Beta Film’s Channel4/Starz drama series “The Couple Next Door” is moving across European neighborhoods, being sold ahead of Mipcom to Movistar Plus+ in Spain and throughout the Nordics.
Public broadcasters NRK for Norway, YLE for Finland, SVT for Sweden, DR for Denmark and RUV for Iceland snagged the thriller, starring Sam Heughan (“Outlander,” “Suspect”) and Eleonor Tomlinson (“Poldark,” “The War of the Worlds”).
The show explores the stultifying claustrophobia of suburbia and the fallout of chasing one’s darkest desires. Beta Film will present a first exclusive trailer at the traditional Beta Brunch at Mipcom on Tuesday in Cannes.
When Evie (Tomlinson) and Pete (Alfred Enoch, “Harry Potter,” “How to Get Away With Murder”) move into an upscale neighborhood, they find themselves in a world of curtain twitching and status anxiety. Soon, they find friendship in the shape of the couple next door, alpha traffic cop Danny (Heughan) and his wife, wellness devotee Becka (Jessica De Gouw, “Pennyworth,” “Our Man From Jersey”). But before they know it, things get out of control.
Loosely adapted from the Dutch series “The Neighbors,” “The Couple Next Door” is written by David Allison (“Marcella,” “Bedlam”), directed by Dries Vos (“Suspect,” “Professor T”), produced by Jen Burnet, and is executive produced by Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino and Alison Kee.
“The Couple Next Door” will be available on Channel 4 in the U.K. and on Starz in the U.S. and Canada, as well as on Lionsgate+ in Latin America, including Brazil. The six-hour drama is produced by Eagle Eye in association with Happy Duck Films and Beta Film for Channel 4, Starz and Lionsgate+. Beta Film is the international partner of the series and handles world sales.
Eagle Eye Drama was formed by Iuzzolino, McGrath and Jason Thorp, the same three founders and creative team behind the global drama company Walter Presents. The company produces dramas and animations, based on adaptations and original ideas. In 2022, Eagle Eye launched two new companies: Belgian based Happy Duck Films and animation company Eaglet Films.