Ed Sheeran sets song to music for Netflix and “That Christmas” by Richard Curtis

SHEERANS CHRISTMAS SONG

Ed Sheeran has written and recorded “Under The Tree,” an original song for Locksmith Animation's upcoming CG-animated film “That Christmas.” The film, which opens on November 2, 2017, is set to premiere in the United States on April 2, 2018. Netflix on December 6th, directed by Simon Otto, screenplay: Richard Curtis and Peter Souter.

The top-class voices include Brian Cox as Santa, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy. The story is set in a seaside town where Christmas takes an unexpected turn. “That Christmas” is based on Curtis' children's book trilogy and is his first venture into animation. The film was produced by Nicole P. Hearon and Adam Tandy, and executive produced by Curtis, Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer and Julie Lockhart.

Sheeran said: “Ever since I've had kids, there's really been a lack of great animated Christmas movies for kids, so I thought this would be a great thing to do and put out into the world. The scene we wrote this song for is so heartbreaking, but so real for a lot of people who spend Christmas without their loved ones, for so many reasons. I got to work on this with my older brother, which is such a rarity, and it's a gift to work so closely with my only sibling. It felt so good to create something that my kids would watch with their uncle, in the country that they live in. I think it's crazy that there aren't more animated Christmas movies for kids, but this is going to become a staple of the holidays, at least in our household.”

“RED EYE” REACHES RECORD REGIONS

Sony Pictures Television has signed distribution deals for the action thriller “Red Eye” for North America, EMEA and APAC. Bad Wolf The production, starring Jing Lusi and Richard Armitage, will be shown in over 120 countries worldwide. Set on an overnight flight from London to Beijing and in various locations, the six-part series weaves together the stories of a detective, a journalist and an MI5 agent who become embroiled in a murder conspiracy.

New licensees include Paramount+ (Canada), France Televisions, Netflix (Germany) and Max/HBO Max (Central and Eastern Europe). The series has also secured slots on AXN Asia, TVING (Korea), Stan (Australia) and Warner Bros. Discovery (New Zealand). Originally commissioned by ITV, Red Eye became ITVX's top series in April and ITV's second highest-rated new drama of the year with over eight million viewers.

Red Eye was created by Peter A. Dowling and directed by Kieron Hawkes. Bad Wolf is produced by Julie Gardner, with Lachlan MacKinnon and Dowling serving as executive producers.

TODDLERS ACCOMPLISHED TASKS

TVO“Old Enough!”, an eight-part series that follows Canadian children ages 3 to 6 on their first independent errands, will begin airing September 8. The show is narrated by comedy veteran Colin Mochrie. Related to Nippon TV's Japanese format, which Blue Ant Studios The production is the first North American adaptation. The series captures the adventures of children as they tackle everyday tasks and offers insight into parenting styles and child development.

Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Donna Luke are executive producers for Blue Ant Studios, with Mitch Burman serving as series producer. Natasha Negrea leads programming for TVO, while Kirsten Hurd and Alexandra Roberts serve as editors. The show, produced with participation from the Canada Media Fund and in partnership with Rogers Sports & Media, will be available on the TVO Docs and TVOkids YouTube channels, as well as smart TV apps.

“SONG STEALER” CONTINUES

Music competition show “Song Stealer” from Korea MBC struck a chord with audiences and ended the first season with much critical acclaim. The format pits cover artists against original performers, with the studio audience voting on their preferred interpretation.

Created by Jang HarinThe show won MBC's award for Best Format Idea and debuted with two pilot episodes during the Chinese New Year in February. After strong audience response, including over 10 million online views, it secured a 12-episode run from May to July. Jang stressed that the show is focused on musical understanding rather than competition, noting that streams for the original versions increase after each episode. The format has already been optioned in Australia, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy.