News round-up: Truly Original inks first-look comedy deal; All4 rebrands as C4; Youku & France TV extend ‘Lupin’s Tales’

Jodi Lennon

Truly Original inks first-look comedy deal

Truly Original has inked a first-look deal with New York-based comedy producers Jim Biederman (Kids in the Hall) and Jodi Lennon (At Home with Amy Sedaris). 

The writers have teamed up as a producing duo and together will help expand Truly Original’s slate of unscripted comedy series for streaming and broadcast.

Working closely with head of development Chachi Senior, and SVP Michelle Schiefen, they will focus on talent-driven comedy in the narrative, sketch, variety and game show spaces.

Truly Original co-CEOs and executive producers Glenda Hersh and Steven Weinstock said in a joint statement, “Jim and Jodi have each been integral to some of the most iconic and groundbreaking sketch, variety and talk programming, and as partners we feel they’re even better positioned to mine distinct comedy voices and talent for the reality genre.”

All4 rebrands as C4

UK broadcaster Channel 4 is to rebrand its VoD player All4 as Channel 4.

The rebranding will take effect in spring 2023 and has been made to “help audiences better navigate the abundance of choice in the digital world and find their favourite Channel 4 shows wherever and whenever they choose to watch content,” according to Channel 4, which marked its 40^th birthday yesterday.

Lupin’s Tales

Youku & France TV extend ‘Lupin’s Tales’

French animation studio Xilam Animation is extending its partnership with Youku, the online video and streaming platform of Alibaba Group, for a new season of preschool animated series Lupin’s Tales.

The new series, which will also be available on France Télévisions, is currently in production. It will consist of 78 x 7-minutes episodes and is set to launch on Youku and France Télévisions in early 2024.

Alongside the new instalment, Xilam Animation is producing a new series of 26 x 2.5-minute shorts from the Lupin’s Tales universe for the two broadcasters titled Lupin on a Mission, which is set to launch from this Christmas.

Lupin’s Tales follows a wolf-cub who dreams of being like the storybook heroes he admires and goes from one tale to another to live out their adventures through all continents and ages. But the impetuous Lupin is far from perfect, and it is not always easy for him to get to his “happily ever after”.