Adnan Syed Doc Director Amy Berg Signs First-Look Deal With Fremantle

Fremantle has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Amy Berg, director of the 2019 docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO.

The agreement will see Berg’s Disarming Films jointly develop a slate of documentaries with Fremantle’s global head of documentaries Mandy Chang. “We’re delighted to be joining forces with the incredibly talented team at Fremantle. Led by Mandy (Chang), we know Fremantle will not only offer fantastic support and creative freedom. Their extensive international infrastructure and expertise will provide Disarming Films with the platform to have our work seen around the world,” Berg said in a statement on Wednesday.

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The veteran director is at work on a follow-up episode to the Syed HBO series, set to debut in the fall, which will follow his release from prison after his 2000 conviction in the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee was vacated.

Berg’s deal with Fremantle’s documentaries unit includes distribution of her documentaries, with the first new project to be shortly announced.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Amy on this landmark deal, which further demonstrates Fremantle’s commitment to the documentaries genre and our ambition within it. Amy and her team at Disarming Films share the same passion and ambition to tell compelling and diverse stories from across the globe and we look forward to working closely with them,” Jennifer Mullin, Global CEO, Fremantle, said.

Disarming Films’ documentary features and docuseries credits include We Are: The Brooklyn Saints (Netflix), Dogs (Netflix) and Keep This Between Us (Freeform). Berg’s latest film, Phoenix Rising, bowed at Sundance before landing on HBO and HBO Max.

Fremantle also has majority stakes in doc makers like 72 Films (All or Nothing: Arsenal, 9/11: One Day in America), Silvio Productions (Shadow of Truth, The Baby Daddy, Buried) and Wildstar Films.

And Fremantle signed earlier first-look deals with Hudlin Entertainment, led by Reginald Hudlin, and producer Byron Phillips (The Black Godfather).

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