Fremantle, Angelina Jolie sign multi-year pact covering docs, series and features

European production and distribution group Fremantle has agreed a three-year development deal with US actress, director and humanitarian Angelina Jolie.

Angelina Jolie

Jolie and Fremantle will co-develop an internationally focused slate of feature films, documentaries and series. Jolie will produce, direct and/or star in the projects.

The first title unveiled under the new deal is Without Blood, a feature film produced and directed by Jolie. The project, set to shoot in Italy in May, was adapted by Jolie from a bestselling novel by Italian author and director Alessandro Baricco. It is described as an “unforgettable fable about war, revenge, memory and healing.”

In addition to Without Blood, the deal will extend into several other local-language projects in partnership with Fremantle’s production companies and filmmaking talent operating across 26 global territories. Other features, docs and original series will be announced in the coming months.

Jennifer Mullin, Fremantle Global’s CEO, and Andrea Scrosati, group chief operating officer and continental Europe CEO, will oversee the deal for Fremantle, while Lorenzo De Maio of De Maio Entertainment will serve as a strategic advisor and partner across the slate, helping to “optimise strategy and maximise each project’s impact and success.”

Fremantle has continued to build out its roster of high-profile talent partnerships in recent years. The London-headquartered company currently has film and TV projects with Luca Guadagnino, Michael Winterbottom, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Tebogo Malope, Kirill Serebrennikov, Afua Hirsch, Felix van Groeningen, Shira Haas, Alice Rohrwacher, Saverio Costanzo and Steven Knight, among others.

Jolie said of the deal: “To have the freedom to tell important stories and bring them to a global audience is at the heart of this agreement with Fremantle. I am excited to be working with such a passionate and forward-looking team that has an international perspective.”

Mullin added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Angelina, joining creative forces in the next phase of her extraordinary career as a producer, director, actor and humanitarian.

“Fremantle and Angelina share the passion and ambition of telling compelling stories from everywhere in the world, for everyone in the world. We embrace and support the creative independence of our partners and look forward to working with Angelina to bring powerful and unique stories to a global audience.”

Jolie, who is also a special envoy for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, is represented by WME and attorneys Robert Offer and Lindsey Strasberg at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.