Emmy award-winning Swedish director Johan Renck (“Chernobyl”) and producer Michael Parets (“Spaceman”) have launched a new production company called Sinestra and signed a two-year television first-look deal with Fremantle.
Their first TV collaboration with Fremantle will be the TV series “Mouth to Mouth” based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Antoine Wilson about the raucous L.A. art scene of the 1990s.
Under the deal, Fremantle will also be the new home for all of Sinestra’s upcoming televisions projects. Selected TV projects will be co-owned, co-developed and co-produced, with Fremantle leading on physical production, raising production finance and international sales, the company said in a statement.
Besides “Chernobyl,” which aired on HBO and Sky and won Emmy Awards for directing and limited series, Renck’s other credits include the skein “The Last Panthers” starring John Hurt and Samantha Morton. He has also directed pilots and episodes of “Vikings,” “Bloodline,” “Shut Eye,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead,” among other shows.
Renck (pictured) who directed all episodes and co-produced “Chernobyl,” is currently in pre-production on the pilot for “Dune: The Sisterhood” for HBO Max.He also recently directed the feature film “Spaceman” which will be released by Netflix in 2023 starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano.
Parets, who produced “Spaceman” will work alongside Renck at Sinestra. Parets most recently headed the film and TV unit at Free Association where he developed and produced “Spaceman” for Netflix. Before that, he worked for FilmNation.
“As we come together to launch Sinestra as a home for ambitious, bracing storytelling, we’re thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Fremantle,” said Renck and Parets in a statement.
“They know how to push artists and their audiences out of their comfort zones and into the invigorating creative space where true risk is rewarded. We can’t wait to see what kind of trouble we get into with them,” they added
Said Christian Vesper, President of Global Drama at Fremantle: “I have long been a fan of Johan and Michael’s work and it is a real privilege to welcome them, and the whole team at Sinestra, to the Fremantle family. We are in no doubt that together we will bring some exceptional projects to audiences around the world, and we are honoured that they have chosen to work with us.”
The deal was brokered by Vesper and Seb Shorr, Fremantle’s executive VP, commercial and business affairs for scripted, and Renck’s team at Casarotto Ramsey & Assocs, CAA, Black Bear Pictures and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
“Mouth to Mouth” author Antoine Wilson is represented by CAA.
Fremantle, which has been ramping up their scripted TV side, delivered 81 scripted shows in 2021, including BBC One hit “The Responder,” HBO Max series “Lust,” from Sweden’s Miso Film, and Italian dystopian drama “Anna.”
