France, Germany and Finland Join Search For ‘Nation’s Dumbest’
France, Germany and Finland are joining the search for the Nation’s Dumbest. BBC Studios’ format, which started life in Norway, has sold to TF1, ProSieben streamer Joyn and MTV3 respectively in the three territories. Nation’s Dumbest styles itself as the “first ever television show where the loser is the winner.” Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned nation’s dumbest. From influencers to wrestlers, comedians to politicians, the contestants are put to the test in a series of entertaining physical and mental rounds. BBC Studios will be selling the format at the upcoming MIPCOM in Cannes. It is onto its second season for Norway’s TV2 and TV2 Play. Matt Forde, President, BBC Studios Global Productions, said: “Nation’s Dumbest has been an instant hit since we launched the format at MIPCOM last year. With adaptations now confirmed across four European territories and more to come, this bold and entertaining concept with its humour, relatability and originality, is a perfect example of how our content travels.”
Lynx Capital To Finance Chaos Theory Film Slate
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Lynx Capital will finance a slate of films from Mike Le Han and Brandon Franco’s film and TV producer Chaos Theory. Over the next several years, Lynx and Chaos Theory will work up multiple projects through a credit line of $250M. First up will be psychological horror Don’t Look Inside, which is set to begun production in Minnesota this fall. Rachel Nichols (Demigod), Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland), Missi Pyle (Gone Girl), Nelson Lee (Civil War) and Academy Award nominee Bruce Davison (Longtime Companion) star. Le Han and Franco are producing based on a screenplay from Le Han, who is helming the movie. Lynx CEO Misha Henriksen and COO Greg Weinberg will serve as exec producers. “This partnership represents the beginning of an ambitious slate we’re incredibly excited about,” said Henriksen. “Don’t Look Inside is the perfect first project – an elevated horror-thriller with a gripping story and a stellar cast with franchise potential.” Le Han called Don’t Look Inside “a passion project years in the making.”
German TV Award Winners Announced
Germany’s national TV awards, Der Deutsche Fernsehpreis, has unveiled its winners. Best Drama Series went to Apple TV+/ZDFneo’s Berlin ER (aka KRANK Berlin), with ARD, SWR and BR’s Ein Mann Seiner Klasse winning Best TV Movie or Miniseries. The Netflix series Achtsam Morden won Best Comedy Series, Prosieben’s Ein Sehr Gutes Quiz (Mit Hoher Gewinnsumme) took home the Best Entertainment Series prize, ZDF’s Die Anstalt – Fruende Des Patriarchats won Best Comedy/Late Night Show, Herbstresidenz mit Tim Mälzer und André Dietz brought home the Best Factual Entertainment title and Germany’s Next Top Model, another Prosieben show, bagged the Beste Entertainment Reality prize. The Best Documentary went to ZDF’s Systemfehler: Der Cum-Ex Skandal and Prime Video’s German Cocaine Cowboy won Best Docu-Series. In the acting categories, Maria Furtwängler role in ARD and NDR’s Bis zur Wahrheit landed her Best Actress and Leonard Kunz took home the Best Actor going for his role in ARD, SWR and BR’s miniseries Ein Mann Seiner Klasse.
Moviehouse To Handle ‘Lenore‘ Sales
EXCLUSIVE: Moviehouse Entertainment will handle worldwide sales (excluding Australia and New Zealand) on psycho horror pic Lenore and plans to launch it internationally this year. The debut feature of writer-director David Ward, the film comes from Melbourne-based Veronica Brand Productions, in association with MCF Productions and Sugarland Productions. Set in the squalid basement of a suburban home, it follows unemployed filmmaker and terminally online sycophant Max, who spends his days and nights hunting for footage of controversial influencer and performer ‘Lenore’, piecing together a distorted tribute in the wake of her sudden disappearance. Before he can complete his task, Max must first contend with a string of suspicious visitors and – worse still – a malevolent force that seems to live within his grotesque editing suite. Nicholas Jaquinot stars alongside Ruby Duncan. Also in the cast are Samuel Macdonald, Caithlin O’Loghlen, Scott McKenzie, David Gannon, Freya Callahan, Bobby James, Abbie James, and Joshua Dawe. The Movieline deal The deal was negotiated on behalf of Veronica Brand Productions by Ward alongside fellow producers Madeline Claire French, Riley Sugars and Jaquinot, who also serves as a producer. “Given the subject matter, it was ironic I met David, Nicholas, Madeline, and Riley online, having had the opportunity to screen Lenore,” said Moviehouse Co-Managing Director Gary Phillips. “I’m a big fan of the picture and think the market will be too – and similarly of their commitment to telling a story so incredibly relevant to our world today.”
Sony Entertainment Television Board ‘Rise And Fall India’
Here’s yet another example of linear TV networks and streamers working together. Sony Entertainment Television has boarded Amazon MX Player’s Indian version of reality series Rise and Fall. An agreement struck just days before the show’s launch on September sees new episodes of Rise and Fall launching on free streamer MX player at 12pm each day, with the SET running it the same day at 10.30pm. The two sides are calling the pact a “first-of-its-kind distribution collaboration.” Hosted by Ashneer Grover, the series is based on the Studio Lambert show first made for Channel 4 in the UK. It sees 15 celebrity contestants living inside a towering structure that’s split between extremes – the lavish penthouse of the ‘Rulers’ and the bare-basics basement of the ‘Workers.’ Banijay Asia produces locally. “Together, we are ensuring that Rise and Fall is accessible to audiences nationwide, on both digital and broadcast,” said Amogh Dusad, Director & Head of Content, Amazon MX Player. “This collaboration goes beyond distribution; it’s about reshaping how great stories are shared, experienced, and celebrated by millions,” added Akshay Agrawal, Cluster Head, Ad Sales, Hindi GEC, Travel & Tourism Business, Sony Pictures Networks India.