Disney+ To Show New Fremantle Series ‘Anna’
Fremantle has already sold the new series “Anna” to more than 30 countries and regions. Its buyers include the streaming service Disney+, which will show the series in 15 European countries. “Anna” was produced by Fremantle’s Italian production company Wildside. The six-part series is based on the bestseller of the same name by Italian author Niccolò Ammaniti.
From “The Young Pope” to “My Brilliant Friend” and “We Are Who We Are” – series from Fremantle’s Italian production company Wildside are internationally in demand and successful. The most recent example is the six-part series “Anna,” based on a novel by the well-known Italian author Niccolò Ammaniti, which Fremantle has already sold to more than 30 countries and regions. Among others, the streaming service Disney+ will be showing the series in the U.K. and Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Previously, Fremantle had announced that “Anna” will launch on AMC+ in the U.S. on Nov. 18.
“Anna” is a film adaptation of the 2015 novel of the same name by Niccolò Ammaniti. The acclaimed Italian writer also wrote the screenplay for the series and directed it. Produced by Wildside and co-produced by Arte France, Fremantle, the New Life Company and Kwaï, the Sky Original production was praised by Vanity Fair Italy magazine as “the most daring series ever produced in Italy.” It celebrated its international debut at the “Series Mania” TV festival in September.
‘A Visionary Story’
“Anna” is a dystopian story set in the near future, in which a deadly virus has killed all adults on Earth four years earlier – and all children face the same fate as soon as they turn 14. The entire infrastructure has collapsed; electricity no longer exists. Water and food supplies are running out. Fires have ravaged once flourishing landscapes, turning them into deserts – including Sicily, where the story is set and where 13-year-old Anna lives with her little brother Astor. Since the “Collapse,” she has tried everything to keep him and herself alive. When Astor is kidnapped, Anna sets out to find him and save him. The only help she has is from a manual her mother left her, with instructions on how to survive in this dangerous world. But Anna quickly learns that the old rules no longer apply and she must invent new ones if she wants to save herself and her little brother. Anna’s mother, who appears in the series in flashbacks, is played by Elena Lietti, who has already appeared in Ammaniti’s series “The Miracle,” another Wildside production.
Jamie Lynn, Fremantle International’s EVP Co-Production and Distribution, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Disney and many other broadcasters to bring ‘Anna’ to audiences across the world. Niccolò is a master storyteller and has assembled incredible talent both behind and in front of the camera to bring his visionary tale to life. With astonishing production values, this visually stunning adaptation of a much-loved novel raises universal issues of love, loss, heartbreak and hope.”
