Sony Sells Teen Spy Series ‘Alex Rider’ to Viaplay, Starzplay and Showmax in Slate of Deals
By Tim Dams
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Sony Pictures Television has sold its upcoming “Alex Rider” teen spy series to nearly 100 territories around the world.
Produced by SPT-backed Eleventh Hour Films, the adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s novels was the first series commissioned by SPT’s international production and distribution divisions on spec, greenlighting the project independently to be distributed worldwide.
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has picked up the series for their streaming service Viaplay in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Lionsgate-owned streamer Starzplay has licensed the show for broadcast in multiple territories across the Middle East and North Africa, while MNET has acquired the series for Showmax across Sub-Saharan Africa including South Africa.
The series has also been picked up by Moviestar Plus in Spain, Kinopoisk HD in Russia, and will air on Nova in Greece, and DSmart in Turkey. AXN will broadcast the series across multiple European territories, including Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Across Asia, buyers include Sony Liv in India, Korea Telecom in South Korea, and U-Next bringing the series to Japan. TVNZ are streaming the series in New Zealand. Last week, SPT revealed the series will air Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. from June 4.
Sony said sales in more territories including the U.S., Spain, China and Australia will be announced soon. The studio has this week launched its digital screening showcase for global buyers, in place of a physical event at L.A. Screenings, which was canceled due to the pandemic.
The eight-part series stars Otto Farrant as Alex Rider, with Brenock O’Connor as his best friend Tom. The cast also includes Stephen Dillane, Vicky McClure and Andrew Buchan.
The “Alex Rider” adaptation is penned by Guy Burt, and begins with the second book in the series, “Point Blanc,” published in 2001 in the U.K. and 2002 in North America.
Eve Gutierrez and Jill Green serve as executive producers for the TV series for EHF, alongside Horowitz and Burt, and Andreas Prochaska, who also served as series director on multiple episodes.
Wayne Garvie, president of international production for Sony Pictures Television, said: “When we started on this unique journey our aim was to create a premium drama, that paid justice to Anthony’s novels, with exciting action scenes, nerve shredding tension and great acting. Eleventh Hour have delivered just that.”
Keith LeGoy, president of worldwide distribution, said: “It has been a fantastic collaboration, and a strategic risk we were confident to make with such popular IP we truly believed would have broad, worldwide appeal.”
