'New Worlds' Gets International Broadcast and DVD Deals

TV Wise - New Worlds is going global.

London based international distributor Power has closed a new raft of licensing deals for the Jamie Dornan fronted four-hour miniseries in the United States, Canada, Thailand and Africa, TVWise has learned.

Penned by Peter Flannery & Martine Brandt, New Worlds is set in the 1680s during the turbulent aftermath of the English Civil War. King Charles II’s tyrannical rule has led to a climate of violence and fear in England and her American colonies. Amid the chaos, four young idealists fall in love as they commit to forging a fairer future with blood, passion and urgency. But to achieve this, they must be prepared to pay the ultimate price.

The mini was originally commissioned by UK broadcaster Channel 4 and is a follow up to their 2008 mini-series The Devil’s Whore. It was produced by Company Pictures & Power and stars Jamie Dornan (The Fall), Freya Mavor (The White Queen), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones) and Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures).

RLJ Entertainment has taken home entertainment rights to the series in the United States and Canada, and will also make the mini available on their streaming service Acorn TV; Canadian broadcaster Super Channel has acquired the series, with plans to debut it later this month; IPA has picked up home entertainment rights for Thailand; while MNET has acquired the period drama for broadcast on its feed across Africa.

The rising star of lead actor Jamie Dornan – who had a recurring role in Once Upon A Time, starred in both seasons of The Fall and is one of the leads in the upcoming Fifty Shades Of Grey feature film – is no doubt helping to drive sales for the miniseries.

“The high production value, gripping script and all star cast means that New Worlds continues to find a home in major territories around the globe”, said Power’s CEO, Susan Waddell. “The on-going interest in the mini-series is a testament to its universal appeal.”

These four deals are the latest such agreements that Power has secured for New Worlds. The international distributor previously agreed deals for the period drama with SBS in Australia, DR TV in Denmark, SKY Television in New Zealand, Chello Central Europe in Hungary and HRT in Croatia.