ABC ORDERS THE PILOT OF KESHET STUDIOS AND UTV’S “DARK HORSE”

ABC Signature Studios has ordered the pilot “Dark Horse” from Universal Television and ABC Signature in association with Keshet Studios. “We are thrilled to see a property like “Total Control,” one that shines a spotlight on race and privilege, traveling to the US and evolving in this way,”  Alon Shtruzman, KI’s CEO, said. “Congratulations to the teams at Universal Television, ABC Signature, and of course, Keshet Studios.”  

Written by William Jehu Garroutte, and with Jessica Goldberg  on board as showrunner, "Dark Horse" is based on “Total Control,"  co-created by and stars Rachel Griffiths alongside Deborah Mailman, both of which won an AACTA award. Writer William Jehu Garroutte executive produces alongside showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Keshet Studios’ President Peter Traugott, Keshet Media Group's Avi Nir, Keshet International's Alon Shtruzman, Blackfella Films's Darren Dale, Blackfella Films' Miranda Dear and Rachel Griffiths. 

At present, Keshet Studios has more than a dozen projects at various stages of development or production, including limited and returning series, short-form dramas, and feature-length films. Having just secured a straight-to-series order for “La Brea” from NBC for 2021, the studio is also co-developing “The A Word” and “Ties That Bind” for NBC with Universal Television; Ronen Bergman’s “Rise and Kill First” with Yuval Adler for HBO; “The Stuntwoman” with Academy Award Winner Guy Nattiv; and “All the Rivers” with Gal Gadot and Jaron Varsano.   

"Total Control," which won Winner of the Diversify TV Excellence Award at MIPCOM 2020, was recently re-commissioned for a new second season by ABC Australia. The first series had its global debut at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019 and was screened at Berlinale and Seriencamp in 2020. The drama debuted on ABC in October 2019 and produced strong ratings. ABC’s “Dark Horse” will follow Alex Irving, a passionate Indigenous woman, on her unconventional journey into politics.