LONDON – U.K. satcaster BSkyB has been on a shopping spree in Hollywood striking a deal with Warner Bros. and CBS Studio for shows including Arrow, the DC Comics super hero adaptation.
Also on the satcaster’s roster from Warner Bros is The Following, starring Kevin Bacon and the U.K.’s James Purefoy.
And from CBS, Sky has secured home-grown rights to Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid and Elementary, which sees Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) star as Sherlock Holmes alongside Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) as Dr Joan Watson.
The deals for the Warner brace for exclusive UK television rights was made by Sky controller of acquisitions Sarah Wright and Warner Bros. International Television president Jeffrey R. Schlesinger.
For the CBS deals, Wright inked the memos with CBS Studios International svp, Europe Stephen Tague.
Arrow, which reinvents the DC Comics superhero, will air on Sky 1 HD in the fall this year.
David Nutter (Smallville) directed and executive produced the pilot.
Stephen Amell stars as a billionaire who returns home after suffering unimaginable ordeals while marooned for five years with a mysterious agenda and lethal set of new skills.
The show also stars Colin Donnell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey and Willa Holland.
Billed as a cat-and-mouse thriller The Following will air exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD in early 2013.
It details the story of a notorious serial killer who escapes from death row and embarks on a new killing spree forcing the FBI to call in the former agent who caught him to hunt him down.
The satcaster said Vegas will also premiere on Sky Atlantic HD.
Quaid stars alongside Michael Chiklis in the drama inspired by the true story of former Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher tasked with bringing order to the city in the 1960s.
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The show also stars Jason O’Mara and Taylor Handley alongside Carrie-Anne Moss.
Sky will broadcast Elementary on Sky Living this autumn and sees Miller and Liu star in a modern-day take on the iconic detective series.
Aidan Quinn(Legends of the Fall) also stars.
