Electus bringing Singaporean musical drama to US

Electus has acquired local format rights to Singaporean scripted series The Musical Kitchen from Small World IFT and is planning a US version.

Electus is working with Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit Entertainment and Principato-Young Entertainment to adapt the Asian format.

Queen Latifah and Compere will executive produce for Flavor Unit Entertainment, with Peter Principato, Paul Young and Randi Michel doing the same for Principato-Young Entertainment, and Chris Grant and John Pollak for Electus. CAA, which represents Queen Latifah and Flavor Unit, will be the packaging agent for the series.

Tim Crescenti’s Small World is selling the format internationally after shopping South Korean format Better Late Than Never to US broadcast network NBC.

Electus, meanwhile, has taken overseas formats such as Como Aproveitar o Fim do Mundo, which became The CW’s new season drama No Tomorrow, and Juana La Virgen (Jane the Virgin) into North America.

The Kitchen Musical Kitchen follows a young woman who becomes the new sous chef in her father’s famous restaurant, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The format includes songs and choreography.

“We are thrilled to be adapting this unique series for American audiences,” said Electus International president Pollak, who negotiated the deal with Crescenti. “The Kitchen Musical blends two of the biggest trends in television today – musical programming and cooking competitions – to create a concept that audiences will love.”

“The Kitchen Musical is a fantastic scripted format for local adaptation, and I am confident it will hit all the right notes for a US audience,” said Crescenti. “Electus was the first call I made when I found this in Singapore.”

The series comes from local prodco The Group, which produced a 13-episode season.