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Five Find Fresh Footing

The BBC, Moonage Pictures and Nicolas Winding Refn have begun production on a second season of “The Famous Five.” The 2 x 90′ instalment, created for television and executive produced by Refn and Matthew Read of Moonage, follows the success of the first series, which saw its premiere become Cbbc’s top-rated episode in 2023. The series, based on Enid Blyton‘s books, continues to follow the young protagonists’ adventures, now set against the backdrop of wartime.

The new season comprises two episodes: “Mystery at the Prospect Hotel,” directed by Asim Abbasi, and “Big Trouble on Billycock Hill,” helmed by Tom Vaughn. Both directors also serve as executive producers alongside Refn and Read.

Core cast members Diaana Babnicova, Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen and Flora Jacoby Richardson reprise their roles, joined by Maria Pedraza, Amir Wilson and Jemima Rooper, who played George in the 1990s adaptation.

BBC Studios will handle international distribution,...

“The Famous Five” is a new Brit-produced BBC TV series, based on author Enid Blyton’s adventure novels, directed by Nicolas Wind Refn, starring Diaana Babnicova, Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen, Flora Jacoby Richardson, Jack Gleeson, Ann Akinjirin, James Lance and Diana Quick, streaming May 31, 2024 on Hulu :

“…five daring young explorers encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets. Each has their own unique personality. But when thrown together, they become unstoppable…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Hulu will launch all six episodes of the BBC Studios series The Famous Five on Friday, May 31. The show is based on Enid Blyton’s bestselling novels.

The Famous Five follows five daring young explorers as they encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger, and astounding secrets.

George, Julian, Dick, Anne, and their dog Timmy are young and fearless. Each has their own unique personality. But when thrown together, they become unstoppable.

The charming series is built as a summertime adventure, with kids in charge of their own treasure hunt. The children’s novels have sold 600 million copies around the world.

The Famous Five stars Diaana Babnicova, Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen (Foundation), Flora Jacoby Richardson, James Lance (Ted Lasso), and Ann Aknjirin.

The guest stars include Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones), Diana Quick, William Abadie, Ed Speleers, Nora Arnezeder, Jason Flemyng (Pennyworth), and Art Malik (Homeland).

The series was...

“The Famous Five” is a new Brit-produced BBC TV series, based on author Enid Blyton’s adventure novels, directed by Nicolas Wind Refn, starring Diaana Babnicova, Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen, Flora Jacoby Richardson, Jack Gleeson, Ann Akinjirin, James Lance and Diana Quick, streaming May 31, 2024 on Hulu :

“…five daring young explorers encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets. Each has their own unique personality. But when thrown together, they become unstoppable…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The Mediapro Studios has boarded Nicolas Winding Refn’s reimaginging of The Famous Five.

The Madrid-based content house has struck a production deal with BBC Studios includes distribution rights to the upcoming kids series in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

The series is a retelling of the bestselling Enid Blyton novels published between 1942 ands 1963, and comes from Winding Refn’s byNWR and BBC Studios-backed indie Moonage Pictures, which is behind The Pursuit of Love and Bodies, with The Mediapro Studio now an associate producer.

Danish auteur Winding Refn co-created the series with Moonage’s Matthew Read, and both are exec producers. It is being made for the BBC in the UK and Zdf in Germany, with BBC Studios already pre-selling it to France’s TF1.

In an exclusive interview with Deadline ahead of Mipcom Cannes in October, where The Famous Five launched, Winding Refn said he...

Enid Blyton’s iconic series of adventure novels, “The Famous Five,” is being made into a TV series, thanks to a pact forged by the BBC Studios, Germany’s Zdf and Spain’s The Mediapro Studio, in the latter’s continued bid to partner in more English-language productions.

Produced by Moonage Pictures and Nicolas Winding Refn’s byNWR, the series is an ambitious adaptation of the iconic children’s adventure novels by the English author.

Said The Mediapro Studio CEO Laura Fernández Espeso: “This significant agreement with BBC Studios to co-produce forward ‘The Famous Five’ aligns seamlessly with our objective of augmenting English-language content production at the company.”

“It not only contributes to our international expansion but also solidifies a partnership with an exceptionally prestigious collaborator, engaging in a major production inspired by a literary saga of immense global acclaim,” she added. The Mediapro Studio will hold distribution rights to Spain,...

Nicolas Winding Refn has swapped ultraviolence for Enid Blyton. His The Famous Five adaptation is coming to Cbbc on 9 December.

The Famous Five, Nicolas Winding Refn’s adaptation of Enid Blyton’s classic series of children’s adventure books, is set to air its first feature-length programme on BBC on 9 December, at 5.25pm.

The series will consist of three episodes, all of them lasting 90 minutes. While the first episode is set to air on Cbbc and BBC iPlayer next week, the two remaining episodes won’t be available until sometime in 2024. The first episode of The Famous Five will also be broadcast on BBC One between Christmas and New Year.

The series, as well as the books, follows four young adventurers and their dog as they “encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets” as described by the BBC.

Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen, Flora Jacoby Richardson and...

Nicolas Winding Refn adapts Enid Blyton's The Famous Five children's novels for a new BBC series, creating something that his own kids would enjoy watching. The three-episode series will bring the iconic stories to a modern audience while retaining their fantastical and adventurous elements. The BBC hopes that the reimagining of The Famous Five will introduce a new generation of viewers to these beloved British heritage stories.

Siblings Julian, Dick, Anne, their cousin George, and his long-tailed mongrel Timmy will find new life on television. Yes, The Famous Five children’s novels and short stories are being adapted for TV by the upcoming BBC series’ creator and executive producer, Nicolas Winding Refn. The Famous Five was created by author Enid Blyton, and the first book in the series, Five on Treasure Island, was published in 1942. According to the United Kingdom’s books wholesaler Toppsta, two million copies of The Famous Five...

Exclusive: There is a little-discussed Hollywood rumor, explains Nicolas Winding Refn and his long-time collaborator Matthew Read, that Scooby Doo only came to be because Warners failed to land the rights to adapt The Famous Five.

And when you look at the two properties and their uncanny similarities, this argument does begin to hold some weight. Both have daring female characters from a bygone era, ridiculous story-of-the-week capers that always end neatly, and, of course, those lovable pooches — in the former case Scooby and in the latter, Timmy.

If the rumor is true, Winding Refn is thankful for how things played out, as he credits both generation-traversing works with influencing his career and driving his love for the screen. Now, more than 50 years on from when Warner Bros. allegedly failed to land the rights, the Denmark-born director has become the latest to take on best-selling English children’s writer Enid Blyton’s iconic novel series,...

Nicholas Winding Refn’s ‘Famous Five’ Adaptation Sets Cast

The BBC’s upcoming Famous Five adaptation from Nicholas Winding Refn has set cast and unveiled first look images. Diaana Babnicova will play the role of George, alongside Elliott Rose as Julian, Kit Rakusen as Dick, Flora Jacoby Richardson as Anne playing George’s cousins who come to stay at Kirrin Cottage. Joining the five are Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones) as Wentworth, Ann Akinjirin (Moon Knight) as Fanny, James Lance (Ted Lasso) as Quentin and Diana Quick (Father Brown) as Mrs Wentworth. The series is being co-produced for Zdf and comes from Drive creator Winding Refn’s byNWR along with Moonage Pictures. The show will be based on Enid Blyton’s iconic 21 stories with filming set to take place shortly across the south west of the UK. Famous Five is one of the highest-profile series to come out of the...