Envision, Scene23 parter on crime drama

London-based producer and coproduction specialist Envision Entertainment is developing an action-comedy crime procedural in partnership with South African prodco Scene23.

Tighthead is a Cape Town-based project that revolves around an unlikely crime-fighting duo: a white former Springbok rugby star turned shady fixer and a mixed-race junior policeman who has sharp deductive reasoning but terrible social skills.

The two must come together to clear their names when they are both implicated in a murder they did not commit. The show will follow the pair investigating crimes within South Africa’s international sports community.

South African author and screenwriter Fred Strydom, author of novels The Raft and The Inside Out Man, is writing the show, which is based on a format created by Envision founder Michael Nakan, with “substantial input” from Tim Theron, co-founder and creative director at Scene23, the producers said.

Nakan previously co-created the format for Envision’s Connected, the Nippon TV series that was a hit in Japan and has been optioned for a US remake by Tomorrow Studios.

David Barron, global head of scripted at Envision, said: “South Africa is an incredibly diverse country: a mix of cultures, races and viewpoints. Our ambition is to create an international crime franchise with a uniquely South African identity, wrapped in a fun and accessible package.”

Theron added: “South Africa has many strengths. Prominent among these are both our cultural diversity and a love of sport. These two aspects have been intertwined for some of biggest moments in the country’s history.”