BBC Heading On More ‘Famous Five’ Adventures
The BBC is heading on a second set of The Famous Five adventures. Nicolas Winding Refn‘s version, which is made by The Gentleman co-producer Moonage and byNWR with Mediapro Studio, will roll cameras on two more 90-minute eps, which follows the three that launched earlier this year. The show is a modern adaptation of the Enid Blyton classics. Series two takes the heroes into strange and challenging waters as they face life during wartime – and the hazards of growing up. The new series includes a guest role for Jemima Rooper, who starred as George in the 1990s Famous Five TV series and now takes on the role of Angela Clutterbuck, a guest staying at a mysterious hotel. Winding Refn said: “The excitement I feel for the return of The Famous Five fills my inner child with pure content. It is an adventure to manifest the youthful fantasies of my imagination and watch these characters, essentially my lifelong friends, continue to blossom and evolve.”
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Paramount+ & Network 10 Greenlight ‘Ghosts‘ In Australia
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Ghosts is heading to Australia. Paramount+ and Network 10 have picked up a local version of the British hit, which has also taken the U.S. by storm. The eight-part series will be set in a haunted country house full of new ghosts who are as chaotic, unpredictable and messy as Australian history itself. New lovebirds Kate and Sean are about to jump into the hellscape that is the inner-city rental market, until Kate inherits the huge mansion in the country, but unbeknown to her, the house is haunted by this collection of needy spirits. BBC Studios Australia is making the version. Ghosts recently concluded on the BBC in the UK but was a huge hit and spawned a successful CBS version, while another iteration is being made in Germany. Daniel Monaghan, SVP Content & Programming, Paramount Australia, said: “Ghosts has been a smash hit in the UK and U.S. and has also attracted a very loyal fanbase here in Australia. With a stellar cast yet to be announced, we can’t wait to bring to life our very own series with an Aussie twist.”
‘Wonka’ & ‘Supacell’ Win UK PGGB Gongs
Wonka and Supacell took home the big gongs at this weekend’s Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) awards, while David Heyman was honored with a contribution to the industry accolade. The Timothée Chalamet-starrer and Netflix UK series won production team of the year awards for film and high-end TV respectively. Heyman’s contribution award came to celebrate a glittering career that has included the Harry Potter franchise, Paddington, Barbie, and winner-on-the-night Wonka. Accepting the award, Heyman said the past year has been “a challenging period for the film and television industries in the UK,” but he talked up the nation as having “the best of the best” in terms of talent. The biennial awards took place in Hertfordshire on Saturday. PGGB CEO Lyndsay Duthie said: “Our PGGB members are best in class. This wealth of below-the-line talent is the bedrock of our film and television industry and it’s their hard work and skill that creates the first class reputation the UK has garnered.”
Officine UBU Sets Fall Release For Gabriele Fabbro’s ‘Trifole’ In Italy
The Grand Bolero filmmaker Gabriele Fabbro’s latest feature, Trifole, has been set for a theatrical release in Italy beginning October 17, distributor Officine UBU has announced. Trifole is billed as a modern fable about truffles, sustainability and family. It centers on Dalia (Ydalie Turk), a modern, lost young woman sent from London by her mother (Margherita Buy) to care for her ailing, truffle-hunting grandfather (Umberto Orsini) and his dog, as his relationship to the rural environment in Alba, Italy, is destabilized. Dalia eventually bonds with her grandfather and learns to value tradition, the territory and a more sustainable way of life. In supporting roles are Francesco Zecca (The White Lotus), Frances Sholto-Douglas (The Kissing Booth, Fatal Seduction), Ludovica Mancini (The Grand Bolero) and comedian Enzo Iachetti. Producers are Casey Diepeveen and Mattia Puleo; Massimo Fabbro is exec producer.
Freely Unveils UKTV Partnership & Content Landmark
UK free TV service Freely has struck a content deal with UKTV and revealed a content landmark. The platform, which is the first free TV service to deliver live TV over broadband, has tied with UKTV streamer U for its latest content deal. At the same time, Freely said it now has more content than any streamer in the UK, around 70,000 hours of on-demand shows. Jonathan Thompson, the CEO of Freely overseer Everyone TV, said: “The new platform brings together local, originated programming that champions UK talent and UK stories. It gives viewers access to the best of British TV, with shows that reflect our nation, driving the national conversation and broadening the common investment that all audiences have in our society.”