Global Greenlights High Stakes Drama Ransom for a Second Season

Set to Premiere in 2018, Luke Roberts, Sarah Greene, Brandon Jay McLaren, and Nazneen Contractor Return as Key Cast

For photography and press kit materials visit: http://www.corusent.com/
Follow us on Twitter at @GlobalTV_PR

To share this release socially: http://bit.ly/2gs8vTJ

TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - Global announced today that original suspense drama Ransom has been green lit for Season 2. From global studio Entertainment One (eOne), Korda Studios, Big Light Productions and producers Sienna Films, Ransom will shoot in Hungary in the coming months and premiere next year on Global in Canada and CBS in the U.S. Additional details to be revealed at a later date.

With a 13-episode order, Season 2 welcomes back Luke Roberts (Black Sails, Wolf Hall, Game of Thrones) as expert hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont in the new season. Beaumont's team includes Maxine Carlson (Tony Award-nominated Sarah Greene, Penny Dreadful, Burnt) a young newcomer eager to prove herself; Oliver Yates (Brandon Jay McLaren, Graceland, The Killing), a psychological profiler; and ex-cop Zara Hallam (Nazneen Contractor, Heroes Reborn, Covert Affairs).

"We are proud to team up again with our broadcast and production partners to deliver a second season of this powerful, original drama to audiences nationally and internationally," said Lisa Godfrey, Vice President of Original Content, Corus Entertainment. "The first season of Ransom brought intense, high-octane action coupled with compelling storytelling, and we can't wait to see where the series takes us in Season 2."

"We are thrilled to start Season 2 of this character driven crime drama with the team at Global," said John Morayniss, Co-President of Film, Television and Digital, eOne. "This season promises bigger stakes for the elite negotiating squad as they continue to travel the globe taking on even more dangerous cases."

Season 2 of the series continues to follow crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont and his team as they save lives when no one else can. Eric understands criminals better than they do, and uses his insight into human behaviour to resolve the most difficult kidnap and ransom cases. Despite the stakes, Eric refuses to resort to violence, even when confronted by some of the most dangerous criminals in the world.

Ransom is inspired by the professional experiences of distinguished crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert, who, along with his partner, Marwan Mery, are among the top negotiators in the world. They travel the globe to help multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Ransom was created by David Vainola (Diamonds, Combat Hospital) and Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle). Ransom is a Canada-Hungary treaty co-production and will be produced by eOne with executive producers Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny via their Sienna Films banner and Spotnitz, via his Big Light Productions banner.  Wildcats Productions' Valerie Pechels and Odile McDonald will executive produce with Daniel Kresmery and György Rajnai of Korda Studios will co-producing. Ransom is developed in association with Corus Entertainment Inc., with the participation from the Canada Media Fund, and will be produced with the financial assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

eOne controls worldwide rights to the series.

About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company's diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.

Entertainment One's robust network includes film and television studio The Mark Gordon Company; content creation venture Amblin Partners with Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; newly-launched MAKEREADY with Brad Weston; leading feature film production and global sales company Sierra Pictures; unscripted television production company Renegade 83; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning digital agency Secret Location.

The Company's rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 100,000 hours of film and television content and approximately 40,000 music tracks.

About Korda Studios
Korda Studios is a new state-of-the-art filmmaking facility opened in 2007, just outside of Budapest, Hungary. The facility features 3 permanent backlot sets and 7 sound stages, including the Superstage, the largest sound stage in Europe. Over the last 10 years Korda Studios has been home to blockbuster features such as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, The Martian, and Blade Runner 2049, and television series such as The Borgias, Emerald City, and The Last Kingdom. In 2016 Korda Studios launched its production arm, Korda Productions, with the aim of developing content and fully servicing productions on and off the studio lot, and also founded Korda Finance, offering banking, financing, and executive producing services to producers.

About Sienna Films
Helmed by Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny, Sienna Films is one of Canada's preeminent production companies. Cardinal, a serialized 6 X 1 hour detective series for Bell Media, starring Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse, premiered as the #1 new Canadian series and ranked among the Top 10 new series overall in 2016/17. The series is currently in post-production on Season 2, with Season 3 in production. Previous television series include the 13-episode Combat Hospital for Shaw TV, ABC and Sony International, and Canada-South Africa mini-series Diamonds for CBC, ABC and Antennae with James Purefoy, Derek Jacobi and Judy Davis. The company also co-produced the Julian Fellowes-penned mini-series Titanic, a Canada-UK-Hungary co-production for ITV, Shaw Media and ABC. Sienna's feature films have been released internationally and opened at film festivals including Sundance, Toronto International, Berlin and Rotterdam. They include How She Move (Paramount Vantage/MTV Films); Touch of Pink (Sony Pictures Classics); New Waterford Girl (Alliance Atlantis); I, Claudia; Marion Bridge and Saint Monica. Recently completed is the Canada-Irish co-production Unless starring Catherine Keener. Sweetness in the Belly, a Can/IRE co-production is set to shoot in Ethiopia and London in 2018.

About Corus Entertainment Inc.

Global Television is a Corus Entertainment Network.

Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children's book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus' roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic Channel, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

About Big Light Productions
Award-winning American writer and producer Frank Spotnitz founded Big Light Productions Ltd. in 2013 to create and oversee a diverse slate of international television series including drama, comedy, and documentaries, and Big Light has since become one of the fastest-growing independent production companies in Europe. The London and Paris-based production company's projects include Ransom; the upcoming Medici: Masters of Florence with Richard Madden and Dustin Hoffman; the upcoming comedy-drama series The Indian Detective with international comedian Russell Peters and CTV; the acclaimed Amazon drama series The Man in the High Castle; Crossing Lines Season 3, and Transporter: The Series Season 2 for U.S. and international markets. Spotnitz's 20+-year career in television includes creating, writing and producing series with networks, cable, streaming services, and other production companies all over the world. His credits also include eight seasons of the hit series The X-Files and its two feature films, Hunted, Strike Back, Night Stalker, Robbery Homicide Division, The Lone Gunmen, Harsh Realm and Millennium. www.biglight.com

SOURCE Global Television

For media inquiries, please contact: Jacqui VanSickle, Senior Publicist, Global Television, 416.860.4224, [email protected]; Rachelle Marion, Publicity Coordinator, Global Television, 416.860.4227, [email protected]