Gaumont moves into scripted TV

French movie studio Gaumont is moving into US scripted television production and distribution and has announced its first two projects ahead of Mipcom.

The company has formed Gaumont International Television (GIT) which will be based in Los Angeles and aims to deliver drama and comedy series to the US and international markets.

GIT will draw on Gaumont’s extensive film library for properties that can be developed for television and has already announced two programmes for the forthcoming Mipcom.

Hannibal, a one-hour drama series, will explore the relationship between Thomas Harris’ classic Dr Hannibal Lector character and his patient Will Graham, a young FBI criminal profiler haunted by his ability to empathise with serial killers.

Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) is writing and executive producing. Martha De Laurentiis (Hannibal, Red Dragon) has also signed on as executive producer.

Madame Tussaud, a six-hour miniseries, follows the life of the famous artist and business woman who survived the French Revolution. Michael Hirst (The Tudors) will executive produce with Alan Gasmer and Sherry Marsh.

Katie O’Connell has been appointed CEO and Richard Frankie the chief operating officer of GIT. The pair will have access to Gaumont’s existing global sales team and its catalogue of entertainment properties.

O’Connell has been a television executive for 15 years working most recently as executive VP of drama programming for NBC Entertainment.

Prior to NBC, O’Connell was executive VP of development and current programming for Imagine Entertainment, where she helped to develop Emmy-award winning series Arrested Development.

Frankie held the position of executive VP, business operations for Sony Pictures Television until August 2009. Previously, he held senior level positions at Buena Vista Home Video and Universal Television. He currently sits on the advisory boards for Royalty Share and TCN Networks.

Erik Pack has been brought on board to head international distribution and co-production for the company and will be based in London.

Pack previously worked as executive VP of international sales and coproductions at Power, the London-based producer-distributor, until 2006 and has since been advising Apostrophe Media Limited.

Gaumont CEO Sidonie Dumas said: “As we looked to expand our global presence in television it became clear that the next logical step was to launch Gaumont International Television.

“As a leading independent studio we are looking to build a company that is nimble, global and creative in this ever changing television landscape.”

Gaumont was formed in 1895 by engineer and inventor Léon Gaumont and has a library of more than 900 films.

It has ventured into television before with Gaumont-Leonis, a medium sized French prodco, and animation studio Gaumont-Alphanim.