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Global Media Television team up with Euro indies

A new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes is on the way, along with a retelling of the Merlin tale plus other dramas, as Cathy Malatesta's Global Media Television teams up with UK and French drama outfits.

Global Media Television, the LA, London and Paris-based drama coproducer-distributor launched last summer by ex-All American boss Anthony J Scotti and former Warner Bros svp Malatesta, has so far teamed up with three UK indies and one French.

With London-based Company Pictures, GMT is codeveloping two projects. The Secret Files of Holmes and Watson is a series that revisits the Conan Doyle tale but with a twist: Watson is a woman.

{It's The X-Files meets Sherlock Holmes,{ GMT's director of international production Juliet Grimm told C21. {Our Watson is the daughter of the original Watson. She's much younger than Holmes but there's still a frison of 'will-they-won't-they?'{

The other GMT-Company project is a contemporary series called Turing Test: {reality meets the internet,{ according to Grimm. {It'll have a big web presence. A lot of the drama will happen on the web.{

With Brian Eastman's outfit Carnival Films, Grimm is also lining up a (2×120') miniseries called Running. This contemporary series follows a young woman who is imprisoned in Kuala Lumpur on drug-related charges. The pacey action-adventure will be shot in Asia, Russia and London.

Another UK outfit, Kenwright Productions, has also teamed up with GMT for the telemovie pilot K&R. This contemporary drama follows a kidnap-and-rescue agent who travels the world solving hostage situations. The production company was recently set up by theatrical impresario Bill Kenwright.

GMT is also working with Pathé France on the (2×120') period miniseries Chevalier D'Eon. Based on a true story, the show tells the tale of a C17th man who lives his life as a woman. {This is a big-budget piece,{ says Grimm. {Over $2m an hour.{

Other projects in the pipeline at GMT include a (26×60') drama, entitled Merlin, being scripted by John Goldsmith. Set in England's dark ages, the series offers a {hip spin{ on the classic swords 'n' sorcery tale, according to GMT. Rather than the traditional white-haired old man, Merlin is now in his mid-30s.

With a $100m initial drama slate, GMT has previously unveiled plans to adapt the opus of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct crime novels into 26 hours of drama, as well as the $2m-an-hour Roman miniseries Spartacus.

{With the exception of 87th Precinct, all our drama is being coproduced in Europe rather than North America,{ added Grimm. {They're also all big budget, event pieces.{

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