Fremantle signs deal with Johan Renck and Michael Parets new prodco, Sinestra

Emmy award-winning director Johan Renck and producer Michael Parets have launched a new production company Sinestra and signed a two-year television first-look deal with Fremantle, one of the world’s largest and most successful creators, producers, and distributors of premium content.

Renck and Parets also announced their first TV collaboration with Fremantle in “Mouth to Mouth.” Based on the novel of the same name by Antoine Wilson, “Mouth to Mouth” is a thrilling ride into the raucous Los Angeles art scene of the 90s. The book has received rave reviews, and most notably was included on Obama's 2022 summer reading list as one of his favorite books of the year.

Renck is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker whose credits include the critically acclaimed limited series “Chernobyl” (HBO/Sky), which earned 19 Emmy nominations and 10 Emmy wins, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series and Outstanding Limited Series. Moreover, Renck directed all episodes and co-produced the BAFTA nominated limited series “The Last Panthers” (Sky/Canal+). He also directed pilots and episodes of popular TV series such as “Vikings,” “Bloodline,” “Shut Eye,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead,” “Halt and Catch,” “Fire,” and “Bates Motel.” He is currently in pre-production on the pilot for “Dune: The Sisterhood” for HBO Max.

Producer Michael Parets will work alongside Renck at Sinestra. Parets most recently worked at Free Association running the film and television unit, where he developed and produced “Spaceman” for Netflix. Before that he worked for FilmNation.

“As we come together to launch Sinestra as a home for ambitious, bracing storytelling, we are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Fremantle. They know how to push artists and their audiences out of their comfort zones and into the invigorating creative space where true risk is rewarded. We can’t wait to see what kind of trouble we get into with them,”  Renck and Parets noted.

Christian Vesper, President of Global Drama at Fremantle, added: “I have long been a fan of Johan and Michael’s work and it is a real privilege to welcome them, and the whole team at Sinestra, to the Fremantle family. We are in no doubt that together we will bring some exceptional projects to audiences around the world, and we are honoured that they have chosen to work with us.”

Fremantle will be the new home for all of Sinestra’s upcoming televisions projects. As part of the agreement, selected TV projects will be co-owned, co-developed and co-produced, with Fremantle leading on physical production, raising production finance and international sales.