News

BBC Studios has renewed its partnership with Spain’s Movistar Plus+ through a multi-year content deal that includes the launch of BBC Player, additional Fast channels, and a continued commitment to natural history programming. The BBC Player streaming service will offer up to 1,000 hours of content, including The Louis Theroux Interviews, Simon Reeve’s South America, and Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job. The Paradise franchise, featuring Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, and Return to Paradise, will also be available.

Movistar Plus+ subscribers will have access to a BBC Earth-branded programming block featuring Blue Planet III and Kingdom. The deal includes Movistar Plus+ serving as BBC Studios’ local advertising sales partner for the newly introduced Fast channels—BBC Top Gear, BBC Drama, BBC Food, and BBC History.

The agreement was announced ahead of the annual BBC Studios Showcase, a key industry event where the company highlights upcoming content offerings and strategic partnerships.

BBC Studios & Movistar Plus+ Renew Content Pact

BBC Studios (Bbcs) is staying in business with Spain’s Movistar Plus+, with the pair striking a new, multi-year content deal. This will see the debut of a BBC Player streaming service, new Fast channels and a recommitment to natural history and BBC Earth programs. Bbcs and streaming service Movistar Plus+ have already launched the likes of Planet Earth III, Mammal, Time Season 2 and cop show Blue Lights in Spain, while four Fast channels — BBC Top Gear, BBC Drama, BBC Food and BBC History — were added last month. The BBC Player service will offer up to 1,000 hours of content such as The Louis Theroux Interviews, Simon Reeve’s South America and Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job. It will also carry the Paradise franchise, offering Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise and Return to Paradise. Blue Planet III and Kingdom will run as part of...

Filming for the fourth season of the Sky Original series “Das Boot” wrapped in Malta last week, and the first look images have been released. NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales of the series, which is produced by Bavaria Fiction, on behalf of Sky Studios.

In Season 4, which is coming to Sky’s premium channel Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now next year, the brutal submarine war in the Mediterranean Sea comes to a head, while intrigues and secrets spread through Berlin. Resistance to the Nazis grows within the Kriegsmarine’s own ranks.

Rick Okon as Klaus Hoffmann, Sascha Gersak as Rahn, Jakub Horak as Bischof

After a shared tragedy, the siblings Klaus (Rick Okon) and Hannie Hoffmann (Rosalie Thomass) find their way back to each other. Both fight for their cause. Klaus has returned to the German Reich from Portugal. As a submarine commander he travels to Naples...

Sky has released the first look trailer for the third series of multi-award winning Sky Original drama ‘Das Boot,’ as well as announcing the commission of series four which will begin production in June.

The series follows the tense struggles of a young U-boat crew as they engage in the Battle of the Atlantic whilst being hunted down by an obsessed Royal Navy Commander in a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse. They are sent on a dangerous mission to the Southern Hemisphere under the command of Robert Ehrenberg (Franz Dinda) who finds redemption and the family bonds he thought he’d lost forever.

Meanwhile, in the climes of neutral Lisbon, where exiles, spies and criminals rub shoulders with allies and enemies alike, Hagen Forster (Tom Wlaschiha) discovers a lethal plot to steal a fortune in plundered wartime gold. This discovery and dark experiences on the Eastern front lead him to question...

In today’s bulletin, Olivia Colman leads the cast of BBC’s pantomime “Cinderella”; season 3 of “Das Boot” commences production; Discovery Plus orders a Dutch adaptation of ITV Studios format “Sex Tape”; and Amazon India reveals Hindi-language anthology “Unpaused.”

Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) and Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”) will headline a virtual version of popular Christmas pantomime “Cinderella,” on BBC Two.

“Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime,” is executive produced by Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”). Colman will make her pantomime debut as the fairy godmother while Taylor-Joy plays the title role. The cast also includes Guz Khan (“Man Like Mobeen”), Tom Hollander (“The Night Manager”), Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”), Rege-Jean Page (“Roots”), Jimmy Akingbola (“Rev”) Daisy May and Charlie Cooper (“This Country”).

The show is written by the Dawson Brothers, based on an original script by Ben Crocker, and directed by Matt Lipsey for Crook Productions. It airs on the BBC Dec.

As production gets underway for the third season of ‘Das Boot’ Sky have released a number of first-look images and the latest additions to the cast.

The 10-part third season follows the tense struggles of a young U-boat crew as they engage in the Battle of the Atlantic whilst being hunted down by an obsessed Royal Navy Commander in a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse. They are sent on a dangerous mission to the Southern Hemisphere under the command of Robert Ehrenberg (Franz Dinda) who finds redemption and the family bonds he thought he’d lost forever.

Scene 135 – Kiel Docks

Ehrenberg enters the U-boat

Scene 669A Refugee Hideout – Lisbon

Forster encounters Levi and Rachel who invite him to eat

Meanwhile, in the climes of neutral Lisbon, where exiles, spies and criminals rub shoulders with allies and enemies alike, Hagen Forster (Tom Wlaschiha) discovers a lethal plot to steal a fortune in plundered wartime gold.

Pictured above: The ‘Das Boot’ crew – Colin Teevan (head writer of season 2), Tom Wlaschiha (actor), Clemens Schick (actor), Oliver Vogel (Bavaria Fiction chief creative officer and Ep on ‘Das Boot’), Vicky Krieps (actor), Rick Okon (actor).

Bavaria Fiction celebrated its latest TV productions at a glitzy soirée at Soho House in Berlin on Monday.

The powerhouse TV division of Bavaria Film has enjoyed huge success with “Das Boot” and its newest series, “Freud,” opened this year’s Berlinale Series sidebar. It’s also rolling out “Arctic Circle,” a Finnish-German coproduction, which recently premiered on Zdf.

Bavaria Fiction focuses largely on the German-speaking market but it’s looking to further expand its portfolio.

“We moved into international productions four years ago with ‘Das Boot,’ a hugely successful series, being sold to over 100 countries, including Hulu in the U.S.,” says Bavaria Fiction managing director Jan S. Kaiser.

“Das Boot” season two premieres on Sky in April.

A tense World War II drama plays out in Nazi-occupied France and in the belly of a cramped German submarine in the trailer for Hulu’s adaptation of Das Boot. The show premiered on German TV last year and will arrive on Hulu June 17th.

The eight-episode series is based on Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s 1973 book of the same name, while it also incorporates elements from his 1995 sequel Die Festung. Wolfgang Petersen previously adapted Das Boot into a movie in 1981.

The show is set in the port of La Rochelle, France...

We now exist in a time further away from Wolfgang Petersen’s “Das Boot” than that film was to the end of the global conflict it depicted.

Almost four decades since the German submarine-centered epic first arrived in theaters, Hulu and Sky are partnering for a summer release of a new eight-part companion piece to the original story. “Das Boot” picks up a year after the 1981 film (based on the Lothar-Günther Buchheim novel of the same name) leaves off. Instead of solely focusing on underwater life aboard a U-boat, this new Hulu series also looks at life on the shore among the growing French resistance.

The trilingual ensemble — including Lizzy Caplan, Vicky Krieps, Vincent Kartheiser, Tom Wlaschiha, James D’Arcy, and Rick Okon — span across countries and international water, through Nazi-controlled France and the launch of the German fleet’s newest ship, U-612. But alongside the spy subplots taking...

From Brazilian oil-rig workers to a German U-boat crew, from a Chinese concubine to a Spanish spy in Ava Gardner’s home, international TV has served up some memorable characters this year. Variety’s international correspondents take a trip around the world and pick a dozen buzzed-about shows — some of which can be seen soon on Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO. As for the others — paging Netflix!

“Iron Island” (Brazil)

Following a group of oil workers, “Iron Island” was a big-ticket action drama for Brazilian powerhouse Globo, which went all out on the series’ VFX. With a raft of local talent, it follows the protagonists’ high-pressured lives at home and work. Accidents happen, love blossoms, and events ultimately have widespread political ramifications in the 12-part series.

“The Story of Yanxi Palace” (China)

A hit in China and beyond, “The Story of Yanxi Palace” runs to a hefty 70 episodes, posing a...

“Das Boot” will hit the high seas for a second season after Sky Deutschland renewed the big-budget wartime drama series, which was inspired by the 1981 Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

The freshman season of the show premiered Nov. 23 on the Sky pay-tv platform in Germany. It has netted 1.13 million TV viewers and a further 1.9 million on Sky catchup and non-linear services during the first 10 days it was available, the company said.

Two episodes of the series run back-to-back on Sky on Fridays, with all eight installments available on-demand and on Sky’s streaming service. The sophomore season will enter production next year.

“From the beginning, we were convinced that we could create something extraordinary together with our partners, featuring a multilayered yet entertaining story and an outstanding cast,” said Marcus Ammon, Svp of original production for Sky Deutschland. “Now we’re looking forward to working on a second season.

World War II drama series Das Boot, co-produced by Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment, has been sold to more than 100 territories worldwide. Hulu has picked up rights for the U.S. The series will premiere in Sky territories Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Ireland beginning November 23 and Italy in December.

Territories sold to date include StarzPlay in France; AMC in Spain and Portugal; Epix/Viasat in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe; Di and Ma in Serbia; Czech TV in the Czech Republic; Vrt in Belgium; Nrk in Norway; Svt in Sweden; Yle in Finland; Ruv in Iceland; Mnet in South Africa; StarzPlay in Latin America; Sbs in Australia; and Tvnz in New Zealand.

Inspired by Wolfgang Petersen’s Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film, and Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s bestselling novel, the series was produced on a budget of $33 million. A story of choices and survival, Das Boot explores the...

World War II drama series “Das Boot,” which was produced on a budget of $33 million, has been sold to more than 100 territories worldwide. The show will debut on Hulu in the U.S. and pay TV operator Sky across Europe.

The series is produced by Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment, which distribution rights for the world, except for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, U.K., Ireland and Italy, where Sky holds the rights.

Territories sold to date include StarzPlay in France; AMC in Spain and Portugal; Epix/Viasat in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe; Di and Ma in Serbia; Czech TV in the Czech Republic; Vrt in Belgium; Nrk in Norway; Svt in Sweden; Yle in Finland; Ruv in Iceland; Mnet in South Africa; StarzPlay in Latin America; Sbs in Australia; and Tvnz in New Zealand.

Inspired by the Oscar-nominated movie by Wolfgang Petersen, and Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s bestselling novel, the series filmed in Munich,...

Production on the big-budget television series is set to commence this summer.

Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment have announced that filming on the Das Boot sequel will begin this summer, and have revealed its cast.

The eight-episode series is a sequel to Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s novel and 1981 film of the same name and will premiere in autumn in 2018 in Sky territories Germany, Austria, Italy, the UK and Ireland. Co-producer Sonar Entertainment will handle international distribution in the rest of the world.

Directed by Andreas Prochaska, the 104-day shoot on the $28 million production is set to begin on August 31 in La Rochelle, France and will contine in Prague, Malta and Munich.

In addition, the cast has been announced for the event series, including including Lizzy Caplan, August Wittgenstein and Rainer Bock.

Also starring are Rick Okon, Vicky Krieps, Jonathan Zaccaϊ, Leonard Scheicher, Robert Stadlober, Franz Dinda and Stefan Konarske.

Tony Saint and [link...

Brace yourselves. This list of the Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies is probably going to generate some howls of protest thanks to a rather major upset in the rankings. Frankly, one that surprised the hell out of us here at AfterElton.

But before we get to that, an introduction. A few weeks ago we asked AfterElton readers to submit up to ten of their favorite films by write-in vote. We conducted a similar poll several years ago, but a lot has happened culturally since then, and a number of worthy movies of gay interest have been released. We wanted to see how your list of favorites had changed.

We also wanted to expand our list to 100 from the top 50 we had done previously. We figured there were finally enough quality gay films to justify the expansion. And we wanted to break out gay documentaries onto their own list (You'll find the...