Warner Bros. Discovery has announced exciting new additions to the cast of the highly anticipated series ‘Ms. X’.
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, a 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, with 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 portrays 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 the 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 the same title from Seven.One Studios International-owned CPL Productions and GroupM Motion Entertainment, with the German version being made by Redseven Entertainment, which came up with the idea. 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 December 2034, so the change won’t feel dramatic to audiences.
See More ...
Warner Bros Sets International TV Production Team In Italy
Warner Bros International Television Production (WBITVP) Italia has rounded out its senior management team. Following the establishment of WBITVP Italia earlier this year under Stefano Torrisi, the unit has hired Pierangelo Marano, Max Giammarrusti, and Nicolás de las Peñas. Banijay Italia exec Marano will be Head of Entertainment, with Giammarrusti also joining from the same rival producer to become Head of Production. De Las Peñas has expanded his role as Business Director for WBITVP Spain and Portugal to also oversee finance and operations in Italy. All three roles report to Torrisi, Managing Director of WBITVP Italia. Ilan Astrug, WBITVP’s long-serving VP of Creative Format Acquisition, who has handled much of the Warner Bros Discovery company’s Italian market activity in recent years, will continue to support the WBITVP Italia management team. WBITVP Italia’s first production is of Primo Appuntamento, an Italian version of the UK format First Dates, which WBITVP sells internationally for Discovery Real Time.
