Quintet Pictures Debuts with Classic & Contemporary IP

Quintet Pictures, a new cross-platform production company focusing on family-based film and TV content, is developing projects inspired by the British animated classic Ivor the Engine.

The new venture was founded by writer, illustrator and producer Daniel Postgate; writer, producer and columnist Justin Pollard; and music industry veterans Jessica Gerry and Alex Kennedy. Among the projects in the works is an Ivor the Engine live-action film.

Quintet is also launching a collection of audio stories based on Ivor the Engine, entitled Ivor The Engine and Friends. It features a voice cast that includes Eddie Izzard, Rhys Ifans and Rob Brydon. All the proceeds from the sale of Ivor the Engine and Friends will go to LATCH, a charity that supports the children and their families who are being treated at the oncology unit of the Children’s Hospital of Wales. The audiobook will be available to stream and download on the major audio platforms from December 18.

Quinet is also developing content in association with Smallfilms. In addition to the Ivor the Engine film, other upcoming Quintet projects include the musical children’s TV series Animal Fantastical, 18th-century country-house drama Burnt Norton, radio project I Don’t Like Cricket, a WWI children’s drama project and a Dark Ages collaboration project with Kevin Crossley-Holland.

Daniel Postgate said: “Set in the hills and valleys of Wales, it will be gently humorous family fayre to take us all off to the charming and eccentric world of Jones the Steam, Dai Station, Mrs Porty, Mr Dinwiddy, Idris the dragon and, of course, Ivor himself. Telling the tale of how Ivor got his musical pipes, it will showcase the abundance of top-notch acting talent Wales has to offer and the breathtaking beauty of Wales itself. In these dark times we are presently going through I think we all deserve something to cheer us up, and what better than to drift back to a simpler time to enjoy the goings-on of a well-loved sentient locomotive who has been part of British culture for over sixty years.”

Daniel Postgate said: “Quintet’s ethos is to build on the classic storytelling of my father, Oliver Postgate, and his partner Peter Firmin, but supercharged with the skills, resources, contacts and technical knowledge of the Quintet team. Ivor is already beloved by generations of British children, so we are working with our partners to bring him back in a live-action format that will ensure he appeals to many more generations to come. Our new slate of projects is based on the same philosophy—timeless tales viewed through a contemporary lens. We are poised and excited to bring our stories to families around the world.”