Fireworks Signs On for New Multiplatform Thriller

LONDON: Fireworks International is collaborating with Pure Grass Films as a production and funding partner on the new multiplatform thriller Shadow Line.

Fireworks will also distribute the prequel and subsequent series of Shadow Line to the international marketplace as part of a new first-look deal with Pure Grass Films. The project is aimed at the 18-to-30 demo, and follows a CIA agent who is betrayed by a colleague while on a mission. He winds up faking his own death, with the help of a secret cell of assassins, and takes up an opportunity to seek revenge. The prequel, currently in post-production, is scripted as a stand-alone series. It will also act as a pilot for the full 20×4-minute series and feature version.

Fireworks has also agreed to a 12-month first-look deal with Pure Grass—owned 40 percent by Endemol—giving it options on multiplatform and TV rights for all future content produced outside of its commissioning window.

Jonathan Ford, the executive VP at Fireworks International, commented, “Shadow Line is an exceptional project for us to be involved in. The online audience is very sophisticated and discerning, with viewers expecting big budget, high-quality original drama. This unique property perfectly matches these requirements and we are confident that it will prove to be a huge success worldwide.”

Ben Grass, the founder and managing director of Pure Grass Films, added, “We are incredibly excited to be working on Shadow Line. We think it really pushes the boundaries in terms of the quality of the production values for an online series, and also the innovative storytelling devices we envisage. We think Fireworks International is a first rate partner for the project as they really understand distribution in this evolving cross-platform space.”