German Pickup for Endemol-Telefe Novela

LONDON: Lena: Love of My Life, an adaptation of the Endemol Argentina and Telefe long-running telenovela Don Juan y su Bella Dama, has been commissioned by ZDF in Germany.

Lena will be Endemol’s first daily drama series in Germany. The series also represents the first production for Endemol Germany’s joint venture Wiedemann & Berg Television. The drama has been commissioned by ZDF in Germany and also airs on ORF in Austria and SF in Switzerland.

Telefe International is the exclusive distributor of the original version and format of Don Juan y su Bella Dama.

Marcus Wolter, the managing director of Endemol Germany, commented: “This production represents a significant milestone and a first big step for Endemol Germany and our joint venture with Wiedemann & Berg Television. Drama and comedy are set to play a major role in the future of the business as we rapidly grow these areas alongside our core output of non scripted programming.”

Quirin Berg, the managing director for Wiedemann & Berg Television, added: “This is a great example of the Endemol network delivering value—a smash hit drama from Argentina exclusively available for us to adapt for the German market. These adaptations of Endemol’s drama successes will continue to play an important role for us alongside our own in-house development. ZDF has shown great commitment with this commission and we are extremely excited to be working in close collaboration with them.”

Michelle Wasserman, the head of international distribution programming, formats and production services at Telefe International, stated: “We are very excited about this adaptation of Don Juan y su Bella Dama which represents our first experience in Germany. We are delighted that Endemol, one of the world’s leading producers who we have worked with in numerous territories, are in charge of the project. We have no doubt Lena will be a huge success.”