Premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media and leading broadcasters ZDF, ZDF Enterprises, HBO Max and Globo have joined forces to co-produce the magical period Egyptology-themed adventure live-action kids’ series Theodosia.
Set in 1906 and based on the highly-acclaimed books by New York Times best-selling author Robin L. LaFevers, Theodosia (26 x 30’) follows a young fearless girl who lives and breathes Egyptology at the turn of the century. Alongside her feminist archaeologist mother and her father who runs a museum, Theodosia is a special girl whose powers enable her to see and transform ancient curses in a series of exciting magical adventures.
With filming scheduled to commence April 2021, this premium live-action series will be shot in a cinematic style in France and Belgium and will be directed by Matthias Hoene (Cockneys vs Zombies, The Warriors Gate) who will be joined by other talented directors such as Alex Jacob (Hollyoaks, Doctors).
Casting is well underway from an impressive talent pool of young up-and-coming actors, some of who featured in major primetime series and feature films for the likes of HBO, and Universal Pictures to name a few. British actress Eloise Little (His Dark Materials, Father Brown) takes the lead role as Theodosia, and joins other cast members Nana Agyeman-Bediako (Come Away, The State, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) as Will, her close friend and a magician, and Yasmina El-Abd (Daughters of Abdul-Rahman) as Safiya. Also introducing Frankie Minchella as Theo’s younger brother Henry.
Executive Producers for Theodosia are Emmy award-winning Joe Williams (Hank Zipzer’s Christmas Catastrophe, Young Dracula, Eve) and Leila Smith (Find Me in Paris, Lockout). The series is produced by Cottonwood Media’s David Michel, Cécile Lauritano and Zoé Carrera Allaix.
Federation Kids & Family (key distributor of Cottonwood Media’s content) and ZDF Enterprises will handle worldwide sales.
Set in 1906, Theodosia (26 x 30’) centres around a smart, bold 14-year-old named Theodosia Throckmorton (aka Theo), the daughter of two intrepid Egyptologists, excavating in the Valley of the Kings. When Theo and her younger brother, invention-mad Henry, stumble upon a hidden tomb and a mysterious artefact, the Eye of Horus’, Theo unlocks the power to see and perform true magic, thus discovering a whole new world of mystery as well as danger. Now, from her parent’s home, the world-famous Museum of Legends and Antiquities in the heart of Edwardian London, Theo must do battle with ancient forces, dark magic and comic chaos as she and Henry, along with their friends, street magician Will and Egyptian Princess Safiya, try to survive teenage life, get through education and….save the whole world!