‘The Long Shadow,’ About Serial Killer Peter Sutcliffe, Sells to Sundance Now in U.S., Buyers Worldwide
Distributor All3Media Intl. has sold “The Long Shadow,” written by “Lupin” creator George Kay, to Sundance Now, which has taken exclusive rights in the U.S. and Canada. All3Media Intl. has also secured deals for the show across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
In Germany, MagentaTV has acquired the seven-part drama, which will launch on the platform this month. Others that will air the series include Virgin Media Television in Ireland, VRT in Belgium, Cosmote TV in Greece, and Polar+, Canal+’s thriller channel, in France. A further deal is in the pipeline with a major streaming service that will cover multiple European territories.
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Additionally, Prime Video has acquired rights to the series in a pan territory deal for Africa. Australian streamer Stan has acquired the show and NHK Enterprises Inc. has taken it for Mystery Channel, one of the pay TV channels owned by AXN Co., Ltd. in Japan.
The series is a dramatic depiction of the desperate five-year hunt for real-life serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, sensitively focusing on the lives of the victims who crossed his path and those of the officers at the heart of the police investigation.
Toby Jones (“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) plays Dennis Hoban, who initially led the enquiry, with David Morrissey (“Sherwood”) as George Oldfield, who took on the investigation.
Produced by New Pictures, the outfit behind “The Missing,” “Des” and “White House Farm,” the series is solely written by Kay (“Hijack,” “Criminal: UK”), and solely directed by BAFTA-winning director Lewis Arnold (“Sherwood,” “Time,” “Des”). The series premiered to critical acclaim and ratings winning success on ITV1 and ITVX last month.
Meticulously researched and drawing on the most extensive archive of the investigation, comprising hundreds of case files, interview transcripts and police reports, the series is also based on “Wicked Beyond Belief,” Michael Bilton’s critically acclaimed account of the case, published by William Collins.
One murder has the power to cast a long shadow and this case – with multiple victims – plunged a whole society into darkness. For every victim, there were friends and loved ones. For every police officer, there was the burden of failure – of near misses and guilt – and the knowledge that as they failed to find their man, more women continued to suffer. The impact on the lives of those who live on after the death of their loved one remains to this day. Those who cannot escape what happened, who must sit with their incomprehensible trauma for decades after, enduring their own life sentences.
With people today holding to account the institutional foundations that foster misogyny, racism and violence against women, “The Long Shadow” will speak to the societal issues of the past whilst highlighting alarming parallels between these terrible crimes and tragic events in our more recent history.
Maartje Horchner, exec VP content at All3Media Intl., commented, “This exceptionally moving and sensitive series is produced to the highest quality by [CEO of New Pictures] Willow Grylls, with writer George Kay and director Lewis Arnold, and the team at New Pictures. We are so pleased to have brought Sundance Now to the project as co-producer and to already have such an impressive slate of partners from across the globe.”
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