Observed Signal · Jul 29, 2026 · Production Announcement · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
UFA Produces Young-Adult Ballet Series 'Wicked Deal' for ZDF
UFA Fiction is producing a six-part young-adult series titled "Wicked Deal" for ZDFneo. Filming has begun and is scheduled to run through October 9 in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Scotland. The series is inspired by the novel of the same name by bestselling author C.R. Scott. Lead roles include Josie Hermer as Liv Lightberg, Pheline Roggan as her mother, and Arne-Carlos Böttcher as Ben MacAllister; additional cast members include Thure Riefenstein, Carlotta Truman, Pola Friedrichs, Lilly Krug, Alexander Minevskiy and Anton Nürnberg. Florian Knittel directs from scripts by head writer Paul Schwarz, Maria Hilbert and Silva Raddatz. Producers are Helga Löbel, Kristina Henning and Markus Brunnemann; Niklas Cerezo Alarcón is the ZDF editor. No broadcast date has been announced.
Announcement of a new original six-part young-adult series by an established production studio (UFA Fiction) for a public broadcaster (ZDFneo) matters for content slate and programming but is not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- UFA Fiction GmbH is producing a six-part young-adult series titled "Wicked Deal" for ZDFneo.
- Principal photography has begun and is expected to continue until October 9 in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Scotland.
- The series is inspired by the novel of the same name by bestselling author C.R. Scott.
- Lead cast includes Josie Hermer (Liv Lightberg), Pheline Roggan (her mother) and Arne-Carlos Böttcher (Ben MacAllister); additional cast: Thure Riefenstein, Carlotta Truman, Pola Friedrichs, Lilly Krug, Alexander Minevskiy, Anton Nürnberg.
- Florian Knittel directs; head writer Paul Schwarz with Maria Hilbert and Silva Raddatz wrote the scripts; producers are Helga Löbel, Kristina Henning and Markus Brunnemann; Niklas Cerezo Alarcón is the ZDF editor.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Together with UFA Fiction, ZDF is currently working on a new young-adult series....”
“The series "Wicked Deal" will be produced for ZDFneo....”
“This article was published on DWDL.de (DWDL.de GmbH)....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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