UK unscripted specialist Dash Pictures sets up scripted arm, unveils first project

Psychological thriller Better stars Tom Hopper

Factual-skewing UK indie production company Dash Pictures (Billy & Dom Eat the World) has launched a scripted arm and revealed its first project.

The London-based outfit is primarily known for making unscripted shows such as Fantastic Friends, The Frontier, Vikings and Rise & Fall for buyers such as the BBC, Channel 4, The CW and Sky History.

This month, Dash added five unscripted commissions to its slate, including Genghis Khan: The Secret History of the Mongols (6×60’), a documentary series about the Mongolian warrior-ruler.

Now Dash Pictures founder Daniel Sharp is rolling out a scripted division, with psychological thriller feature film Better its first title. It stars Tom Hopper (Game of Thrones) as chronically depressed Henry Kane, who discovers he has a long-lost twin brother.

Sharp said: “After a number of years of building our factual programming base and securing four Emmy nominations along the way, Better marks our first move into scripted.

“From the outset, this was a story we felt had psychological depth and real cinematic potential. With principal photography wrapped, we’re well into post-production and already in conversations with a number of distribution partners.”