German Indie Studio Leonine Buys ‘Dark’ and ‘4 Blocks’ Producer W&B TV
Click here to read the full article.
Leonine has acquired “Dark” producer W&B TV from Endemol Shine. Fledgling German studio Leonine had already bought Wiedemann & Berg Film and established itself as a Munich-based movies, TV, and digital production and distribution group.
It has now added the W&B TV unit to its roster. The production company is behind several big German dramas that have resonated internationally. It makes Netflix drama “Dark,” TNT’s first German original, “4 Blocks,” and Sky Deutschland series “Pagan Peak.”
More from Variety
Fred Kogel on Building German Indie Studio Leonine and Harnessing Disruption (EXCLUSIVE)
KKR-Backed German Media Conglomerate Finally Has a Name: Leonine
'Hustlers' Acquired for Germany by Fred Kogel's New KKR-Backed Company
Endemol Shine will take over the Berlin arm of the business and set up a new drama banner under the stewardship of Nanni Erben, currently managing director of W&B TV.
W&B’s Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann will remain managing directors of the film and TV companies they founded, and will join Leonine’s management team at start of 2020.
Berg will become chief creative and chief production officer, with responsibility for the overall creative direction of the group. With Wiedemann, he will manage Leonine’s entire fiction output across film and TV.
Wiedemann will be chief business development officer of the group, overseeing the development of new business and their integration.
“We have been producers and entrepreneurs for 20 years and have long dreamed of a German studio that offers film production, theatrical distribution, television production, licensing and entertainment,” said Berg and Wiedemann in a statement. “With Leonine, this idea is now becoming reality.”
“We are delighted that, following the acquisition of Wiedemann & Berg Film, we have now succeeded in acquiring W&B TV,” said Leonine CEO Fred Kogel. “In doing so we have integrated two of the most innovative and successful production companies in Germany into Leonine and we have completed the management board with Quirin and Max.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
