HBO, History prebuy Navy SEALs drama

Various branches of HBO and History have acquired upcoming Navy SEALs action drama Six, TBI has learned.

HBO Europe in central and eastern Europe, HBO Nordics, HBO Spain, iFlix in southeast Asia, History in southeast Asia, History Latin America and History Canada have all bought the show ahead of its international debut at MIPCOM.

A+E Networks thematic History network developed the series for US pay TV, with the series created by Jarhead writer William Broyles and his son David Broyles, both of whom have military experience. A+E Studios produces in association with The Weinstein Company.

It is inspired by the real missions of Navt SEAL Team Six, the American military unit known for killing Osama bin Laden.

“An inspiration was [Clint Eastwood’s 2014 war drama] American Sniper, and the realistic exploration of how it was for [Navy SEALs] to go into incredibly difficult places with their jobs and then go home to their families and normal lives,” outgoing A+E Networks’ president of brand development and business development and A+E Studios president Bob DeBitetto told TBI in an exclusive interview.

“We are proud to offer a series that portrays the commitment, bravery and sacrifice of the special forces’ unsung heroes,” said A+E managing director, international content sales and partnerships Joel Denton. “It is gratifying to have enlisted these major broadcasters early and we look forward to continuing our sales momentum with significant sales coming out of MIPCOM.”

William Broyles, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland, Ray Donovan), Alfredo Barrios Jr. (Burn Notice), George W. Perkins (Live from Baghdad) and Bruce C. McKenna (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are executive producers on Six. David Broyles is co-executive producer and Karen Campbell (Dexter) serves as supervising producer.

Retired U.S. Navy SEAL Mitchell Hall (Zero Dark Thirty, Lone Survivor) serves as the series’ technical advisor.

The History cable net is debuting the eight-part series in the US next year.