CBBC, Seven & TVNZ Order Mystic

Slim Film + Television in London and New Zealand’s Libertine Pictures have secured a commission for Mystic from CBBC in the U.K., Seven in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand.

Mystic, based on the Pony Club Secrets books by Stacy Gregg, follows a group of horse-mad teenagers who are regulars at their local stables, where a new girl named Issie is trying to make friends. When troubling incidents stemming from a new industrial development threaten the horses, Issie and her fellow young riders team up to risk everything in order to save them and their community.

Mystic showrunners Amy Shindler and Beth wrote the series alongside Gregg, Scott Payne, Yero Timi-Biu, Samuel E. Shore, Steph Matuku and Kate McDermott. The series, which had investment from NZ On Air, begins shooting in New Zealand in January. Kew Media distributes.

Simon Crawford Collins, managing director of Slim and executive producer, said: “We are really proud to be making this ground-breaking children’s drama for such a top-flight of international broadcasters whose combined involvement enables us to deliver this series on an epic scale. Over the last 12 months, children have shown the world that they are willing to stand up and tackle the really big issues that adults have continuously shied away from. Stacy Gregg’s brilliant and much-loved book series, in the hands of Amy and Beth’s bold adaptation, is set to the backdrop of this passion and delivers it with gorgeous characters, complex morals, loads of excitement and yet still manages to be very funny!”

Richard Fletcher, managing director of Libertine Pictures, added: “Mystic taps into themes that are so relevant to young people. It’s not just a simple story about teens who love horses; it looks at the intricate and complex relationships with their families, with each other and with the place in which they live. The intriguing, action-packed scripts are full of humor, adventure, jeopardy and joy whilst interweaving the human impact on the environmental world with the supernatural forces that are unleashed by it. It is very exciting to bring these iconic books to the screen.”