US studios have bought the format rights to Offspring, Fat Cow Motel and East West 101.
Word of the deals emerged today during panel sessions at SPA’s Screen Forever conference.
Endemol Worldwide Distribution has sold Offspring to US producer Mandeville Television, which has done a script deal with the ABC network.
Mandeville Television president Laurie Zaks told IF that if the show gets the go-ahead it will be produced by herself and Mandeville principals David Hoberman and Todd Leiberman.
She said she hoped the show’s creators, John Edwards and Imogen Banks, will be involved in the US remake.
During a panel on Selling Formats to the US, Hoodlum Entertainment’s Tracey Robertson said a format deal for mystery Fat Cow Motel has been signed with the ABC network, negotiated by her US agent ICM. In turn she said ABC has funnelled the project to ABC Studios and a writer has been attached.
Carrie Steen, executive vice president, global productions of Entertainment One Television, said she has acquired the US format rights to Knapman Wyld Television's East West 101 and the crime drama is being packaged.
Steve Knapman told IF that he and Wyld will be EPs if the series proceeds, observing, "The key is finding the right team of people.";
"Formats are all the rage now," Steen said. "The US networks look at formats as a tool to get high-end talent."
Robertson, who is producing the US remake of Secrets & Lies for ABC with ABC Studios and Kaplan Entertainment, also said the format rights to Strange Calls, which Fox Studios acquired for ABC, have since passed to NBC. “It’s taking on a new life,” she said.
Some time back Endemol Worldwide sold remake rights for Edwards' Spirited, which was created by Jacquelin Perske and Claudia Karvan, to an unnamed US entity and the project is in development.