NBCU in TV Development Pact with Tom Hardy’s Production Outfit

LONDON: NBCUniversal International Television Production (NBCU-ITVP) has entered into a two-year first-look deal with Hardy Son & Baker, a production company set up by the actor Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) and production partner Dean Baker.

Hardy Son & Baker was founded in 2012 with the aim of creating films, TV and documentary projects. The company produced Poaching Wars for ITV and is co-producing the drama series Taboo with Ridley Scott for BBC One. JoAnn Alfano, the executive VP of scripted programming at NBCU-ITVP, will work with Hardy Son & Baker to develop scripted series intended for the U.S. and international marketplace.

“Tom and Dean are passionate storytellers with a talent for telling original, unconventional stories and attracting first-class talent,” said Alfano. “We can’t wait to develop all of their exciting ideas and look forward to sharing their compelling stories with audiences around the world.”

Hardy commented, “We are very excited to be in business with NBCUniversal International and to work with and alongside Michael Edelstein and JoAnn Alfano. NBCUniversal is a great fit for Hardy Son & Baker and this partnership is a fantastic next step in the endeavor to build our company into a major international TV drama producer.”

Baker added, “Tom and I love cinema of the '70s—the films of Scorsese, Coppola, Altman, Kubrick—and it’s clear that modern-day television has become the dramatic equivalent of those films. At its best, television, with its deeply nuanced characters and complex narratives is, by far, the most exciting and ambitious dramatic medium.”