Silverlining, Emporium join forces for C4 Odyssey

Silverlining Rights and Emporium Productions have joined forces on a new four-part Channel 4 series, Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey.

Silverlining has brought in co-production financing from CBC (Canada) and presales to SBS (Australia), HRT (Croatia), Prima Group (Czech Republic), BBC UKTV (New Zealand), and Cosmote (Greece) for the series, which will launch around the same time as Christopher Nolan’s feature The Odyssey.

Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey takes the actor, and Homer fan, on his own epic journey as he follows the route of Odysseus’ 10 year voyage around Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, from Turkey to Tunisia, through Sicily and Italy and on to Greece and his final destination, the island of Ithaca.

Along the route, he explores the places that are said to have inspired The Odyssey and the modern culture that still draws travellers to these corners of the Mediterranean today. On his own modern Odyssey, Richard encounters a volcano, performs in an ancient amphitheatre, tries his hand at archery, marvels at a baroque masterpiece, eats  lotus fruit and discovers a sorceress’ cave, as he tries to separate myth from reality.

Bethan Corney, founder and MD, Silverlining said: “Christopher Nolan’s movie is creating a huge amount of interest in the reality behind the myths of The Odyssey. Emporium has cleverly brought in Richard E Grant, who is loved all over the world, to deliver a beautifully packaged series which combines ancient history with lush landscapes and modern-day locals. We’re a delighted to have brought in coproduction financing to greenlight Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey for Channel 4 and multiple international broadcasters, with more presales in the pipeline.”

Emma Read, Founder and Managing Director, Emporium Productions said: “The magnificent legend of Odysseus’s decade long journey home has enthralled readers and audiences for millennia. With this series we wanted to travel to the locations popularly associated with Homer’s epic and reveal the history behind them while discovering the draw they still have for travellers today. Silverlining has always been a fantastic partner, bringing in international funding to help greenlight content, and we’re delighted to be working together again on this series.”

Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey is series directed by Paul Bithrey and produced by Rob McCabe. Kathy Hale is the director of production, and the series is created and executive produced by Emma Read. The commissioning editor for Channel 4 is Coral Lawson, and Silverlining Rights is the worldwide distribution partner.

Silverlining has previously partnered with Emporium Productions to provide co-financing for several internationally successful fast documentaries including Air India Flight 171 Tragedy: How Safe Is Your Plane?, The Sinking of A Superyacht: How Safe Is Your Voyage?, and Turbulence: How Safe Is Your Flight? (1×60’).