Sky and HBO have made their first investment as part of their co-production deal, taking a minority stake in Bad Wolf, the indie launched by producers Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner.
The deal will see Bad Wolf formalise their role to supply drama for the recently announced co-production partnership between Sky and HBO, which is aimed at funding large scale dramas for the international television market.
As part of their investment, HBO and Sky will be represented on the board of Bad Wolf Productions by Glenn Whitehead and Gary Davey.
Bad Wolf has already co-produced The Night Of for HBO. Other drama series currently in pre-production include A Discovery of Witches for Sky and the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novels His Dark Materials.
The Bad Wolf deal follows HBO and Sky’s backing of Chernobyl, the first project from their international high-end drama co-production partnership.
Bad Wolf launched in 2015, with backing from the Welsh Government, and is co-sited in Los Angeles and South Wales, where they recently opened a new studio complex, Wolf Studios Wales. In March this year, Len Blavatnik’s Access Entertainment, headed by Danny Cohen, took a 24.9% stake in the company.
Jane Tranter, chief executive, Bad Wolf, said: “The synergy between HBO and Sky perfectly matches the transatlantic ambitions of Bad Wolf. From Rome and Five Days through to Getting On and The Night Of, Julie and I have always had a creatively fulfilling relationship with HBO. A Discovery of Witches marks our first partnership with Sky and we are thoroughly enjoying being part of their creative vision for TV.”
Casey Bloys, programming president, HBO, said: “Our experience working with Bad Wolf on The Night Of laid the groundwork for what I know will be a very fruitful production partnership alongside our friends at Sky, one that will reflect our common ambition for producing television of the highest quality.”
Gary Davey, managing director, content, Sky, said: “I have long been an admirer of Jane and Julie’s work and thought The Night Of, which Jane produced, was the stand-out US production of 2016. We look forward to working with Bad Wolf in bringing more high-end drama and great story-telling to screen.”
Staff Reporter
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