Red Arrow Studios International has secured a deal with STARZ, which will see the epic period drama Death and Nightingales (3 x 60’ or 2 x 90’) launch on STARZ and the STARZ app in the US on May 16, 2021. The series features an all-star cast including Emmy award-winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Jamie Dornan (The Fall) and Ann Skelly (The Nevers).
Red Arrow Studios International has also sold Death and Nightingales to HBO Europe for CEE, the Nordics and Spain, Sky Network Television for New Zealand, and Yes for Israel. Additionally, DirecTV picked up the series for all Latin American markets excluding Brazil, and the series has also aired on BBC First in Belgium and The Netherlands, following a sale to BBC Studios.
Originally commissioned by BBC Two (UK), Death and Nightingales is based on Eugene McCabe’s modern Irish classic novel, adapted and directed by Allan Cubitt (The Fall) and produced by Jonathan Cavendish (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Elizabeth: The Golden Age). The series was a hit on BBC Two, increasing the channel’s slot average by 25% among all Individuals.
Tim Gerhartz, President & Managing Director at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “Following the acclaim for Death and Nightingales in the UK, we’re thrilled to be taking the series Stateside and to new audiences around the world. With a focus on premium content, STARZ is the ideal home for this haunting and compelling drama.”
Death and Nightingales is produced by The Imaginarium and Soho Moon Pictures for BBC Two (UK).
The deal with STARZ was concluded by Shirley Bowers, VP Sales & Acquisitions, North America, UK, Australia & New Zealand.
A riveting story of love and revenge, Death and Nightingales is set in the beautiful countryside of Fermanagh, Ireland in 1885: a world of spies, deception and betrayal, with simmering tensions of class, politics and religion that threaten to tear the country apart.
Set over a desperately tense 24-hour period, it is Beth Winters’ 23rd birthday – the day she has decided to join her secret lover, the charming, mysterious Liam Ward and escape from her limited life and difficult and complex relationship with her Protestant landowner stepfather, Billy. Beth and the overbearing Billy live alone, bonded not by blood but the horrific death of Catherine, Billy’s wife and Beth’s mother.
But their world comes crashing down around them when the young lovers attempt to steal Billy’s gold. When he learns of their betrayal – and when Beth discovers a fresh grave dug by Liam that is meant for her – a devastating chain of events is set in motion in this thrillingly dark and haunting tale.