Press Release – Vienna Blood – FINAL
• ORF Austria and ZDF Germany named as commissioning broadcasters and co-production partners
• Stars Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer
• Directed by Robert Dornhelm and Umut Dag
• Based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis
• Distributed worldwide by Red Arrow Studios International
LONDON. October 15, 2018: Endor Productions, MR Film and Red Arrow Studios International have announced landmark new scripted series “Vienna Blood”.
Consisting of three feature-length episodes, “Vienna Blood”, which will be titled “Liebermann” in Austria and Germany, is adapted by Steve Thompson (“Deep State”, “Jericho”, “Sherlock”) based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis, and directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (“Anne Frank: The Whole Story”) and Umut Dag (“Cracks in Concrete”, which premiered at Berlinale).
The series is green-lit and production will begin in October 2018 in Vienna, shooting in English, and stars Matthew Beard (“The Imitation Game”, “And When Did You Last See Your Father?”) as central character Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer (“Vorstadtweiber”, “Tatort”) as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt. The series also features cast including Conleth Hill (“Game of Thrones”), Jessica De Gouw (“Dracula”), Luise Von Finckh (“Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten”) and Charlene McKenna (“Ripper Street”).
“Vienna Blood” will be produced by acclaimed producers Endor Productions (“Deep State”, “Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot”), a Red Arrow Studios company, and MR Film in Austria (“Maximilian”, “Maria Theresia”). Executive producers include Hilary Bevan Jones for Endor, Steve Thompson, and Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm for MR Film.
Red Arrow Studios International, the distribution arm of Red Arrow Studios, has led the co-financing of the series, and will distribute the drama worldwide. Co-production partners on the series include Germany’s ZDF and Austria’s ORF, who will premiere the show in their respective territories, with Wolfgang Feindt as commissioning editor for ZDF and Klaus Lintschinger commissioning editor for ORF. Other funding partners include Televisionfund Austria, TV-Filmfund Vienna and Niederoesterreich Kultur.
The three features will be based on Tallis’ first three books in the ‘Liebermann Papers’ series of novels, and the films will be titled “Vienna Blood: The Last Seance”, “Vienna Blood: The Realm of Night”, and “Vienna Blood: Fatal Lies”.
Producer Hilary Bevan Jones said: “We are delighted to be bringing Frank Tallis’ outstanding novels to life in the historic and beautiful city of Vienna. Having Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer as our leading actors is the icing on the cake.”
Carlo Dusi, EVP Commercial Strategy, Scripted at Red Arrow Studios International said: “‘Vienna Blood’ is a great example of the kind of bold, ambitious international drama we are passionate about at Red Arrow Studios International. Shot in English but set in turn of the century Vienna at a time of extraordinary change, and featuring a superb creative team, we are looking forward to introducing the series to the global market.”
Andreas Kamm of MR Film said: “’Vienna Blood’ is a fabulous mixture of incredible crime stories infused with entertainment and the unique atmosphere of early 20th Century Vienna. It is the kind of high-quality TV Drama that people are asking for all over.”
Klaus Lintschinger of ORF said: “We are thrilled to continue the tradition of co-producing high-end international drama with a distinct Austrian touch that we hope will appeal to domestic as well as international audiences. While we have longstanding and successful relationships with partners ZDF and MR Film, we are delighted to welcome Red Arrow Studios International and Endor Productions into this great collaborative effort to bring Frank Tallis’ novels to the TV screen.”
Wolfgang Feindt of ZDF said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing, successful cooperation with ORF and MR Film, working with new partners Endor Productions and Red Arrow Studios International on a joint European production of the novels by Frank Tallis. The series will add another highlight to the already established and renowned ZDF fiction slot on Sunday evenings at 10pm, where shows like ‘The Bridge’ and ‘The Team’ successfully run.”
Set in 1900s Vienna, the city is a hot bed of philosophy, science and art that are keenly debated in its coffee houses. Psychoanalysis, pioneered by Sigmund Freud, is capturing the city’s imagination, but is still in its infancy, and is viewed with a mixture of excitement and suspicion. Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) is a brilliant protégé of Freud, who comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer), a Detective Inspector struggling with a strange case: an unusual and disturbing murder. So it is through Rheinhardt, that Liebermann is called upon to help the police with their investigations into a series of strange murders, lending his skills of perception, forensics and his deep understanding of human behaviour and deviance.
Release Ends
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
About Red Arrow Studios International
Red Arrow Studios International is a world-leading TV distributor of scripted, formats and factual shows from a global network of in-house production companies, outstanding third-party producers and digital-content partners. Led by Henrik Pabst, with offices in Munich, London, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, Red Arrow Studios International co-produces and finances global entertainment, and distributes acclaimed content to over 200 territories worldwide. Red Arrow Studios International is part of Red Arrow Studios, which is comprised of 20 production companies in seven territories; world-leading digital studio, Studio71; and film distributor Gravitas Ventures. Red Arrow Studios is a ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE company, one of Europe’s leading media groups. sevenonestudios.com/international
About Endor Productions
Endor Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, is known for its award-winning international television. Headed by Hilary Bevan Jones, Endor has a vibrant slate of film and television. Previous programmes include Paul Abbott’s State of Play, William Boyd’s Restless, Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot starring Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman, David Wolstencroft’s The Escape Artist starring David Tennant and Victoria Wood’s That Day We Sang. Their Latest film, Gwen, is set for theatrical release, and premiered at TIFF. Deep State for Fox FN, Season Two, is currently filming in South Africa and stars Walton Goggins, Joe Dempsie and Karima McAdams.
endorproductions.co.uk
About MR Film
MR Film is owned equally by BETA FILM and Oliver Auspitz, Andreas Kamm and Partners. It is one of the best-known independent film companies in the German speaking territory. Previous programmes include Martin Ambrosch’s Maximilian, Rodica Doehnert’s The Sacher, Robert Dornhelm’s Maria Theresia and over 600 other titles. Uli Bree’s Vorstadtweiber is currently filming in Austria in its 4th Season. MR’s Schnell Ermittelt Season 6 is currently airing on ORF as the number one TV show in Austria.
www.mr-film.com
About ORF
The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) is a public service media organisation and Austria’s largest TV/Radio/Online provider with its headquarters located in Vienna. 95 percent of the Austrian population use the rich variety of program offers weekly: 4.7 mio. listen to the radio daily, 3.6 mio. watch the ORF-TV-programs and more than a million uses the ORF-websites daily. The company operates four national television and twelve radio channels, a comprehensive range of websites, a regional Radio/TV-studio in each of the nine federal provinces and a worldwide network of correspondents – they all supply the Austrian audience with public service value. The company offers 24/7 news coverage, is a cultural mediator and event organizer, produces regional content for strengthening Austrian identity and provides minority groups with broadcasts in their native languages. Furthermore, ORF produces Austrian entertainment for a million listeners, viewers and users in all genres. Being formally a foundation under public law with about 3.000 employees, ORF is not profit-oriented and submits a balanced budget, the annual sales amounts to 986 mio. Euro. The organs of ORF are the Foundation Council, the Director General and the Audience Council. The legal supervision is the responsibility of the regulatory authority KommAustria.
About ZDF
ZDF is Germany’s national public television broadcaster. It is run as an independent nonprofit corporation under the authority of the Länder, the sixteen states that constitute the Federal Republic of Germany. The nationwide channel ZDF has been broadcasting since 1st April 1963 and remains one of the country’s leading sources of information. Today, ZDF also operates the two thematic channels ZDFneo and ZDFinfo. In partnership with other public broadcasters ZDF jointly operates the internetonly offer funk, the German channels PHOENIX and KI.KA. and the European channels 3sat and ARTE. The corporation has a permanent staff of 3,600 plus a similar number of freelancers. Since March 2012, ZDF has been headed by DirectorGeneral Thomas Bellut. ZDF is based in Mainz, but also maintains permanent bureaus in the 16 Länder capitals as well as special editorial and production facilities in Berlin. For international coverage, ZDF has foreign correspondents operating in 19 permanent bureaus worldwide. ZDF offers fullrange generalist programming with a mix of information, education, arts, entertainment and sports. Its coverage provides both a broad view on the world and a comprehensive picture of Germany. In compliance with its public service remit, ZDF produces quality programmes for all viewers in all parts of Germany without neglecting minority interests. In this way ZDF strives to offer the highest possible public service value.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Red Arrow Studios International and Endor Productions:
DDA Blueprint
T +44 207 932 9800
RASI@ddblueprint.com
ORF:
Vanessa Klein
T: +43 (0)1 87878 14123
vanessa.klein@orf.at
ZDF:
Lisa Miller
T: +49 (89) 99551962
Miller.L@zdf.de