News

Exclusive: Fifth Season-backed The Story Collective (Tsc) has taken a 25% stake in The Mallorca Files co-producer Cosmopolitan Pictures, which has ambitions to be a “European hub” for projects that can traverse borders, its boss has said.

Cosmopolitan is run by Ben Donald, a former colleague of Tsc founders Damian Keogh, Simon Vaughan and Helen Jackson from their BBC Studios tenure, and has quietly made a name for itself in recent years backing drama projects that punch above their weight across Europe. It is probably best known for The Mallorca Files, which it makes with Baby Reindeer producer Clerkenwell Films and is about to launch its third season on Prime Video, along with Rai’s Per Elisa: il Caso Claps, which scooped the grand prize at the recent AVPSummit.

The company has projects in development with French, German, Italian and Scandinavian buyers, and is developing a pair of series in France based on Vanity Fair articles.

Exclusive: Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions has hired Victoria Fea, the former ITV commissioner who co-founded Longboat Pictures.

Fea joins Snowed-In as an executive producer in June, reporting to CEO Ruth Kenley-Letts. Her appointment follows the departure of Jenny van der Lande to Big Talk Studios.

Snowed-In is behind projects including Itvx’s upcoming Sophie Turner series Joan and Mrs Wilson, the BBC’s Ruth Wilson drama. It also made The Midwich Cuckoos for Sky.

Fea said Snowed-In had a reputation for “classy” television, while Kenley-Letts paid tribute to van der Lande’s tenure at the company.

Longboat Changes

Fea’s exit from Longboat follows an ownership change at the production company she co-founded in 2019 with Julie Anne Robinson, a director who has worked on Doctor Who and Bridgerton.

Sky exited Longboat last year after taking a 25% stake in the company in 2020. Longboat is now wholly owned by The Story Collective,...

UK producers Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan, previously at TV drama juggernaut Lookout Point, have launched their own film and TV studios The Story Works in Richmond, southwest London.

The 22-acre site, a former brewery dating as far back as the 11th century, was originally intended as a temporary base for production on Steven Knight’s upcoming Disney+ series A Thousand Blows which Keogh and Vaughan produced via The Story Collective with Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions.

Through their production company, founded in 2021 alongside Helen Jackson, the pair recently signed a lease with the developers to continue operating...

UK producers Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan, previously at TV drama juggernaut Lookout Point, have launched their own film and TV studios The Story Works in Richmond, southwest London.

The 22-acre site, a former brewery dating as far back as the 11th century, was originally intended as a temporary base for production on Steven Knight’s upcoming Disney+ series A Thousand Blows which Keogh and Vaughan produced via The Story Collective with Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions.

Through their production company, founded in 2021 alongside Helen Jackson, the pair recently signed a lease with the developers to continue operating...

Actor, director and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah has joined the board of Fifth Season-backed production company The Story Collective.

In the role, Kwei-Armah will bring expertise and mentorship to various projects in development as well as nurturing new ideas to bring to screen.

Kwei-Armah is currently the artistic director for the Young Vic theater in London. Previously he served as artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage in Maryland, where he directed Toni Morrison’s “Jazz” and “One Night in Miami,” which was later adapted into a film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir.

He is set to make his directorial feature debut with upcoming film “The Collaboration,” starring Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat. He directed both the London and Broadway versions of the play. He also co-wrote John Boyega starrer “Breaking” and an episode of “Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle,” on which he was also an exec producer.

Lookout Point, the BBC Studios-owned indie behind Gentleman Jack and The Ballad of Renegade Nell, has set its new management following the news Faith Penhale is moving to Pathé Productions.

Laura Lankester and Will Johnston have been named Joint CEOs. They were both previously executive producers at the indie and have a decade-long working relationship.

Lankester is currently EP on Devil’s Peak, while Johnston is EP on Happy Valley season 3 with Penhale and The Ballad of Renegade Nell with Penhale and Louise Mutter.

Lankester has worked at Kudos and was Head of Development at BBC Wales, where she developed Andrew Davies’ War and Peace. Johnson has previously worked at Working Title Films and joined Lookout Point in 2016.

Current Chief Exec Penhale is leaving at the end of the year. Having taken on the post in 2020 upon the exit of previous joint CEO Simon Vaughan, she is set to...

Faith Penhale, decorated TV drama producer and CEO of Gentleman Jack indie Lookout Point, is leaving the BBC Studios-backed outfit to head up Pathe Productions, with Cameron McCracken stepping down to Head of Film.

After 23 years with Pathe most recently as MD, respected vet McCracken will now report to Penhale. He will continue to manage the production and distribution of the film slate including the likes of Richard Eyre’s Allellujah and the Michael Caine-starring The Great Escaper.

In her newly-created role, Penhale will be focused on leading Pathe UK’s expansion into TV drama. She will officially take up the position in March 2023.

The news that McCracken is being moved out of the MD position will come as a surprise to many in the U.K. film industry, although there have been rumors that the executive was preparing to stand down for some months.

At the same time,...

Rebranding

Endeavor Content‘s U.K.-based content studio The Story Company, which was launched in 2021, has rebranded as The Story Collective and made three senior hires.

Former ITV Studios producer Kate Lewis (“Vera”) joins as executive producer and brings with her a slate of projects she has been developing under her Neon Ink banner. Lewis will manage and expand the company’s slate of scripted projects, and provide creative support to their portfolio of invested production companies and writer partnerships. Former Tiger Aspect executive Amy Mobley joins as head of production from Fremantle’s label Euston Films, where she was responsible for overseeing all of the company’s productions, including “Baghdad Central” and “The Sister.” Natasha Neill, who has had previous stints at Entertainment One, Greenbird Media and Shine TV, joins as CFO from her previous role at Lookout Point.

The executive management of The Story Collective includes former Lookout Point MD Damian Keogh,...

BBC Greenlights Three Science Shows Including Brian Cox Mars Doc

The BBC has greenlit three science programs including a series in which Brian Cox heads inside the mission to Mars. In Arrow Media’s Seven Days on Mars feature doc, the celebrated TV scientist will be granted special privilege to access the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mission control Mars. In 1980 he wrote to the laboratory asking for photos from Voyager and the Viking Mission to Mars and it was a source of inspiration to his becoming a physicist, and the show, shot over a week, will allow Cox to realize his dream as he navigates the Rover’s every move. In the process, Cox will reveal how the mission could potentially transform our understanding of life not just on Mars but Earth as well. “The Perseverance Rover, and the Mars Sample Return missions to follow, may answer a deeper question...

Exclusive: Gentleman Jack producer Lookout Point’s investment in Shane Allen and Kate Daughton’s Boffola Pictures technically valued the new comedy indie at £4M ($5.4M), Deadline can reveal, while Lookout posted a £3.2M ($4.3M) loss for the Covid-impacted 2020/21 financial year.

Lookout’s full year accounts, which were released last month on Companies House, revealed the company invested £1M ($1.4M) to acquire 25% of Boffola Pictures’ share capital on May 4 2021, thereby technically valuing the company at £4M. The acquisition was made two months after the financial year covered in the accounts.

Little was known about the deal prior to the accounts being released, with Lookout only saying it had taken a minority stake when Boffola was officially launched over the summer.

The £4M valuation is a hefty price tag to place on a new scripted indie in a competitive field and is testament to Lookout’s desire to push into the...

Endeavor Content continues to bolster its footing in the U.K. market with a new content studio led by some of the country’s top drama producers.

Based out of London, The Story Company will be helmed by former Lookout Point executive Damian Keogh as CEO, ex-BBC Worldwide content chief Helen Jackson as executive chair and Lookout Point founder Simon Vaughan as executive director.

Joining the Story Company board as non-executive directors are Jonathan Norman (MD at global investment bank Gca Altium) and Chris Rice (co-president of Endeavor Content).

The outfit will look to help acquire rights, commission scripts, package projects and manage the sales process. It will both partner with other production entities, as well as work directly with both established and emerging creators and writers.

Crucially, The Story Company will also make equity investments itself into other content businesses, ranging from start-ups to more established producers, positioning...

Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan, formerly of Gentleman Jack producer Lookout Point, and former BBC Worldwide exec Helen Jackson have launched a new UK-based content studio backed by Endeavor Content.

The trio have launched The Story Company, which is designed to back script development and new scripted production companies.

They aim to acquire rights, commission scripts, package projects and manage the sales process for scripted series coming out of the UK. They will work with third party producers as well as creators and writers and are also planning to make equity investments into content businesses, ranging from start-ups to more established producers.

As part of the launch, Keogh is leaving BBC Studios-owned Lookout Point, where he was Managing Director to become CEO. Vaughan, who was founder of Lookout Point and left in 2019, becomes Executive Director and Helen Jackson, who was previously Content Chief of BBC Worldwide becomes Executive Chair.

Another scripted TV venture has entered the ring, but one founded by three of the most respected names in British TV drama and launching with the backing of a major U.S. entity.

The Story Company, announced Tuesday, reunites Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan — who were both at Lookout Point, the banner behind prestige dramas including War and Peace, A Suitable Boy, Gentleman Jack and Les Miserables — and Helen Jackson, the former content chief of BBC Worldwide (now BBC Studios). Jackson, who built BBC Worldwide’s production business by guiding indie success stories including Left Bank, Baby Cow and Clerkenwell and overseeing its programming fund,...

Another scripted TV venture has entered the ring, but one founded by three of the most respected names in British TV drama and launching with the backing of a major U.S. entity.

The Story Company, announced Tuesday, reunites Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan — who were both at Lookout Point, the banner behind prestige dramas including War and Peace, A Suitable Boy, Gentleman Jack and Les Miserables — and Helen Jackson, the former content chief of BBC Worldwide (now BBC Studios). Jackson, who built BBC Worldwide’s production business by guiding indie success stories including Left Bank, Baby Cow and Clerkenwell and overseeing its programming fund,...

The BBC’s production and distribution arm has acquired the 51% it did not already own in Lookout Point, the U.K.-based drama producer behind “War and Peace” and “Ripper Street.” BBC Studios will fully own Lookout Point when the deal closes. It will operate as an independent drama studio within the wider BBC Studios business.

The BBC’s commercial arm first struck a distribution deal with Lookout Point eight years ago and then acquired a 35% equity stake in 2014. In 2016 it upped it stake in the business to 49%, with an option to take full control, which it has now exercised. Joint CEOs, Simon Vaughan and Faith Penhale are still running the business.

“Increasing our investment in the company enables us to cement the partnership on a permanent basis and ensures Lookout Point can continue to realise its full potential as a leading British drama player, working independently with the very...

BBC Studios has completed its takeover of War and Peace producer Lookout Point, acquiring the 51% of the company that it does not currently own.

The move comes after the commercial arm of the British public broadcaster initially bought a 35% stake in 2014 before increasing this to 49% in 2016 with the option to buy 100%. Lookout Point, which will continue to be run by joint CEOs, Simon Vaughan and Faith Penhale, will remain an independent scripted studios within the larger organization.

Lookout Point is currently working on dramas including Press for the BBC and Masterpiece, written by Mike Bartlett and starring Charlotte Riley and Ben Chaplin; Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century classic Les Misérables, starring Dominic West, David Oyelowo and Lily Collins, Gentleman Jack, a BBC/HBO co-commission penned by Sally Wainwright and starring Suranne Jones, and Vikram Seth’s masterpiece A Suitable Boy, also adapted by Andrew Davies and directed by Mira Nair.

Chicago – Winnie the Pooh is a cultural icon of four generations, due both to the character’s literary roots and Walt Disney’s interpretation. A new film, “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” is the origin story of the famous bear, as created by author A.A. Milne. The movie is directed by veteran helmsman Simon Curtis.

“Goodbye Christopher Robin” features Dohmnall Gleeson as A.A. Milne, who was a notable playwright in 1920s England, but found himself at a crossroads in his career. Moving to the country, he began to find inspiration in the imagination of his son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston as the younger Cr) and created the books of Winnie the Pooh. The book was a runaway best seller – much to the pleasure of his flapper wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) and the consternation of the boy’s nanny (Kelly Macdonald) – but a torture to the actual Christopher Robin, who couldn’t understand the family’s sudden fame.

If you’ve always liked Winnie-the-Pooh but wish it overflowed with death undertones and ponderings on the destructive nature of fame, has Simon Curtis made the film for you! In Goodbye Christopher Robin, the director goes behind the story that led British playwright A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) to begin writing children’s books using his son’s favorite toys as protagonists, and how it altered the little boy’s life forever. When we first meet Milne, he’s a shell-shocked veteran plagued by constant nightmares about his days battling the German Empire in France. Milne can’t fathom the frivolity with which life went on after the war, and never misses a chance to share his opinion with society members, who quietly disapprove of him.

For his socialite wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) this means a life of dullness, which leads her to leave her husband and their child Christopher Robin...

There is perhaps no more beloved children’s book or character than Winnie the Pooh. For nearly a century now, kids have been delighted by this bear. As such, there’s an avenue for a biopic about author A.A. Milne and the origins of this story. Opening on Friday, Goodbye Christopher Robin seeks to transform Milne’s tale into something that will touch audiences of all ages. Unfortunately, this is a pretty standard issue biopic, without any thing to really set it apart. Awards prospects are slim, but more on that later. Pooh fans might see it as a curiosity, but this writer mostly just views it as a disappointment. The film is, as mentioned above, a biopic of writer A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson), the man who created Winnie the Pooh. Struggling after seeing the horrors of World War I, A.A., or Alan, finds peace by creating a world with his son C.

Sony Classical announces the release of Goodbye Christopher Robin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with an original score by Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell.

The soundtrack will be released digitally on October 13 and on CD on October 27, 2017. The film will be released in the Us on October 13, 2017.

Pre-order here.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is directed by Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn, Woman in Gold) and will be released in Us theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures on October 13, 2017.

Carter Burwell said about the score:

“One of the riskier decisions Simon Curtis and I made with the score was to withhold the main theme until the middle of the film, when A. A. Milne begins to write and his friend Ernest Shepard begins to illustrate “Winnie The Pooh”. We did this to make that moment especially noteworthy, to make it the turning point of the story. Before that point, the music plays...

Once upon a time we used to tell stories; now we just tell stories about how we used to tell stories. At least, that’s how it feels to watch a consistently milquetoast, comfortably middlebrow bit of true-life fluff like “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” which does for Winnie the Pooh what “Finding Neverland” did for Peter Pan (which is to say that it takes a formative and utterly unique work of literature and reverse engineers it into a passable biopic that has no hope of changing the world or anyone in it).

It’s a shame, because A.A. Milne’s personal and professional lives are both fertile dramatic territory, and the film’s script — by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan — makes sure to point out all of the interesting movies that could have been mined from this material as they pass by and fade out of sight. Instead, we’re...

For C. R. Milne, the real-life boy behind a beloved kids' book character, the popularity of his father's stories was a curse. Screenwriters Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Simon Vaughan draw upon his memoirs for Goodbye Christopher Robin, and though director Simon Curtis applies a heavy hand, he mostly avoids preciousness in the child's-eye perspective, if not the reverse-engineered quality that infects many biopics. It's the chemistry between Domhnall Gleeson and newcomer Will Tilston, as the awkwardly matched father and son, that makes the movie more than a melange of inept parenting and Tigger, too. 

It's also a story of...

Since his inception in the late 1920’s Winnie the Pooh has become a worldwide phenomenon, featuring countless books and adaptations throughout the characters’ existence. Throughout this time, the story has never been told about how author A.A Milne came to create the lovable bear–until now. ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin‘ tells the semi-true story of how Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) used his son, also named Christopher Robin, as inspiration for the world of Winnie the Pooh. As the books grow in popularity, the complications of success permeate back into Milne’s family life.

Based on the trailer, the film seems poised to garner a decent amount of awards season buzz, and Domhnall Gleeson’s performance seems to be one to keep an eye on this fall season. Directed by Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn), the script was written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Simon Vaughan. The film was produced by Damian Jones and Steve Christian.

It’s early yet, but already some strong screenplays are rising to the front of the Oscar contender list.

The Sundance Film Festival broke out Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s “The Big Sick” (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate)), which is turning into the indie hit of the year, and “Wind River” (The Weinstein Co.), the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated writer Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”). Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (A24) and two Netflix titles, Bong Joon Ho’s political satire “Okja” and Noah Baumbach’s family dramedy “The Meyerowitz Stories: (New and Selected),” competed at Cannes.

Jordan Peele’s brainy genre-bender “Get Out” (Universal) is the surprise sleeper of the year. And the fall film festivals will bring a slew of name contenders, from Woody Allen and Darren Aronofsky to Alexander Payne.

Check out the (alphabetical) contenders below: No film will be deemed a frontrunner until I have seen it.

The film co-stars Margot Robbie, and Kelly Macdonald.

The first trailer for Simon Curtis’ Goodbye Christopher Robin has been released.

Watch the trailer below or Here on mobile device.

The film tells the story of the relationship between beloved children’s author A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (Wil Tilston), whose toys inspired the world and characters of Winnie the Pooh. Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald also star as Milne’s wife and Robin’s nanny, respectively.

The film is written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Millions) and Simon Vaughan (War And Peace), and is produced by Damian Jones (The Lady In The Van) and Steve Christian (Belle). Curtis and Vaughan also serve as executive producers.

The film will be released in the UK on September 29, 2017. Fox Searchlight Pictures produced and will distribute the film worldwide.

Author: Jon Lyus

Well if this doesn’t cause your heartstrings to swell with manipulated warmth then you might as well be a stuffed toy. The first trailer for Simon Curtis’ Finding Neverland-esque biopic of the life of Winnie the Pooh creator A. A. Milne is washed in sunlight and smiles, cherubic children and the wonders of rebuilding hope in the darkest time.

Focusing on the relationship of Domhnall Gleeson as Milne with his young son, the titular Christopher Robin (as played by Will Tilston and Alex Lawther), the trailer sets its scene on the unsteady ground of post-war Britain. Making much of the enormous success of Milne’s stories the trailer hints at trouble at home, as well as the erosive effect of a world turned upside-down with war.

But never fear – there are Pooh-sticks galore, a stuffed Piglet and all the gang are here. Gleeson looks every...

Author: Jon Lyus

Town and country come together in the first, deceptively simple movie poster for Fox Searchlight’s biopic of Winnie the Pooh author A. A. Milne – Goodbye, Christopher Robin. The poster has Domhnall Gleeson as Milne walking with his young son (the titular young Master Robin – as played by Will Tilston and Alex Lawther) on a path drawn between the Milnes’ East Sussex homestead Cotchford Farm and London. Both sides of the divide are drawn in the style of Winnie the Pooh illustrator E. H. Shepard, which is a very nice touch.

Joining Gleeson, Tilston and Lawther are Margot Robbit and Kelly MacDonald, the film was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan and has a detailed synopsis, thus:

Goodby Christopher Robin gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired...

Fox Searchlight has announced today that its upcoming biopic Goodbye Christopher Robin has been given a November 10 release date, while unveiling the first four photos. It's possible that the first trailer and poster may be coming any day, but until then, the studio has released the first look at Domhnall Gleeson as author A.A. Milne, Margot Robbie as his wife Daphne and Will Tilston as his young son, the real Christopher Robin. This biopic shows how the author's family life helped inspired the iconic Winnie the Pooh character.

Goodbye Christopher Robin gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children's author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne (Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books,...

Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today that principal photography on the Untitled A.A. Milne Project has begun shooting on location in Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex and London.&#160 The film is directed by Simon Curtis from a script written by Frank Cottrell Boyce based on a screenplay by Simon Vaughan.&#160 The film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Kelly Macdonald and Will Tilston as young Christopher Robin.&#160

Additional cast includes Stephen Campbell Moore, Alex Lawther, Richard McCabe, Nico Mirallegro, Geraldine Somerville and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.&#160 Damian Jones produces with Steve Christian nd Vaughan serves as executive producer. Says producer Damian Jones.

"I'm thrilled to finally see this fascinating story be realized with such an array of fresh and exciting talent in front of and behind the camera as well as continuing my ongoing collaboration with Fox Searchlight."

Christian adds.

"It's such a joy to be able to share the long held passion that I've...

First look at Domnhall Gleeson and Margot Robbie in biopic which has begun shoot in Oxfordshire.

Fox Searchlight has begun principal photography on its biopic of English author and Winnie-The-Pooh creator A. A. Milne.

Domnhall Gleeson (The Revenant) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) lead cast in the currently untitiled project, alongside Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) and newcomer Will Tilston as Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

The shoot will take place on location in Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex and London.

The film will follow the life of author A. A. Milne and his son, who was the inspiration for the world of Winnie the Pooh.

Additional cast members include former Screen Star of Tomorrow Alex Lawther, Stephen Campbell Moore, Richard McCabe, Nico Mirallegro, Geraldine Somerville and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn) is directing from a script by Frank Cottrell Boyce (War And Peace), based on a screenplay by Simon Vaughan.

The Iron Lady producer...

Biopic has begun shoot on location in Oxfordshire.

Fox Searchlight has begun principal photography on its biopic of English author and Winnie-The-Pooh creator A. A. Milne.

Domnhall Gleeson (The Revenant) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) lead cast in the currently untitiled project, alongside Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) and newcomer Will Tilston as Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

The shoot will take place on location in Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex and London.

The film will follow the life of author A. A. Milne and his son, who was the inspiration for the world of Winnie the Pooh.

Additional cast members include former Screen Star of Tomorrow Alex Lawther, Stephen Campbell Moore, Richard McCabe, Nico Mirallegro, Geraldine Somerville and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn) is directing from a script by Frank Cottreil (War And Peace), based on a screenplay by Simon Vaughan.

The Iron Lady producer Damian Jones, whose last three...

Biopic has begun shoot on location in Oxfordshire.

Fox Searchlight has begun principal photography on its biopic of English author and Winnie-The-Pooh creator A. A. Milne.

Domnhall Gleeson (The Revenant) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) lead cast in the currently untitiled project, alongside Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) and newcomer Will Tilston as Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

The shoot will take place on location in Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex and London.

The film will follow the life of author A. A. Milne and his son, who was the inspiration for the world of Winnie the Pooh.

Additional cast members include former Screen Star of Tomorrow Alex Lawther, Stephen Campbell Moore, Richard McCabe, Nico Mirallegro, Geraldine Somerville and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn) is directing from a script by Frank Cottreil (War And Peace), based on a screenplay by Simon Vaughan.

The Iron Lady producer Damian Jones, whose last three...

BBC Worldwide has increased its stake in British drama producer Lookout Point from 35% to 49% with an option to take full ownership at a future date. Lookout Point, run by Chairman Simon Vaughan and his co-ceo Faith Penhale, was founded in 2009 and has become a leader in global drama financing. The company recently teamed with The Weinstein Co and the BBC on epic miniseries War And Peace. Its other credits include period crime series Ripper Street and Benedict…...

Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” is set to make its television debut, thanks to the Weinstein Co. and BBC. The companies announced on Thursday that they will develop a six-part miniseries of the acclaimed classic set in 19th century France.

The project will be a co-production between BBC Studios and Lookout Point for BBC One in association with Weinstein Television. Andrew Davies, who also wrote the adaptation for ‘War & Peace’ for the two companies, will write the script based on the novel that depicted French convict Jean Valjean’s struggles to escape his past while being hunted for decades over a parole violation by Inspector Javert.

Read More: Michael Keaton Biopic ‘The Founder’ Moves to December as Weinstein Juggles Awards Slate

“’Les Miserables’ is a huge iconic title,” Davies said in a release. “Most of us are familiar with the musical version which only offers a fragmentary outline of its story.

Six-part series will be adapted by War And Peace scribe Andrew Davies.

BBC1 has commissioned a six-part adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century classic Les Misérables from the team behind War & Peace [pictured].

The 6 x 60-minute series will be adapted by War And Peace screenwriter Andrew Davies and co-produced by the drama’s producers Lookout Point and BBC Studios, in association with Weinstein Television.

Lookout Point first mooted the second Weinstein collaboration back in February after War And Peace closed with a consolidated average audience of 7.1m (24.3%).

The series will tell the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict unable to escape the shadow of his past life, and his relentless pursuit by the chilling police officer Javert, against the backdrop of civil unrest in France.

The series was commissioned by director of content Charlotte Moore and acting drama of BBC drama commissioning Lucy Richer.

The executive producers will be Davies, Bethan Jones for BBC...

“Les Miserables” is headed to the small-screen, thanks to the BBC, Weinsteins and screenwriter Andrew Davies. The new six-part, six-hour adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel “Les Mis” will be a BBC Studios and Lookout Point co-production for BBC One, in association with Weinstein Television. Davies, Bethan Jones, Faith Penhale, Simon Vaughan, and Harvey Weinstein are executive producers. The project was commissioned by Charlotte Moore and Lucy Richer. BBC Worldwide will distribute “Les Miserables” globally, with the exception of the U.S. and China, where Weinstein Television has the rights. Harvey’s company also holds an option for Canada.

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald has clinched a role in Goodbye Christopher Robin, the biopic that’ll recount the heartfelt story of celebrated author A. A. Milne, who served in Wwi before going on to create Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet and a handful of other childhood mascots.

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, confirming that Macdonald – best known for roles in No Country for Old Men and, soon, Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming South Korean flick Okja – joins a cast that already boasts Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson as Milne himself.

Meanwhile, Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold, My Week With Marilyn) will call the shots from behind the lens, chronicling Milne’s trying relationship with his son, Christopher Robin. Despite testing times, Christopher’s cavalry of childhood toys would go on to inspire the magical characters featured in Winnie the Pooh. Robbie will play the part of Milne’s wife,...

Cast rounds on director Simon Curtis’ Goodbye Christopher Robin, from Fox Searchlight, Damian Jones and Steve Christian.

Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will play Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne with Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) on board as Milne’s wife Daphne in director Simon Curtis’ (Woman In Gold) upcoming biopic Goodbye Christopher Robin from Fox Searchlight.

Script is from Frank Cottrell Boyce (Millions) and Lookout Point CEO Simon Vaughan (War And Peace). Damian Jones (The Lady In The Van) and Steve Christian (Belle) will serve as producers.

The film, first announced by Screen at...

I thought about starting this with some note about living in a world where literature is increasingly unappreciated — but nobody really needs that so I’ll instead just relate The Wrap‘s story that Ramin Bahrani is looking to follow 99 Homes with an adaptation of Ray Bradbury‘s perennial sci-fi classic Fahrenheit 451. The project has been in WB’s pipeline for some time, in semi-recent years attracting the likes of Mel Gibson and Frank Darabont with its dystopian future and central figure, Guy Montag, a “fireman” whose main task is to burn the written word.

Unadaptable this text is not, judging solely by François Truffaut’s great adaptation. While that one’s a bit more off-kilter than what I expect HBO Films and Warner Bros. to deliver — unless they’re really putting their chips down here — Bahrani’s eye for social issues of this current day should make him...

The producer joins writer Andrew Davies and BBC executives to talk about literary adaptation.

Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of Shakespeare In Love and founder of The Weinstein Company alongside brother Bob, has joined the ‘War And Peace’ panel taking place at Mipcom, the global market for entertainment content to be held in Cannes, France, October 5-8.

The panel, which focuses on the business strategy and creative process behind forthcoming BBC television epic War And Peace, includes the series’ writer Andrew Davies (The Three Musketeers) alongside Weinstein, who is an exec producer on the series, Simon Vaughan, CEO of production company LookoutPoint, and BBC executives Faith Penhale and Ben Donald.

The session will also feature a preview of six-part series, an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel starring Paul Dano, Gillian Anderson, Lily James, James Norton, Jim Broadbent and Stephen Rea. It is scheduled to air on the BBC in late 2015/early 2016.

BBC Worldwide has bought a 35% stake in Simon Vaughan’s production and distribution business Lookout Point.

The move, which forms part of a renewed investment push by Bbcw, is its first major deal in a number of years.

Bbcw and Lookout Point, which has been involved in projects including BBC1’s Parade’s End and a forthcoming adaptation of War and Peace, have entered into a five-year distribution and co-production agreement.

The investment will enable the indie to grow its business and work more closely on existing Bbcw projects.

Lookout Point, set up by Simon and Justine Vaughan in 2009, has previously worked with Bbcw on a number of projects including Ripper Street and forthcoming Channel 4 adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities.

Separately, Bbcw director of commercial and legal affairs Saul Venit will join Lookout Point as chief operating officer in November. Helen Jackson, chief content officer at BBC Worldwide, will become...

Ripper Street has begun filming its third series.

Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg will all reprise their roles as Victorian crime-fighters Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, Detective Sergeant Bennet Drake and Captain Homer Jackson for the Manchester shoot, the show's first in the UK.

Also returning is MyAnna Buring as Long Susan, alongside a raft of new characters.

Ripper Street was axed by the BBC last year, but a fan protest led to the show being picked up by Amazon Prime Instant Video.

"I'm delighted and excited to be back for a third series of Ripper," said MacFadyen.

"Thank you to Amazon, thank you to our fans who wanted more, and thank you to our wonderful writers and producers for giving us the most thoroughly brilliant, gripping and heart-rending episodes."

"We are committed to providing our customers with best-in-class film and TV, and with critically acclaimed acting and gripping storylines,...

MipTV was awash with producers, networks and broadcasters looking for international partners to co-finance high-end drama projects that appeal beyond national borders.

Keynotes from Starz chief executive Chris Albrecht, Playground boss Colin Callender, StudioCanal chief executive Olivier Courson and Tandem Communications president Rola Bauer set the tone, and a raft of high-profile drama collaborations were revealed during the market or just prior to it.

These included Sundance TV’s tie-ups with the BBC on Hugo Blick’s The Honourable Woman and Guy Hibbert’s One Child; Tandem Communication’s Spotless, in collaboration with Canal+ and Rosetta Media; Kudos’ Real Humans reboot, backed by Channel 4 and Xbox Entertainment Studios; and Gaumont International Television’s Pablo Escobar series Narcos for Netflix.

Big-name interest

Other projects are being fuelled by big-name writers and directors. Sky Italia and Wildside’s Italian-us co-pro Young Pope will be directed by Oscar-winning film director Paolo Sorrentino, while Tandem...

Jeff Pope, who shared the Venice Film Festival best screenplay prize with his Philomena co-writer Steve Coogan, is prepping a biopic about legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. The 90-minute TV movie Stan And Ollie will reteam Pope with Philomena distributor The Weinstein Co. It’s also a reteam for TWC with the BBC and UK production outfit Lookout Point (Ripper Street). The trio are collaborating on Stan And Ollie, and are already partnered on a six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War And Peace which signaled TWC’s serious push into the European TV arena when it was announced in October. Stan And Ollie will center on Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s 1953 UK tour. At the time, the superstars, who had made 106 films together, were facing declining popularity and a series of personal issues. The UK tour was a redeeming success until Hardy was sidelined by a heart attack.

BBC has ordered a biopic of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy produced by the BBC’s comedy arm and Harvey Weinstein’s Us indie.

The broadcaster has commissioned Stan and Ollie from BBC’s in-house comedy division, in association with The Weinstein Company and Lookout Point.

Stan and Ollie is a 90-minute one-off biopic that will be written by Mrs Biggs screenwriter Jeff Pope. It will tell the story of the duo’s 1953 UK tour, which followed a split from their mentor, studio politics and a run of poorly received films.

After the tour and following an acrimonious divorce and alimony battles, Hardy became ill, suffered a heart attack and eventually died, while Laurel never performed again.

Stan and Ollie was ordered by Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning and former BBC1 controller Danny Cohen. It will be produced by BBC’s Saurabh Kakkar, Lookout Point’s Simon Vaughan and Harvey Weinstein.

It will be...

In a move that signals its serious intent to forge into the European TV arena, The Weinstein Co has joined Look Out Point and BBC Worldwide as production partner on the upcoming six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War And Peace. The event series — described as “one of the most ambitious” ever produced for the BBC — will be made by BBC Cymru Wales and penned by Andrew Davies. Davies’ credits include screen versions of everything from the original House Of Cards to Pride And Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Brideshead Revisited and Bridget Jones. His serialized adaptation of the tome of tomes is due to air in the UK in 2015. Tolstoy’s War And Peace begins in 1805 Russia and centers on five aristocratic families set against the backdrop of the reign of Alexander I, the lingering effects of his grandmother Catherine The Great’s rule and the events surrounding Napoleon’s invasion...

The Weinstein Company snap up distribution rights for Us, Canada and China.

The Weinstein Company (TWC) has signed a deal with UK production company Lookout Point and BBC Worldwide, to partner on the BBC’s upcoming production of War and Peace made by BBC Cymru Wales Drama.

Tolstoy’s epic story will be adapted for television in what has been described as “one of the most ambitious event dramas ever produced for the BBC”.

TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein said: “Needless to say, adapting War and Peace is a tremendous but exciting task. There’s no one I’d rather be partnering with than Lookout Point’s Simon Vaughan and the BBC’s Ben Stephenson and Faith Penhale on this production, whose incredible visions are second to none in bringing classic literature to the screen in the most sophisticated way possible.”

TWC will handle distribution of the miniseries in the Us, Canada and China...

For those looking to get Benedict Cumberbatch ahead of the pack you can watch him this February in the HBO-bbc miniseries Parade’s End and now the network has released a teaser trailer for the five-part Wwi-era miniseries.

Cumberbatch has plenty on his plate for this year or so and now he continues ‘amazing run’ with Parade’s End starring as Christopher Tietjens, a man caught in a love triangle with two women played by Rebecca Hall and Adalaide Clemens.

Written by Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Anna Karenina), the adaptation of Madox Ford’s novel series will be directed by Susanna White.

American audiences will get to experience the upper-class Edwardian-era Britain across three consecutive nights starting on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013.

Hit the jump to check out the video below beginning with Cumberbatch’s character announcing that he’s joining the army.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shaw Media reports that production on Global Television’s new, medical drama "The Hot Zone" (aka "Combat Hospital") has started shooting in Toronto. Commissioned by Global’s original content team and picked up by ABC in the Us, the 13 x 1 hour-episode series will lense in Toronto to July 2011.

"...'The Hot Zone' is a fictional medical procedural set in 2006 at the only military hospital providing advanced surgical care in all of Southern Afghanistan. The series charts the frantic lives of the hospital’s resident doctors and nurses from Canada, America, the U.K. and other allied countries. This highly-charged series follows the characters as they navigate their way through the relentless life-and-death battles on the operating table, and the never-ending conflicts that arise from working in a war zone military hospital..."

Cast includes Elias Koteas as 'Colonel Marks', Michelle Borth as Canadian surgeon 'Dr. Rebecca Gordon', Luke Mably as neurosurgeon 'Dr.

Toronto -- NBC Universal has joined with Canwest Global Communications Corp. to co-produce the Canadian medical procedural "Combat Hospital" from indie producer Sienna Films for Global Television.

The drama about a military field hospital in Afghanistan manned by doctors and nurses from around the world and serving injured coalition troops and Afghan civilians is part of an expanding homegrown scripted slate from Canwest Global that includes an eight-episode order for "Single White Spenny" from Breakthrough Films & Television for its Showcase cable channel.

"Combat Hospital" is executive produced by Simon Vaughan of Lookout Films. Vaughan helped finance the CBS/CTV drama "Flashpoint" while with Alchemy TV.

The medical drama is set for delivery in November 2010.

Canwest Global and NBC Universal earlier co-produced the Howie Mandel-starring hidden camera reality series "Howie Does It."

The Canadian broadcaster is also a keen buyer of U.S. series from NBC Universal Domestic Television for its Canadian schedule.