Utopia


Amazon greenlights Utopia remake by Gone Girl scribe

Amazon Studios has greenlit a straight-to-series order for Utopia, based on the British series of the same name written by Dennis Kelly. The nine-episode series will be written by Gone Girl screenwriter Gillian Flynn, who has simultaneously inked an overall deal with Amazon Studios. Flynn is the creator, executive producer and showrunner of Utopia, and […]

Fremantle buys a portion of Duck Soup

FremantleMedia has taken a 25% stake in Duck Soup Films, the UK film and TV indie set up by the producers of This is England and Utopia. Seasoned producers Libby Durdy, Bekki Wray-Rogers and Jessica Holyland set up Duck Soup in 2015. “Duck Soup is an exciting business with three incredibly talented founders at its […]

Fox orders Endemol Shine Germany format

US broadcaster Fox has ordered an eight-hour unscripted series, Superhuman, based on Endemol Shine Germany format The Brain. This comes after Fox aired a two-hour special of the format on January 4. The format sees contestants with extraordinary skills competing for a cash prize. In Germany, the series is in its sixth season, while distributor […]

Sat.1 cancels Talpa’s Newtopia

German broadcaster Sat.1 has cancelled Newtopia, the local version of the Talpa format Utopia. The last episode of the social experiment format will go out on the free-to-air channel this Friday. The German show has been beset by controversy, being dubbed ‘Faketopia’ locally after a drunk producer was filmed entering the set and giving the reality […]

ITV completes Talpa takeover

ITV has completed its takeover of The Voice producer Talpa Media, a stock market announcement reveals. John de Mol’s Netherlands-based company is now part of the UK broadcaster, a move that strengthens the latter’s position in the European production market. ITV has paid an initial £355 million (US$538.4 million) for Talpa, though this could rise […]

Talpa, Sat.1 embroiled in ‘Faketopia’ scandal

Newtopia, the German version of Talpa’s Utopia, is at the centre of a scandal after an allegedly drunk producer was filmed entering the set and giving the reality show’s contestants direction. The show is produced by Talpa Germany and goes out on free-to-air station Sat.1, which has issued an apology. The show sets out to […]

Canada Netflix rival buys UK, US sci-fi

Project Latte, the upcoming Canadian OTT service from telco and broadcast group Bell, has bought several big-ticket sci-fi and fantasy drama series from the UK and US. It has licensed Doctor Who and Orphan Black from BBC Worldwide and US superhero series Arrow and its spin-off The Flash (pictured) from Warner Bros International Television Distribution. […]

Fox’s Utopia experiment over

US broadcaster Fox has cancelled big-budget social experiment format Utopia. Just two months after the show launched on the channel, ratings have proven too low to continue. This is despite major investment and support in the project from key Fox reality executives, including executive VP, alternative entertainment Simon Andreae. The show, which comes from John […]

Shine has Parti to nurture Asian talent

Shine Group drama prodco Kudos Film & TV will work with indie Parti Productions to nurture Asian talent and develop Asian-themed scripted shows. As part of an exclusive first-look coproduction deal that Kudos CEO Jane Featherstone and Parti’s founder Nishi Parti brokered, the pair will seek to develop and produce TV dramas for the UK […]

What next in the Netherlands?

From Big Brother to The Voice via Deal or No Deal and Splash! Dutch producers have proved time and again that they know how to construct an international television hit. But do deep budget cuts at the public broadcast group and the increasing influence of international content threaten the Netherlands’ status as a creative powerhouse? […]

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