The genre-bending detective fiction series that is quickly becoming everybody’s favorite of the year is Sugar. The Apple TV+ series created by Mark Protosevich is set in Los Angeles and it follows the story of a private detective John Sugar as he is hired by a big-time film producer Jonathan Siegel to find his missing granddaughter Olivia. While, trying to find Olivia, Sugar stumbles into something far more dangerous than he could have anticipated. Sugar stars Colin Farrell in the lead role with Amy Ryan, James Cromwell, Sydney Chandler, Nate Corddry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Dennis Boutsikaris starring in supporting roles. If you loved the mystery and thrill of Sugar here are some similar shows you could check out next.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Showtime
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a sci-fi drama series created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Showtime
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a sci-fi drama series created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman.
- 5/19/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice and Topic will merge into one streaming service, the company announced.
The combined product will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home of hit German series “Babylon Berlin” starting in April. As of Feb. 29, the series is no longer available in the country on Netflix, which previously held the U.S. streaming rights.
Co-created, written and directed by Tom Twyker, Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten, “Babylon Berlin” is based on the novels by Volker Kutscher and distributed by Beta Film. The fourth season of the drama, which has not been available for streaming in North America before, will land on the new service June 25.
Along with “Babylon Berlin,” MHz Choice and Topic’s combined lineup will include “The Killing,” “The Bridge,” “Detective Montalbano,” “The Sea Beyond,” “Pagan Peak,” “A French Village,” “Spiral,” “Beck” and “Murder In.”
Current MHz Choice and Topic subscribers will be...
The combined product will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home of hit German series “Babylon Berlin” starting in April. As of Feb. 29, the series is no longer available in the country on Netflix, which previously held the U.S. streaming rights.
Co-created, written and directed by Tom Twyker, Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten, “Babylon Berlin” is based on the novels by Volker Kutscher and distributed by Beta Film. The fourth season of the drama, which has not been available for streaming in North America before, will land on the new service June 25.
Along with “Babylon Berlin,” MHz Choice and Topic’s combined lineup will include “The Killing,” “The Bridge,” “Detective Montalbano,” “The Sea Beyond,” “Pagan Peak,” “A French Village,” “Spiral,” “Beck” and “Murder In.”
Current MHz Choice and Topic subscribers will be...
- 2/29/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Babylon Berlin is leaving Netflix next month, and subscribers won't be seeing the fourth season before it goes. The German series premiered on the streaming service in January 2018, and seasons two and three followed. Season four aired on Sky in 2022 but was never released on Netflix.
Created by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Henk Handloegten, the series is set in 1920s Berlin and is inspired by the novels by Volker Kutscher. Starring Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth, and Matthias Brandt, the Babylon Berlin series follows a police inspector from Cologne trying to take down an extortion ring.
Read More…...
Created by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Henk Handloegten, the series is set in 1920s Berlin and is inspired by the novels by Volker Kutscher. Starring Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth, and Matthias Brandt, the Babylon Berlin series follows a police inspector from Cologne trying to take down an extortion ring.
Read More…...
- 1/29/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Exclusive: Mark Ivanir, the Ukrainian-Israeli actor who has starred in The Good Shepherd and Netflix series Away, has joined the cast of Season 4 of German crime drama Babylon Berlin.
Deadline understands that he will recur in the new season, which is produced by Tom Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool in co-production with Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky, and Beta Film. It airs on Sky in Germany and the UK, while Netflix streams the series in the U.S.
Centering on German author Volker Kutscher’s character, police inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch), the lavish German-language series about 1920s and ’30s Berlin has scored record ratings in Germany and has sold into more than 90 markets by Beta Film.
Ivanir has recurred on shows including Homeland, Transparent, and The New Pope, as well as appearing in films including The Terminal and Get Smart. He is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Thurline.
Deadline understands that he will recur in the new season, which is produced by Tom Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool in co-production with Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky, and Beta Film. It airs on Sky in Germany and the UK, while Netflix streams the series in the U.S.
Centering on German author Volker Kutscher’s character, police inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch), the lavish German-language series about 1920s and ’30s Berlin has scored record ratings in Germany and has sold into more than 90 markets by Beta Film.
Ivanir has recurred on shows including Homeland, Transparent, and The New Pope, as well as appearing in films including The Terminal and Get Smart. He is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Thurline.
- 2/26/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
1. “Gentefied” (available February 21)
Why Should I Watch? From executive producer America Ferrera comes a half-hour comedy about a family trying to preserve their heritage, their neighborhood, and their livelihoods in a rapidly changing Los Angeles community. Yes, at its core, “Gentefied” sounds a lot like “Vida,” but a) that’s not a bad thing, given how damn good the Starz show remains, and b) this has a fresh look, larger ensemble, and its own ideas. The new original series is based off the 2017 Sundance web series of the same name, and focuses on three Mexican-American cousins whose big dreams conflict with established ideals: How does a family-owned taco stand adapt to meet modern customers’ demands without losing its cultural appeal? How do you become your own person without separating from the family identity? How do you pronounce Latinx? “Gentefied” promises to address all of these questions in bright, spirited, and authentic fashion.
Why Should I Watch? From executive producer America Ferrera comes a half-hour comedy about a family trying to preserve their heritage, their neighborhood, and their livelihoods in a rapidly changing Los Angeles community. Yes, at its core, “Gentefied” sounds a lot like “Vida,” but a) that’s not a bad thing, given how damn good the Starz show remains, and b) this has a fresh look, larger ensemble, and its own ideas. The new original series is based off the 2017 Sundance web series of the same name, and focuses on three Mexican-American cousins whose big dreams conflict with established ideals: How does a family-owned taco stand adapt to meet modern customers’ demands without losing its cultural appeal? How do you become your own person without separating from the family identity? How do you pronounce Latinx? “Gentefied” promises to address all of these questions in bright, spirited, and authentic fashion.
- 2/2/2020
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Every month offers a variety of intriguing new shows and returning favorites. And then there’s this February, which sees everything from the long-awaited return of Bob Odenkirk’s shifty lawyer Saul Goodman to Al Pacino tracking down Nazis in ’70s New York. There’s also a documentary about a long-running fast-food scam, an animated series starring Amy Poehler, and a Netflix series about a psychic teen. Here are your best TV/streaming bets for February.
Babylon Berlin, Season 3 (Netflix, Feb. 28)
It’s been a while since we’ve had...
Babylon Berlin, Season 3 (Netflix, Feb. 28)
It’s been a while since we’ve had...
- 1/30/2020
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
Berlin — Described as continental Europe’s most expensive show ever, epic crime drama “Babylon Berlin” will bow on Sky’s streaming service on Jan. 24, now set in 1929, with a new murder mystery, based on “The Silent Death”, the second novel in Volker Kutscher’s trilogy, though the same intent: To trace with large artistic ambition yet historical accuracy the origins of Nazism.
A world premiere on Dec. 16 hinted, with its creators’ and cast comments, at what’s new, and the series’ growing relevance to the present day.
Produced again by Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool, pan-European pay TV giant Sky, German public network Ard Degeto and Munich-based production-sales house Beta Film, Season 3 follows police Inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) and flapper clerk Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) as they investigate a murder on a film set. The series diverges from its source material as co writer-show runners Tim Tykwer, Achim von Borries...
A world premiere on Dec. 16 hinted, with its creators’ and cast comments, at what’s new, and the series’ growing relevance to the present day.
Produced again by Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool, pan-European pay TV giant Sky, German public network Ard Degeto and Munich-based production-sales house Beta Film, Season 3 follows police Inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) and flapper clerk Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) as they investigate a murder on a film set. The series diverges from its source material as co writer-show runners Tim Tykwer, Achim von Borries...
- 12/20/2019
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
The international popularity of Germany’s “Babylon Berlin” shows no signs of abating.
Season 3 of the lavish historical crime drama, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, has sold in more than 35 countries, including China, where Lemon Tree Media nabbed the rights, and Brazil, where it was picked up by Blue Entertainment.
Produced by X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky and Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin 3” is based on “The Silent Death,” the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath.
Netflix will continue streaming the show in the U.S., Canada and Australia, while Telefonica’s Movistar+ acquired it for Spain and Mediawan for France. Nrk picked it up for Norway and Telenet for Belgium, while Yle took it for Finland and Dr for Denmark.
Beta Film will premiere the first footage of the new season of “Babylon Berlin” at its traditional brunch at MipTV on Tuesday.
Season 3 of the lavish historical crime drama, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, has sold in more than 35 countries, including China, where Lemon Tree Media nabbed the rights, and Brazil, where it was picked up by Blue Entertainment.
Produced by X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Wdr, Sky and Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin 3” is based on “The Silent Death,” the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath.
Netflix will continue streaming the show in the U.S., Canada and Australia, while Telefonica’s Movistar+ acquired it for Spain and Mediawan for France. Nrk picked it up for Norway and Telenet for Belgium, while Yle took it for Finland and Dr for Denmark.
Beta Film will premiere the first footage of the new season of “Babylon Berlin” at its traditional brunch at MipTV on Tuesday.
- 4/9/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
A disused newspaper factory in the south of England is to be converted into a film studio complex. The Daily Mail printing press in Oxfordshire has been acquired by media company Rebellion, the games developer, motion capture firm and publishing outfit which owns the 2000 Ad comic book IP, which includes Judge Dredd. The complex is being lined up as a home for Duncan Jones’s Rogue Trooper film and Judge Dredd TV show Mega-City One. Six sound stages will be available at the 220,000 sq ft site, which is due to open in the spring. Rebellion founders Jason Kingsley and Chris Kingsley were producers on the 2012 feature film Dredd and set up Rebellion Productions in 2017 to develop and produce film and TV based on the company’s IP. Variety first reported news of the studio.
Shoot on hit German crime series Babylon Berlin by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and...
Shoot on hit German crime series Babylon Berlin by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and...
- 11/26/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Picking up where the previous run left off, the new season of lavish German series “Babylon Berlin” will be set in the 1930s and will look at the seamy side of the movie industry, centering on the murder of a big star at a time when “the talkies” were beginning to take off, producers of the show said Tuesday.
Shooting is scheduled to begin in the fall in Berlin and at other locations. Season 3 of the hit noir series – whose renewal Variety reported exclusively in May – will consist of 10 new episodes and be based on the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath, titled “Silent Death.”
The series will be written by the directing-writing trio of Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries. Once again, the production partners on the show are X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film.
The first two seasons of “Babylon Berlin,...
Shooting is scheduled to begin in the fall in Berlin and at other locations. Season 3 of the hit noir series – whose renewal Variety reported exclusively in May – will consist of 10 new episodes and be based on the second novel by Volker Kutscher featuring detective Gereon Rath, titled “Silent Death.”
The series will be written by the directing-writing trio of Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries. Once again, the production partners on the show are X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film.
The first two seasons of “Babylon Berlin,...
- 7/24/2018
- by Henry Chu
- Variety Film + TV
As expected, well-received German crime-drama series Babylon Berlin is coming back for a third season.
Producing partners X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film have confirmed that shooting will begin this fall in Berlin and at other new locations.
Director-writer trio Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries are currently working on the scripts for ten new episodes, based on Volker Kutscher’s second Gereon Rath novel The Silent Death. As previously reported, the show’s writing team received German Government development funding last December and the team confirmed plans for a third season when I met them on the festival circuit late last year.
The new season will pick up in the early 1930s when the talkies start conquering the big screen, leaving many by the wayside: producers, cinema owners – and silent film stars. Inspector Gereon Rath encounters the dark side of the industry when...
Producing partners X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film have confirmed that shooting will begin this fall in Berlin and at other new locations.
Director-writer trio Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and Achim von Borries are currently working on the scripts for ten new episodes, based on Volker Kutscher’s second Gereon Rath novel The Silent Death. As previously reported, the show’s writing team received German Government development funding last December and the team confirmed plans for a third season when I met them on the festival circuit late last year.
The new season will pick up in the early 1930s when the talkies start conquering the big screen, leaving many by the wayside: producers, cinema owners – and silent film stars. Inspector Gereon Rath encounters the dark side of the industry when...
- 7/24/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
A third season of “Babylon Berlin,” the landmark German period drama, is set to enter production later this year, Variety has learned. The new season of Europe’s most expensive non-English-language drama will continue to follow the exploits of police inspector Gereon Rath in decadent, seedy, politically fraught pre-war Berlin.
Work on the scripts is underway, with filming expected to start in October, a production source said. Some funding is in place from German agencies Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg and Film und Medienstiftung Nrw.
The production, broadcast and distribution partners – X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film – are in final negotiations on budgets and timing, but all are expected to board the third season. The partners said plans were underway for a new outing, and multiple sources told Variety it will happen this year.
“The process of development and financing of projects like ‘Babylon Berlin’ is rather complex,...
Work on the scripts is underway, with filming expected to start in October, a production source said. Some funding is in place from German agencies Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg and Film und Medienstiftung Nrw.
The production, broadcast and distribution partners – X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film – are in final negotiations on budgets and timing, but all are expected to board the third season. The partners said plans were underway for a new outing, and multiple sources told Variety it will happen this year.
“The process of development and financing of projects like ‘Babylon Berlin’ is rather complex,...
- 5/23/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Canal Plus Group has acquired French rights to hit German drama series “Babylon Berlin” from Ab International Distribution, the Paris-based company owned by Mediawan group.
The series, which comprises 16 one-hour episodes, will screen on closing night on Series Mania Festival in Lille and will be broadcast on Canal Plus later this year.
Based on Volker Kutscher’s best-selling novels and directed by Tom Tykwer (“Sense8”), Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, “Babylon Berlin” broke audience records in Germany and in the U.S. where it streamed on Netflix.
Sold by Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin” stars Volker Bruch as a young police inspector in 1929 Berlin, transferred from Cologne to solve a case who finds himself caught up in a tangled web of corruption, organized crime and political extremism. “Babylon Berlin” is considered to be the most expensive TV drama in German history, with a budget of €40 million.
Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth,...
The series, which comprises 16 one-hour episodes, will screen on closing night on Series Mania Festival in Lille and will be broadcast on Canal Plus later this year.
Based on Volker Kutscher’s best-selling novels and directed by Tom Tykwer (“Sense8”), Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten, “Babylon Berlin” broke audience records in Germany and in the U.S. where it streamed on Netflix.
Sold by Beta Film, “Babylon Berlin” stars Volker Bruch as a young police inspector in 1929 Berlin, transferred from Cologne to solve a case who finds himself caught up in a tangled web of corruption, organized crime and political extremism. “Babylon Berlin” is considered to be the most expensive TV drama in German history, with a budget of €40 million.
Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth,...
- 5/3/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime have announced that Babylon Berlin, the original graphic novel that inspired this Autumn’s hit TV show – available on Netflix – arrives in comic book stores on January 3rd 2018.
Written and illustrated by Arne Jysch, based on the original novel by Volker Kutscher, Babylon Berlin is set in the 1920s, at the birth of the Weimar Republic, amid great economic and political difficulties. Babylon Berlin is a tale of corruption, trafficking, and scandal. Following an unfortunate incident of manslaughter and at a moment of radical change in Germany, Detective Inspector Gereon Rath moves to Berlin. He stumbles upon an ever-growing criminal investigation into a sex ring, discovering that he can trust no one, not even the police.
Perfect for fans of crime thrillers, world history and political satire, Babylon Berlin will fall under Titan Comics’ Hard Case Crime imprint, whose previous publications include Peepland, Triggerman,...
Written and illustrated by Arne Jysch, based on the original novel by Volker Kutscher, Babylon Berlin is set in the 1920s, at the birth of the Weimar Republic, amid great economic and political difficulties. Babylon Berlin is a tale of corruption, trafficking, and scandal. Following an unfortunate incident of manslaughter and at a moment of radical change in Germany, Detective Inspector Gereon Rath moves to Berlin. He stumbles upon an ever-growing criminal investigation into a sex ring, discovering that he can trust no one, not even the police.
Perfect for fans of crime thrillers, world history and political satire, Babylon Berlin will fall under Titan Comics’ Hard Case Crime imprint, whose previous publications include Peepland, Triggerman,...
- 10/6/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The series set in 1920s Berlin is being hailed as game-changer for German film and TV.
German directors and writers Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten premiered a dazzling 15-minutes of their ambitious high-end series Babylon Berlin at the MIPDrama Screenings on Sunday where it won the grand jury prize.
Based on the detective novels of German writer Volker Kutscher, revolving around idiosyncratic police detective Gereon Rath, the series unfolds against the backdrop of Berlin during the Golden Twenties.
The city was then at its cultural height, a hotbed of decadence and also a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants seeking refuge from persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Budgeted at $39m (€37m) for seasons one and two, consisting of 16 episodes, and produced by Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degreto, Sky and Beta Film, which is also distributing worldwide, the series is being hailed as potential game-changer for German film and...
German directors and writers Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten premiered a dazzling 15-minutes of their ambitious high-end series Babylon Berlin at the MIPDrama Screenings on Sunday where it won the grand jury prize.
Based on the detective novels of German writer Volker Kutscher, revolving around idiosyncratic police detective Gereon Rath, the series unfolds against the backdrop of Berlin during the Golden Twenties.
The city was then at its cultural height, a hotbed of decadence and also a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants seeking refuge from persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Budgeted at $39m (€37m) for seasons one and two, consisting of 16 episodes, and produced by Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degreto, Sky and Beta Film, which is also distributing worldwide, the series is being hailed as potential game-changer for German film and...
- 4/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
The series set in 1920s Berlin is being hailed as game-changer for German film and TV.
German directors and writers Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten premiered a dazzling 15-minutes of their ambitious high-end series Babylon Berlin at the MIPDrama Screenings on Sunday where it won the grand jury prize.
Based on the detective novels of German writer Volker Kutscher, revolving around idiosyncratic police detective Gereon Rath, the series unfolds against the backdrop of Berlin during the Golden Twenties.
The city was then at its cultural height, a hotbed of decadence and also a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants seeking refuge from persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Budgeted at $39m (€37m) for seasons one and two, consisting of 16 episodes, and produced by Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degreto, Sky and Beta Film, which is also distributing worldwide, the series is being hailed as potential game-changer for German film and...
German directors and writers Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten premiered a dazzling 15-minutes of their ambitious high-end series Babylon Berlin at the MIPDrama Screenings on Sunday where it won the grand jury prize.
Based on the detective novels of German writer Volker Kutscher, revolving around idiosyncratic police detective Gereon Rath, the series unfolds against the backdrop of Berlin during the Golden Twenties.
The city was then at its cultural height, a hotbed of decadence and also a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants seeking refuge from persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Budgeted at $39m (€37m) for seasons one and two, consisting of 16 episodes, and produced by Tykwer’s X Filme Creative Pool, Ard Degreto, Sky and Beta Film, which is also distributing worldwide, the series is being hailed as potential game-changer for German film and...
- 4/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
X Filme board Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool Entertainment has recruited Beta Cinema to handle international sales on veteran Bavarian actor-director Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
The chronicle of a rural Bavarian community facing the challenges of technological and social change during the last century began shooting in Thuringia a week ago with Bierbichler directing as well as playing the central role of the village innkeeper.
The cast includes Bierbichler’s son Simon Donatz who plays the innkeeper character as a young man and had appeared with his father in Tom Tykwer’s Winter Sleepers 20 years ago as father and son, as well as Martina Gedeck, known to international audiences from The Lives of Others and last year’s Original Bliss.
On the eve of this year’s Berlinale, X Filme and Beta Film announced a strategic partnership between the two companies as they unveiled the first...
Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool Entertainment has recruited Beta Cinema to handle international sales on veteran Bavarian actor-director Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
The chronicle of a rural Bavarian community facing the challenges of technological and social change during the last century began shooting in Thuringia a week ago with Bierbichler directing as well as playing the central role of the village innkeeper.
The cast includes Bierbichler’s son Simon Donatz who plays the innkeeper character as a young man and had appeared with his father in Tom Tykwer’s Winter Sleepers 20 years ago as father and son, as well as Martina Gedeck, known to international audiences from The Lives of Others and last year’s Original Bliss.
On the eve of this year’s Berlinale, X Filme and Beta Film announced a strategic partnership between the two companies as they unveiled the first...
- 2/9/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
X Filme board Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool Entertainment has recruited Beta Cinema to handle international sales on veteran Bavarian actor-director Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
The chronicle of a rural Bavarian community facing the challenges of technological and social change during the last century began shooting in Thuringia a week ago with Bierbichler directing as well as playing the central role of the village innkeeper.
The cast includes Bierbichler’s son Simon Donatz who plays the innkeeper character as a young man and had appeared with his father in Tom Tykwer’s Winter Sleepers 20 years ago as father and son, as well as Martina Gedeck, known to international audiences from The Lives of Others and last year’s Original Bliss.
On the eve of this year’s Berlinale, X Filme and Beta Film unveiled the first footage of the 16-part high-end TV series Babylon Berlin which...
Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool Entertainment has recruited Beta Cinema to handle international sales on veteran Bavarian actor-director Josef Bierbichler’s adaptation of his 2011 novel Mittelreich.
The chronicle of a rural Bavarian community facing the challenges of technological and social change during the last century began shooting in Thuringia a week ago with Bierbichler directing as well as playing the central role of the village innkeeper.
The cast includes Bierbichler’s son Simon Donatz who plays the innkeeper character as a young man and had appeared with his father in Tom Tykwer’s Winter Sleepers 20 years ago as father and son, as well as Martina Gedeck, known to international audiences from The Lives of Others and last year’s Original Bliss.
On the eve of this year’s Berlinale, X Filme and Beta Film unveiled the first footage of the 16-part high-end TV series Babylon Berlin which...
- 2/9/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
"Babylon Berlin," the path-breaking joint serial project of X-Filme, Ard Degeto, Sky and Beta Film, is finalizing its pre-production and will start shooting in April. The high-end series, set in the roaring 1920s in Berlin, will be produced until the end of the year. Created by showrunner Tom Tykwer (“Sense 8”, “Cloud Atlas”, “Run Lola Run”) and his writer/director team Achim von Borries (“Alone in Berlin”) and Hendrik Handloegten (“Good Bye, Lenin”), "Babylon Berlin" stars “Generation War”-lead Volker Bruch and multiple-award-winning and up-and-coming actress Liv Lisa Fries (“She Deserved It”). The four partners have already signed in for two seasons. X-Filme producer Stefan Arndt: “We’re particularly happy that we’ll be able to complete two series of eight episodes each during the first shooting. This shows how enthusiastic and confident all of the partners are in our joint project.”
Kutscher’s "Babylon Berlin," centering on police inspector Gereon Rath, delivers an atmospheric portrayal of Berlin as the most exciting city in the world of that time, a hotbed of drugs and politics, murder and art, emancipation and extremism.
Sky will broadcast the series in 2017 and Ard in 2018. As co-producer, Beta Film will be responsible for the worldwide distribution of the series.
Beta Film’s director Jan Mojto explains, “Made in Germany is also a hallmark of quality in television. Due to the subject, the creative energy invested in the project, the names involved, its high standards, and not least, its budget, the first international reactions to the project have been very positive. 'Babylon Berlin' doesn’t need to take second stage to any of the major international series.”
The broadcasting team at Sky Deutschland and Ard Degeto emphasized how unique this collaboration is going to be. In the words of Volker Herres, program director at Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen: “We would like to build on the incredible success of Volker Kutscher’s novels. These are exciting stories with a historical background, and we want to present them to German television audiences in a serial production that holds up to international standards. With this goal, we benefit from a collaboration between three strong partners so X Filme and Tom Tykwer can implement the detective series in grand style.”
“Babylon Berlin,” Carsten Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Sky Deutschland reports, “is an exceptional project and a perfect match for Sky – bold storytelling, an outstanding cast, and Tom Tykwer’s incredibly creative team. The cooperation between X Filme, Ard, Degeto, and Beta Film is an impressive example of a fruitful and fair collaboration where all the partners are striking a unique path for Germany and Austria. With 'Babylon Berlin,' we are adding an in-house German production segment to our exclusive international agreements with such major partners as HBO and Showtime – a direction we will be moving in even more in the future.”
And Christine Strobl, managing director of Ard Degeto adds, “'Babylon Berlin' is a special project and very important for Ard. With this series, Ard Degeto will be offering Das Erste audiences a real treat that can stand up to international comparison from both the narrative and visual points of view. With regard to cooperation and financing, such an exceptional project deserves an exceptional approach. I am looking forward to the upcoming start of filming – judging from the screenplays, we can expect some outstanding television.”
A special challenge for the three authors and directors, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Hendrik Handloegten. “For a long time, we were searching for subject matter that could tell the story of this unique era in all its facets,” Tom Tykwer explains. “We finally found it in Kutscher’s novels. And after Achim, Hendrik, and I spent three years working intensively on the screenplay, I can hardly wait now to get started.”
Achim von Borries adds, “The final years of the Weimar Republic were a time of continual crisis and constant attacks from political extremists. A rapidly growing city with immigrants from all over the world was in the middle of it all – Berlin, the international melting pot, with the pressure constantly mounting. This was a source of inexhaustible material for us as authors. And to finally have the opportunity to portray the atmosphere of the late 20s is a challenge to us as directors – absolutely huge and incredibly exciting.”
For Hendrik Handloegten, the city of Berlin plays one of the key roles: “Berlin in the final Weimar years was characterized by its fast pace, freedom, and diversity. But soon it was too much speed, too much freedom, too much diversity. A city that is always becoming, but never is. In 'Babylon Berlin,' the city is the protagonist. And Berlin in 1929 is a bestial, monstrous, famished and satiated, exalted and down-to-earth, elegant and degenerate, perverse and chaste… and mysterious protagonist. The best thing that could happen to an author and director.”
Stefan Arndt adds, “We’re really looking forward to capturing this exuberant episode of Berlin’s history here in the city itself, thanks to all our partners and sponsors. A stunning outdoor set is being built right now in Babelsberg that will evoke so many impressions of the city at the time. Together with our experienced film artists from our previous productions, we are greatly looking forward to bringing the world of the 1920s to life in a TV series. For all of us, this project is the dawn of a new epoch in television production.”
Volker Bruch captivated millions of television viewers with his portrayal of Wehrmacht officer Wilhelm in “Generation War”. As one of the five leading actors, he won a special prize at the 2013 Bavarian TV Awards for his performance, as well as a German Television Award and Emmy Award.
Liv Lisa Fries won considerable acclaim in the Ard film “She Deserved it”, where she plays the aggressive teenager Linda who tortures her classmate to death. She was awarded the 2012 Golden Camera as Best Young Actress for her convincing performance, and also won the 2011 Günter Strack Television Award.
The chief editors of "Babylon Berlin" are Christine Strobl, Sascha Schwingel, and Carolin Haasis (Ard Degeto), Gebhard Henke and Caren Toenissen (Wdr), and Marcus Ammon and Frank Jastfelder (Sky Deutschland). The producers for X Filme are Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott, and Michael Polle.
The project is sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe Media, and the Nrw Film and Media Foundation.
Kutscher’s "Babylon Berlin," centering on police inspector Gereon Rath, delivers an atmospheric portrayal of Berlin as the most exciting city in the world of that time, a hotbed of drugs and politics, murder and art, emancipation and extremism.
Sky will broadcast the series in 2017 and Ard in 2018. As co-producer, Beta Film will be responsible for the worldwide distribution of the series.
Beta Film’s director Jan Mojto explains, “Made in Germany is also a hallmark of quality in television. Due to the subject, the creative energy invested in the project, the names involved, its high standards, and not least, its budget, the first international reactions to the project have been very positive. 'Babylon Berlin' doesn’t need to take second stage to any of the major international series.”
The broadcasting team at Sky Deutschland and Ard Degeto emphasized how unique this collaboration is going to be. In the words of Volker Herres, program director at Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen: “We would like to build on the incredible success of Volker Kutscher’s novels. These are exciting stories with a historical background, and we want to present them to German television audiences in a serial production that holds up to international standards. With this goal, we benefit from a collaboration between three strong partners so X Filme and Tom Tykwer can implement the detective series in grand style.”
“Babylon Berlin,” Carsten Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Sky Deutschland reports, “is an exceptional project and a perfect match for Sky – bold storytelling, an outstanding cast, and Tom Tykwer’s incredibly creative team. The cooperation between X Filme, Ard, Degeto, and Beta Film is an impressive example of a fruitful and fair collaboration where all the partners are striking a unique path for Germany and Austria. With 'Babylon Berlin,' we are adding an in-house German production segment to our exclusive international agreements with such major partners as HBO and Showtime – a direction we will be moving in even more in the future.”
And Christine Strobl, managing director of Ard Degeto adds, “'Babylon Berlin' is a special project and very important for Ard. With this series, Ard Degeto will be offering Das Erste audiences a real treat that can stand up to international comparison from both the narrative and visual points of view. With regard to cooperation and financing, such an exceptional project deserves an exceptional approach. I am looking forward to the upcoming start of filming – judging from the screenplays, we can expect some outstanding television.”
A special challenge for the three authors and directors, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Hendrik Handloegten. “For a long time, we were searching for subject matter that could tell the story of this unique era in all its facets,” Tom Tykwer explains. “We finally found it in Kutscher’s novels. And after Achim, Hendrik, and I spent three years working intensively on the screenplay, I can hardly wait now to get started.”
Achim von Borries adds, “The final years of the Weimar Republic were a time of continual crisis and constant attacks from political extremists. A rapidly growing city with immigrants from all over the world was in the middle of it all – Berlin, the international melting pot, with the pressure constantly mounting. This was a source of inexhaustible material for us as authors. And to finally have the opportunity to portray the atmosphere of the late 20s is a challenge to us as directors – absolutely huge and incredibly exciting.”
For Hendrik Handloegten, the city of Berlin plays one of the key roles: “Berlin in the final Weimar years was characterized by its fast pace, freedom, and diversity. But soon it was too much speed, too much freedom, too much diversity. A city that is always becoming, but never is. In 'Babylon Berlin,' the city is the protagonist. And Berlin in 1929 is a bestial, monstrous, famished and satiated, exalted and down-to-earth, elegant and degenerate, perverse and chaste… and mysterious protagonist. The best thing that could happen to an author and director.”
Stefan Arndt adds, “We’re really looking forward to capturing this exuberant episode of Berlin’s history here in the city itself, thanks to all our partners and sponsors. A stunning outdoor set is being built right now in Babelsberg that will evoke so many impressions of the city at the time. Together with our experienced film artists from our previous productions, we are greatly looking forward to bringing the world of the 1920s to life in a TV series. For all of us, this project is the dawn of a new epoch in television production.”
Volker Bruch captivated millions of television viewers with his portrayal of Wehrmacht officer Wilhelm in “Generation War”. As one of the five leading actors, he won a special prize at the 2013 Bavarian TV Awards for his performance, as well as a German Television Award and Emmy Award.
Liv Lisa Fries won considerable acclaim in the Ard film “She Deserved it”, where she plays the aggressive teenager Linda who tortures her classmate to death. She was awarded the 2012 Golden Camera as Best Young Actress for her convincing performance, and also won the 2011 Günter Strack Television Award.
The chief editors of "Babylon Berlin" are Christine Strobl, Sascha Schwingel, and Carolin Haasis (Ard Degeto), Gebhard Henke and Caren Toenissen (Wdr), and Marcus Ammon and Frank Jastfelder (Sky Deutschland). The producers for X Filme are Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott, and Michael Polle.
The project is sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe Media, and the Nrw Film and Media Foundation.
- 2/19/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The 66th Berlinale officially opens today with Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's Hail, Caesar!, and I add a few words to our collection of reviews. First, though, I report on a conference sponsored by the newish Berlin Critics' Week and the Heinrich Böll Foundation concerning the problems currently facing German cinema on the international stage—and on Babylon Berlin, a new long-form television series based on a bestselling series of novels by Volker Kutscher about Gereon Rath, a police inspector working out of an office on Berlin Alexanderplatz in the 1920s. The showrunner is none other than Tom Tykwer. » - David Hudson...
- 2/11/2016
- Keyframe
The 66th Berlinale officially opens today with Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's Hail, Caesar!, and I add a few words to our collection of reviews. First, though, I report on a conference sponsored by the newish Berlin Critics' Week and the Heinrich Böll Foundation concerning the problems currently facing German cinema on the international stage—and on Babylon Berlin, a new long-form television series based on a bestselling series of novels by Volker Kutscher about Gereon Rath, a police inspector working out of an office on Berlin Alexanderplatz in the 1920s. The showrunner is none other than Tom Tykwer. » - David Hudson...
- 2/11/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
The Flash
Andy Mientus will reprise his role as metahuman Hartley Rathaway, aka Pied Piper, in the seventeenth episode of the second season of The CW's "The Flash". In the episode Hartley returns to wreak havoc on his former S.T.A.R. Labs colleagues when The Flash impossibly revisits an earlier timeline. [Source: TV Line]
Ray Donovan
Gabriel Mann ("Revenge") has been cast in a recurring role in Showtime's "Ray Donovan" for its upcoming fourth season. Mann will play Jacob Waller, an aggressive attorney who represents high-profile clients, in at least three episodes. [Source: Variety]
Dead of Summer
"Once Upon a Time" actors Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail have joined the cast of Freeform's supernatural horror series "Dead of Summer" which has a straight-to-series order. Set in the late 1980s at a remote camp where an ancient evil has returned, Lail plays a nervous camp counselor while Mitchell plays the camp's new owner. [Source: Deadline]
Lawrence...
Andy Mientus will reprise his role as metahuman Hartley Rathaway, aka Pied Piper, in the seventeenth episode of the second season of The CW's "The Flash". In the episode Hartley returns to wreak havoc on his former S.T.A.R. Labs colleagues when The Flash impossibly revisits an earlier timeline. [Source: TV Line]
Ray Donovan
Gabriel Mann ("Revenge") has been cast in a recurring role in Showtime's "Ray Donovan" for its upcoming fourth season. Mann will play Jacob Waller, an aggressive attorney who represents high-profile clients, in at least three episodes. [Source: Variety]
Dead of Summer
"Once Upon a Time" actors Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail have joined the cast of Freeform's supernatural horror series "Dead of Summer" which has a straight-to-series order. Set in the late 1980s at a remote camp where an ancient evil has returned, Lail plays a nervous camp counselor while Mitchell plays the camp's new owner. [Source: Deadline]
Lawrence...
- 2/10/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The 16-part TVseries Babylon Berlin is based on Volker Kutscher’s bestselling crime thrillers.
Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries are to star in lead roles for Babylon Berlin, the most ambitious German TV production to date, based on Volker Kutscher’s internationally bestselling historical crime thrillers set in the Berlin of the Roaring Twenties.
Cast as the police inspector Gereon Rath, Bruch is already known for appearances in the internationally successful German TV series Generation War as well as such feature films The Reader, Young Goethe and Tour De Force, while Fries - as the shorthand typist Charlotte - has credits including The Wave, Boy 7 and Und Morgen Mittag Bin Ich Tot.
Tom Tykwer is serving as showrunner for the high-end 16-part series which he will direct with co-authors Hendrik Handloegten and Achim von Boerries.
Speaking on the eve of this year’s Berlinale, Tykwer revealed that this would be the first time he had...
Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries are to star in lead roles for Babylon Berlin, the most ambitious German TV production to date, based on Volker Kutscher’s internationally bestselling historical crime thrillers set in the Berlin of the Roaring Twenties.
Cast as the police inspector Gereon Rath, Bruch is already known for appearances in the internationally successful German TV series Generation War as well as such feature films The Reader, Young Goethe and Tour De Force, while Fries - as the shorthand typist Charlotte - has credits including The Wave, Boy 7 and Und Morgen Mittag Bin Ich Tot.
Tom Tykwer is serving as showrunner for the high-end 16-part series which he will direct with co-authors Hendrik Handloegten and Achim von Boerries.
Speaking on the eve of this year’s Berlinale, Tykwer revealed that this would be the first time he had...
- 2/10/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Tom Tykwer ("Cloud Atlas," "Run Lola Run") is set to direct his first TV series, the twelve-part German-language drama "Babylon Berlin" for X Filme Creative Pool.
An adaptation of the book series by Volker Kutscher, the story follows the Cologne-born Inspector Gereon Rath who arrives in the Berlin of 1920s - the epicentre of the world's politicial and social changes of those years.
Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten are adapting the four existing books, and X Filme has scored the rights to any future books in the series.
The first series will be based on the first two novels, while an eventual second series will deal with a storyline about murders and the death of silent films.
Source: Screen Daily...
An adaptation of the book series by Volker Kutscher, the story follows the Cologne-born Inspector Gereon Rath who arrives in the Berlin of 1920s - the epicentre of the world's politicial and social changes of those years.
Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten are adapting the four existing books, and X Filme has scored the rights to any future books in the series.
The first series will be based on the first two novels, while an eventual second series will deal with a storyline about murders and the death of silent films.
Source: Screen Daily...
- 10/22/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
"Run Lola Run" director Tom Tykwer has become the latest filmmaker to sign on to a television project. Screen Daily reports that Tykwer is set to direct the 12-part German-language period drama "Babylon Berlin," based on a series of novels by Volker Kutscher. The project is being developed by X Filme Creative Pool. Set in 1920s Berlin, the series is centered on Inspector Gereon Rath, who arrives in the turbulent city from Cologne. Tykwer is working with screenwriters Achim von Borries ("4 Days in May") and Hendrik Handloegten ("Summer Window") on the adaptation, which will shoot in Berlin with the help of some digital effects. The first season of "Babylon Berlin" will be based on the first two novels in Kutscher's series. Series producer Stefan Arndt told Screen, "We are aiming artistically and narratively for the top end of what is possible in German television... The series practically begins on Black Friday,...
- 10/22/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Exclusive: German director Tom Tykwer is to direct his first TV series, Babylon Berlin, as an internationally financed, German-language production.
The 12-part series is based on a series of books by German writer Volker Kutscher and centre on the figure of Inspector Gereon Rath who hails from Cologne and arrives in the Berlin of 1920s, the epicentre of politicial and social changes of those years.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, series producer Stefan Arndt of Berlin production powerhouse X Filme Creative Pool explained that Tykwer is working with screenwriters Achim von Borries (4 Tage im Mai) and Hendrik Handloegten (Fenster zum Sommer) on the adaptation of Kutscher’s novels for the small screen.
Last year, X Filme acquired the rights to the four existing Gereon Rath novels and any future books in the books series from publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch against rival bids from other production houses.
Two of the novels - The Wet Fish and The Silent Death - have...
The 12-part series is based on a series of books by German writer Volker Kutscher and centre on the figure of Inspector Gereon Rath who hails from Cologne and arrives in the Berlin of 1920s, the epicentre of politicial and social changes of those years.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, series producer Stefan Arndt of Berlin production powerhouse X Filme Creative Pool explained that Tykwer is working with screenwriters Achim von Borries (4 Tage im Mai) and Hendrik Handloegten (Fenster zum Sommer) on the adaptation of Kutscher’s novels for the small screen.
Last year, X Filme acquired the rights to the four existing Gereon Rath novels and any future books in the books series from publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch against rival bids from other production houses.
Two of the novels - The Wet Fish and The Silent Death - have...
- 10/22/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
After the massive undertaking that was "Cloud Atlas," what's next for Tom Tykwer? Well, first he'll shoot "A Hologram For A King" with Tom Hanks, and once that's done, he'll tackle a 12-part German language TV series entitled "Babylon Berlin." Screendaily reveals it will based on the books of Volker Kutscher, and focus "on the figure of Inspector Gereon Rath who hails from Cologne and arrives in the Berlin of 1920s, the epicentre of political and social changes of those years." The initial batch of episodes will focus on Kutscher's first two books, with Tykwer adapting them alongside screenwriters Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten, with producers hoping that the final result will sit along TV greats like "The Wire," "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and "Boardwalk Empire." Coming off the year he had in 2012, Channing Tatum has clout to spare in Hollywood and he’s using it to help an old friend.
- 10/22/2013
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
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