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HBO's Pacific covers the globe
LA SCREENINGS: The US$200m Second World War miniseries The Pacific doesn't reach HBO air until 2010 but it has already been sold into most major markets, including the UK, Germany, Canada and France. The show, being made by HBO Films, Playtone and DreamWorks Television, has been acquired by BSkyB in the UK and Ireland, where it is expected to air on Sky Movies not Sky One, as well as France's Canal+, Multithematiques and public broadcaster France 2. The ProSiebenSat.1 Group has acquired the 10x60' miniseries for its channels in Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Hungary, Belgium and Romania, while TMN, Super Ecran and Movie Central have it in Canada. Belgian nets RTBF, Telenet and BETV and Iceland's 365 Media also have the show. MNet has the it for South Africa and other African territories, while HBO channels in Latin America, the Caribbean, Central Europe and Asia also have the series, which is expected to debut on HBO's US channel in Q1 of 2010. Seven Network in Australia has been onboard since the project was unveiled back in August 2007. Production started down under in August 2008. Charles Schreger, HBO’s president of international distribution, told C21 that further deals have been inked, or are in the final stages of negotiations, with channels in Japan, the Middle East (MBC and Orbit), Greece, Turkey, Israel, Scandinavia and New Zealand (TVNZ). "In fact, the only major markets where we haven't sold The Pacific are Spain, Italy, Russia and Korea, where Band of Brothers was a very big hit," he said. All the pre-sales were based on "the scripts, the reputation of HBO and the pedigree of the producers," plus a 22-minute clip, he added. "It's not easy fitting a 10-part miniseries into your schedule, but these networks were passionate about the show." He described The Pacific not only as "the biggest thing HBO has ever done" but also "the biggest production in the history of television," given the scale and scope of the miniseries. "It's like making 10 major movies at once." Though the show reunites the team behind 2001's epic HBO hit Band of Brothers, namely Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, The Pacific is not a coproduction with the BBC, as Brothers was. Though BSkyB's licence precludes The Pacific going to other UK channels, Schreger said this was a possibility once the pay-TV firm's multi-year exclusive licence expires. The production of The Pacific is based at Melbourne Central City Studios in Melbourne, Australia, with filming taking place in and around Melbourne and Queensland. James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello and Jon Seda star in a story that follows three US Marines across the Pacific theatre during the Second World War. It is based on the books With The Old Breed, by Eugene Sledge, and Helmet For My Pillow, by Robert Leckie. Like Band of Brothers, interviews conducted by the filmmakers also form part of the story. Hugh Ambrose, son of Brothers author Stephen, serves as a consultant on the miniseries. Ed Waller 21 May 2009 © C21 Media 2009 
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