Global producer Fremantle announced on Friday that it has secured a two-year, first-look deal with Nine Hours, the new production company launched by Oscar-nominated director Edward Berger alongside producing partners Luke Rivett and Jeanne Tremsal. The indie company will focus on global TV and film projects.
“Great drama comes from filmmakers who have an undeniable urge to tell their story,” says Berger. “We intend to find and nourish these filmmakers in their endeavors to bring their grounded, intelligent and cinematic vision to the screen. We couldn’t have found a more exciting partner than Fremantle for this dream.”
This move is the latest by Fremantle, which holds several first-look deals, including partnerships with Angeline Jolie, Sinestra’s Johan Renck, and Michael Parets, and has ongoing collaborations with acclaimed writers and directors such as Luca Guadagnino, Paulo Sorrentino, and Neil Cross.
Berger makes this deal fresh from securing nine Oscar nominations for the critically-acclaimed Netflix adaption All Quiet on the Western Front, which also received 14 BAFTA nominations. Other credits include Patrick Melrose, Your Honor, The Terror, and Deutschland 83, which he made with Fremantle.
CEO of Global Drama at Fremantle, Christian Vesper, announced, “We have long admired Edward’s talent and creative vision since working with him on the Emmy-nominated series ‘Deutschland 83.’ We are honored that he has chosen to partner with us as he launches his new label Nine Hours and at such a seminal moment in his career.”
As a part of the two-year deal, Fremantle will become the primary location of all of Nine Hours’ television projects and have second-look access to Berger’s film pipeline.