Clerkenwell Films, formed in 1998 by Murray Ferguson and John Hannah, is developing Wired and The Dead Beat, the former a sci-fi program from Steven Volk (Afterlife) and the latter a paranormal crime show from John Jackson (Being Human). These are the first projects from the development deal between BBC America and the production company that was first announced last fall.
Wired centers on a world that looks exactly like Earth, except it has Syns (aka Synthetic Organisms), exact replicas of human beings and the newest luxury money can buy.
The Dead Beat revolves around two cops, one still living and the other not, who team up to track down killers in the living world from leads from the dead.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be developing these British projects with Clerkenwell – our first originals in the sci-fi genre,” said Perry Simon, general manager of BBC America. “Supernatural Saturday has become a popular fixture on BBC AMERICA’s schedule and both these highly creative ideas add a new dimension to our programming.”
Added Murray Ferguson, chief executive at Clerkenwell Films: "There’s a great energy behind this partnership; the creative-makeup of BBC America, Clerkenwell, Steven Volk and John Jackson is truly inspiring and has given us the opportunity to create something very special. The prospect of reaching a global audience is exciting and we’re eager to bring the worlds of Wired and The Dead Beat to life.”
Both would be distributed by BBC Worldwide.