Mipcom day three round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Plimsoll’s Shark! heads to Australia

Nine Network in Australia has become the first company to remake Plimsoll Productions format that sees celebrities coming fac-to-face with sharks.

Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters debuted in the UK earlier this year on ITV and is being remade by ITVS Australia.

The local version will be known as Shark! and has been scheduled to air in 2026. The format sees ocean-fearing celebrities leaving their comfort zones to meet the predators, with filming taking place in the Bahamas.

Electric, Superprod’s Co-Production Co link on drama

Dean Devlin’s LA-based Electric Entertainment and The Co-Production Company, a subsidiary of France’s Superprod Group, have joined forces to adapt Dana Elazar-Halevi’s young adult book series Secret Mission for TV.

The live-action YA thriller tracks what happens when a global influencer disappears after a cryptic final post, with a band of four teens from around the world working together to find out what happened.

Electric and The Co-Production Company in association with Ananey Studios will produce the first season of the series in Paris, with each episode having a running time of 60 minutes.

Sean Presant is showrunner and writer, having worked with Electric on Amazon drama Almost Paradise and sci-fi thriller The Deal.

Stan, Crave buy Half Man

Banijay label Mam Tor’s upcoming BBC1 drama Half Man, from Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, has been picked up by Stan in Australia and Canada’s Crave.

The sales follow previously announced deals to HBO Max in Latin America and multiple market in Europe, in addition to original co-production with HBO Max in the US.

The series, which is supported by Screen Scotland was ordered for BBC1, BBC Scotland and HBO, stars Gadd alongside actor Jamie Bell as brothers Ruben and Niall, spanning for almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day.

It was commissioned by director of BBC drama Lindsay Salt in partnership with HBO and is created, written and exec produced by Gadd. Sophie Gardiner and Anna O’Malley also exec produce alongside Tally Garner and Morven Reid for Mam Tor, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland. Banijay Rights handles the international distribution for Half Man, outside of BBC and HBO’s rights.

Talpa Studios’ Most Wanted travels to Hungary

Immersive reality escape competition Most Wanted, a co-creation between Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream, is making its way to Hungary after RTL acquired remake rights.

The format sees a group of celebrities who escape from a high-security prison and are then chased by three guards. The celebrity fugitives must stay out of sight without any modern conveniences, and are without phones and money.

Originally launched on RTL’s Dutch streamer Videoland, the format has secured a third series in Holland and has enjoyed a debut run on German streamer Joyn. Most Wanted is the second Talpa Studios format to be picked up by RTL Hungary following the successful launch of The Floor.

Fremantle to sell Billy Idol doc

Fremantle has picked up international distribution for a feature-length documentary about rocker Billy Idol.

Produced by Live Nation Studios, Billy Idol Should Be Dead recently had its US premiere at Tribeca Film festival and debuted in the UK at Sheffield Doc Fest earlier this year.

The doc feature never-before-seen archive footage and interviews with Idol, his bandmates, family and music artists such as Miley Cyrus and Billie Joe Armstrong. The doc joins Fremantle’s global documentary slate which also includes It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley and Once Upon A Time In Space.

Banijay backs Dutch football club launch

Banijay Benelux has launched what it’s claiming to be is the Netherlands’ first officially KNVB-registered football club designed around digital creators.

FC Failliet/Finesse (FCF) aims to tap into the creators’ social media followings and was conceived by Southfields and Banijay NXT.

The club was founded by creators Ilias Vietto, Aimane Charbon and Kleine John, and will see Southfields and Banijay NXT producing content around FCF’s journey, sharing daily updates on TikTok and Instagram, and weekly vlogs on YouTube.

The club is fully registered with the KNVB, giving it the potential to climb the professional football pyramid in the Netherlands.

Roadshow Rough Diamond opens The F Ward

Production has started on The F Ward in Australia, which has been commissioned by Stan and follows a group of brilliant, flawed medical interns as they look to revive their fledgling careers.

Anna Friel (Marcella), Ioane Saula (Bump) and Lola Bond (Upright) are among cast, with the co-production being produced by Roadshow Rough Diamond and CBS Studios for Stan in Australia. Outside of Australia it is being sold by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The show was co-created by Dan Edwards (Bump, Romper Stomper) and Kelsey Munro (Bump), and produced by John Edwards, Dan Edwards and Kelsey Munro for Roadshow Rough Diamond.

The series is written by Kelsey Munro, Jessica Tuckwell, Shanti Gudgeon, Nick Coyle and Jack Yabsley and directed by Natalie Bailey (Bay of Fires) and Neil Sharma (Stan Original Critical Incident).