Asian ER, Gossip Girl in works

Companies in the Philippines, Thailand and India are working on local adaptations of three of Warner Bros’ most successful US dramas.

Iconic medical drama ER is under option for local production in India by Gold Television Network, after a deal with Warner Bros International Television Production.

Originally produced in the US by Constant C Productions and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros Television, ER premiered on NBC in 1994 and ran for 15 seasons, with more than 300 episodes produced.

The news comes shortly after a Colombian version of the show was announced at NATPE last month.

Elsewhere, in the Philippines, ABC Development Corporation is producing a local adaptation of Warner Bros’ ABC Family teen drama Pretty Little Liars. The 22-episode series is scheduled to air on Filipino TV network TV5 in April this year.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Kantana Public Company is producing an 18-part local adaptation of Gossip Girl – reinventing the popular drama that ran for six seasons on US network The CW. The first local adaptation of the series, Gossip Girl Acapulco, aired 25 episodes in Mexico last year.

Andy Zein, Warner Bros International Television Production’s senior VP of creative, format development and sales, said: “We are seeing a significant increase in the number of our scripted formats travelling successfully around the world.”