Amazon Prime has greenlit the first season of a live action series based on the hit German kids franchise Bibi & Tina.
German director Detlev Buck, who has helmed four hit feature films based on the Biba & Tina stories, is on board for the Amazon adaptation as creator and director. He will be joined by his Bibi & Tina screenwriter, Bettina Borgerding, and Peter Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer, who composed the soundtracks for all four films.
Bibi & Tina will be the streamer’s sixth original German-language series and will start production next year.
The Bibi & Tina stories follow the adventures of Bibi, a teenage witch and skilled horse rider, and her best friend, Tina. The series was initially launched in 1991 as a spin-off radio play of Bibi Blocksberg, which focused on the young witch’s adventures. The Bibi & Tina franchise, which has also been adapted as a hit animated series, is less concerned with magic (although there is some) than with teen friendship and budding romance.
The Amazon Prime series will feature an all-new cast, with casting set to start in the coming weeks.
“Bibi and Tina have been enchanting their fans for over 25 years, and we are especially thrilled that Detlev Buck returns to the franchise to create a heartwarming and entertaining Prime Original series for all generations,” said Georgia Brown, director of Prime original TV series in Europe, announcing the project on Tuesday.
“You can’t have enough of a good thing,” added Buck.
DCM Pictures and Kiddinx Studios, producers on the Bibi & Tina films and animated series, respectively, will produce the Bibi & Tina live action series together with Amazon Studios.
Gabriele Salomon will executive produce. Producers are Christoph Daniel, Marc Schmidheiny, Kirstin Wille and Sonja Schmitt, with Joel Brandeis and Dario Suter as co-producers.
