In a major win for the service, Amazon Freevee has acquired the rights to distribute the Icons Unearthed: Star Wars series in the United Kingdom, following a commercially successful debut in the US. This acquisition seems to be a part of the service’s proposed content and coverage expansion efforts, which recently saw it expand into the German market.
Icons Unearthed: Star Wars is the title for the first season of Icons Unearthed, a series that purports to show the secrets and history behind the creation, filming, and production of some of film and television’s biggest and most famous projects. As the title implies, the project’s premiere season focuses on Star Wars, an IP so revolutionary and successful that Andor showrunners are saddled with creating entry points for yet another new generation of fans. Featuring the first-ever filmed interview with Star Wars creator George Lucas’ ex-wife Marcia Lucas, the series documents hitherto undiscussed details about the making of what we now know as cinema history over 6 fascinating episodes.
After premiering on Vice TV in the US over the summer months with a positive reception, a report from Deadline notes that Icons Unearthed: Star Wars has been picked up by Amazon-owned video-on-demand streaming service Amazon Freevee. This gives fans in the UK a chance to see the revealing series and its coverage of the wild happenings surrounding the creation of Star Wars, a process that sometimes didn’t stop even after screening started. The ad-supported service will exclusively broadcast the series, which Brian Volk-Weiss directed, in the United Kingdom, which it expanded into in 2021 under the name IMDb TV, before rebranding in April 2022. The service also commits to a 70% increase in content acquisition and production and subsequently expanded into Germany, with more countries likely on the list. The show was produced by the Nacelle Company and features content from all over the United States and many foreign locations.
Fans of the franchise have always known about the creative and backstage process of creating Star Wars. Production was fraught with interesting and outlandish stories, many of which fans may feel they've already heard. However, Icons Unearthed manages to go well beyond the ring of pop culture anecdotes and strike paydirt with captivating interviews from an impressive collection of sources.
While Amazon Freevee is making major moves, it is a far cry from providing a complementary amount of influence compared to Amazon Prime Video, which has captivated fans with everything from groundbreaking originals to a collection of beloved classics. This disparity might inevitably call into question the effectiveness of the ad-supported model and possibly Freevee itself.
Icon Unearthed has been renewed for a second season titled Icon Unearthed: The Simpsons with no confirmed release date as of writing.
Source: Deadline