Social experiment format Utopia is getting a German version. TheProSiebenSat.1 Group has acquired rights with the local version to be a co-production between Talpa Media and its German partner, Schwartzkopff TV. In the States, Talpa Media U.S. is working with Fox on the American version for launch later this year. The reality series features a group of everyday people whisked to an isolated, undeveloped location for an entire year and challenged to create their own civilization.
Entertainment One has sealed multiple international deals on new dramas that form part of its multi-year output deal with AMC Networks. Among the sellers are AMC’s Turn and Halt And Catch Fire, as well as SundanceTV’s The Red Road. Turn went to OCS in France, while all three drama series were licensed by C More in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland for exclusive pay rights; HBO Nordic in Scandinavia (SVOD); TV2 in Norway; and yes DBS Satellite Services in Israel. Sundance Channel Globalpreviously acquired The Red Road across multiple territories in Europe, North America and Latin America. It will premiere interntaionally on April 24. Turn, a Revolutionary War drama from executive producers Barry Josephson and Craig Silverstein, and starring Jamie Bell, debuted yesterday on AMC in the U.S. Halt And Catch Fire, a 1980s set drama about the personal computing boom, kicks off Stateside on June 1.
Syndicated series SAF3, from Baywatchcreators Tai Collins and Gregory J. Bonann, has been renewed for a second season. Produced by George Furla and Randall Emmett’s Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, and Bonann’s Tower 18 Productions, the series follows an elite division of first-responders within the Malibu Fire Department. The action-packed 20-episode first season premiered in September last year and airs in over 90% of the U.S., with Tribune Broadcasting as the lead station group. Internationally, the series has been sold in over 60 countries. The 2nd Season Stateside premiere will be accompanied by a simultaneous launch in Spanish via Univision’s UniMas platform for Latino audiences in the U.S. Chris Philip (Sierra Engine), Nadine de Barros (Fortitute) and Tannaz Anisi (13 Films) are handling worldwide sales here at Mip.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has boarded a range of new scripted series for international sales. They includeTexas Rising, Aquarius, The Good Witch and Schitt’s Creek. Texas Rising stars Bill Paxton, Brendan Fraser and Ray Liotta and details the Texas Revolution and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers. Roland Joffe will direct. David Duchovny stars in the 1960s-set Aquarius about a cop who goes undercover to track Charles Manson and the Manson Family before their infamous murder spree. The Good Witch series will star Catherine Bell, reprising her role of raven-haired enchantress Cassie Nightingale from the Hallmark TV movies. Season One starts shooting early next year. Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Elliott and Dan Levy in the story of a filthy rich video store magnate who goes bust and is forced to relocate his family to a little town he once bought as a joke when money was no object.
Banijay Group’s Air Productions has acquired Red Arrow International quiz show format The Lie for France. Billed as the first quiz show without questions, the show asks contestants to identify which of a series of proposed statements is not true. Air Productions, headed up by founder and TV personality Nagui, will develop the format for French audiences. Developed in the UK by STV, TV3 and GroupM Entertainment, The Lie has been a hit with Irish audiences on TV3 with a second season commissioned.