Playground

MIPCOM Drama round-up: NBCUI nabs ‘Wynonna Earp’; All3’s ‘All Creatures Great And Small’ travel; HBO Max adds ‘I Am Suzie’; and more

NBCUIN welcomes Wyonna Earp NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) has picked up all four seasons of genre-bending supernatural series Wynonna Earp. The show, sold by Cineflix Rights, will air on NBCUIN science fiction channels in Iberia, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Syfy) and in Poland and the Balkans (Scifi). The show is produced by IDW Entertainment, Cineflix […]

Starz expands period drama with ‘Dangerous Liaisons’

US cabler Starz has added another period drama to its slate, this time an adaptation of French novel Dangerous Liaisons. The show will be based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s novel and will be produced by UK producer Playground with Flame Ventures, in association with Starz parent Lionsgate. Call The Midwife‘s Harriet Warner is attached […]

Playground to adapt The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock

UK and US-based producer Playground has gained film and TV rights for Imogen Hermes Gowar’s best-selling novel The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock. The book, which was published earlier this year to rave reviews, is set in 1785 London and tells the story of Jonah Hancock, a prosperous merchant and widower, whose Captain returns having exchanged […]

BBC exec joins Playground gang

Long-serving BBC exec Dan Leon has joined London-based producer Playground as head of business affairs and director of operations. The exec spent eleven years with the UK pubcaster, working its rights and business affairs division alongside the drama commissioning and central commercial units, but will now manage Playground’s strategic growth and day-to-day operations. At the […]

Callender’s Playground ups two

Colin Callender’s drama prodco Playground has upped Scott Huff (left) and Elsye Dolbec (below right), and said it wants to expand its slate of US scripted projects. Huff becomes senior VP, development and production, overseeing Playground’s drama slate, and Dolbec becomes director of development, working with Huff on TV and theatre projects. Huff exec produces […]

Wolf Hall prodco taking The Widow to TV

Playground picked up rights to several book properties that it will seek to adapt for TV, including Fiona Barton’s psychological thriller The Widow. The prodco, which made hit BBC period drama Wolf Hall, has also snapped up rights to non-fiction book Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories, a real-life account of a barrister’s life. Louise Pedersen, managing […]

Mattel exec joins Robot Chicken prodco

Marge Dean has joined Robot Chicken prodco Stupid Buddy Stoodios as general manager. Dean (pictured) joins from Mattel’s production banner Playground, where she was director of production. She is one of the most seasoned US execs in animation having also worked at Wildbrain Animation, Technicolor, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros Animation. Stupid Buddy, which was […]

Starz, BBC and Company Pictures team for abduction drama

Production has started on The Missing, a US-European coproduced drama about a man obsessed with finding his abducted son. The eight-part drama will be a copro between US premium cabler Starz, UK pubcaster the BBC and All3Media-owned prodcos Company Pictures and New Pictures. Two Brothers Pictures and Playground are also attached along with Fortis Film […]