LONDON — Andy Serkis’ production company The Imaginarium Studios and multi-national TV group Red Arrow have joined forces to create a new unit to develop high-end scripted TV drama for the international market.
The two companies are recruiting a senior-level executive to manage the new initiative’s development slate.
All projects will be distributed internationally by Red Arrow International.
The Imaginarium, which “Lord of the Rings” star Serkis founded in 2011 with producer Jonathan Cavendish (“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), is a performance capture specialist. It has a burgeoning production slate, which includes a four-part family TV series, “Fungus the Bogeyman,” for pay TV operator Sky.
Cavendish and Serkis said: “Working with our friends at Red Arrow will give us a terrific opportunity to create new content for the international marketplace which we can fast-track into production. Red Arrow is a perfect partner for the Imaginarium and we are looking forward to working with them for many years to come.”
The Imaginarium has secured film rights for Samantha Shannon’s novel “The Bone Season,” which Serkis and Cavendish will produce, and an adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which Serkis will direct.
The studio provided performance capture services for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the forthcoming Marvel Studios film “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
The Imaginarium team are also using their performance capture services and working with Serkis for his directorial debut on “The Jungle Book: Origins,” starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Jan Frouman, CEO of Red Arrow Entertainment Group, said: “The Imaginarium Studios is one of the most ambitious new production companies in the English-speaking market and we are delighted to forge this exciting new relationship with them.”
Henrik Pabst, managing director of Red Arrow International, said: “Our aim is to work directly with major talent to develop international TV projects. The Imaginarium has been top of our list of people we would like to work with”
