Three of China’s leading platforms have acquired the second season of HBO and Rai drama “My Brilliant Friend.”
iQIYI, Alibaba’s Youku and Tencent Video have all bought the second season of the show, entitled “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name,” from distributor Fremantle, as well as re-licensing the first.
This marks the first time a non-English language European drama has sold to all three platforms simultaneously. The first season sold to iQIYI in China originally.
Based on the second book of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling series, “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name” recently launched on Italy’s Rai 1 — becoming the nation’s highest rated drama in almost a year — as well as launching on HBO in the U.S.
“The fact that the series has sold to the biggest platforms in the region at the same time non-exclusively is testament to its popularity and to the growing appetite for globally renowned drama,” said Haryaty Rahman, SVP of distribution for Asia and international at Fremantle.
“My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name” is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Fremantle’s The Apartment and Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Mowe and Umedia.
The series is directed by Saverio Costanzo, who directs six episodes, while Alice Rohrwacher directs two.
The story and screenplays are by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers. Fremantle is the international distributor in association with Rai Com.