Global Bulletin: HBO Europe Greenlights Spanish Anthology Series ‘Escenario 0’

Jamie Lang
·5 min read

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Standout Spanish cinema actors Irene Escolar (“Official Competition,” “Tell Me Who I Am”) and Bárbara Lennie (“Everybody Knows,” “Magical Girl”) have teamed on a new anthology series commissioned by HBO España and produced by Calle Cruzada.

Created and executive produced by the pair (pictured), who will also perform in the show, “Escenario 0” features six episodes from prominent writers and filmmakers. A unique project that will mix different disciplines to create an exceptional fusion between the performing and audiovisual arts.

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“Escanario 0” is the latest example of HBO Europe looking to tap Spanish talent for its HBO Spain original programming. Previous series include Isabel Coixet’s “Foodie Love” and Álex de la Iglesia’s “30 Coins,” as well as the much-anticipated series adaptation of best-selling novel “Patria,” and recently announced comedy series “Por H o por B.”

COMMISSION

Keshet has closed a deal for a Dutch remake of the popular musical quiz program “The Hit List,” commissioned by public broadcaster NPO to be produced locally by Vincent TV.

Originally produced by Tuesday’s Child, the series was recently re-commissioned for a third season at BBC One in the U.K. where season two was a hit, scoring a 20% audience share. It also recently premiered on MTV in Finland, earning the top spot among commercial channels that night.

In each episode, three teams of two participate in multiple rounds of music trivia, where breadth of knowledge is key and multi-generational pairings are encouraged. “The Hit List” is distributed globally by Keshet International on behalf of Tuesday’s Child.

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UKTV has bolstered the lineup of its crime drama channel Alibi with the commissioning of new six-part series “The Diplomat,” its third original for the channel, from writer Ben Richards and producer World Productions (“Bodyguard,” “Line of Duty”) with UKTV and BBC Studios.

Set in and around the British Consul in Barcelona, the series follows ex-pat Laura Simmonds and her colleague and friend Alba Ortiz as they advocate for British nationals who run into trouble while in the Catalan capital, starting with the unexplained death of a young British bartender.

A UKTV Original, the series was commissioned by Philippa Collie Cousins and ordered by Alibi channel director Emma Ayech. Simon Heath will executive produce for World Productions, Collie Cousins for UKTV and Martin Rakusen for BBC Studios.

MULTI-SERIES DEAL

Entertainment One (eOne) has secured a multi-year licensing partnership with Florida-based Hispanic TV and media company Olympusat for more than 200 hours of catalog content to be made available on the latter’s Latin American AVOD service FreeTV, launched in May.

FreeTV content includes a wide array of multicultural productions from around the world, including between 800 and 1,000 hours per month dubbed in Spanish and 200 hours of content from Mexico, Spain and the rest of Latin America.

New programming from eOne includes popular series such as Thandie Newton-starrer “Rogue,” genre programs “Bitten,” “Haven,” “The Enfield Haunting,” “Saving Hope” and “Matador,” and historical drama “Turn: Washington’s Spies.” Each has been dubbed in Spanish.

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PRE-SALES

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT) has closed first pre-sales on its new Norwegian police procedural “For Life,” recently brought onto the international market. In France, Canal Plus will broadcast the series on its Polar+ detective series channel, while SBS in Australia and Pro Plus in Slovenia also closed deals on the program.

“For Life” is created and written by International Emmy winner Gjermund S. Eriksen (“Mammon,” “Aber Bergen”) and is co-written by Helena Nielsen (“Lilyhammer,” “Aber Bergen”). NENT company Monster produces for Norwegian broadcaster NRK with backing from the Norwegian Film Institute.

A multi-timeline series, “For Life” unspools in the present as National Crime Service investigator Victoria Woll solves cases, and in the future, where she herself is in prison. Each episode will feature one of Woll’s cases and provide bits of the backstory which landed her behind bars.

“For Life” will premiere on NRK Sept. 6.

PROMOTION

AT&T’s WarnerMedia has announced the promotion of Whit Richardson from president of Turner Latin America to president of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, Latin America, effective Aug. 1. He will continue to work out of the company’s offices in Atlanta and report to Gerhard Zeiler, chief revenue officer, WarnerMedia and president of WarnerMedia International Networks.

In the new role, Richardson will oversee programming, ad sales, distribution and operations for WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, including Turner channels, Cinemax, HBO and sports networks across the region. He will share responsibility for kids programming in Latin America with Tom Ascheim, newly announced president of global kids, young adults and classics at Warner Bros.

RELEASE DATE

Luca Guadagnino’s miniseries “We Are Who We Are,” selected by Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, has found a release slot. The show, which stars Chloë Sevigny, Jack Dylan Grazer, Alice Braga and Jordan Kristine Seamón, will be available on HBO in the U.S. in September and on Sky in Italy in October.

Directors’ Fortnight said it was a “masterful fresco on youth [that] evokes deeply contemporary human questions with delightful freedom and narrative precision.”

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