Could Gangs of London looking to expand in Miami or Johannesburg?
New Vice Studio boss Amy Powell raised the possibility today at Content London, during which she said Vice could bring the Sky-AMC franchise to other cities.
And Powell is reaching for the stars. “Can we take Gangs and expand it to another city, with ambitions no matter how ridiculous that may sound in relation to what Marvel does,” she said. “We want to think about the power of intellectual property as Gangs of London and make it resonate even more.”
Powell also made a comparison with Yellowstone Universe created by Taylor Sheridan. “It takes you around the world thematically with characters you love,” she added. “This storytelling is extraordinary, and the muscular and characterful performance reflects what we are trying to do in a gritty, organic and authentic manner.”
Powell, who joined earlier this year and now supervises US$75 million credit line This will help Vice fund $500 million worth of content over the next five years, citing Miami as a potential example. Later in the same meeting, she was questioned about Vice's activities in Africa and said: Gangs of Johannesburg, or Cape Town gangs, may work too. “Is there a way to access different local cultures that have gang DNA,” she added. “What's so interesting about gangs is that they are families, they have specific rules about how they operate, a culture specific to their own gang, but at the end of the day it spreads throughout the world.”
The expansion of the hit show, which was just renewed for a fourth season, speaks to Powell's desire to leverage the scripted intellectual property that comes with the line of credit. Vice is trying to rebuild after falling on hard times in 2022 with a highly publicized bankruptcy in 2022. sold for $350 million to a hedge fund and former investor Fortress, subsequently laying off hundreds of employees and restructuring.
Pulse Films scripted release was 'nomenclature at the end of the day'
However, Powell may have been surprised when she described closing Gangs of London Screenwriting division of producer Pulse Films as “nomenclature at the end of the day.”
Last month, Deadline reported that Pulse, the legendary transatlantic production company behind American honey And The disappearance of Madeleine McCann. will become a business producing advertising, music videos and branded entertainment, with a number of redundancies in London, including ex-Vice Studio Group President Jamie Hall.
Future projects such as Gangs of London The fourth season will take place at Vice Studios in Los Angeles, but Powell said the UK remains the focus.
“We just rebranded to Vice Studios, that’s the nomenclature,” she said of the move. “At the end of the day, we have a lot of respect for Pulse Films, but in terms of creating a unified voice for Vice, we want it to be Vice Studios. But we're investing ten times more than the studio has historically had, with a big cash injection. Our ability to invest in scripts is better than before, and we're really doubling down on our investment in that space.”
