Planete Plus Orders Munich Hostage Thriller Doc
French broadcaster Planete Plus has commissioned factual political thriller “Munich: Of Games and Blood” from Pernel Media to mark the 50th anniversary of the hostage crisis that rocked the Munich Olympic Games on September 5, 1972. Written by Philippe Saada, Yossi Melman and cinematographer Marc Dugain, the doc is narrated by three protagonists present at the original event where Israeli athletes were taken hostage by Palestinian Black September terrorists: an ex-terrorist, a member of the German police, and a Mossad agent. Doc combines this 360° point of view with archives of exclusive testimonies and revelations from declassified documents.
Executive producers for Pernel Media are Fabrice Frank and Samuel Kissous. Feature doc was commissioned by Planete Plus’s Christine Cauquelin, head of documentaries, Canal Plus Group.
Electric Entertainment’s Syfy Series “The Ark” Sold to NBCU
Los Angeles-based Electric Entertainment has signed a multi-territory deal with NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-To-Consumer for its SYFY U.S. original television series “The Ark.” These territories include Syfy in France, Spain and Portugal and SciFi in the Balkans and Poland. The deal also extends to the licensing of “Leverage: Redemption” (Season 2), “Almost Paradise” (Season 2), “13th Street” and “Diva” in select territories. Ordered straight to series for 12 episodes by SYFY in the U.S., “The Ark” takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun to help secure the survival of the human race. Series is currently filming in Belgrade, Serbia.
Norway Pubcaster NRK Commissions Leonard Cohen Dramatic Series
Norwegian pubcaster NRK has commissioned London-based Buccaneer Media and Oslo-headquartered Redpoint Productions to produce dramatic series “So Long, Marianne,” based on the lives of iconic folksinger Leonard Cohen and his muse, Marianne Ihlen.
NRK retains the rights to distribute the (8 x 45’) English/Norwegian-language series for Norway as well as in Scandinavia. Series takes place in Ihlen’s home in Oslo as well as London, New York and Montreal, with most of it set on the Greek island of Hydra, where they lived during the 1960s. Developed by Ingeborg Klyve, Øystein Karlsen and Tony Wood and written by Redpoint’s Øystein Karlsen, “So Long, Marianne” will be co-produced together with Connect3 Media, which will facilitate the Canadian elements of the production. Production begins February 2023.
Zee Content Unveils MipTV Slate
Mumbai-based Zee Content Sales is unveiling a MipTV slate replete with family, romance, costume dramas and action films. The licensing and syndication arm of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), which touts one of the world’s largest libraries of creative and broadcasting entertainment content, is bringing 40 new shows launched over the past two years. Said Ashok Namboodiri, chief business officer on international business at ZEEL: “MIPTV 2022 will set the trend for all upcoming marketplaces in the year with industry players looking forward to once again network ‘in person.’” Zee’s lineup includes Bollywood action films led by “Sooryavanshi,” “Sanak,” “Squad,” “URI – The Surgical Strike”; sports & drama – “Rashmi Rocket,” and top-rated drama series: “Bhagya Lakshmi,” “Kundali Bhagya”; costume – “Kashibai Bajirao Ballal” and culinary & lifestyle – “Baker’s Table.”
BBC Studios Format Sold to Netherlands
BBC Studios has sold the primetime entertainment format “The 1% Club” to Dutch broadcaster RTL Netherlands. Set to premiere on RTL4 in May, the Dutch adaptation will be produced by Blue Circle and will go into production later this month. BBC Studios previously sold the format to French broadcaster France Televisions and Israeli TV network Kan 11. Created by Magnum Media for ITV, “The 1% Club” tests nations intelligence with a series of questions based on a scientific survey. The series will debut in the UK this month.
“It’s a testament to the format that in little over a year, ‘The 1% Club’ has had three international versions confirmed before the original series has even hit screens in the U.K.,” said André Renaud, SVP of global format sales at BBC Studios.
Renaud said those deals “speak volumes when a unique, family orientated and highly entertaining format like this receives such prominence in a crowded formats market.” – Elsa Keslassy
Nippon TV, Sera Film Team for Unscripted Format
Japan’s Nippon TV and Turkey’s Sera Film have entered a co-development partnership to create a new international unscripted format for global exploitation. “The partnership will formulate the collaboration of Turkish storytelling with the creativity of Japanese fun and crazy game shows,” the companies said adding that the first project in development is “a hilarious and heart-warming studio game show format targeting family viewers.” The production of a pilot episode is currently being planned in Turkey.
Boat Rocker Elevates Executives
Independent global entertainment company Boat Rocker is growing its rights operation with the promotion of Natalie Vinet from VP, global sales, unscripted, to senior VP, global distribution and the hiring of part-time scripted sales and international co-production consultant Erik Pack to the full-time position of senior VP, global sales and co-production. Vinet will continue to oversee the sales strategy for Boat Rocker’s catalogue of unscripted programming globally, while adding new sales initiatives in scripted content for various territories. Pack will lead the international sales strategy for Boat Rocker’s new venture into premium scripted and documentary content, across U.K. and EMEA, as well as sourcing new scripted content opportunities in the regions for co-production and acquisitions.