As Paramount+ prepares for UK rollout this week and in advance of tonight’s swanky London do, the streamer has greenlit a seven-strong international slate including a French fantasy horror thriller, doc on the Circeo Massacre, two shows from Mexico and two from Germany including The Sheikh.
Scroll down for the full slate below as Paramount+ deepens its international push and prepares to unveil the shows at an event with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jessica Chastain and Gillian Anderson, amongst other A-listers. Paramount+ has taken over London’s West End for the day with a Walk of Fame-esque Walk of Stars, with 50 illuminated stars including Stallone, Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Viola Davis.
Paramount Global plans to commission 150 international originals for Paramount+ within three years
The slate, Paramount+’s second major international roster, includes France’s Marie Antoinette Serial Killer, a fantasy horror thriller about four young American girls who find themselves caught up in a supernatural murder spree in Paris.
CIRCEO from Italy, which is co-produced with Rai, tells the story of the massacre in the late 1970s that took place after two teenage girls were found in the trunk of a car in Rome, naked, wrapped in blankets and drenched in blood, with the trial becoming a watershed moment in the emancipation of Italian women.
From Mexico, Sinaloa’s First Lady will chronicle the life of El Chapo’s infamous Beauty Queen Bride, Emma Coronel, while One Must Die is a suspense thriller movie centering on seven people kidnapped and suddenly finding themselves part of a deadly game.
And in Germany, A Thin Line follows young “hacktivist” twin sisters who are inseparable in their quest to expose environmental wrongdoing by any means necessary and The Sheikh (Der Scheich) tells the story of a one-of-a-kind con artist, a man ridiculed as the village idiot in his hometown, reinventing himself as the heir of an Arabic fortune.
Finally, Murder of God’s Banker is a four-part docuseries coming internationally and recounting the murder of Italian fugitive banker Roberto Calvi.
The previously announced The Chemistry of Death has also unveiled cast, with Harry Treadaway (Penny Dreadful), Katie Leung (The Peripheral), Jeanne Goursaud (Barbarians), Nick Blood (Close to Me), Amy Nuttall ( Downton Abbey), David Hayman (Top Boy) and Hardy Krüger Jr (Uppercut) boarding.
Based on Simon Beckett’s novels, The Chemistry of Death was on the debut Paramount+ international slate that included a Sexy Beast remake and Kenneth Branagh’s A Gentleman in Moscow adaptation.
“Paramount’s story began with the longest running studio in Hollywood, and today we span the globe with our worldwide production studios that create hits for audiences around the world, which now live all in one place: Paramount+,” said Marco Nobili, Executive Vice President and International General Manager of Paramount+. “As the service continues to expand internationally, there’s a great opportunity for content to travel globally, opening up a world of opportunities for talent and creators.”
The slate in full
- Murder of God’s Banker (International): This 4-part docuseries recounts the murder of Italian fugitive banker Roberto Calvi, whose body is found hanging off a London bridge. Although his death was initially declared a suicide, it is later uncovered that many wanted Calvi dead. He had presided over the collapse of a major Italian bank whose largest shareholder was none other than the Vatican. This revelation blows the lid off the secretive world of the Vatican’s financial system- a world populated by priests, mobsters, and neo-fascists. What looks like the simple story of a dead banker becomes one of international intrigue. Produced by CreativeChaos vmg in association with VIS, to debut on Paramount+ in all international markets.
- Marie Antoinette Serial Killer (France): An 8-hour young adult fantasy horror thriller created and developed by Executive Producers Beth Tapper and Mitch Watson. Leila Smith (Lockout, Hitman, Find Me in Paris) also acts as Executive Producer for the series. Based upon the novel “Marie Antoinette Serial Killer” by author Katie Alender, the series follows four young American girls from on spring break in Paris. While exploring the edgy side of the city, they find themselves caught up in a mysterious, almost supernatural murder spree that soon becomes very personal. Could the murderer be the ghost of the late queen Marie Antoinette? And why is it chasing them? Currently in advanced development, the series is produced by leading prodco Cottonwood Media (David Michel, Cécile Lauritano & Zoé Carrera Allaix) and VIS. It will debut exclusively on Paramount+ in France and all international markets.
- A Thin Line (Germany): Young “hacktivist” twin sisters Anna (Saskia Rosendahl) and Benni (Hanna Hilsdorf) are inseparable in their quest to expose environmental wrongdoing by any means necessary. But when their hack into a government server leads to a police raid, Anna is captured and Benni disappears into the underground. When it becomes apparent Benni is lending her skills to a radical new terrorist group that does not shy away from violent action against state and corporations, the sisters suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the question: What line are you willing to cross for something you believe in? Produced by Weydemann Bros. Serial Drama in association with VIS, to debut exclusively on Paramount+ in all international markets.
- The Sheikh (Der Scheich) (Germany): Inspired by true events, The Sheikh tells the story of a one-of-a-kind con artist. Ringo (Björn Meyer), a simple man ridiculed as the village idiot in his hometown, reinvents himself as the heir of an Arabic fortune. With nothing but a bunch of tall tales and a fabricated bank statement for $8 billion, he becomes every Swiss investor’s dream, bringing Switzerland’s political and economic system to the brink of a national crisis. Created and written by multi-award-winning filmmaker Dani Levy (Alles auf Zucker!, Die Känguru-Chroniken), who directs together with Johannes Naber (Curveball, Zeit der Kannibalen), and stars Petra Schmidt-Schaller, Sylvester Groth, Carol Schuler, Philippe Graber and Pasquale Aleardi in additional roles. The tragicomic series is produced by X Filme Creative Pool and VIS, to debut exclusively on Paramount+ in all international markets.
- CIRCEO (Italy): CIRCEO tells the story of the aftermath of the crime that came to be known as “The Circeo Massacre”, which upset Italy in the 1970s, after two teenage girls were found in the trunk of a car in Rome, naked, wrapped in blankets and drenched in blood. One was dead, the other one alive. Focusing on the trial that followed and centering on the lone surviving victim, Donatella, the series reflects on a watershed moment in the path of the emancipation of Italian women, demanding (and eventually obtaining) the wholesale revision of laws on sexual violence. CIRCEO is written by Flaminia Gressi, Viola Rispoli and Lisa Nur Sultan and directed by Andrea Molaioli. Produced by Cattleya in partnership with VIS for Paramount+ and Rai in Italy, the series will also debut on Paramount+ in France and GSA.
- Sinaloa’s First Lady (Mexico): Starring and produced by John Leguizamo with Frida Torresblanco also producing, this narrative series will chronicle the fascinating yet volatile life of El Chapo’s infamous Beauty Queen Bride, Emma Coronel — an innocent farm girl turned fierce icon who rises to become Mexico’s most formidable crime wife. A story of love, sex, drugs, and danger. Produced by VIS in association with Braven Films, the series has been greenlit for development to debut exclusively on Paramount+ in Latin America and all international markets.
- One Must Die (Mexico): A suspense thriller movie that centers around seven people who are kidnapped and suddenly find themselves part of a deadly game. As the clock ticks, to survive the seven participants must choose one to die and the chosen one will have to agree. Starring the talented Manolo Cardona, Maribel Verdú, Carla Adell, Juan Carlos Remolina, Adriana Paz, Dagoberto Gama, Fernando Becerril, and director Manolo Cardona. Produced by VIS in association with 11:11 FILMS to debut exclusively in all international markets.
