By Simon de Bruyn
After selling its format rights to Lionsgate in July, Australian comedy series Chandon Pictures will be turned into a US series by Fox Broadcasting Company who has greenlit development of a pilot.
Chandon Pictures creator Rob Carlton told INSIDEFILM that Fox made the offer to develop the series, after he and Lionsgate’s chosen creative team, from the US comedy troupe Broken Lizard, pitched the series to a range of US networks.
“We pitched to the biggest rooms in television, and Fox made an offer to develop the series, so we are developing a script which is an adaptation of my first script,” he said.
“Fox had already seen my short film Carmichael & Shane a few years ago, and have also earmarked [Chandon Pictures cast member] Josh Lawson as one of their talents, so they were already familiar with me. We were just coming off n ASTRA nomination and an AWGIE win as well so it was good timing.”
Written by Carlton, Alex Weinress and Russell Smyth, Chandon Pictures premiered on the Movie Network in November 2007. In July 2008 it was announced the series had won a second season and had sold format rights to its international distributor Lionsgate.
Principal production on the second Australian season is set to shoot in October and air, on the Movie Network, in 2009.