Rainmaker Content has picked up worldwide distribution rights from German studio Leonine for Brendan Fraser-starring action series “Professionals.” The project, which was completed during the global pandemic, will be shopped to buyers at next month’s virtual Mipcom market.
Commissioned by Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) for streamer Viaplay, the cast includes Fraser (“Trust”), Tom Welling (“Smallville”), Elena Anaya (“Wonder Woman”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“John Wick 3”), Ken Duken (“Inglorious Basterd”), Lisa Loven Kongsli (“Force Majeure”) and August Wittgenstein (“The Crown”).
The 10-part series stars Welling as hardened former counterintelligence officer Captain Vincent Corbo, who is hired by billionaire futurist Peter Swann (Fraser) and his fiancée, medical visionary Dr. Graciela “Grace” Davila (Anaya), to investigate the explosion of an advanced medical satellite. What Corbo and his team discover, however, is that a combination of Swann’s business rivals, corrupt government officials and a shadowy crime syndicate could be behind the attack.
The deal marks the first collaboration between Rainmaker Content and Leonine. Launched in June by former Kew Media Distribution boss Greg Phillips, alongside Graham Begg and Vicky Ryan, the distributor focuses on global sales for premium scripted and non-scripted series and event titles.
The show, which is an official Ireland-South Africa co-production, has so far been pre-sold into German broadcaster RTL II, which has swooped for free-TV rights, and TNT, which has bought Germany pay-TV rights.
Phillips, co-CEO of Rainmaker Content, said: “This show is tailor-made for the worldwide marketplace. Created with really great production values and shot in some amazing locations, it’s fantastic to have such a broad, blue-sky action series that has been able to complete production and is ready to go, thrilling to watch, and just the escape that audiences are looking for right now.”
“Professionals” was created by Jeff Most and Michael Colleary and is a production of Most Media, Subotica, Spier Films and Roadside Attractions in association with Jeff Most Productions, Leonine, NENT Group and The South African Industrial Development Corporation.
Most and Colleary both serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, and are joined by fellow executive producers Tristan Orpen Lynch, Michael Auret, Howard Cohen, Eric d’Arbeloff, Jennifer Berman, Maijang Mpherwane, Dipak Chiba, William Smith, Herbert Kloiber, Thomas Augsberger, Cosima von Spreti, Fredrik Ljungberg, Maxim Korostyshevsky, Daniel Wagner, Bharat Nalluri, Fraser, Welling and Anaya.
Hollard Film Guarantors, represented by Paul Raleigh, provided a Completion Guarantee.