eOne links up with Hollywood outfit

Entertainment One (eOne) has formed a joint venture with Hollywood film and television company Beacon Pictures to develop, finance and produce scripted TV and digital content.

Armyan Bernstein

The companies said they expect to develop up to 12 new TV projects annually across all genres, with a special focus on one-hour drama series, half-hour comedies and miniseries. eOne and Beacon will jointly pitch and sell projects in the US and Canada-based eOne will handle international sales.

The venture will add more US programming to eOne’s international sales slate and is the latest move into TV by an independent US film company. eOne signed a deal last month to become international distributor of original scripted series from AMC and Sundance Channel. And earlier this week, Lakeshore Entertainment launched a TV production and distribution division.

Founded by writer/director/producer Armyan Bernstein in 1990, Beacon is known mostly for studio-distributed feature films including The Commitments, Air Force One, Children of Men and Bring It On. The company also produces long-running ABC crime dramedy series Castle and is set to start production on Agent X, a pilot for cable network TNT that falls outside the eOne deal.

In a statement, Beacon chairman Bernstein said his company “has been in discussions with several international media companies about creating a new media company that specialises in creating high-quality television shows with a worldwide appeal. eOne and its brilliant management team proved to be an irresistible combination because they are a group of terrific people who are really smart, and they have the kind of resources you need to build a successful company in this ever-changing marketplace.”

eOne also handles international distribution of The Walking Dead and produces series including Hell On Wheels, Klondike, Rookie Blue, Haven and Bitten.