Vancouver’s Rogue Panda Pictures has inked a book deal with Blackstone Publishing to publish a novel based on the narrative podcast Escaping Denver on Corus Entertainment’s Curiouscast.

The book is written by Denver-based author Teague Bohlen, based on the original podcast concept created by Brady Roberts and Mike Howorun. It will feature an original story and new characters set in the existing podcast universe, which follows two people trapped in the labyrinth of the Denver International Airport.

The novel is expected to be released in fall 2025. Meanwhile, season four of Escaping Denver will be released in October.

Rogue Panda Pictures, co-led by Roberts, Howorun and Matthew Hall, will work with Blackstone to shop a TV adaptation of the original novel. The company had previously secured a TV adaptation deal based on the podcast, but rights have since been reverted.

WildBrain

WildBrain has inked a deal with The Pokémon Company International to become the sole distributor of the single-IP Pokémon free ad-supported television (FAST) channel.

According to a news release, 22 seasons of the original series will begin streaming on the service, starting in the U.S., with Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand to follow. No date has been announced at this time. WildBrain’s media solutions team has also been tapped to sell direct ad inventory for Pokémon FAST channels.

This is following the closure of the Pokémon TV streaming app, which offered select, ad-supported episodes of the Pokémon anime series. The service was shut down in March.

Crave

Bell Media’s Crave has acquired Studio Lambert’s reality competition show The Anonymous from U.S. distributor All3Media International.

The 12 x 60-minute show, produced in the U.S. by Studio Lambert for NBCUniversal, premiered on Aug. 19 in the U.S. through USA Network and in Canada on Crave.

In The Anonymous, competitors play on two different fronts: the real world, where players take on challenges while learning about the other contestants, and “Anonymous Mode” where contestants have the chance to interact anonymously through digital handles with the goal to find out which player is behind which handle. Each week, the most anonymous player has the opportunity to eliminate one of their rivals.

With files from Kelly Townsend

Image courtesy of Rogue Panda Pictures