Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance Join 'Quasimodo' Series as Executive Producers
"Game of Thrones" actors Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance have come onboard as executive producers of "Quasimodo." The in-development TV series is a new adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
"Quasimodo is set to be produced by Frank Doelger (executive producer on HBO's "Game of Thrones") as well as Tracey Scoffield and David Tanner, the executive producers of the British historical crime TV series "The Frankenstein Chronicles." It is being scripted by Ashley Pharoah, a co-creator of the British horror TV series "The Living and the Dead." Given the development team involved, we may be looking at a period horror drama.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that the project is one of the first dramas announced by Atrium TV, a streaming media group that aims to compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Launched earlier in the year, Atrium TV is under the helm of former Sony boss Howard Stringer and DRG TV chairman Jeremy Fox.
A number of European companies have joined forces under the umbrella of Atrium TV. These include the telecommunications firms Deutsche Telekom in Germany, Orange in France and Telefonica's Moviestar in Spain. An Asian company, streaming media firm Iflix, is part of the Atrium TV association as well.
Den of Geek reports that the Atrium TV players seek to co-finance and co-develop high-prestige television projects that they would not be able to afford to make individually. The group has outlined a five-year plan that shows it intends to produce 10 high-profile television series of 6-8 episodes each, budgeted at around $5 million per hour.
Aside from "Quasimodo," Atrium TV is developing a zombie thriller called "State of Decay," an adaptation of the X-Box video game of that name. Other upcoming projects include "Jerusalem," a historical drama set in the Holy City, and "Perfect People," a sci-fi drama about genetically engineered humans, based on a novel of the same title.