Julian Fellowes' drama TITANIC green lit
ITV Studios Global Entertainment, ITV Studios, Lookout Point, Global TV and ABC Television Network Present an Epic Television Event
Confirmed Broadcast Partners include : ITV 1 (UK), ABC Television Network (USA), Global (Canada), Channel Seven (Australia), SVT (Sweden), TV3 (Ireland), TVNZ (New Zealand), SIC (Portugal)
ITV Studios Global Entertainment, ITV Studios, Lookout Point, Global TV and ABC Television Network can today confirm the major television project Titanic, written by Julian Fellowes, is now green lit for production. Distributor ITV Studios Global Entertainment, along with co-production and finance company Lookout Point, has secured broadcast partners in America (ABC), Australia (Channel Seven), Canada (Global), Ireland (TV3), New Zealand (TVNZ) Portugal (SIC), Sweden (SVT) and UK (ITV1). The television event is scheduled to coincide with the centenary of the tragic event and will simulcast on Global and ABC followed closely by premieres in all other territories.
The epic drama is being produced as a 2 x 90 minute and 4 x 1 hour mini series and will start filming in Hungary this Spring.
Maria Kyriacou, Managing Director at ITV Studios Global Entertainment commented, “The fantastic pedigree of the production talent behind this major series has generated huge interest from our global broadcast clients and we are very pleased to announce these new partners today. Providing a vividly different experience of the ship’s last hours alongside a definitive snapshot of what was a unique and uncertain moment in history – Titanic promises to be the must-see original drama for this landmark centenary anniversary and gripping primetime content for audiences around the world.”
"Despite its legendary fate, on the whole, the Titanic remains a mystery to most, which explains the public’s never ending fascination," said Barbara Williams, SVP, Content, Shaw Media (Global). “From the vision of one of the industry’s finest writers, we’re able to delve a little deeper into the grey areas by way of the characters and their unique perspectives. This is an amazing collaboration with our Canadian producers and the international broadcasters, and a befitting tribute to this moment in history.”
Quinn Taylor of ABC Network added: “The tragic tale of the Titanic has retained a powerful hold on people around the world for almost 100 years, and this new miniseries will offer a compelling take on this epic, tragic story. We look forward to bringing this remarkable series to our viewers.”
Interweaving multi-arc action, mystery and romantic plot lines and featuring fictional and historical characters, Titanic will focus on different characters ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests. Each point of view will culminate in a cliff hanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws together each of the stories. Viewers will be taken on a heart wrenching journey through Titanic’s last hours, as the drama reveals which of the characters they have come to know so well will survive… and who does not.
ITV Studios is partnered with Deep Indigo Productions and Lookout Point in the UK, Sienna Films Inc in Canada and Hungary based Mid Atlantic Films to produce this UK-Hungary-Canada co-production. Titanic is written by Julian Fellowes, the Oscar winning screenwriter of ITV1’s hit costume drama Downton Abbey as well as Gosford Park and The Young Victoria and produced by the multi-award winning Nigel Stafford-Clark (Bleak House, Warriors, The Way We Live Now) and Chris Thompson (Love Actually, No 1 Ladies Detective Agency). The drama is executive produced by Lookout Point’s Simon Vaughan (Ben Hur, Coco Chanel, The Hot Zone (working title)) together with ITV’s Kate Bartlett (Marchlands, Identity, Vera), Sienna Films’ Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny (Diamonds, The Hot Zone (working title)) and Mid Atlantic Films’ Howard Ellis and Adam Goodman (The Borgias, Pillars of The Earth) and David Collins of Samson Films, Ireland.
Executive Producer, Simon Vaughan of Lookout Point commented, “We are delighted to be underway with the production. To produce a drama of this scale required us to bring together more than ten pre sale partners. This is also the first time in many years that major UK, US and Canadian networks have joined forces on a major mini series drama and we hope this will be the global broadcasting event of 2012”.
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ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment is one of the world’s leading international TV distribution, home-entertainment, merchandising and licensing businesses. ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment proudly represents a world-class portfolio from ITV Studios, Granada and over 200 leading independent producers. ITV Studios Global Entertainment showcases more than 35,000 hours of critically celebrated and hugely-popular original and formatted programming.
Lookout Point is an independent media rights company specialising in international high-end event drama. Established by producer and financier Simon Vaughan in 2009, Lookout Point harnesses the global marketplace to develop, produce, finance and distribute high quality television. The company has a strategic relationship with BBC Worldwide for distribution and works in partnership with production companies globally. In the last 10 years, Simon Vaughan has structured series, movies and mini-series with combined production budgets in excess of $500 million including Ben Hur for ABC, CBS’s hit drama Flashpoint, BBC/TNT’s The Company and Lifetime’s Coco Chanel. In 2011, Lookout Point is Executive Producer on The Hot Zone (working title) – ABC/Shaw Media’s medical procedural drama about a military hospital on the frontline in Afghanistan and Executive Producer of upcoming event mini series Titanic for ITV/ABC/Shaw Media.
