All posts tagged: Fremantle

Fremantle, Archery Team on ‘Moriarty’ Series on Sherlock Holmes Foe

Fremantle, Archery Team on ‘Moriarty’ Series on Sherlock Holmes Foe

Fremantle and British production firm Archery Pictures (Is This Thing On?, Riviera, Fate: The Winx Saga), the company of producer Kris Thykier, will collaborate on a new original crime drama series with the working title Moriarty, written by Chris Cornwell (A Discovery of Witches, Strike Back) and Oliver Lansley (Where’s Wanda?, Flack). Archery and Fremantle will co-produce the show “inspired by” Professor James Moriarty, the fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle as the formidable archenemy of Sherlock Holmes. The partners described the project as “a modern reinvention of the crime procedural, based on the most famous villain in all of detective fiction.” A synopsis reads: “James Moriarty is a Professor of Criminal Psychology at Durham University but leads a secret double life as the mastermind behind every crime of sophistication in the North of England.  When a rival criminal begins an assault on his underground empire, Moriarty will have only one choice: to join the police as a consultant, using the law as a weapon to dismantle his foe while keeping his true identity hidden from the police.” He gets paired with Detective Imogen Burrows, “a stoic Yorkshire detective” to form “a fearsome team, but …

Fremantle Unveils First Native AI Project: ‘Art Awakens’

Fremantle Unveils First Native AI Project: ‘Art Awakens’

Indie production giant Fremantle today unveiled Art Awakens, the first native AI production from Fremantle’s new AI production label Imaginae Studios. The short-form educational TV series uses generative AI to take viewers into the inner worlds of history’s most iconic paintings. Over six episodes, the series literally dives into the some of the best-known masterpieces of the past five centuries, from Jan van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait” to “Whistler’s Mother” from James McNeill Whistler; from Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” to Hokusai’s “The Great Wave”; and “The Scream” by Edvard Munch to Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks.” Each episode uses AI technology to animate the original artwork, creating a world inside the painting to explore the emotional and narrative history behind each masterpiece. Imagine created the series in collaboration with award-winning Spanish AI filmmaker Hilario Abad. James Duffen, CEO of Imaginae Studios, said the project shows how generative AI can be “applied with taste, craft and cultural sensitivity” to tell stories “that were previously impossible” while remaining rooted in artistic craft and cultural integrity. Andrea Scrosati, …

Fremantle Promotes Jimmy Fox to President, Content and Strategy

Fremantle Promotes Jimmy Fox to President, Content and Strategy

Fremantle has promoted Jimmy Fox to its president of content and strategy. He’ll oversee traditional development and strategic business initiatives, “with a broadened creative mandate designed to accelerate Fremantle’s continued evolution across new forms of content, innovative partnerships, and emerging growth opportunities,” per the studio. The exec has been tapped to help seek out business opportunities and develop new formats for the company across its divisions. “Since joining the company, Jimmy has been an instrumental leader across both our creative and business efforts, consistently demonstrating an ability to identify opportunities and turn them into results,” said Jennifer Mullin, CEO, Fremantle. “From launching standout projects to forging key partnerships, his impact has been felt across the organization, and I am delighted to see him step into this expanded role.” Fox joined Fremantle in 2024 as executive vice president of unscripted development and sales. Content Fox has helped develop includes Evil Infuencer, which premiered as the number one film on Netflix in both the U.S. and the UK, ABC’s new version of Match Game, and competition series Win the Mall for …

Ben Crompton is Fremantle’s New Global Head of Entertainment

Ben Crompton is Fremantle’s New Global Head of Entertainment

Fremantle has named Ben Crompton its new global head of entertainment. Crompton joins Fremantle from NBCUniversal, where he was vp of international unscripted programming. Previous to that, he led the U.S. operations, as executive vp U.S., of Lime Pictures, the British production group behind such shows as Netflix’s Dance Monsters, MTV’s True Lies and ABC’s Who Do You Believe? He has also held senior creative and strategic roles at Warner Brothers in Australia, and Eyeworks and ITV Studios in the U.K. Crompton will take up the new role later this month, reporting directly to Fremantle Global CEO Jennifer Mullin. “It is a great honour for me to be joining Fremantle and to work with Jennifer and such a brilliant team,” Crompton said in a statement. “I have long admired Fremantle – a company known for creativity, innovation, and groundbreaking formats. I can’t wait to get started and collaborate with the exceptional talent across the Fremantle business.” Crompton replaces Andrew Llinares, who stepped down last month after three years in the post. “We are thrilled to …

Even Stephen Amell Had to Chase After ‘Baywatch’ Series Lead Role

Even Stephen Amell Had to Chase After ‘Baywatch’ Series Lead Role

Stephen Amell can easily understand why more than 2,000 actors packed the lobby, ballroom and halls inside the Marina del Rey Marriott on Tuesday hoping to land a part on the Baywatch reboot for Fox and Fremantle. He had to chase down a role, too. It was just a week ago that Amell’s casting was revealed, and it will be a quick sprint to a March production start in Venice Beach and on the Fox lot in Century City. With showrunner Matt Nix at the helm and McG on board to executive produce and direct the first episode, the series will find Amell starring as Hobie Buchannon, the son of David Hasselhoff’s Mitch Buchannon from the original. Hobie’s world is turned upside down when Charlie, the daughter he never knew, shows up on his doorstep. She’s eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy and become a Baywatch lifeguard alongside her dad. While hundreds of hopefuls were waiting to be seen by Fox casting directors — many of whom were decked out in red swimsuits with …

Christian Vesper Steps Down as CEO, Fremantle Global Drama

Christian Vesper Steps Down as CEO, Fremantle Global Drama

Christian Vesper is stepping down as CEO of global drama and film at Fremantle after a decade with the company. Vesper joined Fremantle from Sundance TV, where he oversaw the network’s push into international co-productions, with series like Top of the Lake and Deutschland 83. Vesper was brought in to RTL Group-owned Fremantle by Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO of Continental Europe, to bolster the company’s push into high-end TV series and feature films. Over the next 10 years, Fremantle, best known for its shiny-floor reality TV formats like American Idol and X Factor, became a leading independent film producer, backing such features as Poor Things, Bugonia, Queer, Maria, and Pillion and series such as Joe Wright’s Musollini: Son of the Century, and Swedish drama Faithless from Tomas Alfredson. Most recently, Vesper worked to set up the Fox Network revival of Baywatch. During Vesper’s tenure, Fremantle inked numerous creative partnerships with production labels including Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s Fruit Tree Productions; Kristen Stewart, Dylan Meyer and Maggie McLean’s Nevermind Pictures; Pablo and Juan …