Rick and Morty producer Rick Mischel is co-producing a Scottish-Canadian animation about rejects featuring the Lady of the Lake, Dr Watson and Friar Tuck. John McEwan-Whyte is creating The Rejects and Mischel, who is also behind Sony’s upcoming animated feature Goat, is producing with So Awkward creator Julie Bower. Philomena star Sophie Kennedy Clarke leads as the Lady of the Lake—a magical badass with anger issues after King Arthur made an unwanted pass and then ran off with her sword. But at the heart of the story is Dr. John Watson: reimagined as a brilliant yet insecure, openly gay ex-military doctor whose heart gets broken by Sherlock Holmes, prompting him to assemble a new team of overlooked legends including Friar Truck and Tantor the Elephant to stop a threat even Holmes couldn’t handle. The series from Scotland’s Bonnie and Braw Cartùns and Mischel’s nascent Artists Animation Studio is in paid development with Screen Scotland and international LGBTQ+ Canadian-based network OutTV. “When John showed me this project, the originality and humor jumped off the page. It’s funny, heartfelt and something our animators will really love working on,” said Mischel.

ITV is doubling down on more Jeremy Clarkson-hosted Who Wants to be a Millionaire? with a spin-off plus extended run of the original and more celebrity versions. Clarkson will host the UK debut of Millionaire Hot Seat, a fast-paced version of the original that requires players to think tactically and answer under pressure as they compete against the clock, and each other. It has aired for years in Australia and filming will begin in a few months’ time. In addition, ITV has commissioned 19 episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire including seven celebrity specials. The move is a far cry from a couple year’s back when ITV was weighing up Clarkson’s future on the show after his controversial Meghan Markle column, and means the Clarkson’s Farm host will be on the channel for at least the next one and half years. Sony-backed Stellify Media is producing all the new seasons of Millionaire. Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment and Daytime Commissioning at ITV, said: “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has reached 18 million viewers on ITV so far this year alone. Commissioning a new spin off format to further capitalise on the brand’s success and popularity was a no brainer, especially with Millionaire Hot Seat already doing so well in other territories.”

‘Alien: Earth’ VFX Studio Opens In Canada

Alien: Earth VFX studio Untold has opened in Canada. The Untold Studios’ Toronto office is being led by Executive Producer Luke Groves and Creative Director Aaron Weintraub. The hub joins Untold offices in London, Los Angeles, New York and Mumbai. The Toronto team said they will support major international projects as part of Untold’s globally integrated studio model. Alien: Earth for FX Networks is already in the final stages of post-production, led from Toronto and executed across the Untold network. Christopher Gray, Executive Director, Film & Episodic at Untold Studios, said: “This move is about proximity, being in the right place at the right time. Toronto is a powerhouse of creativity, and the decision to expand here aligns with our vision to execute world-class work with world-class talent for the best studios, streamers and networks in the world.”