Disney+ has set cast for UK psychological drama Playdate, adapted from Alex Dahl’s best-selling novel of the same name, and revealed details of its latest unscripted slate from Britain.
The series, directed by Eva Husson (Mothering Sunday), will star Denise Gough (Andor), Holliday Grainger (Strike), Ambika Mod (I Hate Suzie), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Bronagh Waugh (The Suspect) and Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt).
Deadline revealed the show, EPed by Nicola Shindler and Tanya Seghatchian, last month. General series synopsis reads: Elisa’s world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?
The series is executive produced by Shindler (Nolly) for Quay Street Productions, Seghatchian and John Woodward (The Power of the Dog) for Brightstar, Johanna Devereaux, VP of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA, and Alex Dahl, Eva Husson, and Catherine Moulton. James Dean (Better) will produce. Production began this summer in the UK and France.
‘World War Shoe’
On the unscripted side, the streamer has also greenlit World War Shoe: Adidas vs. Puma (w/t), a doc series from Pretty Boat Rocker’s Baby: Brooke Shields producer Matador Content, and David Beckham’s Studio 99, which is behind Fever Pitch and Save Our Squad.
The series will explore the inner workings of the two major sports brands, which have a unique shared history and rivalry. Through access to both companies, it will uncover the tale of two feuding brothers, Adi and Rudi Dassler, whose whose multi-decade rivalry and competition lead the creation of the two brands and helped shape the modern sportswear industry.
It will include contributions of sports stars in the world including Usain Bolt, Neymar and Zinedine Zidane, and fashion stars including June Ambrose and KidSuper.
The order came in an Edinburgh TV Festival session today, during which Sean Doyle, Disney+’s Director, Unscripted, EMEA, unveiled details of several other docs and first-look images. “We’ve spent the past year making ambitious documentaries with exclusive access to A-list names with the best creative talent in the business,” he said.
A selection of images for Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story have been released, showing John Wick star Keanu Reeves interviewing the likes of Jensen Button and Ross Brawn The four-part series reveals how the understaffed, under-financed and independent Brawn team in 2009 won the World Championship with a team that cost just £1 ($1.30). The series will premiere on Disney+ later this year and will be available on Hulu in the U.S.
Earlier this week, Disney+ released first-look images of Coleen Rooney: The Real Agatha Story, which tells the story gripping libel case from 2022 centered on two former England soccer players’ wives. It also will be available on Hulu in the States.
Today, further details were unveiled about Camden, a doc series telling the story of the small north London area that has had a huge impact on global music. The Asif Kapadia series-directed doc will include contributors Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, Pete Doherty, Mark Ronson, Questlove, Little Simz, Nile Rodgers, Boy George, Yungblud, Black Eyed Peas, Jazzie B, Bob Vylan, Chuck D and Sister Bliss. Lightbox in association with Day One Pictures and Dua Lipa’s production company Radical22.
Meanwhile, the likes of Victoria Beckham, Tom Ford, Kim Kardashian, Marc Jacobs, Baz Luhrmann, Amber Valetta, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hillary Clinton, Stella McCartney, Clare Danes, Elizabeth Hurley and Tyson Beckford will contribute to fashion doc In Vogue. The doc comes from Raw and Vogue Studios/Condé Nast Entertainment and will tell the story of Vogue, the famous fashion title.
