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Top Bollywood star Sushmita Sen conquered a heart attack and returned triumphantly to complete Disney+ Hotstar series “Aarya.”

It is the second such comeback for Sen, a former Miss Universe, who headlines the series. The show is an adaptation of Dutch show “Penoza,” in which a woman has to join a mafia gang and avenge her slain husband. Season 1 was a triumphant comeback after a five-year break due to illness. Sen plays the title role of Aarya Sareen, a fierce mother who has to keep her family safe from the world of crime.

The first season, which bowed in 2020, was nominated for best drama series at the International Emmy Awards. The Hotstar Special is produced by Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani Films.

“It’s a daunting task to take a series from Season 1 all the way through to Season 3 and still have this level of love and interest and audience attention intact,...

Aarya is a crime-thriller drama based on the Dutch drama series ‘Penoza‘. Sushmita Sen plays Aarya Sareen, an independent woman who seeks to protect her family and becomes a mafia gang to take revenge for her husband’s murder. Earlier, the show has been nominated for International Emmy Awards for best Drama series.

Having said so, the first thing that comes to my mind is about the producers / platform’s release strategy. They seem to be caught between being periodic or one-timer. I mean, most of the (Indian) web series that we see are released in one go (called a season). Fair enough, for, if the audience likes the content, they binge watch and feel satisfied. On the other hand there are these TV shows that release episodes on a daily/weekly basis. Similarly, we have seen quite a few international web series content release their episodes on a weekly basis.

Aarya is a crime-thriller drama based on the Dutch drama series ‘Penoza‘. Sushmita Sen plays Aarya Sareen, an independent woman who seeks to protect her family and becomes a mafia gang to take revenge for her husband’s murder. Earlier, the show has been nominated for International Emmy Awards for best Drama series.

Having said so, the first thing that comes to my mind is about the producers / platform’s release strategy. They seem to be caught between being periodic or one-timer. I mean, most of the (Indian) web series that we see are released in one go (called a season). Fair enough, for, if the audience likes the content, they binge watch and feel satisfied. On the other hand there are these TV shows that release episodes on a daily/weekly basis. Similarly, we have seen quite a few international web series content release their episodes on a weekly basis.

After watching the first two seasons of Aarya, we don’t think it would wrong to say that it is one of the best crime thrillers in the Indian Ott space. Based on Dutch drama series Penoza, the Ram Madhvani series takes the viewers through the adventures of Aarya Sareen, who transforms herself from a homemaker to a ruthless businesswoman stubborn about keeping her family safe and protecting them at any cost. Created by Ram Madhvani and Sandeep Modi, Aarya is a Disney+ Hotstar Special that has completed two seasons and garnered rave reviews for its intense storytelling, direction, and wonderful performances by the entire cast. The third season is set to release on November 3, 2023, and this article will give you a quick recap of what has happened so far in the life of Aarya Sareen.

Aarya began with herself and Tej Sareen living a luxurious life in Rajasthan. They...

Actress Sushmita Sen shared her thoughts about her on-screen brother-sister bond with Ankur Bhatia, portrayed in ‘Aarya’, saying Rakshabandhan is a celebration where you embrace ‘imperfect’ bond, promise to be each other’s strength in tough times

From having each other’s backs to fighting over the silliest things, brother-sister bond experiences all emotions possible. One such complex aspect of the relationship we witnessed in the fan-favorite series ‘Aarya’. While Aarya (Sushmita) and Sangram (Ankur) do not share the perfect brother-sister relationship, the love and care for one another remain unwavered.

Opening up about the same, Sushmita said: “Sibling relationships are very difficult to put into words. They fight, they make-up, they fight again, it’s a vicious cycle that we all enjoy going through. The bond between Aarya and Sangram is not the ideal one but what I love about their relationship is that they have accepted their bitter...

Actor Sikandar Kher, who is known for ‘Aarya’, ‘Monica O my Darling’ and ‘Tooth Pari’, is gearing up to make a mark on the international canvas with two exciting projects. First in line is the Indian counterpart of ‘Citadel’ in which he will star alongside Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The series is helmed by the acclaimed duo Raj and Dk. The second international project for Sikandar Kher is ‘The Monkey Man’ which marks the directorial debut of Dev Patel.

Speaking of this, Sikandar said, “I feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the opportunities that have come my way in recent times. The love and appreciation I’ve received from audiences for my work in ‘Monica O my Darling’, ‘Tooth Pari’ and ‘Aarya’ have been truly overwhelming. These have each been amazing journeys to take on and so have ‘The Monkey Man’ and ‘Citadel’.

“Now, stepping into the international...

After the success of the Indian version of “The Night Manager,” The Ink Factory is planning further Indian adaptations of John le Carré novels.

Produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia, the Hindi-language series created and directed by Sandeep Modi and headlined by Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, emerged as the most watched series ever across all Hotstar specials on Indian streamer Disney+ Hotstar.

One of the most renowned writers in the espionage genre, le Carré, who died in 2020, left behind a legacy of 25 novels, managed by The Ink Factory. They have spawned numerous adaptations, including an English-language “The Night Manager” from BBC/AMC in 2016.

The Ink Factory executive producer Tessa Inkelaar, who oversees the company’s Asia slate, told Variety, “We are in the process of adapting one, which is in a relatively late stage of adaptation and one, which is at an early stage. We’re...

Shooting has resumed for the third season of hit series “Aarya” at Jaipur, western India, locations. The producers have revealed a teaser.

An adaptation of Dutch show “Penoza,” where a woman has to join a mafia gang and avenge her slain husband, the series is headlined by former Miss Universe and top Bollywood star Sushmita Sen, for whom season 1 was a triumphant comeback after a five-year break due to illness. She plays the title role of Aarya Sareen, a fierce mother who has to keep her family safe from the world of crime.

The first season was nominated for best drama series at the International Emmy Awards. The Hotstar Special is produced by Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani Films and will stream soon exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.

Sen said: “Aarya stands for strength and her unabashed spirit is now an inevitable part of me. With Aarya, I stepped into...

The Hindi adaptation of UK mini-series The Night Manager, based on the John Le Carre novel, is shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated shows in a busy Indian web series season. Produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia for Disney+ Hotstar, the show is set to start streaming on February 17.

Sandeep Modi, who is on board as director and showrunner of the Hindi version, with Priyanka Ghosh as co-director, has creatively helmed the project and tell Deadline of an ambition is to shoot a second season in India. “I keep joking with Simon [Cornwell, Le Carre’s son and co-ceo of The Ink Factory] that we’ll make season two before you do and you can use that for the English version,” says Modi.

The first adaptation of the novel, for BBC and AMC back in 2016, was a ratings hit and rumors of a second run have continued ever since without an official announcement. Le Carre passed...

Ever since Ott platforms came to India, there have been voices against the unabashed gory violence, vulgarity, filthy language, nudity and sex shown in their programmes. The foreign Ott programmes are expected to have such content to a degree, but when the Indian, especially Hindi content makers, entered the field, they went berserk like a deprived lot. They made s*x look vulgar and violence gorier!

The censorship of films has been severe and for the smallest of things in some scene or sequence that is found objectionable. There was no definition of the term ‘objectionable material’ and it was widely dependent on the whims and wishes of the various examining committees who watched the films. At times, even the chairpersons were found to be overbearing and indulged in nitpicking. The censors never worked on precedents and its own decisions were never uniform.

So, how and why was the content...

Fremantle’s Fiction Valley Ties With ‘Dirty Lines’ Creator Pieter Bart Korthuis

Fremantle label Fiction Valley has struck a three-year deal with Netflix’s Dirty Lines creator and showrunner Pieter Bart Korthuis. The agreement will see Fiction Valley, which is run by Annemike van Vliet, develop and produce a slate of scripted drama series from Korthuis, one of Holland’s leading creatives. The pair have already tied on Dirty Lines, Netflix’s series about late-1980s Amsterdam and Korthuis’ other work includes political series The Year of Fortuyn and Penoza. Fiction Valley’s credits include Suspects and a remake of The A-Word. “Pieter’s extraordinary talent as creator, writer, director and showrunner is unique and beyond limits,” said van Vliet. Striking talent deals and acquiring labels is a key plank of Fremantle’s strategy at the moment and the group signed a landmark deal with Angelina Jolie earlier this year.

Ram Madhavni’s ‘Aarya’ has emerged as one of the most gripping crime thrillers. An official adaption of the hit Dutch series ‘Penoza’, the Sushmita Sen-starrer is returning with its second season. The lead character will become more fierce after spiralling into dark alleys of the crime world. Interestingly both the seasons were shot during the […]...

It’s been nearly a year since Lars Blomgren was named Banijay’s head of scripted for the company and, according to the veteran TV exec, it’s been a fruitful start. He’s no stranger to the role, having previously been head of scripted Emea at Endemol Shine Group, before Banijay seized control of that company in a mega $2.2Bn deal last year. There, he led the company’s non-English scripted production division. He’s been behind productions such as Danish hit series Bron (The Bridge), Dutch drama Penoza, religious fundamentalist story Caliphate, Norwegian mystery Beforeigners and Israeli drama Queens, the latter of which is being developed for a U.S. remake with Gal Gadot.

Blomgren, who previously headed Esg-owned Swedish producer Filmlance, is experienced in building local content that has potential to break out globally and it’s his wealth of experience and building partnerships and broadening business...

Banijay has appointed Lars Blomgren as head of scripted for Europe, the Middle East and Asia (Emea), where he will focus on non-English-language content.

Blomgren will report into Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti.

At Endemol Shine Group (Esg), before it was taken over by Banijay, Blomgren spearheaded the business’ non-English scripted production. Under his watch, in 2019 the company was responsible for 69 productions, including “Bron,” “Penoza,” “Caliphate,” “Beforeigners” and “Queens” along with new series, “Vinterviken 2021,” “The Idhun Memories” and “Bombay Begums.”

In his new role, Blomgren will drive collaboration across the non-English-language scripted footprint, identifying new prospects and forging co-production opportunities between English-speaking markets and Emea-based labels.

Bassetti said: “Lars is a great addition to our evolving global team. Having been at the forefront of the non-English-language scripted operations at Esg, he is well-versed in building partnerships and maximizing on investments in this arena and now, with an even broader portfolio of businesses,...

By Vinod Mirani

Since the time Sacred Games released on the Ott streaming platform Netflix, there has been a debate on whether the content on these platforms should be kept in check or let to run loose.

The series had never-seen-before morbidity, unnatural sex, filthiest of foul language and yet delivered nothing that one could take home. Taking home was a phrase much related to films as there were times when one walked out of a cinema hall humming one of the film's songs or repeating its dialogue. What do you take home from, say, Sacred Games, Pataal Lok, Mirzapur, Mastram and such?

This column just recently discussed the limitations of the Cinematograph Act by which the authority of the Central Board of Film Certification (Cbfc) extends only till rating and certifying a film product that is meant for public exhibition.

In such an event, there is no check on what passes as Ott content.

Netflix has ordered Dutch original series “Dirty Lines,” about the rise of erotic phone lines in the late 80s.

The screenplay, inspired by Fred Saueressig’s book “06-Cowboys,” is written by Pieter Bart Korthuis and produced by Amsterdam-based production company Fiction Valley.

The series tells the story of young businessman Frank Stigter. After several unsuccessful attempts to start his own business, Frank sees his chance when the national telephone company Ptt introduces premium-rate numbers. With the help of his brother and sister and some dubious investors, he starts the first telecom sex company in Europe. What starts as a clumsy improvized experiment in their parents’ garage, rapidly develops into a multi-million dollar industry.

A statement from Netflix explains the background: “Set at the end of the Cold War, the series inspires a young generation to shake off the doomsday thinking of the ‘80s and focus on how to celebrate life to its fullest.

Dutch public broadcaster Eo has commissioned a local adaptation of Keshet Intl.’s “The A Word” from Fiction Valley.

The series is based on Keren Margalit’s hit family drama “Yellow Peppers,” produced by July-August Prods. for Keshet Broadcasting. Like the original, Fiction Valley’s six-part adaptation traces a family’s painful and often humorous journey of denial and introspection after their young son is diagnosed with autism.

The latest version of the format follows Fifty Fathoms and Keshet Prods.’ adaptation for BBC One, which has run three seasons and sold in more than 80 territories worldwide.

Known locally as “Het A Woord” and written by Karin van der Meer and Myranda Jongeling, the six-part series will be directed by Anna van der Heide and Remy van Heugten, with Fiction Valley’s Annemieke van Vliet serving as executive producer.

The show stars Lies Visschedijk (“Soof”) as Sam’s mother Mariel, Guy Clemens...

Amsterdam-based Nl Film and Hupe Film in Cologne have boarded Jo Baier’s upcoming Nazi war criminal horror thriller “Life Through a Dead Man’s Eyes.”

The companies join co-producers Films in Motion (Fim), the Berlin-based shingle run by American producer René Asch, and Angelika Mohr’s Morefilms in Munich, which is also handling world sales.

German thesps Herbert Knaup and Matthias Habich topline the supernatural thriller, which follows a former SS concentration camp guard, played by Habich, desperately trying to avoid capture by a Nazi hunter (Knaup). Seeking to avoid capture, the old Nazi assumes an unlikely identity and hides in the most improbable place.

Budgeted at €2.5 million ($2.7 million), “Life Through a Dead Man’s Eyes” is set to go into preproduction later this year.

The award-winning Baier (“Henry of Navarre”) will direct the German-Dutch co-production from a script by American screenwriter J. Frank James.

“We’re thankful for...

“Black Mirror” and “Peaky Blinders” producer Endemol Shine Group has set up a new scripted label in Germany, Variety can reveal.

Based in Berlin and led by joint CEOs Nanni Erben and Gunnar Juncken, MadeFor Film will focus on both high-end TV series and feature films for the domestic and international markets, as well as co-productions within the wider Endemol Shine Group, as well as with other platforms and partners.

Endemol Shine’s expansion into Germany follows Banijay’s $2.2 billion acquisition of the production-distribution powerhouse in October.

The deal, currently in the anti-trust period, is expected to close this summer. At that point, Endemol Shine’s MadeFor will join Banijay’s existing German production banners, including Brainpool, Good Times and Banijay Prods. Germany, which have largely focused on unscripted content. It is as yet unclear whether some of Banijay’s production subsidiaries in the territory may be merged following the deal’s closure.

CBS Studios is developing a Dutch dramedy inspired by Mano Bouzamour’s novel Bestseller Boy. The local-language series is in the works for Dutch broadcaster Avrotros via Npo.

Bestseller Boy is the studio’s latest international development following Israeli drama District Y, the police drama from the team behind Fauda and Homeland that marked CBS Studios’ first non-English language international co-production.

The project is inspired by the eponymous novel by Dutch-Moroccan literary star Mano Bouzamour, about his struggles as a millennial navigating two cultures, overnight success and identity in Amsterdam.

It is written by Robert Alberdingk-Thijm, creator of A’Dam & Eva, which is being remade at NBC, Franky Ribbens, creator of Hollands Hoop, which is in development for a remake at Showtime, and Pieter Bart-Korthuis, creator of Penoza, which was remade for ABC as Red Widow.

The series is being produced by Alberdingk-Thijm, Ribbens, Bart-Korthuis’ Midpoint Productions, Bouzamour and Alon Aranya,...

The business of remaking drama series internationally continues to grow. While mega-budget new shows dominate the headlines, the likes of “In Treatment” are among the most-traveled scripted formats, and “Skam” and “Doctor Foster” are among the newer shows vying for top spot.

U.K.-based research house K7 Media has run the numbers and found that therapy drama “In Treatment,” is the best-selling international scripted remake of the past decade. The Dori Media-distributed show bowed in Israel in 2006. It went on to be remade by HBO in the U.S. with Gabriel Byrne, and by HBO Europe in several countries.

K7 has detailed the top unscripted formats for some time and its analysis is well-used by distribution execs selling formats, and buyers keen to discern trends.

“The scripted format business has grown,” K7 CEO Keri Lewis told Variety. “It’s the same as with unscripted, these are tried and tested formats.

Lagardere Studios Distribution has boarded “Commandos,” a Dutch high-voltage war drama series directed by Ivan Lopez Nunez and Hanro Smitsman.

Based on an idea by Oscar Van Woensel and Boudewijn Rosenmuller, the series follows John, an old Commando who led Dutch Special Forces on a covert mission to Northern Nigeria where they had to rescue an important hostage kidnapped by Boko Haram. The mission turned into a nightmare and many people, including civilians, were killed.

Three years later, John, who is still haunted by the tragedy, is in charge of protecting a Nigerian Minister visiting the Netherlands as a guest of honor. As he gets confronted with the murderer who tried to eliminate his former comrades in Nigeria, John has to fight, potentially compromising himself, his family and friends.

“Commandos” was written by Oscar Van Woensel, Mischa Alexander, Jochum Ten Have, Michiel Van Jaarsveld, Willem Bosch, Vincent Van Helm, Bastiaan Kroeger and Pollo de Pimentel.

Details of new film and TV sales arm, Dfw International, also revealed.

Benelux-based Dutch FilmWorks has picked up Barry Levinson’s Harry Haft and Liam Neeson thriller The Ice Road for release in the territory, following deals in Toronto.

Boxing biopic Harry Haft stars Ben Foster, Peter Sarsgaard and Danny De Vito, and is handled by Endeavor Content. The Ice Road was sold through Lisa Wilson’s Solution Entertainment.

Willem Pruijssers, CEO of Dutch FilmWorks, also revealed further details of its new film and TV sales arm, Dfw International, which will attend its first market, Mipcom, next month.

The...

CBS Studios International has agreed a first-look, multi-year deal with Alon Aranya’s Paper Plane Productions, CBS announced Wednesday. The agreement will see writer-producer Aranya develop and produce premium international programming through his new production company for the global market, across a variety of genres.

Aranya said he shared a “clear vision” with CBS on how to supply premium original foreign programming to the growing demands of the international marketplace. “Now that the international marketplace is finally ripe for premium quality international drama, it’s possible to develop and produce shows with talented creators and producers overseas, helping them put out their best work yet for local and global marketplace,” said Aranya.

The content creator is already working with CBS Television Studios on a number of projects, including “Your Honor,” an adaptation of the Israeli crime drama “Kvodo” (pictured), which is written and executive produced by Peter Moffat and executive...

Veteran drama series writer-producer Alon Aranya and writer Pieter Bart have teamed on “Atrocity,” a legal thriller with a global twist, set around The Hague’s International Criminal Court.

The two will pitch the series at this year’s Series Mania CoPro Pitching Sessions.

Aranya and Bart previously worked together on “Penoza,” one of Holland’s most well-respected series, later remade in the U.S. as “Red Widow.” After “Widow” had wrapped, the writers met for a coffee in Amsterdam and discussed what was on the horizon for them.

“I told him I’d started developing this show about the International Criminal Court,” Aranya recalled in a conversation with Variety, “and he gave me this weird look and said: ‘That’s what I’m doing.’”

It was clear to both of them that the time had come to team up once again. Since then, not only have they come up...

Incredible Films will screen footage to buyers at Efm.

In the run up to this week’s Berlin European Film Market, Dutch sales company Incredible Films has announced an eye-catching deal with Epic Pictures via its Us distributor Epic Releasing for North American rights for Roel Reine’s epic period war film, Redbad.

The film stars Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Søren Malling (The Killing, Borgen) and Gijs Naber (The Heineken Kidnapping, Penoza).

At Efm, Incredible’s Danielle Raaphorst will screen four minutes of footage of the film to buyers. Redbad will be ready for delivery in June 2018.

“Roel Reine is one of the best action directors in the film business and Jonathan Banks gives the performance of his career,” Patrick Ewald, CEO of Epic Pictures, told ScreenDaily. “When Danielle Raaphorst and Incredible showed us early footage of the battle scenes and the impressive large-scale production value, we knew that Redbad was destined to become...

• Robert De Niro (The Bag Man) will star opposite Robert Pattinson (The Rover) in Olivier Assayas (Paris, je t’aime) upcoming indie action flick, Idol’s Eye. While plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, the film is being described as a “sophisticated heist/action thriller” and is set to begin principal photography in October in Chicago and Toronto.

• Johnny Depp (Black Mass) is reportedly in negotiations to star as Harry Houdini in Lionsgate/Summit’s upcoming film, The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero. Directed by Red 2′s Dean Parisot and based on...

Producer Michael Bay, his Platinum Dunes production company and Universal will remake director Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 'unexplained bird attacks' suspense/horror feature "The Birds", adapting author Daphne du Maurier's 1952 novelette, to be directed by Dutch filmmaker Diederik Van Rooijen ("Penoza"):

"...'Melanie Daniels', a modern rich socialite is part of a jet-set who always gets what she wants. When lawyer 'Mitch Brenner' sees her in a pet shop, he plays something of a practical joke on her, and she decides to return the favor. She drives about an hour north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother 'Lydia' and younger sister 'Cathy'.

"Soon after her arrival, however, the birds in the area begin to act strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie as she is crossing the bay in a small boat, and then, Lydia finds her neighbor dead, obviously the victim of a bird attack.

Universal Pictures has been working on a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" for many years with George Clooney and Naomi Watts attached to star. The project kept falling apart, because the studio felt that it couldn't get the script right. Now comes word that Dutch director Diederik van Rooijen, who's best known for his Dutch TV series "Penoza" that has been remade for Us audiences as "Red Widow," was hired to helm the remake. The original 1963 film, starring Tippi Hedren, featured hordes of sinister birds. The movie spawned a horror sub-genre called "nature on the attack."...

Dutch helmer Diederik Van Rooijen has signed on to direct the re-imagining of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds, which Platinum Dunes and Mandalay Pictures are producing for Universal. Van Rooijen is best known as the writer and director of the Dutch television series Penoza, which has been remade for U.S. audiences as ABC's Red Widow. He also directed in his homeland the thriller Taped, which has an English-language adaptation in the works at Sony with Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (The Great Gatsby) producing. The Birds would mark his studio feature debut. Naomi Watts has

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Universal Pictures has hired Dutch helmer Diederik Van Rooijen to direct the remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds , which Platinum Dunes and Mandalay Pictures are producing. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news and mentions that Van Rooijen is best known as the writer and director of the Dutch TV series "Penoza," which has been remade for U.S. audiences as ABC's "Red Widow." Naomi Watts was attached to star in the film for a while, but she is no longer involved. The most recent version of the script was written by Jonathan Herman. Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing at Platinum Dunes, while Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman are producing for Mandalay Pictures.

While you may not recognize the name of Dutch director Diederik van Rooijen there's a very good chance that you're either familiar with his work already or will be very soon. You see, van Rooijen was the writer and director of Dutch television series Penoza, a series that has since been remade for Us television as Red Widow. And last year he released taut thriller Taped, a feature film that also now has a Us version in the works. So the man knows a thing or two about putting mass audiences onto the edges of their seats. And he's doing it again with Daylight.Young lawyer Iris discovers that she has an older, autistic half-brother Ray, who is in prison for the atrocious murder of his...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Lost alumna Yunjin Kim has landed a lead opposite Rochelle Aytes and Jes Macallan in Mistresses, ABC’s drama recently greenlighted straight to series for a summer 2013 launch. The soap, written by Kj Steinberg and based on the British format, is described as a provocative drama about four women — three of them played by Kim, Aytes and Macallan — with scandalous romantic lives, caught in storms of excitement and self-discovery, secrecy and betrayal. Kim will play Katie, a therapist who slept with one of her patients, John, before his death. Also cast on the series are Erik Stocklin in the regular role of Sam, John’s son, who finds himself falling in love with Katie; and Cameron Bender in the recurring role of Richard, a recently divorced man who hires April to re-decorate his new apartment and starts a romance with her. Stocklin is with Jc Robbins, Bender is with Metropolitan and Justice & Ponder.

Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to develop the Dutch thriller Taped, into an English-language motion picture to be produced by Red Wagon Entertainment’s Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher, it was announced today by Hannah Minghella, president of production for Columbia Pictures.

In the Dutch film, a young couple, while vacationing in Buenos Aires to recapture their romance, inadvertently tapes the murder of an innocent man by a corrupt cop, forcing them to find resources they didn’t know they had to fight for their lives to escape.

Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “We’re huge fans of Taped . and believe that Doug and Lucy have just the right take on the material to adapt it for English speaking audiences.”

Through Red Wagon, Wick and Fisher are currently producing The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, with Baz Luhrmann directing, and Wettest County, a...

Culver City, Calif., February 28, 2012 – Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to develop the Dutch thriller Taped, into an English-language motion picture to be produced by Red Wagon Entertainment’s Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher, it was announced today by Hannah Minghella, president of production for Columbia Pictures. In the Dutch film, a young couple, while vacationing in Buenos Aires to recapture their romance, inadvertently tapes the murder of an innocent man by a corrupt cop, forcing them to find resources they didn’t know they had to fight for their lives to escape. Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “We’re huge fans of Taped – and believe that Doug and Lucy have just the right take on the material to adapt it for English speaking audiences.” Through Red Wagon, Wick and Fisher are currently producing The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, with Baz Luhrmann directing,...

Lee Tergesen has joined ABC drama pilot Penoza. The project - based on a Dutch series - will focus on the widow of an assassinated crook who adopts her late husband's criminal ways. Tergesen has been cast as a character named Steven, according to TVLine. In the original show, created by Pieter Bart Korthuis, Steven (Marcel Hensema) is a foot soldier for drug runner Irwan (Fedja van Huet). Tergesen previously appeared on HBO's Oz and Lifetime's Army Wives. He has also featured in episodes (more)...

Exclusive: Melissa Rosenberg has teamed with ABC and Endemol Studios for an U.S. adaptation of Endemol’s Dutch drama format Penoza. The Twilight scribe will write and executive produce the project, one of two dramas based on international Endemol formats that Endemol Studios has set up at ABC and ABC Studios, along with Spirited, which will be written by Chris Black (Desperate Housewives) and Henry Alonso Myers (Chuck). These are the first 2 sales for Endemol Studios, which was launched by Endemol USA in August. For Rosenberg, this is the second project this TV development season. She also executive produces Afterthought, a murder mystery drama at NBC written by Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman). The Rosenberg-penned Penoza centers on a widow of an assassinated criminal who is suddenly forced to adopt her late husband’s role in order to protect her family. Rosenberg, who will serve as showrunner,...