UKTV’s Alibi channel has closed a multi-season deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution to acquire the exclusive first run UK broadcast rights to future seasons of TNT’s crime drama series Rizzoli & Isles. The third season of the series is set to receive its UK premiere on Alibi in January.
BBC One has commissioned a series adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s latest novel The Casual Vacancy. The series will be produced by an independent production company operated by Rowling’s agent Neil Blair. Rowling will be involved with the adaptation, while the number and length of episodes will be determined as the project moves through development. The series, which will be executive produced by Rick Senat, is slated to air in 2014.
EXCLUSIVE: Comedy Central is doubling down on its two most recent acquisitions. I’ve learned that the broadcaster has closed deals with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and Lionsgate TV to acquire the exclusive first run UK broadcast rights to the second season of NBC’s multi-camera comedy series Whitney and the back 90 episodes of FX’s hit comedy series Anger Management, respectively.
EXCLUSIVE: Sanchia McCormack has landed a guest role on ITV1’s upcoming drama series Broadchurch. My sources tell me that McCormack will be appearing in at least two episodes of the series, which is currently in production in Bristol and Dorset. Created by Chris Chibnall (Law & Order: UK), Broadchurch tells the story of a small community which is rocked when the dead body ofDanny Price is found on the beach. Whilst his death remains unresolved, the picturesque coastal town of Broadchurch is at the heart of a major police investigation and a national media frenzy.One by one the community of Broadchurch are drawn into the police enquiry. Local hoteliers and business people are implicated as the effects of a death in the community begins to impact on their hard-earned livelihoods. But can the town survive such a seismic shock during its economically crucial summer months? As the case drags on, the whole town will come under pressure: personal, economic, professional and emotional. The drama series is produced by Kudos Film & TV and stars David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Vicky McClure, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Will Mellor and Arthur Darvill.
EXCLUSIVE: British actor Edward Hogg has joined the cast of Showtime’s drama series The Borgias in a recurring role for its third season, TVWise has learned exclusively. Hogg has been cast as Georges D’Amboise, a French Cardinal who also serves as King Louis XII’s ambassador to the Papal States. My sources tell me that Hogg’s character will appear in “a large number” of episodes that comprise season 3.
EXCLUSIVE: BBC Three’s military comedy series Bluestone 42 has cast a new guest star. My sources tell me that Amit Shah (Fresh Meat) has landed a role on the series. Shah, repped by United Agents, will be playing an Army Captain serving in Afghanistan. As TVWise initially reported in September, Bluestone 42 is a single-camera comedy created by James Cary and Richard Hurst. The eight episode series follows a British bomb disposal detachment serving in Afghanistan and features a group of soldiers who really enjoy being soldiers. The comedy will take the audience from moments of intense action to the fractious camaraderie as the unit waits around for their next tasking. The main cast includes Katie Lyons (The Crimson Petal and the White), Scott Hoatson (Case Histories), Stephen Wight (Threesome), Tony Gardner (Fresh Meat), Kelly Adams (Hustle) and Oliver Chris (Green Wing).
EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this year, ITV greenlit production on the final five TV movie adaptations of the Poirot stories written by the late Agatha Christie. The five TV movies being produced include Labours of Hercules, Dead Man’s Folly, The Big Four, Elephants Can Remember and Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. I’ve learned that the decision was made to move the very final adaptation, Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, up in the production cycle and is the first of these five new movies to be produced. I’ve also learned that ITV has recruited BAFTA nominee Helen Baxendale (Friends, Cold Feet) to play a key role. According to my sources, other cast members include Hugh Fraser, Matthew McNulty, Alice Orr-Ewing, Anne Reid, Aidan McArdle and Shaun Dingwall.
EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that independent production company Clerkenwell Films has started staffing writers for a potential fifth season of its hit series Misfits. According to my sources, E4 gave the go ahead for the production company to make new hires for season 5, but were keen to stress that the broadcaster had yet to actually commission a fifth season. That said, insiders tell me that they fully expect to see Misfits recommissioned by executives at E4. My sources are also telling me that Clerkenwell has recruited Mike O’Leary to serve on the writing staff for season 5. O’Leary, repped by Curtis Brown, is perhaps a natural choice given his history with the series. He was the writer behind the online series Misfits: Strung Out and wrote the Misfits companion book that was recently published by Hodder & Stoughton.