Mediawan & Leonine Studios Acquires Majority Stake In Drama Republic – Deadline
Mediawan & Leonine Studios, the joint venture between France’s Mediawan and Germany’s Leonine, has acquired 51% of UK drama producer Drama Republic.
Financial details were not disclosed, but Mediawan & Leonine Studios now has a controlling stake in the company behind hit BBC drama Doctor Foster and Netflix original The Irregulars, which premiered earlier this year.
Mediawan & Leonine Studios was forged last year by the two European production powerhouses. Mediawan is perhaps best known as being the company behind Netflix hit Call My Agent, while Leonine makes the streamer’s German original Dark.
The acquisition of Drama Republic marks a step into English-speaking territories. They are partnering with a company that was founded in 2012 by Greg Brenman and Roanna Benn. The duo run Drama Republic as joint CEOs and will continue in their roles.
Fred Kogel, CEO of Leonine Studios, said: “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. We are very much looking forward to embarking on this exciting journey together and to developing ambitious and inspiring projects.”
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton added: “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.”
Brenman and Benn added: “As the makers of Call My Agent and Dark, their ability to produce stellar content couldn’t be more evident. We are thrilled and honoured to help lead their expansion into English-language content.”
