Sky Studios to fund and distribute future seasons of award-winning Sky Original Das Boot
Sky Studios to fund and distribute future seasons of award-winning Sky Original Das Boot
Sky Studios, the commissioning and production arm of Sky across Europe, is set to take on the deficit funding and international rights for the global hit drama Das Boot.
The Bavaria Fiction and Sky Deutschland co-production will return to screens next year. The critically-acclaimed Das Boot Season 1 sold to more than 100 territories worldwide, including Hulu in the US, StarzPlay in France and SBS in Australia. New deals for existing and all future seasons will be handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution, on behalf of Sky Studios.
Das Boot Season 1 quickly became the most successful Sky original series ever for Sky Deutschland, as well as being the highest rated launch of a non-Italian Sky original for Sky in Italy, and the most successful non-English Sky original series ever for Sky in the UK.
This significant move signals Sky Studios’ ambition to create an entrepreneurial studio, that attracts the best creative talent and stories from across Europe, bringing together production, distribution and content partnerships.
Earlier this week Sky also announced its intention to invest in building Sky Studios Elstree - a new 32-acre, state-of-the-art TV and film studio at Elstree, just north of London. Set to open in 2022, the new studio will create 2,000 jobs, house 14 sound stages and attract £3 billion of production spend in the first five years of operation.
Jane Millichip, Chief Commercial Officer, Sky Studios, said: “Sky Deutschland’s phenomenally successful and creatively ambitious evolution of the Das Boot story has proven to be a critical and commercial hit around the world. This deal is a great example of the agile approach Sky Studios is taking to partnership and collaboration with Europe’s top creatives and we are pleased to be working even more closely with our partners at Bavaria Fiction.”
Moritz Polter, Oliver Vogel and Jan S. Kaiser, Executive Producers for Bavaria Fiction, commented: “Sky Deutschland has been an outstanding partner from day one and we’re now more than thrilled to have Sky Studios on board of Das Boot as well, working together with us on this important franchise. Following the incredible critical and international success of Das Boot Season 1 we know their sales arm, NBCUniversal Global Distribution, will ensure that even wider audiences will be able to engage with a fascinating story that needs to be told on the global stage.”
Marcus Ammon, Director Original Production Sky Deutschland, said: “Das Boot has been a critical and ratings success with audiences at home and around the world. Now, with the support of Sky Studios, we are able to further showcase German creativity and storytelling on a global stage.”
Synopsis of Das Boot Season 1
Directed by Andreas Prochaska (The Dark Valley, A Day for a Miracle), Season 1 begins in the Autumn of 1942 with two storylines running parallel on land and at sea: the submarine warfare is becoming increasingly brutal and the Resistance begins to gain influence in La Rochelle.
U-612 with their new commander Klaus Hoffmann (Rick Okon) is ready for its maiden voyage and the crew has to cope with the cramped and claustrophobic conditions under water, as they are physically and mentally pushed to their limits. Meanwhile, at the port of La Rochelle, the world of Simone Strasser (Vicky Krieps) spirals out of control as she is engulfed in a dangerous liaison and forbidden love, torn between her loyalty for Germany and the Resistance.
Tony Saint (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley, The Interceptor) and Johannes W. Betz (Der Tunnel, Die Spiegel-Affäre) are the head writers of Das Boot Season 1; David Luther is director of photography.
Synopsis of Das Boot Season 2
Das Boot Season 2 pairs together three tension-fueled storylines with intensive character studies exploring how the human soul can become twisted by war.
It’s now December 1942, and U-boat ace Johannes von Reinhartz (Clemens Schick) is handed a new secret mission to transport three saboteurs to the US East Coast on board U-822. When his loyalty is questioned, U-612 - with its CO Wrangel (Stefan Konarske) - is sent in pursuit.
Having escaped certain death out on the Atlantic, former U-612 CO Hoffmann (Rick Okon) finds shelter in New York with Sam Greenwood (Vincent Kartheiser), who owes his life to Hoffmann. He meets sleazy German-born lawyer Berger (Thomas Kretschmann), but will Berger help Hoffmann to return home and clear his name?
Back in La Rochelle, Simone (Vicky Krieps) and her roommate Margot (Fleur Geffrier) battle to secure an escape route for a Jewish family, but Forster (Tom Wlaschiha), Head of the Gestapo, is watching their every move.
The highly-anticipated second season is directed by Matthias Glasner (Blochin, Der Freie Wille) and Rick Ostermann (Wolfskinder). Das Boot Season 2 is written by head writer Colin Teevan (Rebellion), Tim Loane, Matthias Glasner, and Laura Grace; directors of photography are David Luther and Philipp Blaubach.
New cast members include Clemens Schick (Casino Royale), Thomas Kretschmann (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Rochelle Neil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Ulrich Matthes (The Downfall), Paul Bartel (Les Petits Princes), Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones), and Sebastian Hülk (The White Ribbon), who join returning cast members including Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), who was awarded the Golden Nymph from the Monte-Carlo TV Festival and the German TV Award as Best Actress for her performance in Season 1, Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones), Rick Okon (Tatort), Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men).
The series has also earned numerous nominations and awards over the course of 2019, including the Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award for “Best Foreign TV Film/Miniseries”, the ROMY Award (“Prize of the Jury”), the Bavarian TV Award (“Special Prize of the Jury”), along with a Golden Nymph nomination for “Best TV Drama Series” and a Grimme-Award nomination in the category “Fiction”.
Das Boot is produced with the support of Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union, TRIP, the Czech State Cinematography Fund and the Malta Film Commission.
Notes to Editors
Media Contacts
Sky: Harrison Kelly – Harrison.Kelly@sky.uk / +44 (0) 7817476365
Bavaria Fiction: Isabelle Fedyk - Isabelle.fedyk@bavaria-fiction.de / +49 (0)89 - 6499-3744
About Sky Studios
Sky Studios brings to screen unique stories from the very best talent in Europe.
We develop, produce and fund original drama, comedy and documentary for Sky’s 24m customers and beyond, with 52 scripted shows already in production. Building on the success of critically-acclaimed Sky originals including Emmy-nominated Chernobyl, Bafta-winning Patrick Melrose and international hits Babylon Berlin and Riviera, Sky Studios is the new creative home of Sky originals, such as The Third Day with Jude Law, ZeroZeroZero from the makers of Gomorrah and The New Pope directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino.
We’re an agile Studio, seeking out the best untold stories from new voices while working in creative partnership with today’s best writers, producers and on-screen talent to bring viewers stories they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
With commissioning talent and production capability across the UK, Germany and Italy, we understand local tastes across Europe better than anyone else and have plans to more than double our investment in original content by 2024, fully supported and backed by Comcast NBC Universal.
Sky Studios invests in the cultural economy and global production sector with equity stakes in 10 production companies in the UK and the US, including Great British Bake-Off creator Love Productions, and the premiere reality crime producer in the US, Jupiter Entertainment, creator of long-running hit Snapped. Sky Studios has invested in high quality factual specialists Blast Films and True North Productions; entertainment and format expert Znak & Co (US & UK); natural history producer True to Nature; and growth businesses Sugar Films, Avanti Media, Chrysalis Vision, and Talos Films (US).
Sky Studios launched in June 2019. The senior leadership team is Chief Executive Officer Gary Davey, Chief Commercial Officer Jane Millichip, Chief Finance Officer Caroline Cooper, Director of Drama UK Cameron Roach, Director of Comedy UK Jon Mountague, Director Original Production Sky Italia Nils Hartmann, and Marcus Ammon.
About Bavaria Fiction:
Bavaria Fiction is one of the most successful production companies in Europe. A subsidiary of Bavaria Film and ZDF Enterprises, the company is headed by managing directors Jan S. Kaiser and Manfred Haus-Pflüger, alongside Chief Creative Officer Oliver Vogel, and has its headquarters in Munich as well as other locations in Cologne, Stuttgart and Berlin.
With approximately 17,000 on-air minutes every year and productions like “Storm of Love“, “The Rosenheim Cops“, “SOKO Stuttgart“ and “Inga Lindström“, Bavaria Fiction programming reaches millions of viewers every week in Germany alone.
In addition to weekly and daily series, movie collections and TV movies, Bavaria Fiction is renowned for ambitious event television including multi-parters “Bella Germania“ and “Brecht“ as well as international series such as “Das Boot” or “Freud”.
