ITV Studios Buying ‘Hostile Planet’ Producer Plimsoll Productions, Deal Closing This Week (EXCLUSIVE)

Sky has put a darkly comic drama about a foul-mouthed supermarket worker in Belfast into production. Roisin Gallagher (The Fall, The Dry) and Johnny Flynn (Beast, Emma) take the leading roles in The Lovers, which is from Doctor Foster and Pure producer Drama Republic.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorTomasz Wasilewski’s “Fools” (Głupcy) has debuted its trailer ahead of its world premiere at Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Proxima Competition. World sales are being handled by Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales.Wasilewski won the best script award for “United States of Love” at the Berlin Film Festival in 2016, and the East of West Award at Karlovy Vary in 2013 for “Floating Skyscrapers.”“Fools” follows Marlena and Tomasz, hidden away from the world in a small seaside town, who have been in a happy relationship for many years.

Selome Hailu Bruna Papandrea’s production company Made Up Stories has acquired the rights to Marina Palmer’s thriller novel “The Russian Doll,” Variety has learned exclusively. Made Up Stories will produce a limited series based on the novel in partnership with Endeavor Content.“The Russian Doll” is set in the dangerous and deceptive underworld of organized crime.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorDark Star Pictures has acquired distribution rights in North America for Australian gay love story “Lonesome,” directed by Craig Boreham. Following its world premiere at the Seattle Intl.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMusic Box Films has acquired North American rights to “Rodeo,” the bold feature debut of Lola Quivoron which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it won the Coup de Cœur du Jury special prize. Produced by Charles Gillibert (“Annette”) at CG Cinema and represented by Les Films du Losange, “Rodeo” stars newcomer Julie Ledrue a Julia, a hot tempered and fiercely independent young woman who infiltrates an underground dirt bike community in France.After a chance meeting at an urban ‘Rodeo,’ Julia finds herself drawn into a clandestine and volatile clique and striving to prove herself to the ultra-masculine group, but is she is faced with a series of escalating demands that will make or break her place in the community.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAustralia’s Steve Jaggi Company and the Los Angeles-based Nicely Entertainment have hatched a pact to develop and produce a significant slate of film and TV series.“A Royal in Paradise,” the third movie collaboration between the two partners and the first under the new deal, started production this week in Australia’s Queensland.Previously, the two collaborated on young adult series “Dive Club” and romantic feature “This Little Love of Mine,” which claimed to be the first Australian film into production during the global pandemic. Both productions were sold to Netflix.The new deal calls for them to develop a minimum of six new TV projects, including both dramas and YA series, and two to three new movies per year.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster ITV has completed its acquisition of leading natural history program producer Plimsoll Productions by taking a majority 79.5% stake.The deal, which was revealed by Variety last week, values Plimsoll at £131 million ($161 million) and ITV will pay £104 million ($127 million) in cash for the stake.Founded in Bristol in 2013, the BAFTA, Emmy and Academy award winning Plimsoll has produced hundreds of hours of content including “Tiny World” and “Giant World” for Apple+; “Hostile Planet” and “Supernatural Planet” for Disney; “Night on Earth” and “Animal” for Netflix and the upcoming series, “A Year on Planet Earth” for ITV, Tencent in China, Fox Nation in the U.S.

The UK’s ITV has agreed to acquire a majority interest of 79.5% in Hostile Planet and Tiny World producer Plimsoll Productions for approximately £103.5 million ($126 million), giving the company an enterprise value of £131 million ($159.7M). The stake is being acquired from private equity group LDC.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster ITV has acquired a majority 79.5% stake in leading natural history program producer Plimsoll Productions.

Proud dad Michael Owen has criticised an under-18s girls' football coach over a sickening tweet about his Love Island star daughter Gemma. The former Liverpool and Manchester United striker called out a crude response on football coach Paul Proud's account after he admitting he didn't want to see the 19-year-old kissing on the ITV dating show.

Abacus Media Rights Parent Amcomri Entertaiment Buys Flame Media Program Assets For $2.4M

EXCLUSIVE: Animation studios Slingshot USA and Sunrise Animation Studios have partnered with Christian streamer Minno to produce faith-based shows for kids and families, starting with Young David, about the early years of the biblical king who defeated Goliath.

Christopher Vourlias Ariztical has taken North American rights to “All Our Fears,” a gay drama based on the life of Polish artist Daniel Rycharski that won the top prize at last year’s Gdynia Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s international trailer.“All Our Fears” tells the story of Daniel (Dawid Ogrodnik), a young artist torn between his small village community, urban art galleries, the Catholic Church and his gay identity.

K.J. Yossman CBS Studios’ Meghan Lyvers is heading to Sky Studios in a new role as director of original drama for the U.K.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal International Studios’ SVP/Head of UK Creative Thomas Daley is leaving the company after two years, we’ve learned.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon Prime Video India has set its first Tamil-language long-form scripted original series, “Suzhal – The Vortex,” written and created by Pushkar and Gayatri (“Vikram Vedha”).The eight-part crime thriller revolves around the investigation of a missing girl that wreaks havoc and disrupts the fabric of a small town in South India. It is produced by Wallwatcher Films and directed by Bramma and Anucharan M.

The Morning Show star Augustus Prew and Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss have boarded Russell T Davies’ ITV drama Nolly starring Helena Bonham Carter.

Welcome to International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, ITV Studios International Production MD Lisa Perrin talks through some of the biggest topics of the moment. Lisa is responsible for a host of well-respected labels outside the U.S. and UK that are primed to take advantage of the current penchant for foreign-language drama. She joined two years ago and is finally able to get out and about after the pandemic curtailed travel.