Advanced Television

Fremantle secures raft of scripted sales across Asia

December 3, 2025

Fremantle has announced a raft of scripted sales across Asia. Leading the deals is Sandokan: The Pirate Prince, the action-adventure series from Fremantle’s Lux Vide for Rai (Italy), adapted from Emilio Salgari’s classic saga. Starring Can Yaman (Dolunay, Violet Like the Sea), Alanah Bloor (Waves), Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), and John Hannah (The Last of Us, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors, The Mummy), the series has been picked up by Rewind’s Hits Now (Pan-Regional Asia), Hulu (Japan) and LG U+ (South Korea).

Joining the lineup is Hotel Costiera, a pacey drama also from Fremantle’s Lux Vide, directed by Emmy winner Adam Bernstein (Breaking Bad, Fargo) and starring Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy, Only Murders in the Building) as a former Marine drawn into a missing-person mystery on the Amalfi Coast. The series will debut on Rewind’s Hits Now (Pan-Regional Asia), Star Entertainment (India), and LG U+ (South Korea).

Also heading to Asia is The Iris Affair, a Sky Original thriller from Neil Cross, creator of Luther. Starring Niamh Algar (Mary & George, The Virtues)  and Tom Hollander (The White Lotus, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) this tense, cinematic chase drama will launch on BBC First and BBC iPlayer (Pan-Regional Asia) and WOWOW (Japan).

Meanwhile, Now TV Limited in Hong Kong has acquired a number of Fremantle’s flagship dramas, including Little Disasters from Roughcut Television, the psychological thriller starring Diane Kruger (Troy, Inglourious Basterds, In the Fade); Film Club, a romantic comedy-drama from Gaumont UK, co-created, and co-written by Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education, The White Lotus S3) and Ralph Davis (House of the Dragon, Big Boys, Othello), who also star in the series; The Rumour, a tense drama co-produced by Clapperboard Studios and Cuba Pictures, starring Rachel Shenton (All Creatures Great and Small, For Her Sins, The Strangers Part 1 & Part 2); Daddy Issues Season 2 from Fudge Park, featuring Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey (Sherwood, The Walking Dead) and Big Mood Season 2 from Dancing Ledge Productions, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) and Lydia West (It’s A Sin, Inside Man).

Lastly, South Korea’s LG U+ has acquired over 70 hours of Fremantle dramas, spanning 2025 scripted headliners as well as acclaimed catalogue titles, including Haut et Court TV, Masha and Spiro Film’s gripping thriller No Man’s Land, Working Title television and Southern Light Films adventure drama The Luminaries starring Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful, Sin City, A Dame to Kill For)  and Paolo Sorrentino’s The Young Pope and The New Pope starring Jude Law as Lenny Belardo, Pope Pius XIII.

Haryaty Rahman, EVP Distribution Asia, Fremantle, commented: “It’s been amazing to see the incredible response to our scripted slate across Asia. The appetite for authentic storytelling has never been stronger, and our partners across the region are really connecting with our bold new dramas and iconic catalogue titles. We can’t wait for audiences to experience these exceptional series and  with exciting projects like Baywatch and Kill Jackie on the horizon, we’re expecting even bigger things ahead for Fremantle’s scripted business in Asia.”

These deals follow Fremantle’s recent announcement that the final season of My Brilliant Friend: The Story of the Lost Child, together with the complete box set, is now available on China’s four leading streaming platforms iQIYI, Tencent Video, Youku and Bilibili, through deals led by Fremantle. The rollout marks the first time all four major platforms have simultaneously premiered a non-English language European drama series in China, bringing the series to a combined audience of more than 1.5 billion monthly viewers.

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