EXCLUSIVE: World War Z and Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster is turning his hand to TV by directing an adaptation of Jamie Scallion’s buzzy upcoming thriller Nines.

Nines, which follows a man in jail intent on revenge, was snapped up by Forster and Renée Wolfe’s indie 2DUX² along with I Am… producer Me+You Productions following what they termed a “fiercely competitive auction.” The show is being forged as a high-end returning TV series and publisher Transworld has already acquired world English-language rights to the novel plus its sequel, which won’t publish until 2028 and 2029 respectively. Fremantle, which has a first-look deal with Me+You, is selling the show globally.

The titular character in Nines is an orphan, pianist, father, widower and killer. Serving a life sentence in Britain’s most secure jail for killing one of the men who murdered his wife, he now wants the rest of them, and to track down the son they took from him. In prison, his mentor, master forger and zen master Suranga moulds him into the machine that will finish the job, but he must then break out into a world that has changed.

BAFTA-nominee Forster will direct the first block of episodes and remain “closely involved throughout the series, helping shape its visual language and creative tone,” the team said. He and the creative team are now casting and speaking to writers.

Forster is better known for his work on the big screen. His credits include disaster movie World War Z with Brad Pitt, James Bond’s Quantum of Solace, Finding Neverland and A Man Called Otto. On the small screen, he directed two episodes and exec produced Prime Video’s Hand of God, which starred Ron Perlman as a corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown.

Forster is working with producing partner Wolfe and their 2DUX² outfit along with Me+You, which is run by Krish Majumdar and Richard Yee. Me+You is probably best known for Dominic Savage’s I Am… female-led drama anthology for Channel 4, which won Kate Winslet a BAFTA and has its next instalment coming up with Nicola Coughlan and Joe Cole.

Scallion, meanwhile, has had an intriguing path to Nines. He was lead singer in rock band Officer Kicks and went on to collaborate with Irish band The Script on a YA book series called The Rock ‘n’ Roll Diaries. In 2025 he co-wrote another YA novel, The Last Song on Earth, with broadcaster Dave Berry.

Forster and Wolfe said Nines Season 1 should “feel like an event – and the beginning of something much larger.” “We want Nines to strike a very particular balance of intriguing, emotional characters juxtaposed with fresh and relevant action sequences that further the depth of the story,” they added. “What excites us is that Nines feels built for the screen, with a character and a world that can keep expanding.”

Majumdar and Yee called Nines a “propulsive, funny and unexpectedly moving thriller.” “Having a world-class filmmaker like Marc directing is a real coup,” they said. “We can’t wait to work with Jamie on this adaptation of his stunning debut.. We believe Nines has every chance of becoming an iconic anti-hero for the screen.”

Wolfe and Forster are repped by Ari Greenburg and Austin Vaziri at WME.

This week, animation auteur Brad Bird debuts his latest feature, Ray Gunn, at the London Film Festival, ending what the veteran filmmaker describes as a three-decade journey to bring the animated feature to life.

“I wish I could dress it up in some more reasonable-sounding way, but it actually took that long,” Bird jokes, speaking with Deadline from his office in California.

“The mistake people make is saying that I worked on it for 30 years. I didn’t. I gave it up and thought it would go the way a lot of ideas go—put on ice and never made. But this idea stayed with me. I really wanted to see it, and the only way to see it is to make it. Fortunately, I finally found people willing to help me do that.”

Set in the retro-futurist city of Metropia, where humans and aliens live side by side, and flying cars fill the skies, Ray Gunn follows an old-school private detective named Ray Gunn (Sam Rockwell), who is drawn into a dangerous web of lies and murder after accepting a job protecting the music superstar Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson).

“Everything came from me asking questions and coming up with answers that entertained me,” Bird says of the film’s elaborate plot.

“He’s a private detective in the future—but it’s not our future. It’s the future seen from the 1940s, the era most people associate with detective movies. Are there aliens? Yes. Do cars fly? Yes. Do people have jet packs? Yes. Buildings are so tall they have jet elevators. If there are jet elevators, people would have their necks snapped off unless they’re strapped in. What happens if they’re not strapped in? It’s just endless questions and trying to come up with the best answers.”

But the film isn’t a complete tech-fest full of unfiltered optimism about the future. Bird has concerns, particularly around the build-up of power around technological advancements, which push the film into surprising and exciting dystopian directions.

“Technology was already starting to intrude into people’s personal lives, so it wasn’t crazy to imagine it intruding even more,” Bird says, adding that the balance between message and entertainment is something he considers often.

“I’ve been accused of shoving a message or two down people’s throats, so don’t listen to what I say,” he jokes. “The bottom line is that you need to be entertaining. Nobody is forcing me to want to be entertaining. I want to be entertaining. I like movies that engage me on multiple levels. I like popcorn movies, but I also like it when I think about them later.”

Bird originally developed Ray Gunn at Turner Entertainment in the 1990s. The project was shelved after the company merged with Time Warner.

“Warner Bros. wasn’t interested in it. So I made The Iron Giant. But Warner Bros. didn’t do a particularly good job promoting it,” Bird says of the time. “The terrible thing is that if they don’t make your film, they still own it. You can’t take it somewhere else and get it made. Studios aren’t eager to see ideas they turned down become successes elsewhere, so they lock them down.”

Bird says that by the time he began working on The Incredibles, he was smart enough to use his own money to develop the project.

“I held the rights. I wanted to make sure that if anybody liked the idea, they couldn’t lock it up forever: they had to make it or give it back to me,” he says.

Some time after, Warner Bros. approached Bird about working together again. He still had eyes on Ray Gunn.

“I told them they had something of mine I still wanted to make. Management had changed, and nobody knew what the previous management had been doing,” he says.

“Eventually, I was on the road to making Ray Gunn with Warner Bros., then Warner Bros. was bought by AT&T, the pandemic happened, and a lot of other things happened. I said to them, either let’s make it or give it back to me. They gave it back, and I found somebody else interested in it.”

The project landed at Skydance Animation, which, ironically, means Ray Gunn is, in part, once again connected to Warners. The producers are John Lasseter, Bird, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Lisa Beroud. Netflix is releasing the film theatrically on December 4, and it will land on the streamer on December 18.

The film’s voice cast also features Tom Waits, Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Chernus, Kether Donohue, Michelle Rodriguez, Aasif Mandvi, Matt Jones, Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger, Justin Peck, and Patton Oswalt.

Ray Gunn is Bird’s first feature since Incredibles 2. The veteran filmmaker’s credits also include Ratatouille and two live-action features, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland. Bird has won the Best Animated Feature Oscar twice for The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Reflecting on his start in the business, Bird describes a cautious industry that has changed profoundly over the years, particularly when it comes to animation.

“When I first got into animation, the only people doing full animation at the highest level—with occasional exceptions—were Disney. If you wanted to animate at that level, there was one place on the planet where you could work,” he says.

“That kind of animation costs money and takes resources. Early on, a movie studio head told me that no animated film would ever make more than $50 million, and only a Disney film would come close. He said it with absolute confidence, as though it were a law.”

However, Bird says, “Animation still carries a lot of baggage.”

“Some people see it as a rating: it’s G-rated, or at most PG, and you’d better aim it at five-year-olds. I love the medium, but I want to make films that I want to see. I don’t only want to see movies appropriate for five-year-olds,” he says.

Ray Gunn isn’t Pasolini’s Salò, but it isn’t exactly a children’s film. It is a smart animated feature with a lot of story and something to say. It is the exact kind of movie that in today’s market could easily spring off one or two sequels.

When asked if he plans on expanding the Gunn-verse, Bird chuckles, forms a gun with his finger, and raises it to his head.

“This one took me 30 years. I’m not up for making another one when I’m 30 years older,” he says.

“I had a blast making this film once we finally got into production. It was fun. We didn’t have much time, and the budget was tighter than you would believe for what we were trying to put on screen, but everybody rallied and brought their A-game.”

He adds: “I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

The London Film Festival ends on October 18.

Welcome to our selection of the most scorching titles headed to MIPCOM this year, The Deadline Dozen. Our editorial team has carefully researched and selected the projects we expect to drive the chatter on the Croisette and beyond.

Day two of our Deadline Dozen brings scripted. For the best unscripted fare, click here.

BAYWATCH

FREMANTLE

Length: 12 x 60’

Producers: Fremantle, Fox Entertainment

Networks: Fox (U.S.), Prime Video (various)

It’s back, and it’s lighting up the beaches of Cannes this MIPCOM. One of the most iconic series of all time — conjuring up those famous images of David Hasselhoff and his fellow lifeguards running along sunshine-soaked shores — is being remade and shopped to buyers this fall.

Baywatch is, of course, the globally recognizable show about lifeguards patrolling the beaches of LA and Hawaii, which three decades ago made heroes of its stars and creators. After nearly 250 episodes across 11 seasons, Baywatch gave the world the likes of Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and Alexandra Paul.

The revamped Baywatch promises unmistakable red swimsuits and an all-new cast of lifeguards, who will continue to patrol the world’s most famous stretch of sand, delivering high stakes rescues, explosive drama and plenty of beachside heat. The ensemble cast includes Stephen Amell in the lead role of Hobie Buchannon, alongside Jessica Belkin as Charlie Vale, Shay Mitchell as Trina, Hassie Harrison as Nat, Thaddeus LaGrone as Brad, Noah Beck as Luke, and Brooks Nader as Selene.

The Fox reboot is being showrun by Matt Nix (Burn Notice),while many of the original creators are back to EP, including Michael Berk, Greg Bonann and Doug Schwartz, alongside new EPs Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz. McG is also exec producing and will direct the series premiere episode.

Fox holds domestic rights, while Fremantle is hoping this one will make waves abroad, having already sold to a number of key Prime Video territories. Expect billboards galore in Cannes. This one is sure to make a splash.

THE INTERROGATOR

LIONSGATE

Length: 12 x 60’

Producers: Lionsgate Television, Fox Entertainment Studios

Network: Fox (U.S.)

What’s not to like about this one? A U.S. crime-of-the-week story from the mind of Stephen Fry, and with the likes of Jenna Elfman and Michael Beach in starring roles.

The Interrogator centers on former MI6 agent Conrad Henry and his team of outsider geniuses, who are brought in to solve cases after conventional policing and security hasn’t worked. Fry — considered a polymath for his abilities to act, write, orate and present — plays Henry, whose quirky charm, superior intellect and mind-bending behavioral maneuvers mean he can unpick the minds of world’s most dangerous criminals.

Fry is no stranger to Fox, having acted in Hart Hanson’s drama Bones, and he writes The Interrogator with William Harper and Matt Pyken attached. Input from Fire Country’s Harper was also key to securing the straight-to-series order back in February, and the series is now heading for the 2026/27 broadcast U.S. season with The Lost Symbol writer-producers Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie on board as showrunners.

Appearing alongside Fry are Elfman, Beach, Jessica Sula, Maria Zhang and Luke Kleintank, the latter of whom also acted in Bones, though his time on that show did not overlap with Fry. Kleintank plays Voss, a former Special Forces operative and army whistleblower with the strong moral code who becomes a member of Conrad’s team of advisors. Zhang plays optimistic puzzle master Florence, and Sula is Conrad’s estranged daughter and criminal psychologist Astrid. Beach is a jack-of-all-trades AV and IT expert and also best friend to Conrad, while Elfman plays his handler and boss Woodrow.

Though Fox has made it a policy to have more ownership of its originals, Lionsgate is shopping the show at MIPCOM. There’s potential for this one to sell well, given the popularity of hits like Ludwig, the BBC drama that stars British actor David Mitchell (who, like Fry, was a member of student sketch group the Cambridge Footlights) as a genius puzzle solver who helps police.

SHAKA ILEMBE

STUDIOCANAL

Length: 24 x 60’ (Two seasons of 12 episodes)

Producer: Bomb Productions

Network: MultiChoice (pan-Africa)

This time last year, Deadline profiled Shaka iLembe, the South African-shot story of King Shaka, the famous pre-colonial era Zulu ruler. Despite the show breaking viewing records on MultiChoice, no distributor had acquired the rights, and director Angus Gibson even told us that a U.S. network exec had loved a screener but nevertheless refused to believe audiences would follow a Zulu-language title. “We need some courageous broadcasters over there,” he said.

Since that interview, France’s Canal+ acquired MultiChoice and significantly restructured the business. Part of that process has seen MultiChoice titles join the catalog of Canal+ producer-distributor StudioCanal.

Ahead of the third and final season of Shaka iLembe, which is due to debut on Mzansi Magic, a network that’s part of MultiChoice’s M-Net, in Africa, StudioCanal will debut the first two seasons to international buyers as a key MIPCOM launch.

The show, set in the 18^th and 19th centuries, stars Lemogang Tsipa as Shaka, a king in southeastern Africa’s Nguni Kingdoms. It traces his rise from boyhood, through the founding of the Zulu nation, and to his life as a legendary battlefield strategist and a visionary leader who shaped the course of African history. Starring alongside Tsipa are Nomzamo Mbatha, Wiseman Mncube, Dawn Thandeka King, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Mondli Makhoba and Mpilo Mbatha.

Season 3 will round out the story, and buyers will be able to communicate interest to StudioCanal sales folk on the ground in Cannes, as they also negotiate deals for the first two runs.

StudioCanal will no doubt be flagging that Shaka iLembe, told in the isiZulu language, is the most-awarded show in the history of the South African Film & Television Awards, and is a big ratings hit.

The European sales house has also been keen to frame the series as “what can be achieved when Africa’s most consequential history gets the epic, cinematic treatment and care it deserves,” and compares it to other epic series such as Shōgun and Game of Thrones.

THE DEATH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

SPHERE ABACUS

Length: 6 x 60’

Producer: Silver Reel

Networks: Sky, SRF (Switzerland), ARD Degeto (Germany)

U.K.-based distributor Sphere Abacus, known best for selling Heated Rivalry, is changing up the pace with The Death of Sherlock Holmes. The show, which is among Sphere Abacus’ big MIPCOM market launches, stars Rafe Spall as the world’s most famous detective, and begins with one of his most iconic moments: The apparent death of Holmes at the hands of arch nemesis Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.

Here’s where the twist comes in: While the world assumes he has perished, the show reveals what happens in the three years between his disappearance in 1891 and return in 1894. Sherlock Holmes writer Arthur Conan Doyle left this period untouched, which gives The Death of Sherlock Holmes showrunners Claudia Bluemhuber and Pierre Monnard plenty of space to flex their creative muscles. Same goes for writers André Küttel and Simone Schmid.

Bluemhuber from Switzerland-based Silver Reel created the show alongside Küttel and Monnard on the back of International Emmy-winning fantasy show Fallen. She set up a co-production that includes Sky and SRF in Switzerland, Germany’s ARD Degeto and the Bell Media-owned Sphere Abacus. The series will broadcast on Sky in the U.K. and Ireland and also goes out on Sky in Switzerland and Germany. FFF Bayern from Germany and Italy’s IDM Film Commission are supporting the series.

A 2027 launch date is planned as Trying star Spall’s next leading role. Starring alongside him is Deleila Piasko, a Swiss actress best known for her role in Netflix’s World War II drama Transatlantic.

The story is set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, as Holmes is found barely alive in the ice. A local woman, Alma (Piasko) and her son find him. Soon the village doctor is found murdered and the townsfolk turn on the boy, leaving the stranger as his only hope. Though Holmes remembers nothing, flashes of his razor-sharp skills of deduction begin to show.

MAYA

BANIJAY RIGHTS

Length: 6 x 60’

Producer: Two Brothers Pictures

Networks: Channel 4 (U.K.), Starz (U.S.)

Maya is notable for bringing together two of the U.K.’s top talents: Daisy Haggard and Bella Ramsey, and networks from Britain and the U.S. in the shape of Channel 4 and Starz.

The series follows devoted single mother Anna (Haggard) and her headstrong teenage daughter Maya (Ramsey), as they are forced into witness protection to escape danger. Leaving London behind, they move to a small rural town in Scotland, intent on leaving the trauma behind, but a pair of hitmen are determined to track them down. It’s a claustrophobic plot that gives Haggard and Ramsey space to show off their acting chops.

Haggard is the creator and also makes her directorial debut alongside Jamie Donoughue (Doctor Who). She’s known for the BAFTA-nominated Back to Life, which she starred in and co-wrote with Laura Solon. The actress and writer has a long connection with Maya producer Two Brothers Pictures, stretching back to 2019 with Back to Life and then with 2023’s Boat Story, and she worked with Ramsey on Netflix animation Hilda.

Ramsey is one of TV’s hottest actors right now, with previous roles including the fiery Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, survivalist Ellie in The Last of Us and drug addict Kelsey in Time. This year, they starred in George Jaques’ Sunny Dancer, about a teenage cancer survivor sent to a ‘chemo camp’, which premiered at the Berlinale. They reprise their role in HBO’s The Last of Us next year.

For Fleabag and The Tourist producer Two Brothers, the show is the first hitting the international market since its parent, All3Media, was acquired by Banijay. All3Media International has since been wound down as a brand and Banijay Rights will be shopping Maya in France this year.

ALIBI

YES STUDIOS

Length: 7 x 15’

Producer: Plus6Four Entertainment

Network: TVNZ (New Zealand)

Easily one of the more unusual scripted formats hitting the market this year is Alibi, a short-form crime drama out of New Zealand. Despite its short episode length, the show is designed for streaming services and even TV networks, but not microdrama platforms, having been created before the vertical video craze took off.

The show is being billed as a “non-linear murder mystery”. The first six episodes can be watched in any order before the truth is revealed in the seventh and final one. Set in a small fictional town called Awatahi, the show explores the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Hunter. Each of the six main suspects get their chance to give their version of events on the day of Jodie’s death, effectively supplying their own alibis.

Given the shape of the show, Israel’s Yes Studios will be shopping both the finished tape and format, with show co-creator David de Latour saying it “holds the potential to translate perfectly to different locations around the world”.

“Episodes can be joined together for a range of more traditional slots, while digital and VOD platforms could create a real buzz about the audience’s ability to watch episodes in any order they choose,” says Sharon Levi, Yes Studios’ managing director.

De Latour made the show alongside Gareth Williams and Hannah Marshall, the latter of whom is the co-creator of the Kiwi drama Ms. X. Marshall and de Latour are the directors, and the cast includes Madeleine Adams (Shortland Street), Joel Tobeck (Avatar: Fire and Ice), Xavier Horan (Shortland Street) and Melanie Vallejo (All Her Fault).

For Yes, which is the sales arm of Israeli network Yes TV, representing the rights marks a move in third-party distribution. To date, it has primarily sold Yes shows such as Fauda, Shtisel and Your Honor.

Yes has experience in scripted format sales, earlier this year selling Israeli comedy drama Significant Other to Babylone Hills Productions and Screenline Productions to make a French version. It had already been made for ITV in 2022.

Though most of the headlines about shortform content have been about vertical video and microdrama, buyers could be taken by the unique nature of the format. Alibi was made back in 2021, but five years later comes the chance for the international market to find out whodunnit.

HIGH VALLEY