‘Heartbreak High.’
Some 20 years after Heartbreak High ended, a contemporary remake of the popular Australian high school series is being shopped at Mipcom.
Dutch production company NewBe, which secured worldwide English-language rights to the show created by the late Ben Gannon, is seeking to partner with streaming companies on new series.
Following students at a fictional school in a tough Sydney neighbourhood, the drama launched on Network Ten in 1994 and moved to the ABC three years later, ending in 1999. More than 200 episodes were produced.
The show introduced many new or relatively fresh faces including Alex Dimitriades, Callan Mulvey, Ada Nicodemu, Doris Younane, Rebecca Smart, Tony Martin, Abi Tucker, Salvatore Coco, Kym Wilson, Scott Major and Emma Roche.
Gannon died in 2007 and rights to the series reverted to his partner Brian Abel, who will serve as a consultant on the remake alongside Michael Jenkins, who was the executive producer.
Jenkins was among many directors who worked on the original, including Geoff Nottage, Karl Zwicky, Rowan Woods, Jessica Hobbs, Catherine Millar, Geoff Bennett, Ian Watson and the late Andrew Prowse.
The show sold to more than 80 countries and has screened on Ten Play and Amazon Prime Video in territories including the UK.
NewBe founder/CEO Jeroen Koopman told C21: “Having the opportunity to do something current and fresh with a series that was so important to me in my childhood is a gift.
“I remember racing home on my bike to watch Heartbreak High after school and it feels very special to bring it back for a whole new generation of viewers.”
Abel added: “Jeroen was a fan of the original series and I felt, on meeting him, that he could be trusted to keep the integrity of the show. We anticipate the remake to be even better than the original.”