Joanna Scanlan Among ‘Missed Call‘ Cast
Slow Horses and A Very Royal Scandal actress Joanna Scanlan will lead the cast of 5 thriller Missed Call (working title). Claire Keim (Vise le Coeur, Menace sur Kermadec) Rupert Graves (Sherlock, The Burning Girls), François-Xavier Demaison (Disparue, Le Négociateur) and Robert Lindsay (Sherwood, Generation Z) have also joined an ensemble cast. Paris- and London-based producer Pernel Media is producing for Paramount-owned 5, in association with ITV Studios. The five-part thriller, set against the backdrop of a picturesque French village, follows British single mother Sarah whose daughter disappears while on a school exchange trip, soon after attempting a late-night call to her mom. Despite indifference from local authorities and the host family, Sarah goes on a search for her daughter that spirals into a dangerous race against time. “The script for Missed Call gripped me from the first page,” said Scanlan. “It’s a powerful story about every mother’s worst fear, set in a place that’s stunningly beautiful but weirdly unsettling.” Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer for Paramount UK, and Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor for 5 ordered the show. Pernel President Samuel Kissous is exec producing, with Matthew Thomas the lead writer and co-creator. Sally Abbott and Paul Matthew Thompson are also writing and Sheree Folkson is the director. ITV Studios is overseeing international distribution and has already closed a pre-sale with French network Group TF1.
BBC Studios Helps ‘Death Valley‘ Ride To 100 Territories
BritBox has swooped for North American and Australian rights to BBC light crime series Death Valley. Per distributor BBC Studios, the scripted comedy series starring Timothy Spall as retired actor and eccentric national treasure John Chapel and Gwyneth Keyworth as disarming Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan, has sold to more than 100 territories ahead of MIPCOM. Notable buyers of the six-part BBC Studios Comedy production include Mystery Channel in Japan and Coupang in Korea, Cosmo in Spain and Cosmote TV in Greece and TVNZ in New Zealand. Written by Paul Doolan (Trollied), the six-part series sees its unlikely detective duo thrown together after the murder of John’s neighbour. Each week, they solve cases across Wales, despite their opposing instincts. A second season of the show is being filmed. “We’re confident it will continue to travel far and wide — it would be a crime to think otherwise,” said Janet Brown, BBC Studios President of Global Content Sales. Brown will be in Cannes at MIPCOM for a bespoke session, ‘Powerful Storytelling for a Global Stage,’ alongside new BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips on Monday, October 13. BBC Studios will be in town with shows such as Sister’s BBC drama Waiting for the Out (working title), Fearless Minds and House Productions’ crime family drama Mint, and Twenty Twenty Six, the latest comedy from W1A and Twenty Twelve creator John Morton.
Blazing Griffin Appoints Danny Page Head Of Pictures
UK post house and production company Blazing Griffin has appointed Danny Page as Head of Pictures. Naysun Alae-Carew, Managing Director, will continue as Executive Producer across the film slate while also leading company strategy and overseeing new funding rounds. In 2024 the company paused its TV slate to concentrate on feature films, working on California Schemin’, the directorial debut of James McAvoy, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; Glenrothan, the directorial debut of Brian Cox, which also premiered at TIFF; and Grow, a family film that premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Page, a producer on California Schemin’, is the founder of Homefront Productions and is currently producing Farida: The Girl Who Fought ISIS with veteran producer Lloyd Levin (United 93).
The post Joanna Scanlan To Lead 5’s ‘Missed Call’; BritBox Heads To ‘Death Valley’; Blazing Griffin Hire – Global Briefs appeared first on Deadline.
