ITV Studios unveils scripted deals, sets out Spring drama slate

ITV Studios has struck a US deal for Mammoth Screen’s H.G. Wells adaptation War of the Worlds, selling it to AMC upgrade subscription service AMC Premiere.

The deal, which takes the total number of territories War of the Worlds is available in to 221, is one of several announced by ITV Studios ahead of its third annual Drama Festival tomorrow at the London Screenings. ITV Studios also unveiled its Spring drama slate (see below for details).

Noughts + Crosses, also from Mammoth Screen and based on the young adult novel series by Malorie Blackman, has sold to HBO Europe and BBC First Australia.

Mammoth Screen’s epic World War Two drama World on Fire, now available in 144 territories, has sold to BBC First and BBC Player Asia along with Mainstreet Pictures’ character-driven relationship thriller Gold Digger, starring Julia Ormond.

Both titles make their way into Latin America with a pan regional Satellite TV service, DirectTV, which has also acquired ITV Studios factual drama and Urban Myth Film’s A Confession written by Jeff Pope.

A Confession will also be available on Magenta TV (Deutsche Telecom) Germany, Telefonica Spain, SVT Sweden, Cineplex Thailand, Channel Zero Canada, Britbox Canada, YES Israel, Viacom Russia, Okko Russia and BBC in New Zealand, which has also picked up Stick and Stones.

TVNZ has picked up Genial Productions’ new comedy drama starring Dawn French, The Trouble With Maggie Cole (former w/t Glass Houses), which delves into what happens when idle gossip escalates, and Silverprint Pictures’ family drama meets contemporary thriller, Flesh and Blood. Flesh and Blood has also been acquired by Network Seven in Australia, KT Corp in Korea, Virgin Media Eire and RTV Slovenia.

Additionally, all six seasons of Schitt’s Creek have sold in a pan regional deal to ViacomCBS Networks Americas.

ITV Studios is also launching its spring drama slate to international buyers today.

ITV Studios’s drama slate includes:

Submarine thriller Vigil (6 x 60’, w/t) starring Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Gary Lewis, Martin Compston and Paterson Joseph. Written and created by Tom Edge and directed by James Strong, Vigil unravels a high-stakes conspiracy threatening the heart of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, a Trident nuclear submarine.

The Singapore Grip (6 x 60) (pictured), from Mammoth Screen and adapted by Christopher Hampton from J.G. Farrell’s classic novel, is a family saga set in colonial Singapore during World War Two. Featuring David Morrissey as rubber merchant Walter Blackett, Jane Horrocks as his wife Sylvia and Charles Dance OBE as his business partner, it centres on a wealthy British family living a life of luxury which is slowly crumbling around them as the Japanese make their invasion.

Little Birds (6 x 60’), inspired by the short stories created by Anaïs Nin, from Warp Films is directed by Stacie Passon and is set in Morocco in 1955. It entres on two very different women: troubled American heiress Lucy Savage (Juno Temple) and the famous Moroccan dominatrix, Cherifa Lamour (Yumna Marwan).

Cattleya and Groenlandia’s Romulus (10 x 60’) reconstructs the tale of Rome, and is set in the eighth century BC.

Honour (2 x 60’ or 1 x 90’) from Hera Productions is based on the true story of Banaz Mahmod, a young woman murdered by her family for falling in love with the wrong man, and stars Keeley Hawes.

The Pembrokeshire Murders (3 x 60’, w/t) from World Productions brings to life the pursuit of the most notorious serial killer in Welsh history, John Cooper. It is based on the book by Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins and Jonathan Hill.Detective drama Grace (2 x 120’) from Second Act Productions, Tall Story Pictures and Vaudeville Productions, sees screenwriter Russell Lewis (Endeavour) bring Peter James’ award-winning Roy Grace novels to life, with John Simm starring as the tenacious Detective Superintendent.

Mammoth Screen’s McDonald & Dodds (2 x 120’) follows the investigations of a mismatched detective duo in one of Britain’s most traditional cities, Bath. Newly promoted, the ambitious DCI McDonald (Tala Gouveia) is a tough, driven cop originally from London, while veteran sergeant Dodds (Jason Watkins) is an unassuming man, with a hidden talent for deciphering puzzles.Voiceless (Bella da Morire, 8 x 60’) from Cattleya weaves complex, topical issues of prejudice and violence against women. Eva Cantini, a brilliant and strong-willed police inspector returns to her hometown to help her sister raise her child. When Gioia Scuderi, an aspiring model and actress with a bad reputation, is discovered lifeless at the bottom of the lake, Eva is assigned the case.

Thin Blue Line (10 x 60’) from Anagram Sweden gets under the skin of what being a modern-day cop is really about. When your career requires you to deal with the grittiest parts of society, how do you remain whole and happy?