BRON Studios’ and Headline Pictures’ Kin, Starring Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne and BAFTA Award-Nominated Aidan Gillen, Set to Premiere This Fall as an AMC+ Original
All3Media International’s Too Close, Starring Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-Nominated Emily Watson, Debuts Later This Year
Lionsgate’s Cold Courage, Starring BAFTA and Olivier Award-Nominated John Simm, Launches with the First Three Episodes on March 11
Los Angeles, CA / New York, NY – February 18, 2021 – AMC+ has acquired the rights to a trio of acclaimed crime dramas launching exclusively in the U.S. on the new premium streaming bundle service this year. BRON Studios’ and Headline Pictures’ Kin, starring Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne and BAFTA-nominated actor Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), will launch this fall as an AMC+ Original. All3Media International’s psychological thriller Too Close, starring BAFTA-winning actress Emily Watson (Chernobyl), will debut later this year, while Lionsgate’s international crime drama Cold Courage, starring BAFTA-nominated actor John Simm (Doctor Who), is slated to premiere the first three episodes on Thursday, March 11. *Too Close photo available HERE and Cold Courage photos available HERE
“Between our international acquisitions team’s strong track record identifying and acquiring the best content from the rest of the world and the incredibly positive response to the crime drama Gangs of London, which quickly became one of the top-performing originals on AMC+, we’re thrilled to add three equally compelling and suspenseful crime thrillers, featuring breakthrough characters and themes of family drama and cat-and-mouse flair, to the premium streaming bundle,” said Dan McDermott, president of AMC Networks programming and co-president of AMC Studios. “We’re delighted to be partnering with BRON Studios, All3Media International and Lionsgate to rollout this curated slate of exceptional dramas exclusively to U.S. audiences and AMC+ subscribers first.”
Currently filming in Dublin, Ireland, Kin boasts a stellar Irish and international cast lead by breakthrough Irish actress Clare Dunne (Herself), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Sam Keeley (The Cured), Emmett J. Scanlan (Peaky Blinders), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Outlander) and newcomer Yasmin Seky. The story charts the lives of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war and speaks to the enduring unbreakable bonds of blood and family. The series’ local storyline, native cast and shooting location adds it to the growing ranks of strong and prestigious television series coming out of Ireland.
Kin is produced by BRON Studios and Headline Pictures, in association with RTÉ, Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) and Creative Wealth Media with support from Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). Peter McKenna (The Last Kingdom, Red Rock) is the series showrunner/executive producer, writer and co-creator and Ciarán Donnelly (Altered Carbon, Vikings) is co-creator. Diarmuid Goggins (Bulletproof) and Tessa Hoffe (Wayne) are the first and second block directors, respectively.
Executive producers on the series are BRON Studios’ David Davoli (The Defeated, Bag of Bones), Samantha Thomas (Jessica Jones, Daredevil), Steven Thibault (Pieces of a Woman, Capone) and Aaron L. Gilbert (Bombshell, Joker, Fences), Headline Pictures’ Christian Baute (Man in the High Castle, Funny Games), Laurence Lenica, Frank Calderon, and Ciaran Donnelly. James Flynn (The Borgias, Into the Badlands) and Morgan O’Sullivan (Vikings, The Tudors) are producing through their Metropolitan Films banner, with Emma Fleischer (Runways, Daredevil) as supervising producer for BRON, Edmund Sampson as line producer and Catherine Tiernan as production executive for Metropolitan Films. Dermot Horan, David Crean and Shane Murphy are executive producers for RTÉ, Andrew Byrne for Screen Ireland and Fredrik Ljungberg, Nanna Mailand-Mercado and Filippa Wallestam are executive producers for NENT Group. Kin will launch exclusively on RTÉ in Ireland and on NENT Group’s streaming service Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, and Poland. The deal was negotiated by Davoli on behalf of BRON Releasing and Noel Manzano and Rafael Gomez on behalf of AMC Networks.
“There is no better home for Peter McKenna’s iconic vision of this indelible Irish crime family than within the AMC Networks family, where some of the greatest television of the last two decades has been made, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them on it. Kin, at its heart, is a global story about grief, love, loss and the ties that bind us, and along with our partners at Headline Pictures, RTÉ and NENT Group, we are especially proud of the world class Irish cast and crew, as well as the support of Metropolitan, Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, who have made it possible,” said David Davoli, President of Television for BRON.
“We are immensely proud of this show and excited it has found a home at AMC; an opinion-leading and prestigious brand that will help the series reach a wide audience and do justice to the work of the gifted team that has produced this project during such difficult times. We are deeply thankful to Peter McKenna for his gripping and atmospheric writing, and to Diarmuid Goggins for the unique brand of visual storytelling he brought to the project. Headline Pictures was fortunate to be able to team up with BRON Studios early on in the development process and wishes to thank all its team for their ceaseless efforts in building the transatlantic partnership between Canada, Ireland, Scandinavia and the UK for this show,” said Christian Baute.
Too Close is a three-part drama that centers around forensic psychiatrist Emma Robinson (Watson), who must assess criminal suspect Connie – only to fall victim to Connie’s insightful, yet manipulative nature. Connie has a searing insight into Emma’s deepest insecurities and starts to brutally exploit them. Their sessions become a complex psychological game with confusing undercurrents. Ultimately, the sessions are meant to uncover what happened on the night of someone’s death. To do that, Emma must find out the truth around Connie’s complex relationship with her beautiful best friend, Ness, which seemingly triggered Connie’s heinous behavior. Other series stars include Denise Gough as Connie Mortensen, Thalissa Teixeira (Two Weeks to Live) as Ness Jones, as well as James Sives (Chernobyl, Annika), Risteárd Cooper (Quiz), Chizzy Akudolu (Holby City), Karl Johnson, Eileen Davies (Doctors, Liar), Nina Wadia (EastEnders) and Paul Chahidi (This Country).
Ruth Kenley-Letts, Head of Drama at Snowed In Productions said “Clara Salaman has written an extraordinarily powerful and compelling drama. Her writing sparkles with truthy, wit, honesty and heartbreak that keeps us on the edge of our seat and always wanting to know more. With the wonderful direction of Sue Tully and two outstanding performances from Emily Watson and Denise Gough, I couldn’t be prouder to have worked with this talented team alongside All3Media International, ITV and AMC.”
Sally Habbershaw, EVP Americas at All3Media International said “We are delighted to be in partnership with AMC Networks on Too Close. Emily Watson and Denise Gough’s performances are spectacular, and Ruth Kenley-Lett’s yet again delivers a premium and very enticing drama.”
Based on the award-winning and best-selling novels from Finnish journalist Pekka Hiltunen, Cold Courage follows two women as they collide during a series of murders in present-day London. Mari, a fierce psychologist, and Lia, a shy graphic artist, are drawn together through the “Studio” – a clandestine group of like-minded people operating off the grid, dedicated to righting the wrongs of the powerful, influential and corrupt. Mari’s obsession is to stop the meteoric rise of a dangerous, charismatic politician. She needs an unknown face to infiltrate his campaign. Who better than Lia? John Simm (Doctor Who, Life on Mars) stars as populist politician Arthur Fried, and is joined by Caroline Goodall (The White Princess) and Arsher Ali (Line of Duty) alongside Finnish leads Sofia Pekkari and Pihla Viitala. Jakob Eklund, Peter Coonan and Matteo Simoni also star. The series was adapted for the screen by BAFTA-nominated David Joss Buckley (Hinterland) and Brendan Foley (The Riddle) and is directed by Agneta Fagerstrom and Kadir Ferati Balci. The deal was negotiated by Kate Nexon on behalf of Lionsgate and Tiffany Tulba on behalf of AMC Networks.
“We’re pleased to continue to expand our relationship with our partners at AMC by licensing to them the political thriller Cold Courage,” said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television Distribution Jim Packer. “With its timely and topical subject matter torn from today’s headlines, world-class cast and remarkable filmmaking team, it will be a great addition to the AMC+ slate that will resonate with their audiences for years to come.”
ABOUT AMC+
AMC+ is the company’s new premium streaming bundle featuring an extensive lineup of popular and critically acclaimed original programming from across AMC Networks’ entertainment networks and a number of the company’s targeted streaming services including Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, which feature content such as Riviera, Creepshow, A Discovery of Witches and Boyhood. Currently available to Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV channels, Roku Channels, Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV, DISH and Sling TV customers, AMC+ features a continually refreshed new library of commercial-free content, including Mad Men, Gangs of London, The Salisbury Poisonings, Orphan Black, Portlandia, Soulmates and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, among many others.
ABOUT BRON
Currently celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary, BRON is a worldwide media and entertainment company committed to furthering the art and craft of meaningful commercial storytelling. Focused on the strategic development, production and financing of original live-action and animated features, television and digital media content, BRON has been instrumental in more than 100 productions and has built a robust slate of upcoming projects across all platforms. The company’s filmmaker-first approach, built on inclusion, innovation and respect, has helped BRON solidify creative relationships with elite talent from an array of backgrounds.
The company’s full roster of acclaimed releases includes Academy Award® recognized films such as Bombshell; Fences and the box-office record-breaking film Joker, which earned Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar for best actor. Other BRON Films include Clint Eastwood’s The Mule, Leave No Trace, Roman J. Israel Esq., The Willoughbys, Queen & Slim, The Birth of a Nation, The Way Back, Greyhound and Jason Reitman’s The Front Runner and Tully, among others.
Upcoming film releases include Jordan Peele’s Candyman; the Aretha Franklin biography Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson; Judas and the Black Messiah, starring Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield; Barry Levinson’s The Survivor, starring Ben Foster; Fatherhood, starring Kevin Hart; Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead, starring Angelina Jolie; David Lowery’s The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel; and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, BRON’s third collaboration with Jason Reitman.
BRON recently wrapped production on Solitary, starring BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo from writer/director Nate Parker and The Defeated (fka Shadowplay) television series, starring Taylor Kitsch and Michael C. Hall. The company is currently in production on Surrounded from director Anthony Mandler and starring Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell and Michael K. Williams; Patrick Hughes’s The Man from Toronto, starring Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, and Kaley Cuoco; and the crime drama series Kin starring Clare Dunne, Aidan Gillen and Charlie Cox.
Founded in 2010 by Aaron L. Gilbert and Brenda Gilbert, BRON Studios is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.
ABOUT HEADLINE
“Founded in 2005, Headline Pictures is a UK-based production company with offices in London and Paris. The company develops film and television for both the domestic and international markets, and co-developed and co-produced Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, produced the International EMMY-winning Peter Pan adaptation Peter & Wendy for ITV, the global box office hit Quartet directed by Dustin Hoffman and starring Dame Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins, written by Oscar-winner Sir Ronald Harwood; the Charles Dickens biopic The Invisible Woman directed by Ralph Fiennes and written by EMMY and BAFTA-winner Abi Morgan, and co-produced the Prix Italia-winning WWII thriller series The Saboteurs broadcast on NRK, More4 and across Europe, and Stephen King adaptation Bag of Bones starring Pierce Brosnan.
Headline Pictures is part of the UGC SERIES group. The UGC theatrical network ranks second in French-speaking Europe and its subsidiary UGC Images is a major French movie production and distribution company. UGC SERIES consolidates five television production companies in Britain and France, creating series for both the domestic and international market.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Combining the STARZ premium global subscription platform with world-class motion picture and television studio operations, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) brings a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. Its film, television, subscription and location-based entertainment businesses are backed by a 17,000-title library and the largest collection of film and television franchises in the independent media space. A digital age company driven by its entrepreneurial culture and commitment to innovation, the Lionsgate brand is synonymous with bold, original, relatable entertainment for the audiences it serves worldwide.
ABOUT ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL
All3Media International distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world.
The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience – consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and we have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of our growth – twice. Our catalogue contains over 15,000 hours of content across all genres.
As well as Britain’s top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, our quality scripted content includes FLEABAG, THE MISSING, SKINS, MYSTERY ROAD, NATIONAL TREASURE, LIAR and VAN DER VALK. Non-scripted and format highlights include GOGGLEBOX, UNDERCOVER BOSS, GORDON RAMSAY’S 24 HOURS TO HELL AND BACK, FLIRTY DANCING, THE DOG HOUSE and RACE ACROSS THE WORLD. As part of the UK’s leading multi-label studio we partner with industry-leading UK and international producers – including our own studios – in developing, financing and delivering content and formats.