Sheffield-based Warp Films, whose musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” hits Amazon next month, has announced a partnership with production and financing studio Anton.
The two companies plan to develop a slate of television series and feature films, with Anton financing a development fund from which they plan to identify and develop “high-value IP projects,” with Anton representing global rights on any project that goes ahead.
As part of the initiative, Kasheina Vencatasawmy has been promoted to head of development at Warp Films and Gwen Gorst has been promoted from senior development producer to executive producer.
The first projects in development are an adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s novel “Lost Illusions,” written by Ruth McCance, who has moved from executive producer on Sky Atlantic’s “Little Birds” to a writer-showrunner role as well as “Blade in the Dark” (based on the role-playing game), while Gorst is working with “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” director and co-creator Jonathan Butterell on future projects.
“Warp has always championed outsider stories and put them centre stage,” said Warp’s joint CEOs Mark Herbert and Peter Carlton. “Our alliance with Anton gives us increased financial clout empowering our amazing team to build on their great track record to bring these ambitious, distinct and diverse stories to a wider global audience.”
Anton founder and CEO Sebastien Raybaud said: “Warp Films’ exhilarating and visionary productions always stand above the crowd. We share Mark and Peter’s belief in storytelling and entertainment first, and their unique slate shows that can manifest in many electrifying forms. We look forward to leveraging our international relationships to support them in their expansion and collaborating on developing projects that will excite audiences worldwide.”