‘Rise of the Raven’ ‘Last to Brake’ The Beach

Beta Film, one of Europe’s biggest and most ambitious independents, has unveiled its Mipcom sales slate, led by 10-part epic “Rise of the Raven,” plus a new pick-up, “Last to Brake,” based on the true story of Finnish motorcycle racing great Jarno Saarinen, and now 288 episodes of Greek daily series smash hit “The Beach.”

Also brought to market are two Eagle Eye Drama shows: singular PBS and Channel 4 procedural “Patience,” starring Laura Fraser (“Breaking Bad”); and “Bookish,” created and starring Emmy Award winner Mark Gatiss (“Sherlock,” “Doctor Who”), as well as Internet troll redemption’s tale “A Better Man,” from public broadcast powerhouses NRK and ZDF.

Promising one of Mipcom’s biggest world premieres and billed by Beta Film as one of the most epic European TV productions of all time – which is something coming from Beta, the producers of “Babylon Berlin” and “Swarm”  – “Rise of the Raven,” produced by the multi-prized Robert Lantos (“Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Eastern Promises”) will world premiere, as announced, in the Grand Auditorium of Cannes Palais des Festivals on Tuesday, Oct. 22. 

A trailer released by Variety in early September underscored the scale and ambition of the series as it tells in an 10-part epic the extraordinary real-life feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, who turned back the tide of the Ottoman Empire’s seemingly unstoppable advance into Europe winning the bloody Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Adding a modern edge to the series, as Hunyadi confronts the Ottoman forces, his first love Mara and wife, the redoubtable Erzsébet, suffer the sexual aggressions of other men.  

Selected for the Venice TV Awards and based on a true story, the four-part series “Last to Brake” captures the exultation of victory and the shocking mortal danger of early ‘70s motorcycle racing, as Finn Saarinen – dashing, charismatic, an extraordinary and meticulous racer but still the underdog –  takes on three time and reigning world champion Giacomo Agostini in the 1972 350cc World Championship when Agostini seemed unbeatable, having not lost a head-to-head race since 1967. 

“Last to Break” is produced by Helsinki-based Funfar (“Bad Company”), co-produced by Fireframe and Finnish pubcaster YLE, written by Sami Keski-Vähälä (“Gracious Night,” “Brothers”) and directed by Simon Kaijser (“Spinning Man,” “Before We Die”). All four episodes will be available at Mipcom.

Receiving an International Screening at Mipcom on Oct. 21,“The Beach,” set during the summer of free love in a hippie commune on the island of Crete, hits Mipcom with now 288 episodes . Ir has become an institution in Greece as the most-watched show on pubcaster ERT and its streaming platform Ertflix. 

“We thought, ‘Let’s try to approach a long-running show in the same way that we approach a mini-series,’” said Orestis Plakias, of the Athens-based Foss, behind shows like the Netflix original series “Maestro in Blue” and 2023 Series Mania competition selection “Milky Way.”

A drill down on other Beta Film Mipcom highlights:  

“Patience,”  

“Breaking Bad” star Fraser plays the experienced and sharp-witted Detective Bea Metcalf, who teams with young autistic police archivist Patience Evans, played by Ella Maisy Purvis (“Kind of Spark,” “Malpractice”). The upcoming six-part crime drama is set in the historic city of York. Eagle Eye Drama (“Hotel Portofino”) produces for PBS (U.S.) and Channel 4 (U.K.).

“Bookish,”

“Sherlock” star and co-lead writer Gatiss again creates and headlines a crime drama, here the six-part “Bookish,” set in a 1946 London where he plays a bookshop owner who helps the police solve crimes. Produced by Eagle Eye Drama for UKTV,  described by Beta Film as “stylish and colorful” and moving into production in April 2024.

“A Better Man,”

A four-part drama from top Norwegian producer Maipo Film (“State of Happiness”) turning on Norway’s No. 1 internet troll and arch misogynist’s path to redemption. Led by Norwegian superstar Anders Baasmo Christiansen (“Kon-Tiki,” “The King’s Choice”), created by vet screenwriter-director Thomas Seeberg Torjussen (“Kuppel 16,” “ZombieLars”) and commissioned by Norway’s NRK and ZDF channel ZDFneo.  

In further highlights, Beta will be presenting the fourth season of “Sisi,” a mega-hit on RTL+ and already sold to 120-plus countries. “Helsinki Syndrome,” a Nordic Noir thriller series headlined by “Vikings” star Peter Franzén, has been renewed for a second season, as has Italian YA hit “Prisma,” about identical adolescent teen twins challenging gender norms.