Thunderbirds Are Go in the US

ITV Studios’ rebooted Thunderbirds Are Go

Amazon has picked up 52 episodes of the rebooted Thunderbirds series, originally produced for ITV in the UK by Pukeko Pictures in New Zealand.

The first 13×30′ episodes of Thunderbirds Are Go will launch in the US later this year and will be made available to Prime Video subscribers in the UK, Germany and Austria.

Amazon will then release the second batch of 13 episodes later on this year, with another 26 due to follow after that. ITV will continue to air the series in the UK.

The deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment comes after the distributor has sold the animated series into more than 40 countries worldwide.

Produced by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures in collaboration with Weta Workshop, the series is made using a unique mixture of CGI animation and live-action model sets,

The show features the globetrotting International Rescue family of heroes, as well as their collection of unusual vehicles, who first appeared in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s classic 1960s puppet series.

The cast is led by Rosamund Pike (The World’s End, Gone Girl) as Lady Penelope and David Graham reprising his role as chauffeur and International Rescue agent Parker.

“Our customers will enjoy the same action and adventure found in the classic series infused with a contemporary aesthetic and visually stunning world,” said Tara Sorensen, head of kids programming at Amazon Studios.

It premiered on ITV in the UK in April last year before moving to the broadcaster’s children’s channel CiTV. The channel ordered 26 more 30-minute episodes in December 2014.

In related news, Amazon has ordered a third season of its critically acclaimed series Mozart in the Jungle, which won the Golden Globe for best comedy this year.