Fremantle buys 25% stake in Henrik Bastin’s production outfit Fabel Entertainment

Fremantle has acquired a 25% stake in Fabel Entertainment, the LA-based production label founded by Henrik Bastin, executive producer of police procedural Bosch, a year ago.

Henrik Bastin

Under the agreement, Fremantle said Bosch has found a new home on IMDb TV in the shape of spin-off Bosch: Legacy. The original iteration of Bosch, based on the bestselling books by Michael Connelly, ran for seven seasons on Amazon Prime Video, with the final season launching in June 2021.

Bastin launched Fabel Entertainment after leaving Red Arrow-owned Fabrik Entertainment. Former Fabrik president Melissa Aouate also moved across to join Fabel at the time of its launch, in addition to other development execs.

“We are excited about this partnership and welcome Henrik Bastin, Melissa Aouate, and the incredible Fabel team into our creative network,” said Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin.

“Their unique multi-cultural approach to storytelling is very impressive and one we believe is incredibly relevant today as we confirm our commitment in continuing to invest in some of the world’s best creative talents.”

Fabel’s development slate includes a project based on the life and published works of neurologist, Oliver Sacks, as well as adaptations of Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters and Cherie Dimaline’s Empire of Wild. The company is also developing several original works by first-time creators and veteran showrunners.

Melissa Aouate

“As an independent production company, we’ve already been able to build an acclaimed slate of content, and with this new partnership with Fremantle, we know we’ll be able to scale new heights, diversifying our premium scripted series even further,” said Fabel CEO Bastin and partner and president Aouate.

“Fremantle’s talented team, wide breadth of global content and beloved series will certainly complement our growing and diverse pipeline of highly compelling and character-driven stories.”

Jens Richter, international CEO at Fremantle and formerly with Fabrik parent Red Arrow International, added: “I am thrilled to be working again with Henrik, Melissa and their talented group of producers who have consistently succeeded with premium scripted series on the global stage.”

The investment in Fabel is the latest in a spate of acquisitions and talent deals for Fremantle. Last July, the London-headquartered company confirmed its acquisition of 12 production labels in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark from Nordic Entertainment Group.

More recently, Fremantle has acquired and invested in companies such as Italy’s Lux Vide and Australian-American TV prodco Eureka Productions. Last week Fremantle revealed a multi-year development deal with US actress, director and humanitarian Angelina Jolie covering feature films, documentaries and series.