News

Banijay U.K. has signed a development deal with Ellie Wood, producer of Netflix‘s The Dig and ITV’s Stonehouse, and her company Clearwood Films.

The deal follows on from a first-look agreement between Banijay Rights, Banijay Entertainment’s distribution arm, and Clearwood Films, which ran from 2019. Banijay Rights will continue to distribute Clearwood projects.

The first development project is the acquisition of the rights to Barbara Pym’s Excellent Women, generally considered the author’s most successful book, with the option to develop further Pym novels.

Clearwood Films will have access to funding in order to develop ideas and treatments as well as support from central Banijay U.K. resources including finance, legal and business affairs. Once greenlit, Clearwood has the option to partner with Banijay U.K. companies to co-produce.

Patrick Holland, CEO of Banijay U.K., said: “Ellie is a brilliant producer with an established reputation for creating standout,...

Banijay U.K. has signed a development deal with award-winning producer Ellie Wood and her company Clearwood Films and, as the first project, acquired rights to Barbara Pym’s classic 1953 novel “Excellent Women” with an option to develop further Pym books.

Under the terms of the deal, Clearwood will have access to funding to develop ideas and treatments as well as support from central Banijay U.K. resources including finance, legal and business affairs. Once greenlit, Clearwood has the option to partner with Banijay U.K. companies to co-produce. It follows on from a first look deal between Banijay Rights, Banijay’s distribution arm, and Clearwood Films, which ran from 2019. Banijay Rights will continue to distribute Clearwood projects.

“Ellie is a brilliant producer with an established reputation for creating standout, high quality drama,” said Banijay U.K. CEO Patrick Holland. “Banijay Rights have had a successful first look deal in place with Clearwood,...

Ellie Wood, the producer behind Netflix film The Dig, has struck a development deal with Banijay UK and is working an adaptation of Barbara Pym’s ‘Excellent Women’ novels.

Under terms of the agreement with Banijay Entertainment’s British arm, Wood’s Clearwood Films will get access to funding to develop ideas and treatments and support from centralized resources including finance, legal and business affairs.

First up from the partnership is the ‘Excellent Women’ adaptation, based on the novel from much-loved author Pym, whose novels are compared to those of Jane Austen. The book follows the story of a self-depreciating young women living in post-World War II London.

Should Clearwood land greenlights for the likes of ‘Excellent Women’, the producer will have the option to partner with Banijay UK production companies to co-produce.

Clearwood’s upcoming projects include an as-yet unannounced single scripted project for a linear broadcaster and 49 Days,...

Mubi has added additional territories on Rebecca LenkiewIcz’s directorial debut Hot Milk, selected today for its world premiere in Competition at the Berlinale.

Mubi will now release the film in Germany, Austria and India. The distributor had previously acquired rights for UK-Ireland, Italy, Latin America and Turkey.

HanWay Films handles international sales on the film, with deals already in place for iFC Films in North America; Metropolitan Films in France; Caramel and Karma in Spain; The Searchers in Benelux; Nos in Portugal; Scanbox in Scandinavia; M2 in Eastern Europe; Front Row in the Middle East; Shaw in Singapore; and...

“Emily” star Emma Mackey has joined the cast of “Hot Milk,” the adaptation of the bestselling novel by Deborah Levy.

The BAFTA winner will lead the cast alongside Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”), Vincent Perez (“Shantaram”) and Patsy Ferran (“Living”). HanWay Films has worldwide sales rights and will shop the pic to buyers in Cannes next week.

“Hot Milk” marks the directorial debut of award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz. It will start shooting in July in Greece in co-production with Heretic Films.

The film explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship against the hot and atmospheric backdrop of Almería in Spain.

The story centers on Rose (Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Mackey), who travel to a seaside resort in Spain, to consult with the shamanic Dr Gomez (Perez), a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair.

Banijay Rights has set a new returning drama series titled “Runners” with writer John Preston and exec producer Ellie Wood of Clearwood Films, the team behind “Stonehouse” and “The Dig.”

“Runners” tells the story of the world’s first police force, the Bow Street Runners, who were formed in the 1740s in London, which at the time was facing a colossal crime wave.

The Chief Magistrate of London at the time, Heny Fielding (who also happened to be a celebrated novelist), decided to take on this criminal underworld by assembling a group of police.

“This extraordinary story will tell of how a group of just six police officers, none with any training or experience, set about imposing law and order on a completely lawless society and embarked on solving one of the strangest cases of its time – one with momentous political and social ramifications,” reads the logline.

Wood (“Bleak House...

A sweeping score inspired by Britain’s pre-wwii landscape has signalled Stefan Gregory’s entry into feature films, with the composer making his debut as part of Simon Stone’s The Dig.

The Netflix drama about the 1939 Sutton Hoo treasure discovery stars Ralph Fiennes as real-life architect Basil Brown and Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty, the landowner from whose estate the Anglo Saxon artefacts were uncovered.

The screenplay was written by Moira Buffini as an adaption of John Preston’s novel of the same name.

Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Murray Ferguson, Gabrielle Tana, and Ellie Wood produced the film.

The accompanying music includes intimate piano and chamber pieces, as well as grandiose strings to enhance the discoveries within the story.

Gregory said trial and error was used to compose music that reflected the tone of the film.

“So much of it was inspired by the landscape and the beautiful shots of the film,...