Dean O’Gorman & Simone Kessell Join WBD New Zealand Series ‘Ms. X’
Dean O’Gorman (After the Party, The Hobbit) and Simone Kessell (Yellowjackets, Obi-Wan Kenobi) are among the cast added to Ms. X, the six-part crime comedy-drama for Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) New Zealand free TV network Three and streamer ThreeNow starring Melissa George. Robbie Magasiva (Rescue: HI Surf, Wentworth), Jonno Roberts (La Brea) and Oscar Kightley (Time Bandits) have also joined the cast of the show, which comes from Plus6Four and South Pacific Pictures, and has Dynamic Television attached to co-produce and handle worldwide distribution. Ms. X stars George as Mia, a suburban mum who teams up with an old high school friend to scare her cheating husband into staying faithful, only to be pulled into a criminal web involving cops, cartels and the PTA. Kessell will play a no-nonsense heir to a construction magnate determined to become queen of New Zealand’s drug trade, while O’Gorman is Oscar, an old high school pal of Mia turned private investigator. Hannah Marshall and David de Lautour are the writers and creators. “The casting of Ms. X assembles a remarkable talent pool, headlined by the exceptional Melissa George and joined by a talented ensemble of established and emerging New Zealand actors,” said WBD Senior Director, Content, ANZ Networks, Matt Barthow. “This cast brings a unique perspective and energy to the screen and we can’t wait for audiences to see the results in 2026.”
Germany’s Joyn & ProSieben Greenlight ‘The Hunt’
Germany’s Joyn and ProSieben have ordered a celebrity version of upcoming Channel 4 format The Hunt [working title]. The show sees contestants dropped deep in a vast, unforgiving forest, where losing means walking away with nothing and winning could mean pocketing up to £100,000 ($137,000). Each episode is built around a tense, dog-eat-dog hunt, where each player becomes either a Predator or Prey. The Prey hold the cash, desperately trying to protect their winnings while completing challenges to win more money. The Predators must hunt them down and steal their cash. A UK version is already being forged for Channel 4 with same title and both UK and German versions are being made by Seven.One Studios International-owned CPL Productions and GroupM Motion Entertainment. Seven.One is in the same stable as Joyn and ProSieben. A full launch of the format will take place at Mipcom 2025 in October. “I’m delighted that we have secured a second, high-profile commission for this ambitious, high-concept new reality show,” said Seven.One Studios boss Tim Gerhartz. “It is generating a lot of interest among our clients and we are looking forward to giving them a first look at both versions at Mipcom.”
RTL Completes Sales Of Dutch Arm
RTL Nederland is now part of DPG Media. The European broadcaster completed its deal to buy the channels and content business from RTL Group today after regulators gave their blessing last week. The deal will net Luxembourg-based RTL €1.1B ($1.3B), $175M of which is set to go on the acquisition of Sky Deutschland. As for DPG, it will be able to use the RTL brand in the Netherlands until at least until December 2034, so the change won’t feel dramatic to audiences.
