All the latest news from the global content industry on Friday, 31 October

 

Netflix orders drama Rabbit, Rabbit  

Netflix is working with Adolescence’s Philip Barantini again on an Adam Driver-starring series from MRC.

Rabbit Rabbit is written by Peter Craig who is also showrunner, with Barantini directing. Executive producers are Samantha Beddoe for her and Barantini’s It’s All Made Up Productions, Bryan Unkeless for his and Craig’s Night Owl banner.

The show follows an escaped convict who takes hostages in an effort to bargain for his freedom but finds himself entering an unmanageable social experiment with his captives.

 

FX’s Adults matures into S2 on Hulu

Hulu has extended comedy Adults into a second season.

The FX Entertainment show has been created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, who are executive producers and writers.

Nick Kroll, Sarah Naftalis, Jonathan Krisel and Rob Rosell are executive producers, while Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele star.

Adults follows a group of twenty-somethings in New York trying to be good people while attempting to navigate the adult world.

 

Fox strikes Taraji P. Henson pact

Actress Taraji P. Henson along with her TPH Entertainment has entered into a multiyear first-look agreement with Fox Entertainment Studios.

Henson will serve as executive producer and content originator for both scripted and unscripted television programming, spanning comedy, drama, and reality formats.

Henson is known for role as Cookie Lyon on Fox show Empire and will work with Jamila Jordan-Theus, head of development and production at TPH, to develop a slate of scripted and unscripted projects for FES.

 

Big Brother UK host links with Starstruck

Content agency Starstruck has partnered with the host of Big Brother in the UK to launch a scripted division.

Starstruck Originals is helmed by Will Best and James Delow, founder and chief exec of Soho-based digital firm Starstruck. The pair collaborated previously on scripted comedy and entertainment programming for the BBC and Channel 4.

Starstruck Originals has already secured funding for coming-of-age drama pilot Truth Banana. The project is written and directed by Delow, with Best exec producing alongside Sarudzayi Marufu. Read more

 

UK’s C4 ordders digital shorts

Liverpool-based Zandland and ex-BBC exec Fiona Blair’s indie Recorded Time have secured commissions out of Channel 4’s Nations and Regions Digital Factual Brief.

Zandland is behind Crash for Cash: Uncovered, a 20-minute film in which investigative journalist Mike Okay goes inside the gangs that crash cars to scam insurance companies and innocent drivers.

Slap Fighting: Uncovered hails from Blair’s Belfast-based Recorded Time. The 20-minute single follows comedian and combat sports fan Elliot Steel delve into the growing and controversial sport of slap fighting. Read more