Sony is rumored to acquire Bad Wolf, the production company that will produce Doctor Who when Russell T Davies returns as showrunner in 2023. Bad Wolf was founded in 2015, and has since produced series such as His Dark Materials alongside New Line Productions for HBO and the BBC. The company is set to produce Doctor Who onwards from its 14th season.
Bad Wolf was founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, who were responsible alongside Davies for reviving Doctor Who in 2005 following its 16-year hiatus following the 26th season of the original series. The company, which name is inspired by a storyline from Davies' time on the show, has been responsible for productions such as A Discovery Of Witches and His Dark Materials, with the company currently working on season 3. The company was announced to be co-producing the long-running British sci-fi series alongside the BBC from its 14th season in 2023 and onwards alongside the reveal that Davies would return as showrunner. However, it has recently been rumored that the company may see a major change that could affect Doctor Who's future.
As reported by BroadcastNow (via RadioTimes), Sony Pictures is reported to be acquiring the production company following a £60 million deal. The acquisition will reportedly see Sony become a majority stakeholder in the company alongside current minority shareholders, Access Entertainment and HBO. It is also rumored in the story that filming for Davies' new era will begin in 2022, beginning with the shows' 60th-anniversary special.
It isn't the first time Bad Wolf has worked with larger US-based companies, as the company signed a first-look deal with HBO in 2015. HBO is responsible for distributing His Dark Materials outside of the UK, where the broadcast is handled by the BBC itself on television and through its IPlayer service. Sony has also previously shown interest in Doctor Who, with Sony Pictures revealed to have had talks with the BBC to produce a Doctor Who movie in leaked emails from the 2015 Sony Pictures hacks.
Sony's reported interest comes at an interesting time for the long-running show, as while Davies' return has been warmly accepted by fans, the news of Bad Wolf's involvement saw a major deviation from the show's production history. Production on the series had traditionally been done in-house by the BBC, with the exception being the 1996 television movie between Universal Pictures, Fox, and the broadcaster, so Bad Wolf co-producing the show marked the first time in the modern era that a studio outside of the BBC worked on the series. With Sony now acquiring Bad Wolf and presumably having involvement in aspects of Doctor Who, it's a time of major change for the show into a new, unknown era.
Source: RadioTimes