EXCLUSIVE: Vardy vs Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, Channel 4’s dramatization of the notorious Wagatha Christie case, has sold to BritBox in North America and networks in Australia and New Zealand.
The factual drama, which stars Michael Sheen as Rooney’s barrister and covers one of the biggest media cases of the past decades, was picked up for distribution by Newen Connect last year and Newen has now struck a slew of sales.
BritBox North America, Australia’s Foxtel and New Zealand’s +HR=E (formerly TV3) have snapped up Vardy vs Rooney and Newen will be shopping at the upcoming London Screenings. Chalkboard TV’s four-parter is one of a number of English language shows that now feature in the French distributor’s catalog as it pushes further into the English language space.
Vardy vs Rooney, which launched to more than 1M overnight viewers late last year, was the first of a number of planned shows set to spotlight the story, with a Disney+ doc incoming and a BBC dramatization in development.
Natalia Tena and Chanel Cresswell played leads Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney, who became embroiled in a dramatic public legal battle after Rooney accused Vardy of leaking stories about her to the press. The ensuing trial generated huge amounts of media attention and Rooney won the trial.
“Since the Wagatha Christie revelations first came to light, both media commentators and the general public have been fascinated by this story,” said Newen Connect Chief Commercial officer Leona Connell. “Chalkboard TV has created a drama that feels immediately topical, fresh and relevant to today’s society and epitomizes the type of scripted shows we are looking for as we broaden the range and depth of our catalog.”
