DISNEY+ ANNOUNCE RAFT OF EMEA ORIGINAL SERIES COMMISSIONS AT SERIES MANIA

Today at Series Mania, The Walt Disney Company EMEA revealed a raft of exclusive announcements including four greenlights, as part of their upcoming slate of EMEA Original titles for Disney+.

French Original drama series "The Lost Station Girls" based on true crime story

German Original period dramedy series "Vienna Game" about the most opulent party of Europe's leaders in 19th century Vienna

Two Spanish Original series "Lucrecia: A Murder In Madrid" and "Return To Las Sabinas" - an ambitious 70-episode series with a new episode released every day

Plus an exclusive clip released from UK Original "Renegade Nell" from writer and creator Sally Wainwright, launching 29 March

Disney+ continues to commission across the region with greenlights in France, Germany and Spain as well as a pipeline of production in Italy, the Netherlands and Nordics. Liam Keelan, SVP Original Content, Europe and Africa, Disney+, was joined on today's panel at Series Mania Forum by Sofia Fábregas Bernar (VP, Original Productions, Spain), Benjamina Mirnik-Voges (VP, Original Productions, Germany, Switzerland and Austria), and Kevin Deysson (Director, Original Productions, France).

In France, "The Lost Station Girls", an Original series based on a true crime story in Southern France, between 1995 and 2001. A teenage girl disappears, and three young women are murdered around a train station in Perpignan. They are all beautiful, free spirited, and defiantly independent. Their faces appear in the newspapers. They became "The Lost Station Girls." It stars Camille Razat, is created by Gaëlle Bellan and produced by Itinéraire Productions who made the BAFTA nominated, French Original "Oussekine" for Disney+.

The next locally produced Original series from Germany announced is "Vienna Game". The six-part series is produced by Bettina Kuhn for Satel Film and written by co-creator Stefan Brunner. Filming for the series is underway in Austria and Hungary and the show invites audiences to the infamous Congress of Vienna - an opulent, ecstatic party that lasted nine months and that led to a century of peace in Europe for the first time. It is a political game of luck, money, love, and power against the spectacular backdrop of Vienna.

Two Spanish Originals are also announced today, "Lucrecia: A Murder In Madrid" and "Return to Las Sabinas." Unscripted series, "Lucrecia: A Murder In Madrid" explores the story of the murder of Lucrecia Pérezs in a night club in Madrid in 1992. This documentary series features unpublished archival material and first-person testimonies of the crime that went down in history as the first racist murder in Spain. Justin Webster ("El Pionero", "Muerte en León") is the lead writer and executive producer, along with Sumpta Ayuso ("The Madrid Connection"). The series is also co-written and directed by David Cabrera ("Six Dreams," "El Pionero") and Garbiñe Armentia ("Muerte en León," "Six Dreams").

"Return to Las Sabinas" will see 70 episodes released - a new episode every day from Monday to Friday, exclusively on Disney+. This ambitious project is being launched in collaboration with Diagonal TV (Banijay Group) responsible for 'Amar en tiempos revueltos', the production that reinvented daily broadcast series on linear television. In "Return to Las Sabinas," after many years apart, the Molina sisters receive a call that makes them return to their hometown, Manterana, to attend to their father's health problems. This unexpected return means a reunion with the life and loves that they had tried to forget. Settled in their family estate Las Sabinas, they will face secrets from the past that will change their lives forever.

Finally, Disney+ released an exclusive clip from upcoming action-adventure fantasy series from the UK, "Renegade Nell." The series follows Nell Jackson, played by Louisa Harland, a quick-witted and courageous young woman, who finds herself framed for murder and unexpectedly becomes the most notorious outlaw in 18th-century England. When a magical spirit called Billy Blind (Nick Mohammed) appears, Nell realizes her destiny is bigger than she ever imagined.

Liam Keelan said "We've had a fantastic year across Europe with our Originals. Ambitious shows such as "Cristobal Balenciaga" from Spain, "Everything Is Fine" from France and "The Interpreter of Silence" from Germany have made a real impact with audiences across the region. We've continued to work with world-class talent both in front and behind the scenes to ensure our output is premium and popular. We're now looking ahead to the upcoming releases of some incredible new shows including German Original "Pauline", Spanish Original "Past Lies" and French Original "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld" to add to our growing slate."

Disney+ is available from £4.99 per month - with no hidden costs and the ability to cancel anytime. There's something for everyone to watch, adding new TV series, blockbuster movies and exclusive Originals throughout the year under its six brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star, with a library of entertainment spanning everything from documentaries to critically acclaimed drama and comedy to classic animation. Customers can enjoy anything from the latest season of FX's "The Bear" and "Shōgun" to Searchlight's Academy Award-winning "Poor Things".

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SERIES INFORMATION

UK

"Renegade Nell" - launching 29th March

Synopsis - England, 1705. Framed for murder and on the run with her sisters, Nell Jackson turns her hand to highway robbery to survive. Aided by her superpowered sidekick, a plucky little sprite called Billy Blind, Nell realises that fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason, a reason much bigger than she could have ever imagined: to defeat a magical plot against the Queen of England.

Credits -

Renegade Nell launches 29 March exclusively on Disney+, with all episodes available to stream

Number of Episodes: 8x45'

Key Cast: Louisa Harland (Derry Girls), Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Alice Kremelberg (Orange Is the New Black), Ényì Okoronkwo (The Lazarus Project), Jake Dunn (The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself), Bo Bragason (Three Girls), Florence Keen (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Joely Richardson (The Gentlemen), Pip Torrens (Succession), Craig Parkinson (Misfits)

Writer / Creator: Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley)

Lead Director: Ben Taylor (Sex Education)

Directors: Amanda Brotchie (Gentleman Jack), MJ Delaney (Ted Lasso)

Executive Producers: Sally Wainwright, Ben Taylor, Faith Penhale, Will Johnston and Louise Mutter for Lookout Point, Johanna Devereaux for Disney+

Series Producer: Jon Jennings

Producer: Stella Merz

Production Company: Lookout Point

FRANCE

"Becoming Karl Lagerfeld" - launching 7th June

Synopsis - In 1972, Karl Lagerfeld (Daniel Brühl) is 38 and not yet wearing his famous catogan. He is a ready-to-wear designer, unknown to the general public. While he meets and falls in love with the sultry Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), an ambitious and troubling young dandy, the most mysterious of fashion designers dares to take on his friend (and rival) Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois), a genius of haute couture backed by the redoubtable businessman Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz).

Credits -

Format: 6x50'

Adapted from the novel "Kaiser Karl" by Raphaëlle Bacqué published by éditions Albin Michel

Creators: Isaure Pisani-Ferry, Jennifer Have and Raphaëlle Bacqué

Writers: Isaure Pisani-Ferry is also the series' lead writer, co-writing all episodes with Dominique Baumard, Jennifer Have and Nathalie Hertzberg

Music by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine

Produced by Gaumont and Jour Premier

Directors : Jéröme Salle (Eps 1-2-6) and Audrey Estrougo (Eps 3-4-5).

"The Lost Station Girls" - coming soon

Synopsis - In Perpignan, between 1995 and 2001, one teenage girl disappears, and three young women are murdered around a train station the train station. They are all young, beautiful, and defiantly independent. Their faces appear in the newspapers. They become "The Lost Station Girls."

Flore Robin, a young investigator, starts her job the day the first woman is found dead. She will have to join forces with police captain Franck Vidal and his mentor Félix Sabueso, a veteran who's back from this unique case. At the same time, the mother of the disappeared girl follows every track to find her daughter...

For 20 years, their dogged hunt for what they call the "station killer" will never stop as a sense of psychosis descends on the city of Perpignan.

Credits -

Format: 6x45'

Created by Gaëlle Bellan

Writer: Laura Piani

Director: Virginie Sauveur

Produced by Itinéraire prod (Oussekine, HPI)

Cast: Camille Razat, Hugo Becker, Patrick Timsit, Mélanie Doutey, Kevin Azaïs, Yannick Choirat

GERMANY

"Pauline" - launches 22nd May

Synopsis - Pauline is about to graduate from high school and a scholarship abroad is within her grasp. But then everything changes: the 19-year-old gets pregnant after a one-night stand with Lukas. This messes up all her plans, and she doesn't need feelings for Lukas right now. What's more, something is very wrong with the pregnancy. Pauline develops supernatural powers. Nothing is normal anymore. When Lukas reveals to her that he is the son of the devil incarnate, it is clear why. Pauline finds herself caught between angels and demons - and in the sights of the queen of hell herself. The junior demon in her belly turns out to be the decisive force in the epic battle between good and evil. And Pauline? She's supposed to save the world. What the hell?

The executive producers Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann btf (bildundtonfabrik) tell a supernatural coming-of-age story for the streaming service Disney+ that skilfully captures the zeitgeist

Credits - Created by Philipp Käßbohrer, Matthias Murmann, Elena Lyubarskaya, Sebastian Colley. Executive producers of the series are Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann from btf (bildundtonfabrik), who have recently realised outstanding German projects such as "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)", "King of Stonks" and "Perfekt verpasst". The screenplays were written by Sebastian Colley ("Buba", "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)") and Elena Lyubarskaya together with Alma Buddecke and Sophie Yukiko Hasters. The film was directed by Arabella Bartsch (lead director), Facundo Scalerandi and Alma Buddecke, and produced by Christoph Holsten, Judith Fülle and Sanja Pijanovic. "Pauline" is a btf (bildundtonfabrik) production for Disney+ and is supported by the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF).

"Vienna Game" - coming soon

Synopsis - While Napoleon Bonaparte is exiled to Elba, kings and crown princes, ministers and spies, noble ladies and mistresses, soldiers of fortune, inventors, artists and concubines celebrate and negotiate in Vienna. Here, the fate of Europe is decided on the dance floor and in the boudoir. Delegations from England, Russia, Austria, France and Prussia played a leading role in shaping the congress - with powerful women who used their influence to steer the peace talks in the right direction. It is a game of luck, money, love and power - the Congress of Vienna behind the scenes!

Credits - The producer of the six-part series is Bettina Kuhn for Satel Film, the script is by her co-creator Stefan Brunner ("Freud", Zurich "Tatort" ), the director is Hannu Salonen and Felix Cramer acts as Director of Photography.

SPAIN

"Lucrecia: A Murder In Madrid" - coming soon

Synopsis - "Lucrecia: A Murder in Madrid" tells the real-life story of the shooting of a foreign, Black woman in the ruins of a night club in Madrid in 1992 and how it shocked Spanish society, provoking an unprecedented social reaction. Three decades later, Lucrecia Pérez's story is a journey to the roots of hatred, exploring issues of racism, violence and extremist groups that still resonate today. A thrilling documentary series with unpublished archival material and first-person testimonies of the crime that went down in history as the first racist murder in Spain.

Credits - Justin Webster ("El Pionero," "Muerte en León") is lead writer and executive producer of this Disney+ original documentary series along with Sumpta Ayuso ("The Madrid Connection"). "Lucrecia: A Hate Crime" is also co-written and directed by David Cabrera ("Six Dreams," "El Pionero") and Garbiñe Armentia ("Muerte en León," "Six Dreams").

"Return to Las Sabinas" - coming soon

Synopsis - In "Return to Las Sabinas," after many years apart, the Molina sisters receive a call that makes them return to their hometown, Manterana, to attend to their father's health problems. This unexpected return means a reunion with the life and loves that they had tried to forget. Settled in their family estate Las Sabinas, they will face secrets from the past that will change their lives forever.

Credits - The series is directed by Jordi Frades (Los herederos de la tierra, La catedral del mar) and stars Andres Velencoso (Amor de madre, Élite), Celia Freijeiro (Maridos, Vida perfecta), Angela Molina (Velvet, The Fence), Nancho Novo (Sueños de libertad, Los Pacientes del Doctor García), Olivia Molina (La Valla, Amar en tiempos revueltos), Natalia Sánchez (Sueños de Libertad, Los herederos de la tierra), Miquel Fernández (Apagón, Alba), María Casal (Sentimos las molestias, Mercado central) Marta Calvó (Amar en tiempos revueltos) and Julia Carnero (La Catedral del Mar). Jaume Banacolocha, Ignasi Serra and Jordi Frades himself, from Diagonal TV, are the executive producers of this series created by Eulalia Carrillo , with Jordi Calafí and Nacho Pérez de la Paz, among others, as scriptwriters, and Marta Creus as production director.

"Past Lies" - launches 10th May

Synopsis - "Past Lies" is the story of a group of women whose stable, successful lives are suddenly shaken by the appearance of the mortal remains of one of their high school classmates, who disappeared during their senior trip to Mallorca twenty-five years earlier.

Credits - Produced in collaboration with José Manuel Lorenzo (DLO Producciones), "Past Lies" is Clara Roquet's first series after her debut feature 'Libertad', winner of two Goya Awards (including Best New Director) and four Gaudí Awards (including Best Film and Best Screenplay). Roquet also wrote the screenplay for films such as '10,000 km', 'Petra', 'Los días que vendrán' and 'Creatura', recently awarded at the Cannes Filmmakers' Fortnight, and has been nominated seven times for the Feroz Awards (including Best Film and Best Director).

This dramatic thriller features a renowned cast headed by Elena Anaya (Goya Winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role for "La piel que habito"), Belén Cuesta (Goya Winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role for "La trinchera infinita"), Irene Escolar (Goya Winner for Best New Actress for "Otoño sin Berlín"), Irene Escolar (Goya Winner for Best New Actress for "Otoño sin Berlín"), Marta Etura (Goya Winner for Best Supporting Actress for "Celda 211"), Itziar Atienza ("El silencio de la ciudad blanca"), Ana Rayo, recognized for her roles in theater ("Madres") and Lorena López ("La niña de la cabra"). The cast is joined by new actresses Isa Montalbán, Lucía Carballal, Andrea López, Marina Orta, Miriam Rubio, Ana de Alva and Laura Wedel, who play the protagonists in their adolescence.The cast is completed by Jorge Usón ("Galgos"), Roger Casamajor ("La Mesías"), Juan Blanco ("Todo lo otro"), Nansi Nsue ("Hate Songs"), and Fran Nortes ("Que dios nos perdone").

"Past Lies" is written by Clara Roquet together with Miguel Sáez Carral, Adrià P. Xancó, Lucía Carballal and Estíbaliz Burgaleta. Clara Nieto and Sylvia Cabannas are at the head of production; Neus Ollé is the director of photography; Júlia de Paz directs the second unit; Gloria Vázquez is the art director; Patricia Monné is head of costume design; Alicia Guerrero is head of make-up; and Ana María Honrubia is head of hair styling.

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