Acorn TV & Sundance Now at AMC Networks, explained the importance of co-productions […]

LGBTQ dating app Grindr preps original drama ‘Bridesman’

LGBTQ dating app Grindr has moved into original scripted content with a new comedy drama set to start production. Bridesman is made up of six- to 10-minute episodes and has been created by John Onieal, with Jimmy Fowlie and Sydnee Washington among those starring. The show follows a gay bridesman as he attempts to undermine […]

Penguin Random House UK hires BBCS exec to drive IP adaptations

Penguin Random House UK – a division of German giant Bertelsmann – has appointed former BBC Studios (BBCS) exec Jenna Brown to a newly created role overseeing rights deals for its IP. Brown becomes head of media rights at the UK publisher, with a remit to find partners to develop Penguin Random House authors’ work into […]

Beta Nordic Studios acquires ‘Atlantic Crossing’ & ‘Wisting’ prodco Cinenord

Beta Nordic Studios (BNS), the Scandinavia-focused division of Germany’s Beta Film, has taken a majority stake in Atlantic Crossing and Wisting producer Cinenord. The Norwegian outfit was founded in 2004 and is led by Silje Hopland Eik and Alexander Eik. It produces multiple genres including family entertainment, Nordic Noir thrillers and historical drama, and will become the fourth company under […]

HBO Max joins BBC drama ‘The Girl Before’ with Gugu Mbatha-Raw & David Oyelowo

US streamer HBO Max has confirmed it has linked up with the UK’s BBC One to adapt The Girl Before, with The Morning Show’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Selma’s David Oyelowo set to star. The four-part psychological thriller, which will use the same title as the novel, is being produced by UK prodco 42 and is being directed […]

France’s Ampersand picks up Russia’s ‘The Dead Lake’ for global sales

French distributor Ampersand Fiction has picked up the Russian thriller The Dead Lake for international distribution. The 8 x 52-minute series is produced by Moscow-based 1-2-3 Production and originally aired on GPM Entertainment Television. Directed by by Roman Prygunov (Dukhless) and written by Roman Kantor (To The Lake), the series follows a Moscow detective who is […]

Blackbox’s Giuliano Papadia & Mediapro’s Stephen Johnstone share ‘58 Seconds’

With The Berlin International Film Festival underway this week and its Co-Pro Series launching today, Mark Layton gets the inside line on medical drama co-production 58 Seconds from BlackBox Multimedia CEO Giuliano Papadia and The Mediapro Studio’s content head Stephen Johnstone. Co-productions have been a mainstay of the global drama business for decades but in a fractured world […]

News round-up: Discovery preps YA drama ‘Nach’; Elisa Viihde Viaplay adapts ITVS drama; ZDFE joins ‘Crimson Rivers’

Discovery preps YA drama Nach Discovery Nordic is preparing to launch an eight-part coming-of-age drama from Banijay-owned scripted label Rubicon. Nach (After Party) follows a university drop-out who is thrown out of her houseshare and moves in with her big sister, before becoming caught up with emotions for her sister’s boyfriend. The situation unravels during eight very […]