Astral Projection, the production company set up by Oscar winner Rachel Weisz and British executive producer Polly Stokes (“American Honey,” “Wild Rose”) has signed a new first-look and development deal with Fremantle.
The three-year deal will see Fremantle become the primary home for all TV and film projects for Astral Projection, which co-produced“Dead Ringers,” Amazon’s six-part psychological thriller in which Weisz played both lead roles in a gender-swapped reimagining of the 1988 David Cronenberg film. Stokes, a former creative executive at Film4, and Weisz have a long-standing relationship and are building a slate of projects with Rebecca Servadio as Astral’s literary consultant.
The deal was spearheaded byFremantle CEO of global drama Christian Vesper and COO of global drama Seb Shorr. It was negotiated by Fran Denny, Fremantle’s VP legal and business affairs of global drama, and James Kay and Jessica Hudson for Sheridans on behalf of Astral Projection.
“We are thrilled to have found such experienced and trusting partners in Fremantle. As soon as we met Christian and Seb, we knew they were a perfect fit for our taste and energy and that this would be a brilliant home for Astral,” Weisz said in a statement.
Added Stokes: “We want to tell stories that are surprising and affirming — that find joy in unexpected and daring places. We were immediately taken by Fremantle’s reach, across film and TV, and their deep faith in exceptional talent. We can’t wait to begin this chapter.”
The partnership with Astral Projection is the latest to be announced by Fremantle following its recent deal with Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee’s BAFTA-winning U.K. production house Me+You Productions (“Close to You,” “I Am…”), and joins a growing list that also includes deals with Edward Berger and his label Nine Hours, Angelina Jolie, Johan Renck and Michael Parets’ recently launched label Sinestra, Patrick Daly’s Caledonia Productions andPabloLarraín’sFabula.
“We’ve been admirers of Polly and Rachel’s careers for some time,” Vesper said. “The breadth, scale and acclaim of their combined body of work across both television and film is truly impressive and I’ve no doubt this is going to be a fruitful and exciting partnership. I couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the Fremantle family and start collaborating on world class projects together.”
