Continuing their recent acquisitions spree, Netflix UK has landed the exclusive UK rights to USA Network’s ten episode Shooter reboot after agreeing a deal with international distributor Paramount Television, TVWise has learned.
Shooter follows the journey of Bob Lee Swagger, a highly-decorated veteran who is coaxed back into action to prevent a plot to kill the President. When Swagger’s former commanding officer Isaac Johnson solicits his expertise in a clandestine operation, Swagger discovers that he is has been framed and must do everything in his power to protect his family and clear his name.
The drama series, based on both the 2007 feature film of the same name and Stephen Hunter’s novel Point Of Impact, is set up as a co-production between Paramount Television (who produced the film) and Universal Cable Productions. The cast is led by Ryan Phillippe (Secrets & Lies) and also includes Omar Epps (House), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow), Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13) and Shantel VanSanten. Shooter will premiere on Netflix UK in November, shortly after its premiere on USA Network in the United States.
After dipping their toe in these waters over the past couple of years, Netflix UK has significantly increased their presence in first run U.S. acquisitions from the Hollywood Studios this year. In the past six months alone, to the chagrin of a number of buyers at the traditional broadcasters, Netflix UK has secured exclusive rights to such series as the new entry in the Star Trek franchise Star Trek: Discovery, Kiefer Sutherland’s ABC political drama Designated Survivor, The CW’s Frequency reboot and Syfy’s space-opera The Expanse.
This marks the first substantial UK deal for Paramount Television in a great many years. The studio’s TV division was effectively shut down following the CBS/Viacom split in the early 2000s and was only re-launched in 2014, under President Amy Powell. The studio has been developing various projects since then, with Shooter being one of the first to make it to series, and thus, the international market. Earlier this year Paramount sold their Grease: Live special to ITV2 and are also shopping the Epix espionage series Berlin Station.
