Disney+ Orders 3 New UK Scripted Originals From Producers Of ‘Gentleman Jack’, ‘Killing Eve’, & ‘The Night Manager’
Disney+ has ordered three new scripted UK original series from the people behind such shows as ‘Gentleman Jack’, ‘Killing Eve’, & ‘The Night Manager’ the streaming service has announced.
The Ballad of Renegade Nell is a swashbuckling adventure series set in the 18th century, written by the BAFTA-winning Sally Wainwright (‘Gentleman Jack’, ‘Happy Valley’) and produced by Lookout Point (‘Gentleman Jack’, ‘A Suitable Boy’).
When she’s framed for murder, Nell Jackson is forced into a life of highway robbery, along with her two orphaned sisters Roxanne and George. Aided by a plucky little spirit called Billy Blind, Nell realises that fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason, a reason much bigger than she could’ve ever imagined, a reason that goes right up to Queen Anne and beyond, to the struggle for power raging across the battlefields of Europe.
Executive produced by Sally Wainwright, Faith Penhale and Will Johnston from BBC Studios-backed Lookout Point, it is described as a stylish, witty and surprising romp from one of the UK’s most acclaimed series creators.
Culprits is a dark and funny heist series and will air as a STAR Original series.
From acclaimed film-maker J Blakeson (‘I Care A Lot’, ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed’), the series follows what happens after a heist, when the crew have gone their separate ways, but are being targeted by a killer one by one.
Created and directed by Blakeson, the series is executive produced by Stephen Garrett (‘The Undoing’, ‘The Night Manager’), and produced by Morenike Williams (‘Killing Eve’). Character 7 produce.
Extraordinary is a STAR Original comedy by actor, writer and comedian Emma Moran and production company Sid Gentle Films (‘Killing Eve’, ‘The Durrells’).
The story follows Jen, a young, self-aware woman who lives in a world where everyone has a superpower… except her. It’s a comedy about being young and finding your feet in a confusing world when all you’ll ever be is “ordinary”. A celebration of the anti-superhero, giving people permission to embrace their general okay-ness.
The comedy is executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris (‘Killing Eve’) and Charles Dawson, and created by Moran.
“These three outstanding titles represent exactly where we want to be with our commissioning strategy for Disney and Star – projects of scale, originality and with top talent attached,” commented Liam Keelan, Vice President Original Content “This is just the beginning of a concerted push to bring the best ideas and storytellers to the service, appealing to audiences both here in the UK and across the globe.”
These three shows join a string of 14 other previously announced European projects from Disney+, as the platform aims to hit at least 50 European produced Original series for Star & Disney+ by 2024. The most recently announced was the unscripted series ‘Save Our Squad’, fronted by David Beckham, which sees the former Man Utd and England star return to the East London soccer pitches where he played as a child to mentor a young grassroots side who are struggling to survive in the league.
“It is a pleasure and a privilege to be working with these exceptional writers and producers,” adds Johanna Devereaux, Director of Scripted. “The Walt Disney Company is deeply committed to supporting diverse, ambitious storytelling from renowned creators and brand new voices, and we are thrilled to welcome Sally, J, Emma, and their outstanding producing teams to Disney+.”
No news on casting or when any of these three shows will premiere, but you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when there are UK premiere dates.
