Atlantic Productions has signed a distribution deal with Entertainment One Television for worldwide rights outside the UK, Australia and New Zealand for David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef. This three-episode hourlong series will use innovative camera technology and draw on the latest research to investigate the reef. It will use satellite scanning to show the 1,430-mile expanse of living coral and macro lenses that will capture the reef’s tiniest, normally unseen, life forms. Produced by Anthony Geffen, David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef will uncover the history and secrets of the richly bio-diverse landmark and global treasure.
Just ahead of Berlin, Goldcrest Films has boarded international sales on Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall. The drama is in postproduction, and a promo reel will be shown at the EFM. It previously was acquired by Warner Bros in Germany. The Jon Robin Baitz-scripted film tells the story of a young man’s political awakening set against the backdrop of the 1969 police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, a mafia-owned bar that became the flashpoint for the gay-rights movement. Jeremy Irvine, Jonny Beauchamp, Caleb Landry Jones, Joey King, Matt Craven, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ron Perlman star. Emmerich, Michael Fossat, Marc Frydman and Carsten Lorenz are producers. Exec producers are Adam Press, Michael Roban and Kirstin Winkler.
ITV’s fourth annual Text Santa fundraiser was its most successful ever, the network said today, with £6.2M ($7.2M) in donations for a 20% increase on 2013. The charity benefited from George Clooney’s participation in a short film in which he appeared with the characters of Downton Abbey spoofing their normally demure ways. Each of six UK-based charity will receive a check for more than £1M. They include Teenage Cancer Trust, Guide Dogs, WellChild, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Alzheimer’s Society and Together for Short Lives. Since its launch in 2011, Text Santa has raised more than £21M, with 100% of all donations going directly to UK charities and all operational costs of the appeal covered directly by ITV.
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.