Friday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Severance extended at Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has ordered a third series of hit drama Severance, just a day after the second season’s final episode.

The show was created by Dan Erickson and has been directed by Ben Stiller. Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry and John Turturro star in the workplace drama, which explores the lives of people who permanently separate their work and personal lives.

It is produced by Fifth Season, Red Hour Prods, Westward and Animals & People.

Mediawan’s Eckert exits

Mediawan Rights deputy acquisitions director in France, Emmanuel Eckert, has left the company to launch his own company.

The new venture will work with international partners on co-productions and distribution, as well as offering consultancy.

Eckert had been at Mediawan for the past three years having previously worked at Lagadere Studios, which was then acquired by the French group in 2020.

Universal’s Mercury lands Gloria Gaynor doc

Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios has acquired global distribution rights to feature doc Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive.

Directed by Betsy Schechter, the film reveals the highs and lows of Gaynor’s career. It debuted with a sold-out premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and has collected multiple awards in the US, including Best of Fest Award at The Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Mercury Studios vice president of content acquisitions for Amy Freshwater, said documentary reveals “Gloria’s own experience - what it means to be a public superstar while privately fighting for survival”.

UK’s 5 & Sundance Now order LA serial killer series

5 in the UK and Sundance Now have ordered a true crime series about three serial killers in LA.

Produced by Peninsula TV, Butchers of L.A. will explore the crimes of Patrick Kearney, William Bonin and Randy Kraft who targeted young men in the 1970s and 80s. While the three operated independently, their overlapping methods confounded law enforcement, creating years of uncertainty.

The series will feature interviews, archival footage and expert analysis. Sphere Abacus is distributing the series globally.

Fifth Season to distribute Nordic thriller Vaka

Fifth Season is to represent worldwide distribution rights outside the Nordics on Skybound Entertainment’s thriller series Vaka, which is set to premiere on Prime Video in the Nordics.

The 6 x 45-minute dystopian title is the latest production from the company behind The Walking Dead. Directed by Henrik Georgsson (The Bridge) and starring Jonas Karlsson and Aliette Opheim, the series follows the fallout when an epidemic of insomnia sweeps through Stockholm.

It is written by Brynja Björk and Pauline Wolff, and created by Brynja Björk and produced in collaboration between Amazon MGM Studios, Unlimited Stories, Sagafilm, and Skybound Entertainment.

CNN, BBC link on Twitter doc

The UK’s BBC and CNN have partnered up on a documentary from Candle True Stories and Bitachon365 that explores how Twitter came about and its eventual sale to Elon Musk.

The 1 x 75-minute Twitter: Breaking The Bird will air on 31 March on BBC2 and reveal the inside story of corporate clashes behind the scenes at the social media startup.

It will feature interviews with co-founder and former chief executive Ev Williams and co-founder Biz Stone. The pair will share their original vision of a digital utopia and their views on current associations with the spread of online hate - and the platform’s rebirth as X.

Also interviewed are early employees and journalists like Kara Swisher who have been covering the company since it was founded in 2006.

The show is being produced in association with CNN Original Series and was ordered by the BBC’s head of specialist factual, Jack Bootle, with commissioning editor Tom Coveney.

Globo TV ups Leonora Bardini

Brazilian giant Globo has restructured its operations and appointed programming director Leonora Bardini as director at Globo TV.

Her remit includes oversight of all of the broadcaster’s operations except the affiliate deals, with the move coming as a part of a broader overhaul under chief exec Amauri Soares.

Content, marketing and intelligence will fall under Bardini, as well as network and regional programming. Affiliate deals are being oversee by Patrícia Rego, who reports into Soares, as does Bardini.

Prime Video, TV2 prep Henry Rinnan drama

Prime Video and TV2 in Norway have greenlit a local thriller that explores the life of World War 2 traitor, Henry Rinnan.

The four-parter is from screenwriter Øyvind Holtmon and director Kenneth Karlstad, with Miso Film producing. Prime Video, which has Nordic rights, and TV2 in Norway are attached as co-producers, with the series set to debut in 2026.

Miso Film owner Fremantle is selling worldwide.

Rinnan (w/t) tracks how the failed salesman ended up becoming one of Norway’s most hated figures after becoming a major force in the Gestapo in the country.