Foxtel, Arte among raft of Wolf Hall sequel buyers

Australia’s Foxtel and Arte in Europe are among buyers to have picked up the sequel to Bafta- and Golden Globe-winning Wolf Hall, Broadcast International has learned.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, which was greenlit by the BBC and PBS’s Masterpiece in the US, has been acquired by Foxtel and Arte along with Wolf Hall, the first show in the series of remakes of the Hilary Mantel novels that debuted a decade ago.

The 6 x 60-minute second series is again produced by Colin Callender’s Playground and Company Pictures, with Banijay Rights taking on distribution from BBC Studios. It stars Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, with Peter Kosminsky directing and the adaptation is by Peter Straughan (Conclave).

The show, as well as forerunner Wolf Hall, have also been picked up by SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, DR in Denmark, HRT in Croatia, TVCine Channels in Portugal, YES in Israel, RTV Slovenija, Freedom Media in Kazakhstan and BBC First in New Zealand. Movistar Plus+ in Spain has already picked up rights.

Simon Cox, exec vice-president of Banijay Rights, told Broadcast International here at Series Mania that the show’s global sales underlined ongoing demand for premium scripted, despite buyers recalibrating their demands.

“It gives us real confidence, it’s such a strong package with on-screen and off-screen talent, then there’s the brand and the IP as well,” he said.

The show is based on the eponymous final novel of Mantel’s award-winning trilogy, while Wolf Hall was based on the late Mantel’s first two books in the series, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Cox added that Wolf Hall, in particular, also showed the long tail of such period pieces, despite their often higher budgets. “It’s been around for a while but it still sells – we’ve been selling series one alongside series two to complete the trilogy [of novels] and they really have a long shelf life.

“The way they’ve produced the series gives it that edge and it doesn’t age. That gives us confidence in renewals and sales over many years, and for shows like this, that is important.”

Lyle Bettson-Barker, senior vice-president of Australia and New Zealand at Banijay Rights, brokered the Foxtel Group deal and said the series “follows on seamlessly from one of the most critically acclaimed TV series of the last decade.”

He added: “The inner workings of Henry VIII’s court have long been fascinating to global audiences so we are excited that Foxtel is on board to take Thomas Cromwell’s navigation of this world to a whole new viewership.”

Exec producer Callender added: “Intimate, thrilling, and deeply moving, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is as contemporary as ever – a story of loyalty and betrayal that just happens to be about people 500 years ago.

“The series received a rapturous response from critics and audiences alike when it premiered in the UK and we are delighted that through the good services of our partners at Banijay Rights the series will be seen by audiences all around the world.”

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light premiered on BBC iPlayer and BBC One last year and launched on Masterpiece in the US last weekend. It follows Thomas Cromwell as he continues to navigate the moral complexities of the Tudor court following the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife.