Mediawan, Leonine buy Drama Republic

French media firm Mediawan and German production group Leonine have acquired a majority stake in Drama Republic, the UK producer behind dramas including Doctor Foster and The Honourable Woman.

BBC drama Doctor Foster

Paris-based Mediawan and Munich’s Leonine have acquired 51% of Drama Republic for an undisclosed sum.

The move sees the two companies expand into the UK for the first time, adding to their presence in France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and Spain.

Mediawan and Leonine joined forces last year by creating a joint company and from today will operate under its new brand name Mediawan & Leonine Studios, bringing their respective assets together to form an independent European media group.

Mediawan & Leonine Studios will be led by Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton and Leonine Studios CEO Fred Kogel as co-CEOs of the new company.

Drama Republic, founded in 2013, is led by Greg Brenman, Roanna Benn and chief creative officer Jude Liknaitzky. They will all stay on in their respective roles.

The company has close ties with screenwriter and director Hugo Blick (The Honourable Woman, upcoming western series The English), best-selling novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls (Patrick Melrose, Us, One Day), playwright Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster, King Charles III) and Bafta and Emmy winner Tom Bidwell (The Irregulars, My Mad Fat Diary).

It has also greenlit projects with writers Sara Collins, David Ireland and Nicole Taylor.

Capton said: “Combining creative forces and market relevance with Drama Republic unlocks fantastic opportunities for our studio. We look forward to seizing synergies in coproduction, distribution and licensing, enabling our local hits to travel globally. Mediawan & Leonine Studios will give us even more firepower on a day-to-day basis to support talents and create appealing content with international potential.”

Kogel adds: “Nurturing talents is part of the common DNA of Leonine, Mediawan and Drama Republic. In the last few years, Drama Republic’s co-founders and co-CEOs Greg and Roanna and their team proved their unique capability to produce premium content with a global reach, partnering with both traditional broadcasters and streaming platforms on high-end series.”