FFF Supervisory Board Chairwoman and Digital Minister Judith Gerlach: “Series have been experiencing a boom for years. And Bavarian productions can keep up with high-class series internationally. That’s why I’m pleased that we’re supporting two top-class productions in The Gryphon and The Empress. This is an important signal for Bavaria as a TV and film production location.”
The Gryphon
W&B Television is producing a high-end fantasy series for Amazon Studios in cooperation with DogHaus Film. With The Gryphon, the Munich producers are filming the classic young adult novel of the same name by Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein. The novel has shaped an entire generation.
The Gryphon is a world-devouring monster. 16-year-old Mark Zimmermann learns that he himself is the only weapon against the Gryphon. But he waves it off with thanks: he’s not a hero and doesn’t want to be one either. But when his brother is kidnapped by the gryphon’s sinister creatures, Mark must move to the fantastic world of the Black Tower and grow up faster than he ever imagined.
Showrunners Erol Yesilkaya (screenplay) and Sebastian Marka (director) are adapting the material and conceiving the six episodes of the Amazon Original series. Executive producers are Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann and André Zoch. Half of the visual effects are designed in Bavaria, VFX Supervisor is Denis Behnke.
FFF is supporting the fantasy series with 400,000 euros.
The Empress
An empire in turmoil. Elisabeth is a rebellious young woman, Franz the young ruler of an empire on the brink of war. From the first moment of their young love, both must prove that they can withstand the pressure of the court without betraying themselves.
Sommerhaus Serien is producing the six-part series The Empress for Netflix. Showrunner and head writer is University of Television & Film Munich graduate Katharina Eyssen. Katrin Gebbe and Florian Cossen will direct. Filming will take place almost entirely in Bavaria: at Bayreuth, Bamberg, and other locations in Franconia. Jochen Laube and Fabian Maubach are acting as executive producers.
FFF Bayern is supporting the project with 400,000 euros.