THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO Partners With BBC Studios on “The Famous Five” Drama Series

THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO announces an agreement with BBC Studios to partner on the series “The Famous Five.” The production partnership includes rights to distribute in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

“The Famous Five” is based on the classic young adult novels by English author Enid Blyton. The series is co-created and produced by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives, Valhalla Rising) and Matthew Read from Moonage Pictures (The Pursuit of Love, Bodies).

“This significant agreement with BBC Studios to co-produce forward ‘The Famous Five’ aligns seamlessly with our objective of augmenting English-language content production at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO. It not only contributes to our international expansion but also solidifies a partnership with an exceptionally prestigious collaborator, engaging in a major production inspired by a literary saga of immense global acclaim. We take enormous pride in collaborating with the exceptionally talented individuals involved in these adaptations, both in front of and behind the camera” comments Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO.

Nick Percy, President Global Markets, BBC Studios says: “The Famous Five’ is iconic IP and Enid Blyton is one of the most translated authors of all time, with hundreds of millions of books sold all over the world. BBC Studios is proud to be able to bring this new take on ‘The Famous Five’ to audiences in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America through our deal with THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO. The global appeal of the cast – hailing from previous work such as ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Ted Lasso,’ and ‘Emily in Paris’ – reflects and adds to the huge potential reach of ‘The Famous Five’ around the world”.

“The Famous Five” is a fresh and cinematic adaptation of the bestselling novels by English author Enid Blyton, published between 1942 and 1963, and whose adventures have delighted generations of young readers for decades. The series is produced by Moonage Pictures and byNWR (production company founded by Winding Refn, who in addition to featuring as creator also executive produces the series). “The Famous Five” was commissioned by the BBC in co-production with German ZDF and in association with THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO. BBC Studios are distributing the series internationally and have already secured a pre-sale to France’s TF1.

The adaptation is designed and reimagined for present day audiences across the world. The series showcases four rising star actors who will lead as the young protagonists at the helm of the series: siblings Julian (Elliott Rose – The Northman), Dick (Kit Rakusen – Foundation) and Anne (Flora Jacoby Richardson) and their cousin George (Diaana Babnicova – Don’t Breathe 2), plus Timmy the Dog. The 21 stories published by Blyton take place during the children’s school holidays, which they spend all together at George’s family home, Kirrin Cottage, where they embark on action-packed adventures and remarkable mysteries.

Joining the five are Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones) as the evil Wentworth, Ann Akinjirin (Moon Knight) as Fanny, James Lance (Ted Lasso) as Quentin, Diana Quick (Father Brown) as Mrs. Wentworth and William Abadie (Emily in Paris) as Boswell.

The Famous Five (6x 45’ or 3x 90’) series was commissioned by Sarah Muller, Senior Head of BBC Children’s Commissioning 7+ and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Amy Buscombe. For ZDF, Frank Seyberth, Head of International Coproduction, is responsible for the series together with Katharina Kremling as Commissioning Editor. The first episode is directed by Tim Kirkby (Fleabag, The Pentaverate) and produced by Moonage Pictures and byNWR Originals. Asim Abbasi (Churails, Cake, Count Abdulla) and Bill Eagles (Beautiful Creatures, Gotham, Pennyworth) will direct the following episodes. BBC Studios, who have a minority stake in Moonage, will oversee international distribution.