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For immediate release:
France/Germany – Tuesday 4th October 2022 – Hot on the heels of a hugely successful first season of the magic and Egyptology themed tween live action series THEODOSIA, premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media and leading German broadcaster ZDF are delighted to announce Season Two of the series, THEODOSIA AND THE OASIS OF MAGIC.
Based on the highly-acclaimed books by New York Times best-selling author Robin L. LaFevers, and set against the backdrop of Edwardian London and Egypt, the new season will feature a further 26 action-packed half hours bringing the series total to 52 episodes.
Currently in production, THEODOSIA AND THE OASIS OF MAGIC is scheduled to commence filming in January 2023 across Belgium, Paris and Morocco. The new season sees Eloise Little reprising her role as the lead heroine and courageous adventurer Theo and welcomes the return of Frankie Minchella as her brother Henry, and Nana Agyeman-Bediako as friend/street musician Will, with some exciting new cast members to be announced shortly.
It’s been 6 months since Theo and friends pushed the ancient Egyptian deity “Aapep” back under the Great Pyramid and threw away the key! In this new season we rejoin our heroes at a pivotal moment as they also face the ever-changing challenges of teenage life. In THEODOSIA AND THE OASIS OF MAGIC, the adventure begins when King Rameses II’s barge is installed at Theo’s family’s world- famous Museum of Legends and Antiquities and its ancient magic triggers a whole new level of weirdness. Desperate to prevent the barge’s power from destroying the museum and a good chunk of London, Theo tries to tame it, only for the barge to awaken spectacular new powers within her that she struggles to contain. Discovering the barge can transport her to the Nile on the trail of clues leading to an oasis of magic left by Rameses, this is no easy task especially as she has to juggle a new school, jealous boyfriend, and lovesick brother, whilst navigating all the dark forces of an ancient world.
THEODOSIA AND THE OASIS OF MAGIC is co-distributed internationally by Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios.
Nicole Keeb, Head of International Co-productions and Acquisitions, Children and Youth, ZDF, said: “The mixture of adventure and suspense in old Egypt and Victorian London is breathtaking, and Season 2 will dive even deeper into this fascinating universe.”
Arne Lohmann, VP Junior, ZDF Studios adds: “We are delighted that millions of children all over the world have fallen in love with THEODOSIA and are eagerly waiting for this new season. ”
Co-founders of Cottonwood Media, David Michel, Cécile Lauritano & Zoé Carrera Allaix said: “Viewers will be glued to their screens as Season Two ramps things up another notch with unexpected twists and turns, as well as gripping adventures, as our heroine also unearths an unexpected personal connection to Ancient Egypt. Having worked with ZDF on quite a few of our live action series over the years, it’s an absolute pleasure to see this synergistic partnership continuing to evolve.”
THEODOSIA AND THE OASIS OF MAGIC will see the return of Matt Bloom and Alex Jacob as Lead Directors. Executive Producers for both seasons are Leila Smith (Find Me in Paris, Lockout) and Emmy-Award winning Joe Williams (Hank Zipzer’s Christmas Catastrophe, Young Dracula, Eve), with also Alexa Dosne as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Cottonwood Media’s David Michel, Cécile Lauritano and Zoé Carrera Allaix.
Thanks to Cottonwood Media’s German production office and ZDF originally spotting the potential for the Theodosia books to be made into a TV series, the first season of THEODOSIA which premiered earlier this year has been a huge hit with broadcasters and streamers alike, having previously been snapped up by the BBC, WarnerMedia Latin America for HBO Max Lat Am (excluding Brazil), HBO Max (US), Globo, France Télévisions, Salto, France TV, OSN, Dreamia (Biggs Channel), and NPO to name just a few to date.
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About Cottonwood Media: Cottonwood Media (a subsidiary of Federation Studios and part of its kids’ division Federation Kids & Family) was created by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix & Cécile Lauritano. Cottonwood Media creates, produces and invests in premium, talent-driven content with a focus on bringing together North American and European audiences, on both linear and non-linear platforms. In 2015 Cottonwood Media partnered with Federation Entertainment (now Federation Studios) to form Federation Kids & Family, a global distribution division which distributes original content as well as third party acquisitions. Based in Paris and Berlin, with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto, Cottonwood’s productions include premium live action series such as Circuit Breakers (sci-fi for Apple TV), Spellbound (ballet/witchcraft themed), Theodosia (period Egyptology/adventure), Find Me in Paris (time-travelling/ballet themed) with 3 seasons, the animated feature film Around the World in 80 Days distributed by Studio Canal (#1 French movie in Box office internationally in 2021), and animated series’ such as The Ollie and Moon Show (preschool), and the wacky kids comedy Squish (6-10yrs) https://cottonwood.tv/
About ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen): ZDF is Germany’s national public television broadcaster and has been broadcasting since 1st April 1963. It also operates the two thematic channels ZDFneo and ZDFinfo. In partnership with other public broadcasters, ZDF jointly operates the internet-only offer funk, the German channels PHOENIX and KiKA, and the European channels 3sat and ARTE. The corporation has a permanent staff of 3,600 plus a similar number of freelancers. Since March 2022, ZDF has been headed by Director-General Norbert Himmler. ZDF is based in Mainz, but also maintains permanent bureaus in the 16 Länder capitals as well as special editorial and production facilities in Berlin. For international coverage, ZDF has foreign correspondents operating in 19 permanent bureaus worldwide. ZDF offers full-range generalist programming with a mix of information, education, arts, entertainment and sports. Its coverage provides both a broad view on the world and a comprehensive picture of Germany and, in this way, ZDF strives to offer the highest possible public service value. Website: www.zdf.de
About ZDF Studios: ZDF Studios was originally founded in 1993 as ‘ZDF Enterprises’, a private subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest and most renowned television broadcasters in Europe. The company was renamed ‘ZDF Studios’ on 1 April 2022. Based in Mainz, the business is responsible for distributing programmes worldwide, implementing international co-productions, acquiring licences and merchandising key brands under its own name, for ZDF and for third parties. Successfully established as an independent market player in Germany and globally, it operates as part of a strong network of 30 direct and indirect subsidiaries and affiliates. ZDF Studios has the largest German-language programme stock in the world, plus a constantly growing catalogue of international productions consisting of series and mini-series, television films, documentaries and children’s programmes. By continually evolving, the ZDF Studios group has been able to open up numerous business areas in the television and media sector. As a result, ZDF Studios now provides a comprehensive full-service offer and covers every stage in the creation and exploitation chain of successful TV productions in all genres, from developing content to producing, licensing, marketing, merchandising, online rights and much more.
About Federation Kids & Family: Headed by co-founder David Michel, Federation Kids & Family is a global kids’ content producer and distributor, and a division of Federation Entertainment, a leading global media powerhouse specializing in high-end international programming. Federation Kids & Family distributes premium original content featuring animated series and specials, as well as talent-driven live action drama series. Titles include Presto! School of Magic, The Ollie and Moon Show, Squish (animation series), Let’s Dance (docu-style kids series), Theodosia (period live action kids’ series) Find Me in Paris (tween drama series), The Star of Andra and Tati, (animation special) and more. Federation Kids & Family also focuses on building strategic partnerships and alliances with major international companies and broadcasters. http://fedent.com/kids-and-family/
For media enquiries please contact:
Céline Xerri-Brook
Magena Media
Tel: +44 (0)7957 334228
Valérie Tailland
Federation Entertainment
valerie.tailland@fedent.com
Tel: +33 (6) 82 57 06 09
