Mediawan & Leonine Studios Acquire ‘Doctor Foster’ U.K. Producer Drama Republic (EXCLUSIVE)

After joining forces last year to launch a banner together, indie film and TV powerhouses Mediawan (“The Three Musketeers,” Call My Agent”) and Leonine Studios (“Dark”) have acquired a 51% stake in Drama Republic, the award-winning U.K. production banner behind “Doctor Foster” and “The Honourable Woman.”

The acquisition marks a milestone in developing the recently-launched Mediawan & Leonine Studios across English-speaking territories and in the U.K.

Drama Republic is led by industry veterans Greg Brenman, Roanna Benn and chief content officer Jude Liknaitzky, who will all remain in their respective roles. The company has created some of Britain’s most successful dramas, many of which have became global hits, such as “Doctor Foster,” which sold in over 100 territories, and the BAFTA-winning “The Honourable Woman.” The outfit has built ties with some of the U.K.’s top talent, including screenwriter and director Hugo Blick (“The Honourable Woman,” “The English”), best-selling novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls (“Patrick Melrose”) and Olivier award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett (“Doctor Foster”), among others.

With Drama Republic, Mediawan & Leonine Studios are now boasting a presence in top European content markets the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and Spain.

Mediawan & Leonine Studios, headed by Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton and Leonine Studios’ CEO Fred Kogel as co-CEOs, brings together two of Europe’s fastest-growing media companies. Their combined portfolio includes 61 production banners in key markets.

Their ambition is to strengthen their status as a talent-driven pan-European major involved in developing, producing, distributing and licensing premium IP.

“We are delighted to welcome within our family the very experienced and ambitious team of Drama Republic,” said Capton.

“Combining creative forces and market relevance with Drama Republic unlocks fantastic opportunities for our studio: we look forward to seizing synergies in co-production, distribution and licensing, enabling our local hits to travel globally,” added Capton, who noted that the acquisition of Drama Republic will give the company “even more firepower on a day-to-day basis to support talents and create appealing content with international potential.”

Kogel said that “nurturing talents is part of the common DNA of Leonine, Mediawan and Drama Republic. Our partnership will open up endless new perspectives for talents, as well as our customers and partners.

“Drama Republic’s co-founders and co-CEO’s 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.”

Brenman and Benn said they looked forward to “embarking on a long-term partnership with Mediawan & Leonine Studios, one of Europe’s leading drama producers.”

“As the makers of ‘Call My Agent’ and ‘Dark,’ their ability to produce stellar content couldn’t be more evident. We are thrilled and honored to help lead their expansion into English-language content,” said the executives, whose slate includes projects with screenwriters such as Sara Collins, David Ireland and Nicole Taylor.

Leonine was launched in 2019 from the merger of Tele München Group, Universum Film, i&u TV, Wiedemann & Berg Film and W&B Television. The company delivered the acclaimed Netflix Original “Dark”, the award-winning series “Pagan Peak” and the German B.O. smash hit “Nightlife.” On the distribution side, Leonine previously handled the German releases of “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum” and “Knives Out,” among others.

Mediawan, which was launched by Capton, Xavier Niel and Mathieu Pigasse five years ago, boasts a strong track record in animation, series, films and documentaries. Mediawan is the parent company of Lagardere Studios, On Kids & Family, Storia, Mon Voisin Production, Making Prod, Ab Group, Palomar, Radar, Paiva, Scarlett Prods., Black Dynamite, Good Mood and French Kiss, among others.

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