The Beetz Brothers say Casey Bloys remaining in a senior content role at Skydance is a positive signal for producers following the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger. The Berlin-based company is preparing to launch its crime documentary Clangold globally on HBO Max on November 13.
Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Beetz’s chief creative officer, told Deadline that international producers had begun receiving some information about the new business. He said there was relief that Bloys remained at the top of the structure, describing it as a sign that “the HBO line will continue.” He also pointed to the German reception of HBO Max drama Four Blocks Zero as encouraging, while stressing that the available signs were positive but limited.
Christian Beetz, the company’s co-CEO and co-founder, said program-order discussions are still conducted separately with HBO Max and Paramount+. Skydance co-CEO David Ellison has said the services will eventually merge into one, but Beetz said their programming remains very different and that unification will take time.
Clangold is a four-part documentary about the 2017 theft of the 100-kilogram Canadian gold coin known as the Big Maple Leaf from Berlin’s Bode Museum. Directed by Jan Zabeil, it follows the investigation and court proceedings, as well as prosecutor Katrin Faust’s pursuit of those responsible. The series examines members of the Remmo family, whose members were convicted in connection with the robbery, and combines the heist story with themes including organized crime, migration and integration.
The release follows a restructuring of Beetz this year into six genre labels. Beetz Originals, the company’s premium-content arm, made Clangold. The other labels are Beetz Investigate, Beetz Music, Beetz Sports, Beetz Queer and Beetz Factual.
Tschurtschenthaler and Beetz said the restructure reflects a market they see as increasingly commercial, alongside film festivals placing greater emphasis on artistic work. They described their aim as making entertainment that also offers complexity and depth. Beetz said the company is shifting attention from festivals such as IDFA and Sundance toward awards closer to the market, including the International Emmys, as the relationship between festival screenings, sales and audience reach has changed.
Among Beetz’s upcoming projects are ZDF documentary Countdown to the Midterms and Vienna, a Beetz Original about the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s three concerts in the Austrian capital in August 2024 after authorities received intelligence about a planned attack. The company has also sold its documentary about alleged safety concerns involving Tesla’s Autopilot system to international distributors.
Sources: Deadline.