• 3 x 90’ new episodes commissioned by ORF (Austria) and ZDF (Germany)
  • Season Two to return to BBC Two (UK) and PBS (US)
  • Based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis
  • Adapted by acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson
  • Stars Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer
  • Produced by Endor Productions and MR Film
  • Distributed worldwide by Red Arrow Studios International
  • Delivers 2021

LONDON.  July 6 2020: ‘Vienna Blood’, the thrilling period crime drama set in 1900s Vienna, has been recommissioned for a second season by ORF (Austria) and ZDF (Germany).

Also, following the success of Season One in the UK and US, BBC Two and PBS are on board for Season Two.

Produced by award-winning production company Endor Productions (‘Deep State’, ‘Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot’), a Red Arrow Studios company, and MR Film in Austria (‘Maximilian’, ‘Das Sacher’), the three new feature-length episodes have once again been adapted by acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (‘Deep State’, ‘Jericho’, ‘Sherlock’), based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis.

The series will be directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (‘Anne Frank: The Whole Story’), the lead director of the first series of ‘Vienna Blood.’

Production on Season Two of ‘Vienna Blood’ will begin in August 2020, shooting on location in Vienna in English, and once again starring Matthew Beard (‘The Imitation Game’, ‘Dracula’) as Max Liebermann, and Juergen Maurer (‘Vorstadtweiber’, ‘Spuren des Bösen’) as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt.

Season One of ‘Vienna Blood’ premiered on BBC Two in 2019, attracting large audiences and rating as the No.2 drama of the year for the channel. On ORF, the first episode was the No.1 rated show of the year in the broadcaster’s Friday night primetime slot. The series also debuted successfully on PBS in February 2020, attracting both critical and viewer acclaim. The series has been sold to a range of other countries, including France, Spain, Finland, China, Japan and key territories across Central and Eastern Europe.

Red Arrow Studios International, the distribution arm of Red Arrow Studios, has led the co-financing of Season Two and will distribute the drama worldwide. ORF and ZDF will premiere the show in their respective territories, with Klaus Lintschinger as commissioning editor for ORF and Wolfgang Feindt as commissioning editor for ZDF. Other funding partners include Televisionfund Austria, TV-Filmfund Vienna and Niederoesterreich Kultur.

Producers of ‘Vienna Blood’ are Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm for MR Film, and Hilary Bevan Jones and Jez Swimer for Endor. Commissioning editors are Klaus Lintschinger for ORF; Wolfgang Feindt for ZDF; executive producers are Steve Thompson, and Carlo Dusi and Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia for Red Arrow Studios International, with assistance from Development Executive, Sally Rowberry.

Hilary Bevan Jones of Endor Productions said: “Vienna proved to be wonderful to film in and we are delighted that the city has opened up again following the Coronavirus shutdown so that we can film there late summer. Steve Thompson has written three more compelling stories, all inspired by Frank Tallis’ gripping Liebermann novels. And we are delighted to have Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer again heading a fantastic international cast as well as Robert Dornhelm returning with his singular directorial vision.”

Carlo Dusi, EVP Commercial Strategy, Scripted, Red Arrow Studios International added: “’Vienna Blood’s’ gripping storylines and compelling cast, set against the sumptuous backdrop of Vienna has captivated viewers. We are delighted this bold and ambitious series has been greenlit for a second season and we are really looking forward to delivering three new episodes to its growing fanbase around the world.”

Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm, of MR Film commented: “All of us at MR Film are just delighted by the success of ‘Vienna Blood’. To get such great engagement from viewers around the world is fantastic and we can’t wait to get started on the production of Season Two here in Vienna. Of course, ensuring the safety of our cast and crew is of paramount importance to us, and we are working with professional safety experts and officials to ensure that we adhere to every safety guideline and protocol, both on set and on location.”

Kathrin Zechner, director of programs at ORF said: “ʻVienna Blood’ has forged a strong coproduction bond between Austria, the UK and Germany that not even Brexit and not even a pandemic has been able to break. After the worldwide success of Season One, which won this year’s Romy Award for best international production, we are thrilled to announce that ʻVienna Blood’ will continue with the production of three more films based on the stories and characters created by Frank Tallis, to be shot in and around Vienna. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) remains committed to high end co-productions with a strong focus on Austrian identity and culture for our domestic as well as for worldwide audiences.”

Simone Emmelius, Senior Vice President International Fiction, ZDF, said: “Charmed by the cleverly designed characters in ‘Vienna Blood’ and thrilled by the suspense of the criminal cases, we are looking forward to the second season of this Austrian-German coproduction – it’s good news for our viewers who will have the opportunity to become enthusiastic supporters of the first season in Autumn.”

‘Vienna Blood’ Season Two will deliver in 2021.

About Vienna Blood

1900s Vienna, a hot bed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas collide in the city’s grand cafés and opera houses. A brilliant young English doctor Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard), and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders. Max’s extraordinary skills of perception and psychology and Oskar’s forceful tenacity lead them to solve some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.

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. With offices in Munich, London and Los Angeles, 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 an acclaimed network of international production companies and labels in seven territories; 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. For more information, please visit: 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 including: ‘Vienna Blood’ – two seasons commissioned by ORF (Austria) and ZDF (Germany) and sold to BBC Two (UK) and PBS (US); forthcoming new film for BBC One (UK), ‘But When We Dance’; two seasons of  Matthew Parkill’s ‘Deep State’ – the first scripted drama series commission from Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa; gothic drama film ‘Gwen’ directed by William McGregor and starring Maxine Peake and Eleanor Worthington-Cox; ‘Restless’, written by William Boyd and starring Hayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell and Charlotte Rampling; ‘The Escape Artist’, a legal thriller written by David Wolstencroft and starring David Tennant, Toby Kebbell, and Sophie Okonedo; ‘That Day We Sang’ written and directed by Victoria Wood, starring Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball for BBC Two; and ‘Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot ‘starring Dustin Hoffman, Dame Judi Dench and James Corden. 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. MR´s Schnell Ermittelt is currently filming in Austria in its 7th Season. Uli Bree´s Vorstadtweiber Season 6 is ready to start filming in September again as the number one TV show in Austria. 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 non-profit corporation under the authority of 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 internet-only offer funk, the German channels PHOENIX and KiKA, and the European channels 3sat and ARTE. ZDF is based in Mainz, but also maintains permanent bureaus in the federal state capitals as well as special editorial and production facilities in Berlin. For international coverage, ZDF has foreign correspondents operating in 19 permanent bureaus worldwide.