Exclusive: London’s Blackbox Media and Latin American firm Eo Media have paired up to develop a drama series based on a novel about the origins of famed Spanish video game company Dinamic Software.
The pair has optioned Jesús Martínez del Vas’ La History de Dinamic from Madrid-based agency Scenic Rights and has signed Javier Olivares, know for creating Tve and Netflix time travel comedy series El Minister del Tiempo (The Ministry of Time), as showrunner.
Del Vas wrote the novel in association with the Ruiz brothers, who as teenagers created a video game empire from their parents’ home in the early 1980s as Spanish tech companies began to boom internationally, before it crashed into bankruptcy. Del Vas spent ten years researching his book and interviewing those involved with creating Dinamic.
The 1980s became known as ‘the Golden Era of Spanish Software,’ with Dinamic’s rise occurred alongside Spain’s...
The pair has optioned Jesús Martínez del Vas’ La History de Dinamic from Madrid-based agency Scenic Rights and has signed Javier Olivares, know for creating Tve and Netflix time travel comedy series El Minister del Tiempo (The Ministry of Time), as showrunner.
Del Vas wrote the novel in association with the Ruiz brothers, who as teenagers created a video game empire from their parents’ home in the early 1980s as Spanish tech companies began to boom internationally, before it crashed into bankruptcy. Del Vas spent ten years researching his book and interviewing those involved with creating Dinamic.
The 1980s became known as ‘the Golden Era of Spanish Software,’ with Dinamic’s rise occurred alongside Spain’s...
- 5/11/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Transatlantic production label El Estudio has acquired the rights to author Fernando Gamboa’s hit novel “The Last Crypt,” and will work with powerhouse Spanish showrunner and “The Ministry of Time” creator Javier Olivares to develop the book into a high-end TV series, executive produced by Eulogio Romero (“Mitos y leyendas”).
“The Last Crypt,” the first in a three-book series, kicks off when diver Ulises Vidal discovers a small bronze bell buried in a coral reef near the Honduran island of Utila. With help from medieval history professor Eduardo Castillo, they learn that the bell is a Templar artifact, an impossibility unless all the history books are wrong and the Templars did in fact cross the Atlantic centuries before Columbus set off from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera in 1492.
With hopes of finding the fabled Templar’s treasure, the two join forces with Mexican archaeologist Cassandra Brooks...
“The Last Crypt,” the first in a three-book series, kicks off when diver Ulises Vidal discovers a small bronze bell buried in a coral reef near the Honduran island of Utila. With help from medieval history professor Eduardo Castillo, they learn that the bell is a Templar artifact, an impossibility unless all the history books are wrong and the Templars did in fact cross the Atlantic centuries before Columbus set off from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera in 1492.
With hopes of finding the fabled Templar’s treasure, the two join forces with Mexican archaeologist Cassandra Brooks...
- 8/31/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Mediapro Studio is teaming with “The Department of Time” and “Isabel” creator Javier Olivares to develop a new bio-series about former Spanish King Juan Carlos I in the style of Netflix’s “The Crown,” according to a report by Spanish paper El País and confirmed to Variety by The Mediapro Studio. No channel or platform is attached at this time.
A local authority on adapting historical, or at least history-based, content for film and TV, Olivares has already plotted out a three-season arc for his latest project, “El Rey,” featuring parallel biographies of Juan Carlos I and of Spain as a whole during the time of the king’s reign.
The idea behind “El Rey” has been on Olivares’ back burner for years, but the heat turned up with the publication of Catalan journalist Pilar Eyre’s novel “Yo, el Rey,” last year. Inspired by the book, Olivares and Javier Pons,...
A local authority on adapting historical, or at least history-based, content for film and TV, Olivares has already plotted out a three-season arc for his latest project, “El Rey,” featuring parallel biographies of Juan Carlos I and of Spain as a whole during the time of the king’s reign.
The idea behind “El Rey” has been on Olivares’ back burner for years, but the heat turned up with the publication of Catalan journalist Pilar Eyre’s novel “Yo, el Rey,” last year. Inspired by the book, Olivares and Javier Pons,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Following months of reported negotiations, The Mediapro Studio, the production-distribution powerhouse launched by Spain’s Mediapro Group this March, has acquired Andreu Buenafuente’s Barcelona-based El Terrat, Spain’s premier comedy brand.
No price was given for the acquisition, which involves 100% of El Terrat shares.
El Terrat founder owner and “Late Motiv” host Andreu Buenafuente will continue to head up El Terrat under Tms ownership, with Agustí Esteve remaining as executive director.
For The Mediapro Studio, the purchase represents its latest milestone talent deal, its having already incorporated creatives such as “Homeland” executive producer Ran Tellem, Argentine film-director.turned TV show runner Daniel Burman (“Lost Embrace”) and “The Department of Time” co-creator Javier Olivares.
The deal gives The Mediapro Studio access to Spain’s biggest comedy force in terms of profile, talent, and production capacity. Comedy creatives at El Terrat include Andreu Buenafuente himself, the embodiment of late-night humor for upscale Spaniards,...
No price was given for the acquisition, which involves 100% of El Terrat shares.
El Terrat founder owner and “Late Motiv” host Andreu Buenafuente will continue to head up El Terrat under Tms ownership, with Agustí Esteve remaining as executive director.
For The Mediapro Studio, the purchase represents its latest milestone talent deal, its having already incorporated creatives such as “Homeland” executive producer Ran Tellem, Argentine film-director.turned TV show runner Daniel Burman (“Lost Embrace”) and “The Department of Time” co-creator Javier Olivares.
The deal gives The Mediapro Studio access to Spain’s biggest comedy force in terms of profile, talent, and production capacity. Comedy creatives at El Terrat include Andreu Buenafuente himself, the embodiment of late-night humor for upscale Spaniards,...
- 12/19/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes — The L.A. Screenings represented the coming out of Viacom International Studios, which hit the market, then Conecta Fiction in Spain, with a powerful presentation of trailers.
The Conecta Fiction lineup signaled that Vis is also open to co-production and collaboration with creators in not only Latin America but far beyond; “To Catch a Thief” is written by one of Spain’s foremost TV creators, Javier Olivares;“Victoria Small,” Daniel Burman’s daily scripted comedy drama hit is produced with The Mediapro Studio; “Bad People” with “La Casa de Papel” original producers Atresmedia.
Also on the Conecta Fiction presentation was the “Red Dot,” a fantasy romantic thriller produced in Spain; “Spirit House,” originated by “Final Destination” creator Jeffrey Reddick, and produced with Convergence Entertainment; “Before I Forget,” a reversion from Turkey’s Ay Yapim.
In the run-up to Mipcom, it didn’t seem that a day went by without...
The Conecta Fiction lineup signaled that Vis is also open to co-production and collaboration with creators in not only Latin America but far beyond; “To Catch a Thief” is written by one of Spain’s foremost TV creators, Javier Olivares;“Victoria Small,” Daniel Burman’s daily scripted comedy drama hit is produced with The Mediapro Studio; “Bad People” with “La Casa de Papel” original producers Atresmedia.
Also on the Conecta Fiction presentation was the “Red Dot,” a fantasy romantic thriller produced in Spain; “Spirit House,” originated by “Final Destination” creator Jeffrey Reddick, and produced with Convergence Entertainment; “Before I Forget,” a reversion from Turkey’s Ay Yapim.
In the run-up to Mipcom, it didn’t seem that a day went by without...
- 10/15/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
A drill-down on high profile Latin American titles at Mipcom:
“Amarres” Early fruit of Turner Latin America’s production alliance with Mexico’s Dopamine, a romantic drama about a woman entangled in a world of love magic and custody battles. Bows 1Q 2020. S: Turner Latin America.
“Argentina, Land of Passion and Revenge” Pol-ka long-format big canvas smash primetime hit, playing out of two continents and ten years from 1936, marks one of the biggest bets of any network in 2019. It paid off. S: Pol-ka.
“Aruanas” Globo’s big Mipcom play, a chic Amazon-set eco thriller released on Ott worldwide: Four women at a Greenpeace-ish Ngo take on a mining corporation that’s devastating the rainforest. S: Globo.
“Bronco” A bio-series, bowing Sept. 24, “not just about the legendary Mexican band’s music and relevance but also rise to the top, despite poverty and racial discrimination,” says Turner Latin America’s Tomas Yankelevich.
“Amarres” Early fruit of Turner Latin America’s production alliance with Mexico’s Dopamine, a romantic drama about a woman entangled in a world of love magic and custody battles. Bows 1Q 2020. S: Turner Latin America.
“Argentina, Land of Passion and Revenge” Pol-ka long-format big canvas smash primetime hit, playing out of two continents and ten years from 1936, marks one of the biggest bets of any network in 2019. It paid off. S: Pol-ka.
“Aruanas” Globo’s big Mipcom play, a chic Amazon-set eco thriller released on Ott worldwide: Four women at a Greenpeace-ish Ngo take on a mining corporation that’s devastating the rainforest. S: Globo.
“Bronco” A bio-series, bowing Sept. 24, “not just about the legendary Mexican band’s music and relevance but also rise to the top, despite poverty and racial discrimination,” says Turner Latin America’s Tomas Yankelevich.
- 10/13/2019
- by John Hopewell and Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The explosion of global streaming services has prompted a golden age of Spanish drama series.
Led by new seasons of Netflix phenomena “La casa de papel” (“Money Heist”) and “Elite,” global demand for the top 20 Spanish-produced TV fiction titles grew 30.2% this year compared to 2018, according to Parrot Analytics.
“The quality of Spanish production is powering stories across borders in an unstoppable way,” says Ana Bustamante, managing director at Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group.
“Since audiences are used to watching global content, it’s now much easier to sell Spanish series,” says Portocabo founder Alfonso Blanco, producer of “Hierro.”
“Spanish TV fiction is being discovered worldwide. Gradually there will be an adjustment to demand, prompting price hikes. This will allow us to continue growing and make more ambitious productions,” says Javier Méndez, the Mediapro Studio content director.
At home, global players are rapidly positioning themselves.
Netflix now operates its first European Production...
Led by new seasons of Netflix phenomena “La casa de papel” (“Money Heist”) and “Elite,” global demand for the top 20 Spanish-produced TV fiction titles grew 30.2% this year compared to 2018, according to Parrot Analytics.
“The quality of Spanish production is powering stories across borders in an unstoppable way,” says Ana Bustamante, managing director at Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group.
“Since audiences are used to watching global content, it’s now much easier to sell Spanish series,” says Portocabo founder Alfonso Blanco, producer of “Hierro.”
“Spanish TV fiction is being discovered worldwide. Gradually there will be an adjustment to demand, prompting price hikes. This will allow us to continue growing and make more ambitious productions,” says Javier Méndez, the Mediapro Studio content director.
At home, global players are rapidly positioning themselves.
Netflix now operates its first European Production...
- 10/12/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
In this week’s International TV Newswire, series look to outscale the opposition, eOne make a key acquisition before Mipcom, Red Arrow’s Snowman a play for international co-production and Viacom International Studio’s flagship series clicks in Argentina.
Size Matters: Amazon’s Cortés-Moctezuma Series
On Thursday, Amazon Prime Video announced that Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal will join the creative team of its upcoming series about conquistador Hernán Cortés and Aztec empire ruler Montezuma II. At Mipcom, A & E Networks Intl. will be selling “Hernán,” a portrait again of Cortes, described by Fidela Navarro, CEO at Dopamine, the series’ lead producer, as the “largest independent series ever made in the territory under a multi-platform model of simultaneous premieres and promotion. Meanwhile, in Spain, Movistar+ is marketing “The Plague” Season 2, which world premiers at Mipcom, as “the most ambitious series in the history of Spanish television,” quoting Javier Zurro of “El Español.
Size Matters: Amazon’s Cortés-Moctezuma Series
On Thursday, Amazon Prime Video announced that Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal will join the creative team of its upcoming series about conquistador Hernán Cortés and Aztec empire ruler Montezuma II. At Mipcom, A & E Networks Intl. will be selling “Hernán,” a portrait again of Cortes, described by Fidela Navarro, CEO at Dopamine, the series’ lead producer, as the “largest independent series ever made in the territory under a multi-platform model of simultaneous premieres and promotion. Meanwhile, in Spain, Movistar+ is marketing “The Plague” Season 2, which world premiers at Mipcom, as “the most ambitious series in the history of Spanish television,” quoting Javier Zurro of “El Español.
- 10/4/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish media conglom The Mediapro Studio has added to its stable of high-end content producers with the hiring of seasoned Colombian producer-showrunner Juliana Barrera as its head of content in Colombia.
Barrera’s credits include hit reality show “La Voz Colombia,” “Always a Witch,” the first original Netflix series in Colombia; “The Secret Law,” the true story of an all-female special police unit; “The White Slave,” a mega-series about slavery in Colombia that sold to some 150 countries; “Perfect Lies,” the Colombian version of U.S. series “Nip/Tuck,” and “Lynch,” penned by her.
With Barrera on board, Mediapro taps an insider’s depth of experience and knowledge of the inner workings of Colombian TV production, sharpened by two decades in the biz. Since 2011, she held various positions as a producer, head of content and creative director at Colombia’s top broadcaster, Caracol TV.
“The Mediapro Studio has become a benchmark in...
Barrera’s credits include hit reality show “La Voz Colombia,” “Always a Witch,” the first original Netflix series in Colombia; “The Secret Law,” the true story of an all-female special police unit; “The White Slave,” a mega-series about slavery in Colombia that sold to some 150 countries; “Perfect Lies,” the Colombian version of U.S. series “Nip/Tuck,” and “Lynch,” penned by her.
With Barrera on board, Mediapro taps an insider’s depth of experience and knowledge of the inner workings of Colombian TV production, sharpened by two decades in the biz. Since 2011, she held various positions as a producer, head of content and creative director at Colombia’s top broadcaster, Caracol TV.
“The Mediapro Studio has become a benchmark in...
- 8/7/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Fiction titles “La luna en tu mirada,” “Shine,” “Código Alfa” and “Indie Odyssey” figure among 22 projects selected for development after a first call of proposes by Mediapro Labs, the new talent incubator created by Spanish TV giant The Mediapro Studio.
Launched in December, Mediapro Labs aims to identify audiovisual talent worth associating with and to produce new ideas and digital formats.
Since then, the Madrid-based incubator has received more than five hundred ideas spread over a wide range of categories, taking in fiction, documentary, e-sports and entertainment. In a written statement, it praised the project creators’ “extraordinary creative talent.”
Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, popularly known as the The Javis, Mediapro Labs has primarily focused on the selection of fiction projects.
The Javis’ own outfit Suma Latina will team with The Mediapro Studio to produce the winning project, which will be unveiled shortly, according to Maya Maidagan, Mediapro Labs co-director.
Launched in December, Mediapro Labs aims to identify audiovisual talent worth associating with and to produce new ideas and digital formats.
Since then, the Madrid-based incubator has received more than five hundred ideas spread over a wide range of categories, taking in fiction, documentary, e-sports and entertainment. In a written statement, it praised the project creators’ “extraordinary creative talent.”
Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, popularly known as the The Javis, Mediapro Labs has primarily focused on the selection of fiction projects.
The Javis’ own outfit Suma Latina will team with The Mediapro Studio to produce the winning project, which will be unveiled shortly, according to Maya Maidagan, Mediapro Labs co-director.
- 7/5/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — The 3rd Conecta Fiction, Europe’s biggest Latin American TV co-production forum, wrapped last week in Pamplona after four days of dealing, debate and gastronomic delectation. Following 10 Takeaways from an intense and buoyant event, driven by the unfaltering growth of high-end production in Spain and most of Latin America:
1.Platform Pivot
The writing was on the wall, or more precisely the big screen of an auditorium at Pamplona’s luxurious Baluarte congress center, from the get-go of Conecta Fiction. Drama and mini-series production near tripled in Germany over 2014-18, according to Spain’s Gabinete de Estudios de la Comunicación Audiovisual (Geca). It near doubled in France last year, up to 27 titles, from 13 in 2017. Yet traditional TV viewing is still falling among young audiences, down 28.4% and 20.1% among 14-12s and 13-24s in Spain, for example, said Geca’s Luis de Zubiaurre Wagner, citing Kantor Media. The real money shot...
1.Platform Pivot
The writing was on the wall, or more precisely the big screen of an auditorium at Pamplona’s luxurious Baluarte congress center, from the get-go of Conecta Fiction. Drama and mini-series production near tripled in Germany over 2014-18, according to Spain’s Gabinete de Estudios de la Comunicación Audiovisual (Geca). It near doubled in France last year, up to 27 titles, from 13 in 2017. Yet traditional TV viewing is still falling among young audiences, down 28.4% and 20.1% among 14-12s and 13-24s in Spain, for example, said Geca’s Luis de Zubiaurre Wagner, citing Kantor Media. The real money shot...
- 6/24/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Pamplona, Spain — RTVE, The Mediapro Studio and “The Department of Time’s” Javier Olivares are joining forces to fast track “Malaka,” a crime thriller which shows Rtve, Spain’s national public broadcaster, moving into ever more ambitious material as it seeks to attract a nationwide audience now accustomed to the cable edge of streaming platforms.
Set to finalize its shoot in mid-July, “Malaka” forms part of push into larger scale series or ever more surprising genre mashes, such as “Estoy Vivo,” produced by The Mediapro Studio’s Globomedia for Rtve, a supernatural/sci-fi fantasy, cop crime thriller, dramedy, romance and family drama, as a reincarnated cop faces off with his serial killer.
This ambition has already paid off. Rtve’s Dlo/Magnolia produced “Monteperdido,” a darker Pyrenean noir in which much of a village come under suspicion of having abducted two young girls, was shot entirely on location in a...
Set to finalize its shoot in mid-July, “Malaka” forms part of push into larger scale series or ever more surprising genre mashes, such as “Estoy Vivo,” produced by The Mediapro Studio’s Globomedia for Rtve, a supernatural/sci-fi fantasy, cop crime thriller, dramedy, romance and family drama, as a reincarnated cop faces off with his serial killer.
This ambition has already paid off. Rtve’s Dlo/Magnolia produced “Monteperdido,” a darker Pyrenean noir in which much of a village come under suspicion of having abducted two young girls, was shot entirely on location in a...
- 6/19/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Mediapro offices in Madrid’s Fuencarral district have for years boasted the logo of Globomedia, Spain’s premier scripted series production house.
But in the second half of April, a new logo, the Mediapro Studio, will replace the old. The change marks a near-total reinvention of the company’s scripted series production paradigm, says Mediapro partner Taxto Benet.
For years, Globomedia produced content for Spain’s three nationwide broadcast networks. Now its production partners span the globe, from many of the most important U.S. companies such as HBO and Netflix, to Mexico’s Televisa, Sweden’s Dramacorp, Italy’s Palomar, Finland’s Yle, Argentina’s two biggest broadcasters Telefe and Artear, plus Spain’s Mediaset España, Atresmedia and Tve. Mediapro also has four shows in development with U.K. producers, says Laura Fernández Espeso, the Mediapro Studio co-head of TV.
For years, Spanish broadcasters fully financed series, retaining...
But in the second half of April, a new logo, the Mediapro Studio, will replace the old. The change marks a near-total reinvention of the company’s scripted series production paradigm, says Mediapro partner Taxto Benet.
For years, Globomedia produced content for Spain’s three nationwide broadcast networks. Now its production partners span the globe, from many of the most important U.S. companies such as HBO and Netflix, to Mexico’s Televisa, Sweden’s Dramacorp, Italy’s Palomar, Finland’s Yle, Argentina’s two biggest broadcasters Telefe and Artear, plus Spain’s Mediaset España, Atresmedia and Tve. Mediapro also has four shows in development with U.K. producers, says Laura Fernández Espeso, the Mediapro Studio co-head of TV.
For years, Spanish broadcasters fully financed series, retaining...
- 4/8/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Mediapro, one of Europe’s biggest independent film-tv groups, has tapped Spanish writer-showrunner Diego San José, co-scribe of the smash-hit “Spanish Affair” movie franchise, to develop exclusive new TV fiction contents.
San José has previously been involved in two Mediapro projects, as co-writer and co-creator of political comedy “Vota Juan,” a co-production with Turner España aired on TNT, and co-writer of Borja Cobeaga’s “Fe de Etarras,” Netflix’s second original Spanish film, released in 2017.
He joins an already large list of content creatives tapped by Mediapro in recent years with the aim of strengthening its growing role as a key TV fiction powerhouse in Spain and the international market. That team takes in Emmy-winning Ran Tellem (“Homeland”), Iván Escobar (“Vis a vis”), Javier Olivares (“The Department of Time”), Marc Vigil (“Red Eagle”), Fernando González Molina (“The Boat”) and Daniel Burman (“Edha”), among dozens of other screenwriters and directors.
San José has previously been involved in two Mediapro projects, as co-writer and co-creator of political comedy “Vota Juan,” a co-production with Turner España aired on TNT, and co-writer of Borja Cobeaga’s “Fe de Etarras,” Netflix’s second original Spanish film, released in 2017.
He joins an already large list of content creatives tapped by Mediapro in recent years with the aim of strengthening its growing role as a key TV fiction powerhouse in Spain and the international market. That team takes in Emmy-winning Ran Tellem (“Homeland”), Iván Escobar (“Vis a vis”), Javier Olivares (“The Department of Time”), Marc Vigil (“Red Eagle”), Fernando González Molina (“The Boat”) and Daniel Burman (“Edha”), among dozens of other screenwriters and directors.
- 3/4/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Globomedia, one of Spain’s leading TV fiction houses, part of media giant Mediapro, has tapped director Marc Vigil (“The Department of Time”) as a company series director and executive producer.
One of Vigil’s first tasks at Globomedia, where he already worked previously, will be to direct TV series “Malaka,” which Globomedia is preparing for Spanish pubcaster Rtve.
Vigil will then embark on two new projects, Globomedia announced Wednesday in a statement.
Vigil recently directed episodes of Rtve’s cult Spanish TV fiction “The Department of Time,” and, in Mexico, TV series “Diablo Guardián,” for Amazon Prime Video, and “Niño Santo,” for Canal Once. He’s also debuting as a feature film director on Zeta Cinema thriller “El silencio del pantano.”
His last time round at Globomedia, Vigil helmed episodes of hit Spanish primetime TV series such as “Vis a Vis,” “Aguila Roja,” “Aida” and “7 vidas.”
Vigil’s...
One of Vigil’s first tasks at Globomedia, where he already worked previously, will be to direct TV series “Malaka,” which Globomedia is preparing for Spanish pubcaster Rtve.
Vigil will then embark on two new projects, Globomedia announced Wednesday in a statement.
Vigil recently directed episodes of Rtve’s cult Spanish TV fiction “The Department of Time,” and, in Mexico, TV series “Diablo Guardián,” for Amazon Prime Video, and “Niño Santo,” for Canal Once. He’s also debuting as a feature film director on Zeta Cinema thriller “El silencio del pantano.”
His last time round at Globomedia, Vigil helmed episodes of hit Spanish primetime TV series such as “Vis a Vis,” “Aguila Roja,” “Aida” and “7 vidas.”
Vigil’s...
- 1/30/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish actress Alexandra Jiménez and Argentine actor-producer Pablo Echarri are attached to star in Viacom’s TV series redo of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film “To Catch A Thief.”
Created by Javier Olivares, one of Spain’s best-known TV showrunners, the Spanish-language version, titled “Atrapa a un ladrón,” starts to film in Argentina and Spain in February.
The project marks the first original co-production by Viacom International Media Networks Southern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa and Viacom International Studios Latin America.
The 10-episode series follows, as in the original film, a reformed burglar, this time named Juan Garay, alias “The Cat” (played by Echarri) in his struggle to unveil a mysterious impersonator who is stealing in his name. Jiménez will fill the shoes of Lola Garay, police inspector and Juan’s wife.
Besides robberies and mysteries to solve, the blossoming love story between the two protagonists will add more spice to the action,...
Created by Javier Olivares, one of Spain’s best-known TV showrunners, the Spanish-language version, titled “Atrapa a un ladrón,” starts to film in Argentina and Spain in February.
The project marks the first original co-production by Viacom International Media Networks Southern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa and Viacom International Studios Latin America.
The 10-episode series follows, as in the original film, a reformed burglar, this time named Juan Garay, alias “The Cat” (played by Echarri) in his struggle to unveil a mysterious impersonator who is stealing in his name. Jiménez will fill the shoes of Lola Garay, police inspector and Juan’s wife.
Besides robberies and mysteries to solve, the blossoming love story between the two protagonists will add more spice to the action,...
- 1/28/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Ran Tellem, Daniel Burman and Javier Olivares will tutor or lecture at this year’s first Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and Screenplays, launched by Spain’s Mediapro Group and Madrid’s Complutense University.
Steered by one of Europe’s biggest international fiction creation forces with offices in 35 countries around the world, the initiative will be echoed in one form or another by many of the most forward-looking companies in a new high-end drama series age. That’s because it gives a longterm structural answer to the era’s greatest challenge: Accessing extraordinary writing talent.
Olivares, Tellem and Burman, all of whom hold positions at the Mediapro Group, will be joined by other key showrunners and writers such as Ivan Escobar and Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosia which have helped establish Spain as one of the major international production hubs for high-end drama series productions watched over the globe.
Steered by one of Europe’s biggest international fiction creation forces with offices in 35 countries around the world, the initiative will be echoed in one form or another by many of the most forward-looking companies in a new high-end drama series age. That’s because it gives a longterm structural answer to the era’s greatest challenge: Accessing extraordinary writing talent.
Olivares, Tellem and Burman, all of whom hold positions at the Mediapro Group, will be joined by other key showrunners and writers such as Ivan Escobar and Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosia which have helped establish Spain as one of the major international production hubs for high-end drama series productions watched over the globe.
- 1/10/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
It’s no coincidence that Netflix chose Madrid for its first European production hub.
Spanish scribe Alex Pina and network Atresmedia created “Money Heist,” Netflix’s most-watched non-English language series ever. Telefonica’s Movistar Plus has partnered with Netflix and is making by far the biggest drive into high-end series of any telco in Europe.
Having produced “Money Heist” and “Velvet,” a huge hit in Latin America, Atresmedia has launched Atresmedia Studios, aimed at producing content for third-party VOD and pay-tv partners worldwide. Its first order, from Movistar Plus, is an emotional thriller called “The Pier” from Vancouver Media’s Pina and Esther Martinez Lobato and will be one of the only two Mipcom world premiere TV screenings.
Meanwhile, “The Young Pope’s” Spanish partner Mediapro has a series in development, “A Dry Run,” with “The Wire’s” David Simon.
There is a sense that Spain is becoming a genuine...
Spanish scribe Alex Pina and network Atresmedia created “Money Heist,” Netflix’s most-watched non-English language series ever. Telefonica’s Movistar Plus has partnered with Netflix and is making by far the biggest drive into high-end series of any telco in Europe.
Having produced “Money Heist” and “Velvet,” a huge hit in Latin America, Atresmedia has launched Atresmedia Studios, aimed at producing content for third-party VOD and pay-tv partners worldwide. Its first order, from Movistar Plus, is an emotional thriller called “The Pier” from Vancouver Media’s Pina and Esther Martinez Lobato and will be one of the only two Mipcom world premiere TV screenings.
Meanwhile, “The Young Pope’s” Spanish partner Mediapro has a series in development, “A Dry Run,” with “The Wire’s” David Simon.
There is a sense that Spain is becoming a genuine...
- 10/15/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Santiago De Compostela, Spain — “Día Cero,” “Malaka” and “Streisand Effect” won Tuesday night development prizes at Conecta Fiction, the co-production and networking forum, whose second edition runs June 18-21 in Galicia’s Santiago de Compostela, at the end of the St. James Way.
The awards were adjudicated by Telefonica’s paybox Movistar + and public broadcaster Rtve, two of the main Conecta Fiction partners, who valued the projects’ in part according to their potential fit with their respective TV fiction programming strategies.
A total 10 international co-production projects competed for the Movistar+ and Rtve awards, plus a further six that developed at the series lab of Spain’s General Society of Spanish Authors’ Foundation (Sgae). All projects were pitched Tuesday June 19 at Conecta Fiction.
The Movistar + award went to “Día Cero,” a high concept comedy project set up at Alejandro Miranda’s Spanish distribution-production house Versus Entertainment, marking the company’s entry into TV fiction production.
The awards were adjudicated by Telefonica’s paybox Movistar + and public broadcaster Rtve, two of the main Conecta Fiction partners, who valued the projects’ in part according to their potential fit with their respective TV fiction programming strategies.
A total 10 international co-production projects competed for the Movistar+ and Rtve awards, plus a further six that developed at the series lab of Spain’s General Society of Spanish Authors’ Foundation (Sgae). All projects were pitched Tuesday June 19 at Conecta Fiction.
The Movistar + award went to “Día Cero,” a high concept comedy project set up at Alejandro Miranda’s Spanish distribution-production house Versus Entertainment, marking the company’s entry into TV fiction production.
- 6/20/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Santiago De Compostela, Spain – Imagina Intenational Sales, the distribution arm of TV giant Mediapro, has sold Spanish TV drama “Pulsaciones” (Lifeline) to Mexican broadcaster Azteca TV.
Produced by Mediapro’s Globomedia, “Lifeline” was co-created by Spanish multi-hyphenate Emilio Aragón, and released in Spain from January 2017 on Atresmedia’s main channel Antena 3.
The series boasts an already a large international sales run, including prrior deals with Channel 4 in the U.K. and Netflix in Latin America, and has marked a milestone as the first Spanish series to be aired by Arabic network Mbc.
The 10-episode closed-end drama turns on a renowned surgeon who suffers from a heart attack, receives a heart transplant and starts to have strange nightmares related to the murder of his donor.
The Lifeline deal was unveiled at the 2nd edition of Conecta Fiction, the TV series co-production and networking meeting who is taking place over...
Produced by Mediapro’s Globomedia, “Lifeline” was co-created by Spanish multi-hyphenate Emilio Aragón, and released in Spain from January 2017 on Atresmedia’s main channel Antena 3.
The series boasts an already a large international sales run, including prrior deals with Channel 4 in the U.K. and Netflix in Latin America, and has marked a milestone as the first Spanish series to be aired by Arabic network Mbc.
The 10-episode closed-end drama turns on a renowned surgeon who suffers from a heart attack, receives a heart transplant and starts to have strange nightmares related to the murder of his donor.
The Lifeline deal was unveiled at the 2nd edition of Conecta Fiction, the TV series co-production and networking meeting who is taking place over...
- 6/20/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Viacom is setting out “To Catch a Thief,” but this time on TV. A Spanish-language TV remake of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie is in the works with Javier Olivares, creator of hit Spanish drama “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (“The Department of Time”) on board to adapt. Viacom will air it on its networks in Latin America and sell it internationally.
Production dates have not been set, but Viacom International Media Networks was confident enough in the project, “Atrapar a un Ladron” in Spanish, to present it to buyers at the La Screenings. The annual May shindig sees the distribution arms of the Hollywood studios present their new network shows to acquisitions execs, and it also a key market for Latin American buyers and sellers.
Hitchcock’s 1955 “To Catch a Thief” was based on the 1952 David Dodge novel. It starred Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Grant played a reformed burglar...
Production dates have not been set, but Viacom International Media Networks was confident enough in the project, “Atrapar a un Ladron” in Spanish, to present it to buyers at the La Screenings. The annual May shindig sees the distribution arms of the Hollywood studios present their new network shows to acquisitions execs, and it also a key market for Latin American buyers and sellers.
Hitchcock’s 1955 “To Catch a Thief” was based on the 1952 David Dodge novel. It starred Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Grant played a reformed burglar...
- 5/23/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish drama production has evolved quickly in the past few years, while the proliferation of Svod platforms is revolutionizing the sector. Ott distribution has helped push some Spanish series onto not only continental screens, but also global TVs.
Take, for example, Alex Pina’s “La Casa de Papel,” produced by Vancouver Media for Atresmedia, and acquired worldwide by Netflix. Its Dalí-inspired aesthetic has been celebrated at Brazil’s Carnival and Saudi soccer matches.
Netflix has now commissioned Spanish drama series (such as Bambú’s “The Cable Girls”) and made early investments in others (such as Rtve’s “The Department of Time,” Atresmedia’s “The Cathedral of the Sea”).
Spanish fiction has “always been a quality product,” says Mediapro head of content Javier Méndez. Now, “the world is discovering Spanish fiction through its presence on new global platforms.”
Beyond Spain, the main target is Latin America.
In February, Movistar Plus — Telefonica...
Take, for example, Alex Pina’s “La Casa de Papel,” produced by Vancouver Media for Atresmedia, and acquired worldwide by Netflix. Its Dalí-inspired aesthetic has been celebrated at Brazil’s Carnival and Saudi soccer matches.
Netflix has now commissioned Spanish drama series (such as Bambú’s “The Cable Girls”) and made early investments in others (such as Rtve’s “The Department of Time,” Atresmedia’s “The Cathedral of the Sea”).
Spanish fiction has “always been a quality product,” says Mediapro head of content Javier Méndez. Now, “the world is discovering Spanish fiction through its presence on new global platforms.”
Beyond Spain, the main target is Latin America.
In February, Movistar Plus — Telefonica...
- 4/7/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
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