Warp, Anton team to develop high-end TV and film

Warp Films has entered into a creative and commercial partnership with production and financing studio Anton and is expanding its development team to increase capacity for the joint initiative.

Warp and Anton will join forces to develop a slate of internationally focused television series and feature films. Anton will finance a development fund to identify high-value IP and commission scripts from leading UK and international talent. Anton will finance the fund and will represent global rights on all projects.

The partnership slate kicks off with an “irreverent, punk-spirited” re-invention of the classic French novel Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac. The HETV series is written by Ruth McCance as she moves into a Writer/Showrunner role, following on from executive producing Warp Films’ recent six-part modern melodrama Little Birds. Also moving into development under the joint pact is Blades in the Dark – a “hugely ambitious television adaptation of one of the most popular role-playing games in the world.”

To ramp up the two companies joint-initiative, Kasheina Vencatasawmy is promoted to Head of Development at Warp Films, having joined in 2016 as a trainee and progressed rapidly through the development department. Vencatasawmy is based in London and among the projects she has brought into the company is The Hot House by award-winning novelist and screenwriter Nikita Lalwani about the highs and lows of being a prodigy. Working alongside her and based out of Warp’s Sheffield HQ is Regional Development Assistant Soph Webberley, with a remit to identify rising creative talent across the UK.

Gwen Gorst has moved from her role as Senior Development Producer to Executive Producer. She is currently developing projects with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie director and co-creator Jonathan Butterell. Gorst, who is based in Bristol, joined Warp Films at the start of 2021 from Channel 4 where she was Commissioning Editor for Drama – working alongside Head of Drama Caroline Hollick – having previously worked at indies including Bad Wolf, Mainstreet and World Productions.

Joint CEOs Mark Herbert and Peter Carlton said “Warp has always championed outsider stories and put them centre stage. Our alliance with Anton gives us increased financial clout empowering our amazing team to build on their great track record to bring these ambitious, distinct and diverse stories to a wider global audience.””.

Anton has co-financed film franchises such as Paddington, Shaun The Sheep and Greenland, as well as high-end television including the BBC’s The Pursuit of Love, His Dark Materials, Gentleman Jack and Around The World in 80 Days. Anton is the financier and producer on the global hit film franchise Greenland.

Founder and CEO Sebastien Raybaud said, “WARP Films’ exhilarating and visionary productions always stand above the crowd. We share Mark and Peter’s belief in storytelling and entertainment first, and their unique slate shows that can manifest in many electrifying forms. We look forward to leveraging our international relationships to support them in their expansion and collaborating on developing projects that will excite audiences worldwide.”