Sony Pictures Television Options Lizzy Barber’s ‘Out Of Her Depth’
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has optioned Lizzy Barber’s psychological thriller Out of Her Depth and will develop into a TV show, with up-and-coming British writer Matilda Curtis set to adapt. Luke Scrase’s Golden Gate Studios, which has a first look deal with SPT, will produce the adaptation, which isn’t yet attached to a network. Published late last year, Out of Her Depth is set in the Tuscan summer, and follows Rachel, a headstrong woman who’s given the job of a lifetime at the Villa Medici Hotel. When she asks her new friend Diana to help her win the affections of the handsome and charming Sebastian, she thinks she might finally have a chance to become part of their world, but when she discovers that Diana may have intentions of her own, she begins to learn the real cost of friendship. Barber will also exec produce alongside Scrase and Brendan Fitzgerald. Curtis is currently writing BBC pilot Dinosaur, produced by Fleabag indie Two Brothers Pictures.
Myanmar Documentary Set For Channel 4
Channel 4 is to examine three major mass killings in Myanmar via a one-off documentary from local young activists, spotlighting how the army has committed potential war crimes with soldiers systematically targeting peaceful protestors. Filmed over the course of a year by the Burmese activists, MYANMAR: The Forgotten Revolution from Evan Williams Productions will provide an account of how the nation descended into civil war as Myanmar’s army tried to crush a civilian uprising. The film includes exclusive video footage and eye-witness accounts, which reveal, for the first time, evidence of potential war crimes committed by the army in three major mass killings. “By risking their lives to film this documentary, these brave young activists have provided a compelling case that Myanmar’s senior military leadership appears to be guilty of crimes against humanity,” said exec Evan Williams.
BBC E-Learning Platform BBC Maestro Enters North America
BBC Maestro, the commercial online education platform developed and operated by Maestro Media under license from BBC Studios Distribution, is to launch in the U.S. The platform features a series of extended, in-depth master classes from experts and allows participants to indulge in new areas of learning from the comfort of their own home. Previously only available in the UK, the subscription service will feature the likes of screenwriter and showrunner Jed Mercurio, DJ Mark Ronson, comic book writer Alan Moore, entrepreneur Peter Jones and dog trainer Steve Mann. Upcoming classes includes courses from theater and film director Sam Mendes, fiction writer Lee Child, actor and comedian Sir Billy Connolly, activist Hon. Baroness Doreen Lawrence, filmmaker Edgar Wright, and musical theater lyricist Sir Tim Rice.