News

BritBox Signs UK Programs From Sphere Abacus

Best-of-British streamer BritBox has bought a package of programs from Sphere Abacus, the UK-based sales house making its debut at MIPCOM in its current guise. Package contains Travels With Agatha Christie with Sir David Suchet from Soho Studios and Two Rivers Media. Suchet is currently on the ground with Sphere Abacus in Cannes, as our report earlier today noted. Also acquired by BritBox are Jon and Lucy’s Odd Couples, The Murder of Sandra Rivett, Breaking Dad: Britain’s Unlikeliest Drug Dealer, Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Poirot and Miss Marple (aka Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Suspense), Diana: The Interview That Shook the World and Susan Hill’s The Small Hand: A Ghost Story (1 x 94’) produced by Awesome and Two Rivers Media. BritBox takes rights for the U.S. and Canada.

Beta Sets Globo Co-Pro ‘Discipline

Germany’s Beta Film and Brazilian...

It’s been another blockbuster year for horror, but then again it always feels like that. Superhero fatigue has set in and major franchise pictures haven’t returned as expected, but horror, as ever, always seems to reach new heights. The news in 2023 may have been a load of gout, but the horror has been pure gold.

So, without further ado, here is a list of my top 10 of 2023.

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop

Arrow Films, Vinegar Syndrome and others who have perfected the art of producing feature-length behind the scenes documentaries really have their work cut out for them thanks to RoboDoc. RoboDoc has broken the mould by creating an in-depth documentary that takes you through the entire film scene-by-scene. RoboDoc combines a retrospective documentary, director’s commentary and behind the scenes features into one glorious 4-part series.

No stone has been left unturned when gathering contributors - from...

Stars: Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman | Written by Chris Thomas Devlin | Directed by Samuel Bodin

Cobweb begins a week before Halloween when Peter is woken up by the sound of knocking seemingly coming from inside his bedroom wall. You can’t blame him for being creeped out, with its peeling paint and backyard full of rotting pumpkins the house already looks like something out of a horror movie. And then there’s that weird bulging thing the walls in his room do while he’s sleeping.

We also quickly learn that he has no friends and gets bullied at school. His parents Carol and Mark also won’t let him dress up for Halloween, something that may be related to the disappearance of a young girl a few years ago. Unsurprisingly they also don’t believe him about the knocking.

Writer Chris Thomas Devlin, whose only other...

Speciality distributor Cosmic Cat has set U.K. release dates for documentary “Cassius X: Becoming Ali.”

The film follows the early years of Cassius Clay, from a bright-eyed rookie boxer from Louisville, Kentucky, to world heavyweight champion and from working class intellectual to one of America’s most influential civil rights campaigners. The film reveals how the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, reinforced by a friendship with revolutionary preacher, Malcolm X, set Clay on the journey to become Cassius X, before his induction to the Nation of Islam and ascension to the name of Muhammad Ali.

“Cassius X: Becoming Ali” is directed by Muta’Ali Muhammad (“Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn”) and is based on the book “Cassius X: A Legend In The Making” by journalist Stuart Cosgrove. It is produced by Two Rivers Media (“The Small Hand (Ghost Story),” “Killing Escobar”) in association with Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios...

Stars: Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman | Written by Chris Thomas Devlin | Directed by Samuel Bodin

Cobweb begins a week before Halloween when Peter is woken up by the sound of knocking seemingly coming from inside his bedroom wall. You can’t blame him for being creeped out, with its peeling paint and backyard full of rotting pumpkins the house already looks like something out of a horror movie. And then there’s that weird bulging thing the walls in his room do while he’s sleeping.

We also quickly learn that he has no friends and gets bullied at school. His parents Carol and Mark also won’t let him dress up for Halloween, something that may be related to the disappearance of a young girl a few years ago. Unsurprisingly they also don’t believe him about the knocking.

Writer Chris Thomas Devlin, whose only other...

London-headquartered IP and production outfit Dominion of Drama has optioned YA supernatural romance novel “The Wanderer.”

Written by Josie Williams, the pen name for author Kirsty Moseley, whose books have sold more than 860,000 copies in English, “The Wanderer” is described as a “heart-wrenching romance about first loves and lives lost.” Dominion of Drama will immediately begin developing the book for television.

The deal was announced at Series Mania, Europe’s leading co-production forum for television development, which is currently underway in Lille, France.

Norton previously oversaw the production company Awesome Media & Entertainment, and set up Dominion of Drama in 2020. The “Wanderer” deal marks a continuation of his work adapting literary properties for the screen. In 2019, through Awesome, he developed, packaged and executive produced the adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story “The Small Hand” for Paramount-backed U.K. broadcaster Channel 5, in co-production with Two Rivers Media.

Norton...

The news follows Kew Media being issued with a cease trading order on 30 January.

Dan Reed’s Amos Pictures has pulled distribution of Emmy-winning Channel 4 documentary Leaving Neverland from Kew Media Distribution.

Broadcast has learned that Reed’s lawyers have sent Kew a notice stating it is taking back the rights to the HBO co-production after the Canada-listed company failed to pay several tranches of royalties to Amos.

The news follows Kew Media being issued with a cease trading order on 30 January after financial problems came to light at the end of 2019. Numerous producers are scrambling to reclaim royalties,...

Two Rivers Media has bought out parent group Kew Media Group’s minority stake in the business.

Formed by former Stv Productions head Alan Clements in January 2019, the production outfit behind Channel 5’s recent “Susan Hill’s Ghost Story” launched with the backing of Kew, Noble Grossart Investments and Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund.

Noble Grossart Investments and Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund are increasing their interests to facilitate the buy-out.

The buy-out comes a month after Kew Media Group triggered a strategic review of its business, revealing that the company could be broken up or sold completely following a financially turbulent period for Kew.

Kew was launched by Steven Silver and Peter Sussman in 2017, and owns a roster of Canadian production companies such as Bristow Global Media, Frantic Films and Our House Media, as well as distribution outfits Content Media, which became Kew Media Distribution, and Tcb Media Rights.

Paradigm has signed young actor Woody Norman, who most recently starred on the fifth season of Masterpiece Theatre's Poldark as the illegitimate son of the title character.

Justin Molotnikov, one of the directors on Poldark, has tapped Norman to star in the U.K. thriller The Small Hand, based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill (The Woman in Black). The actor's other credits include playing Thomas Edison's (Benedict Cumberbatch) son in director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's cut of The Current War; portraying young Marius on PBS' miniseries adaptation of Les Misérables; and playing Prince Harry opposite Jodie Comer ...

Paradigm has signed young actor Woody Norman, who most recently starred on the fifth season of Masterpiece Theatre's Poldark as the illegitimate son of the title character.

Justin Molotnikov, one of the directors on Poldark, has tapped Norman to star in the U.K. thriller The Small Hand, based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill (The Woman in Black). The actor's other credits include playing Thomas Edison's (Benedict Cumberbatch) son in director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's cut of The Current War; portraying young Marius on PBS' miniseries adaptation of Les Misérables; and playing Prince Harry opposite Jodie Comer ...