Netflix Unveils 3 APAC Series; IFTA Rising Star Nominees; BBC Studios Sells Doc Pair – Global Briefs

Netflix Unveils 3 APAC Series; IFTA Rising Star Nominees; BBC Studios Sells Doc Pair – Global Briefs

Netflix APAC Commissions


Netlfix has unveiled a trio of new series from the APAC region. Boy Swallows Universe, from Australia, is an adaptation of the book of the same name and will be turned into an eight x 1-hour show. John Collee (Master and Commander) is penning the adaptation, which comes from Brouhaha Entertainment Australia. The novel is a coming-of-age story set in Brisbane’s violent working class suburban fringe.


Separately, the streamer has set Copycat Killer, an adaptation of Japanese crime novel Mohohan penned by genre fiction writer Miyabe Miyuki. The project comes from Taiwan and will be directed by Chang Jung-chi and Chang Heng-ju, with a cast that include Wu Kang-ren, Alice Ko, Ruby Lin. It will be produced by Greener Grass Production, which was behind Netflix’s Chinese-language series The Victims’ Game.

Finally, Netflix has set Let’s Get Divorced from Japan. The family sitcom is written by Kankuro Kudo, who penned Ikebukuro West Gate Park, and Shizuka Oishi. Tori Matsuzaka and Riisa Nak star. Fuminori Kaneko, Ryosuke Fukuda, and Takuya Sakaue are directing. The show will release in 2023.


IFTA Rising Star Nominees


The Irish Film & Television Academy has named the five nominees for its 2022 Rising Star Award, which will be revealed during the virtual IFTA Awards on March 12. They are: Benjamin Cleary (Writer/Director – Swan Song); Colm Bairéad (Writer/Director – An Cailín Ciúin); Hazel Doupe (Actress – You Are Not My Mother); Kate Dolan (Writer/Director – You Are Not My Mother); and Sam Keeley (Actor – Kin). Previous winners include Saoirse Ronan and Michael Fassbender.


BBC Studios Sells Amy Winehouse & Freddie Mercury Docs


BBC Studios has struck a raft of deals for documentaries about Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse. Freddie Mercury: The Final Act has been picked up by The CW Network in the U.S., Australia’s ABC and networks across Europe, while Winehouse doc Reclaiming Amy has sold to BBC Select in the U.S. and Canada, amongst others. The producer/distributor also sold A Life in Ten Pictures to a number of networks. The news comes as BBC Studios Showcase draws to a close, with high-profile deals with Sky Deutschland, Italy’s Mediaset and India’s MX Player unveiled earlier this week.