Unscripted format’s expansion follows acquisition of US producer’s parent firm The North Road Company
Mediawan has optioned Kinetic Content’s unscripted format Trojan Horse across its European footprint, in one of the first deals to emerge since the French giant acquired the US producer’s parent The North Road Company.
Trojan Horse takes the deception at the heart of the classic Greek story and reimagines it as a contemporary studio game, with teams having to decide whether the giant horse set before them contains a valuable gift or a dangerous trap.
Mediawan-owned producers in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland have picked up rights to develop the format for their respective local markets.
The show was created by Chris Coelen’s Kinetic Content, which became part of Mediawan after the French group acquired Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company for around $800 (£580m).
Coelen, whose firm is behind shows ranging from Love Is Blind to the US version of Married At First Sight, said: “Joining Mediawan has allowed us the great opportunity to develop and share original IP across an extraordinary network of world-class producers.
“Trojan Horse is the kind of format that travels; it’s instantly understandable, highly adaptable and designed to engage audiences anywhere.”
Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Mediawan’s group chief content officer and chief exec of Mediawan Pictures, said the deal underlined the group’s strategy “to foster closer creative and commercial collaboration” across its worldwide production footprint.
She added: “By aligning several group companies around a single high-potential format, we aim to build momentum for local adaptation while benefiting from shared expertise, coordinated development and a collective approach to premium unscripted IP.”
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