Fox Strikes Drama Development Deal With Euro Producers Eagle Eye, Clapperboard & Newen Studios Label Aux Singuliers; First Project Is Murder Mystery Set On International Space Station

Max Goldbart
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment has struck a first-of-its-kind drama development deal with a trio of production companies, Walter Iuzzolino’s Eagle Eye, The Serial Killer’s Wife producer Clapperboard and Newen Studios label Aux Singuliers.

Fox Scripted Programming President Michael Thorn said the U.S. network and UK producers will “identify and implement entirely new production models,” while similar discussions are taking place with producers and studios in Europe, Australia and Canada.

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With Clapperboard and Aux Singuliers, Fox is working on Dead Space [working title] from Young Wallander scribe Ben Harris.

Grounded in the reality of the current space race, the series attempts to redefine the traditional police procedural as it explores the complex moral, political and real legal machinations after a murder is committed aboard the International Space Station. It follows in the footsteps of the BBC’s Vigil, which took a similar approach to a murder mystery on a Navy submarine.

“From the first pitch, Fox shared our excitement over the potential of the Dead Space concept,” said Clapperboard MD Mike Benson, whose outfit has made a wealth of Paramount+ and Channel 5 drama series including The Serial Killer’s Wife and Sheridan Smith-starrer The Teacher.

The Fox-Eagle Eye project is being kept under wraps but it is being produced out of Europe and is targeted to be returnable. The show will air on Fox in the U.S., with Fox acquiring long-term U.S. and Canadian distribution rights.

Eagle Eye was launched by the Walter Presents founder four years ago and has nurtured a reputation for sleek drama including the likes of Hotel Portofino and Professor T. “We have a proven track record in creating global hits with high profile casts, using the very best production creatives in Europe, and we look forward to utilizing this expertise to deliver a standout show for Fox,” added Iuzzolino.

More to come?

Fox has been holding similar discussions with studios in other European nations, Australia and Canada, and Thorn will be at Mipcom Cannes next week discussing potential projects and partners. Alongside Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade and President of Unscripted Allison Wallach, he has been helming Fox’s push outside the States. The network’s Doc format originated in Italy, Accused came from the UK and production services on Fox Label Bento Box’s Krapopolis and Grimsburg is done in Dublin. The company’s production division Fox Alternative Entertainment previously road-tested entertainment series The Big Deal in Ireland.

“For quite some time, we’ve been looking to identify and develop premium content outside the U.S.,” added Thorn. “What’s been great is there are so many global companies and unique international talent who share our philosophy of delivering unexpected, unforgettable entertainment with bold storytelling.”

He labeled Clapperboard and Eagle Eye “two pedigreed studios with impressive teams that are as open to breaking the mold as we are.”

The news comes as international distribution arm Fox Entertainment Global turns one. Earlier this month, the sales house unveiled former Beyond Rights CEO David Smyth as EVP, Sales.

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