EXCLUSIVE: Participant Media announced yesterday that owing to the tough landscape for standalone cable networks, Pivot – a brand aimed at millennials – would be closing its doors. The network was best known for serving as the U.S. co-producer for Sky Atlantic’s Fortitude since 2014, after the initial U.S. co-producer, premium cable network Starz, backed out.
That had left some to question what, if any, affect Pivot’s closure would have on the Arctic-set drama, but TVWise can now reveal that it will not impact the series. Sources have stated that that principal photography wrapped some time ago and the show’s second season is well into the post-production process. The only possible impact will be that Sky Vision now has to secure a new U.S. broadcaster for the series, ahead of the season two premiere in 2017.
“We’re saddened to hear about the closure of Pivot. However, our plans for Fortitude remain”, a representative of Sky said in a statement to TVWise. “A second series is in post-production which we look forward to launching on Sky Atlantic in the new year as well as selling at MIPCOM”.
Fortitude, from Fifty Fathoms, Tiger Aspect and Simon Donald, told the story of a mysterious death in a close-knit community in the Arctic Circle. In season two, a fresh murder rocks the community and plunges it into turmoil. And out in the stunning icy wilderness, nature is growing even more unpredictable, deadly and dangerous. The series was a ratings hit for Sky Atlantic when it debuted last year; ranking as the channel’s biggest drama commission to date.
Most of the cast from season one – including Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing) and Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones) – are returning and will be joined by the likes of Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven), Parminder Nagra (ER), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Robert Sheehan (Misfits), and Ken Stott (The Missing). The executive producers are Patrick Spence, Simon Donald, Faye Dorn, Frith Tiplady, Anne Mensah and Lizzie Gray.
