French Crime Series ‘Bright Minds’ Hot Seller for France TV Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)

The latest series of The Crown will premiere on November 9, Netflix has revealed. The fifth series of the hit show, which dramatises the lives of the Royal Family, will feature storylines surrounding the lives of the then Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Ed Meza @edmezavar “Becoming an Astronaut,” an ambitious documentary that will focus on four new astronauts who will be announced by the European Space Agency (ESA) this November, has won the Focal Audience & Market Strategies pitching event at the Zurich Film Festival. Organized by Focal, the Lausanne-based foundation for film and audiovisual media training, Audience & Market Strategies is a three-part training program that helps producers promote their projects at an early stage. This year’s event showcased eight Swiss projects in various states of development. The program culminated with the pitching event, in which the producers presented their projects to sales company representatives, industry experts and an international jury comprising Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films, Netflix’s Lars Wiebe, Olivier Tournaud of Cinephil, Sven Wälti, head of film at Swiss pubcaster SRG SSR, and Deadline’s Diana Lodderhose.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Continuing to tap top series from Spain, Munich-based Beta Film has snapped up international distribution rights to “Simple,” the new dramedy by Anna R. Costa, the co-creator of Movistar Plus+‘s most-binged series, “Arde Madrid.” Costa’s directorial debut, “Simple” world premiered earlier this week in San Sebastian as a Movistar Plus+ world premiere. Produced by Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Destrucción y Salvación, “Simple” turns on four young women in their twenties and thirties, who have reached a milestone in their lives: Sharing an apartment as truly independent adults. The series follows the flat mates, all of whom have disabilities, as they navigate the pressures of adulthood and the absurd norms imposed on them by society.

EXCLUSIVE: Bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz’s YA fantasy novel The Rings & The Crown is getting a series adaptation for Disney+ from 20th Television, The Gotham Group and 3 Arts Entertainment, along with Disney Branded Television.

When he’s not making films like “The Cabin In The Woods” or “Bad Times At The El Royale,” Drew Goddard puts his signature on TV shows of all kinds. And over the years, he’s left his mark on shows as diverse as “Alias,” “Lost,” “Daredevil,” and “The Good Place.” Now he looks to do it again with ABC and a pilot of a French detective series the network picked up the rights to last week.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ABC has ordered a drama pilot from Drew Goddard based on the French series “HPI.” The news comes less than a week after it was reported that ABC Signature had acquired the English language adaptation rights to the series. The official series logline reads, “A single mom with three kids and an exceptional mind helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.”

is here! On Tuesday, Hulu released the trailer for the true crime series, which gives a first look at Kumail Nanjiani as the real-life Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian American entrepreneur who started the stripper troupe Chippendales.“A world of luxury, right at your fingertips,” Banerjee says as he gets dressed in a dapper suit. The 45-second clip shows Banerjee inside of a club full of women, who are excited to see the Chippendale dancers strip down.

Netflix‘s latest true crime documentary series, Sins Of Our Mother.The three-part show follows the story of Lori Vallow Daybell – nicknamed the ‘Doomsday Mom’ – as she falls into a cult-like religious obsession that ends in the arrest of her and husband Chad Daybell. It focuses on her life as she meets religious preacher Daybell, whom she goes on to marry.She has been accused of the murder of two of her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, as well as conspiracy to murder her fourth husband.She and fifth husband Daybell have denied involvement, and are awaiting trial for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after their arrest in February 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Game of Thrones alum John Bradley is set as the lead of North Shore, a Paramount+ crime thriller series from Cold Feet creator Mike Bullen. Downton Abbey‘s Joanne Froggatt has closed a one-year deal to star in the six-episode first season of the Australian original.

true-crime scripted drama,, with Evan Peters portraying the man who became known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal.” Ahead of its debut on Netflix, the streaming platform has shared several first looks, including a brief teaser showing Peters as the serial killer as well as the first trailer, giving fans a closer look at the series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and also starring Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer, Molly Ringwald as Shari Dahmer, Michael Learned as Catherine Dahmer and Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland. From 1978 until his arrest in 1991, Dahmer terrorized America by taking the lives of 17 men and boys. According to Netflix, “is a series that exposes these unconscionable crimes, centered around the underserved victims and their communities impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police that allowed one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.”The series, meanwhile, marks Peters’ latest collaboration with Murphy after previously starring in nine installments of as well as.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent DR Sales, the commercial arm of the Danish broadcaster, has teamed with the up-and-coming Danish-Swedish banner Nevis Productions on “Nordland 99,” a sinister crime series set in a fictional town in rural Denmark. Directed by rising talent Kasper Møller Rask (“Lemon World”), the show is being produced by Iben Søtang (“Lemon World”) and Anni Faurbye Fernandez, whose credits include Scandinavia’s biggest TV hits, from “The Millennium Trilogy,” to “Wallander,” “Wisting,” and “Atlantic Crossing.” The pair are producing “Nordland 99” at Nevis Productions. Set at the turn of the 21st century, the stylized series unfolds in the aftermath of the disappearance of 18-year-old Alex. His friends, Lukas and Kris, team up with Alex’s sister Emma to find their missing friend. Both Alex’s ex-girlfriend, the town’s pusher, and Emma’s family have information that they suspect may be connected to Alex’s disappearance. Their journey will lead them to uncover terrible crimes and secrets. Meanwhile, Alex’s father, an apathetic police officer, starts his own investigation which slowly become intertwined with the teenagers’ quest. The lush backdrop filled with forests surrounding the town, give “Nordland 99” an enigmatic and eerie atmosphere.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios, has acquired English language adaptation rights to TF1’s hit detective show “HIP (High Intellectual Potential).” The U.S. adaptation is currently in development, and a showrunner, writing team and cast will be announced at a later stage. The original series, created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié and Nicolas Jean, and starring Audrey Fleurot (“Intouchables”) and Mehdi Nebbou (“Serial (Bad) Weddings”), has been one of the most successful French-language shows on French TV in the last 10 years. Produced by Mediawan-owned Septembre Productions, and Itinéraire Productions, a UGC company, the series has been sold to more than 105 territories and has garnered more than 175 million views globally to date. A Czech and Slovakian version have already been filmed for Nova and Markiza respectively and are expected to launch soon.

“A Friend of the Family” showrunner and executive producer Nick Antosca is no stranger to the gritty world of true crime, having previously been a writer for the Hulu series “The Act.” Antosca’s latest project comes in the form of a web series based upon the popular 80’s horror franchise “Chucky” and is currently in its second season. “A Friend of the Family” is based on the tragically true story of the Broberg family.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Mediatoon Distribution has seen a slew of sales for a number of new and upcoming animated series, including a new adaptation of a beloved property. The company unveiled three new titles at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV market in Biarritz this week, two of which have already found early buyers. “Nicholas’ Fantastic Summer” follows the mischievous adventures of a boy and his friends as they get the most out of their summer beach holiday. Switzerland’s RTS, MTVA in Hungary and Poland’s TV Puls have already acquired the show, an adaptation of the bestselling books by late writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé (who died Aug. 11). It was produced by Media Valley (“Zoom the White Dolphin”) for M6/Gulli, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Boing; and Belgian broadcasters RTBF and VRT.

Ed Meza @edmezavar The natural world, wildlife, the legacy of war and the beauty of culture has proven to be in big demand for Paris-based documentary distributor Terranoa. Attending this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz, the company presented a diverse lineup that ranged from history and ancient civilizations to science, wildlife, arts, culture and current affairs. Among its popular new titles is “Top of the Rocks,” produced by Haut et Court Doc with Franco-German pubcaster Arte and French channel Ushuaïa. The ambitious 4K, five-part series takes viewers around the world to examine how stones – specifically granite, limestone, sandstone, basalt and clay – have not only shaped the planet but also inspired human civilizations.

Trinidad Barleycorn The setting: a small resort, Les Cimes, in the Swiss Alps, a stone’s throw from the French border. The moment: the end of ski season, tourists have left, time seems to be suspended. The plot: a corpse is found, tied up, with an edelweiss in its mouth. The protagonist: Captain Sterenn Peiry (Marina Hands) leads the investigation. She still mourns her 15-year-old daughter, killed three years before in an avalanche. So much for the beginning of “Off Season” (Hors saison), a Franco-Swiss police series, produced by Akka Films, Gaumont Television with RTS and France Télévisions, and beautifully filmed in CinémaScope by Pierre Monnard. This thrilling six-part series, presented to buyers at the French TV market Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz, is best in class in the art of constantly misleading the viewer. From the very first minutes, the plot thickens: a second corpse, found in the same gloomy setting, but on the French side, makes the shadow of a serial killer lurk on Les Cimes and brings into the game French policeman Lyes Bouaouni (the excellent Sofiane Zermani, a.k.a. the rapper Fianso). When a third layer is added: Sterenn’s son kills his girlfriend and flees the scene. We are left wondering: how far can a mother go to save her only child?

Ed Meza @edmezavar French animation group Xilam continues to book sales of hit toon series while enticing buyers with new offshoots of flagship properties. Xilam’s most popular shows remain “Oggy and the Cockroaches,” about a lazy cat who is constantly pestered by three roaches, and “Zig & Sharko,” which follow the adversarial relationship between a ravenous brown hyena and a good-natured great white shark. The company’s highlights at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV market in Biarritz include two new “Oggy” shows. “’Oggy’ has been on the market for almost 25 years,” explains Morgann Favennec, Xilam’s executive vice president of distribution. “It’s been broadcast everywhere. It’s still huge in India, for instance, which is why we will be launching a new Oggy called ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation,’ introducing a new character, which is an Indian elephant.”

Ed Meza @edmezavar Paris-based documentary distributor Lucky You is finding plenty of international buyers for its wide-ranging titles that span history, travel, wildlife and science. Part of French production group Bonne Pioche, Lucky You has seen a slew of recent sales for hit titles like “Science of Emotions,” which examines the impact emotions have not only on people’s well-being but also their entire life. Commissioned by French broadcaster Planète Plus, the doc sold across Europe and North America, including to ZDF in Germany, RAI in Italy and Curiosity Stream in the U.S. Likewise commissioned by Planète Plus, “Science & Sports” looks at the science, engineering and technology that are helping athletes maximize their performance. A Bonne Pioche title co-produced with Japan’s NHK, it likewise sold throughout Europe and beyond, including sales to the BBC in the U.K., Belgium’s RTBF and Canadian channel Ici Explora in addition to deals in China, Western Asia, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Sweden.

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt (Mad About You, Blindspotting) is set to narrate Lifetime’s new series Meet Marry Murder, premiering October 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT as part of its Life & Crime Mondays line-up.