documentARY
Tom Hardy is set to narrate a natural history series for Sky Nature, titled “Predators.”
Set to launch in December, the series will follow five apex predators as they fight to survive in some of the world’s most challenging environments: polar bears in Canada, wild dogs in Zimbabwe, puma in Chile, lions in Botswana, brown bears in Russia and cheetahs in Tanzania.
It also represents Sky’s first co-production with Netflix. The series was produced by True to Nature and Sky Studios in association with Netflix. It will launch on Sky Nature and Sky’s streaming platform NOW in December. A Netflix release date hasn’t been /confirm/ied.
Zai Bennett, Sky’s managing director of content, and Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual, commissioned the series. Wendy Dark exec produces while Vanessa Coates is show runner and Dan Smith series director. NBCUniversal Global Distribution are distributing on behalf of Sky Studios.
Check out the trailer below:
ON-DEMAND
NBCUniversal International’s all-reality, on-demand service Hayu is set to launch in Central and Eastern Europe later this year, meaning it will soon be available in over 40 territories on all devices, including mobile, tablet, TV console and web. Among the shows on offer are “The Real Housewives,” “Below Deck” and “Million Dollar Listing.”
“As the destination for world-renowned reality content, this expansion to Central and Eastern Europe continues to deliver on our goal of super-serving the best reality TV to even more fans of the genre,” said Hendrik McDermott, MD for direct-to-consumer, global at NBCUniversal. “We are thrilled to be launching our D2C subscription streaming service in the region, where we look forward to partnering with platforms and telcos to serve their young female audiences.”
APPOINTMENT
Michele Wolkoff has been upped to The Ink Factory’s creative director. She will be based in L.A., overseeing the company’s development and production slate, which currently includes “The Plotters,” a Korean television series adaptation, and “War Doctor”, a feature based on a British trauma surgeon’s memoir.
Wolkoff, who steps into the role vacated by Katherine Butler earlier this summer, was previously had of film and TV at The Ink Factory’s L.A. outpost. Beore that she worked at Stephen Garrett’s production company Character 7, The Mark Gordon Company, Bazelevs and Universal Pictures, where she spent seven years as director of development.
The company has also promoted Ian Spence to head of finance and operations. He will be based in London, reporting to Simon Cornwell.
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ITV Studios label Rollercoaster Television has tapped Sarah Boyce as head of production.
Rollercoaster Television, which is led by James Fox and Dom Waugh, launched last year with a focus on new formats for the U.K. and internationally.
Boyce joins them from Remarkable, where she was head of production for entertainment. Among the shows she worked on were “Pointless,” “House of Games” and “Starstruck.” Previously Boyce worked as a freelance production manager for a decade,
“We’re absolutely thrilled Sarah is joining us,” said Fox and Waugh. “She has one of the best production brains in the business, equally adept at realising complex, big-scale first series as managing returning brands. And with our first slate of shows now gearing up, it feels like the perfect time to bring Sarah on board.”
NEGOTIATION
Producers’ group Pact and crew union Bectu are continuing to negotiate their high-end TV drama agreement. based on recent discussions, Pact will draft and consult on a new offer before submitting it to Bectu for members to consider. Bectu’s member consultation will take place from Oct. 10 followed by a ballot from Oct. 14-23.
Currently crew are being advised to continue working under the terms of the 2017 collective agreement, although this expired at the beginning of this month.
