MUMBAI: FremantleMedia (FM), has taken over 25 per cent stake in Corona TV, the newly-created TV production company from renowned filmmaking duo Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn. The deal, which gives FremantleMedia a first look option on all Corona TV output, furthers FremantleMedia’s ambition to build its scripted pipeline with projects that will have an epic and cinematic feel and attract international co-production funding.
The deal was brokered by FM’s director of global drama, Sarah Doole, who will take a seat on the board of the new company.
Doole said, “Richard and Rupert have together over twenty five years’ experience in producing successful feature films. Because of this, they look at scripted projects in a completely different way from most production companies, bringing a big screen presence to the small screen. We’ve looked at their production slate and they have some exciting ideas which are ripe for international co-production funding. Having them as part of the FremantleMedia family gives us some brilliant projects for our scripted pipeline, while our existing infrastructure will help bring their epic ideas to fruition. I can’t wait to get started.”
In a joint statement Johns and Jermyn said, “We're absolutely delighted to have made this deal with the dynamic team at FremantleMedia. As film-makers we have always created big stories for the world rather than one particular market. This move gives Corona Television the strategic financing, distribution and marketing firepower most drama producers can only dream of, allowing us to tell stories for TV on a truly global scale.”
FremantleMedia already has a relationship with Johns and Jermyn, having previously worked on the development of Birds of Prey, a TV adaption of the first three novels of Wilbur Smith’s Courtney series, penned by Layer Cake scriptwriter JJ Connolly. The new company has a number of exciting new projects in the pipeline, with internationally renowned writers and producers already attached, with announcements planned in due course.
Corona TV is a sister company of Corona Pictures, which was founded by Johns and Jermyn in London in 2009. The company develops, produces and markets feature films and television programmes to every country in the world, including the major established markets and key emerging markets such as China.
In recent years Corona Pictures produced and released the multiple award-winning darkly comic hitman road movie The Liability starring Tim Roth, Jack O’Connell, Talulah Riley, Kierston Wareing and Peter Mullan from writer John Wrathall and director Craig Viveiros. Prior to that, the company made Robert Heath’s psychological thriller Truth or Dare. Both films found strong distribution market appetite and are now on release in over 24 international territories. The company is now building rapidly from this production base.
