Federation Studios secures additional buyers for Kit Harington's 'A Tale of Two Cities'

Federation Studios has secured additional pre-sales for the new adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities featuring Kit Harington.

The major French studio has sold the Dickens adaptation to Canada’s CBC and Belgium’s RTBF and also reported that Nordic broadcasters YLE, SVT, NRK, DR, and RUV are on board.

This adaptation of one of Dickens’ most renowned novels has already secured pre-sales to the BBC, MGM+ in the US, and Prime Video in France.

Created by Daniel West (Top Boy) and directed by Hong Khaou, A Tale of Two Cities features Harington, François Civil (Beating Hearts, The Three Musketeers) and Mirren Mack (Miss Austen, Hedda) in this classic tale of French émigré Charles Darnay (Civil) amid the conflict between France and Britain. It is being produced by Federation alongside Harington and West’s Thriker Films.

In a conversation with Deadline prior to the London TV Screenings, Federation distribution co-head Guillaume Pommier revealed that the show has already “exceeded” sales expectations, considering the period drama market is currently challenging.

“There is some risk for buyers with period dramas,” he remarked. “But this one has just four episodes, reducing the risk for linear channels. It has excellent casting, a recognised intellectual property, and a solid budget, which, when combined, gives us a substantial number of first window territories.”

As Federation presents its lineup to buyers at a London TV Screenings event today, A Tale of Two Cities exemplifies what The Agency studio is doing in the English-language space, having previously created Around the World in 80 Days and currently working on an adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels.