McGuinness’s other big hit
Riviera given green light for second season
FORMER U2 manager Paul McGuinness looked like the happiest man alive as he walked his daughter Alexandra down the aisle last month.
Now the music mogul turned producer has another reason to celebrate: his Sky TV series Riviera has been recommissioned for a second series.
The big budget production is set in the glamorous French Riviera and stars Julia Stiles, right, as an art curator married to super-rich businessman and philanthropist. It has been a resounding success for Sky – and for McGuinness, on his first foray into television.
Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, viewers tuned in in their millions to watch the series. Sources say McGuinness is ‘delighted’ it has been given the green light for another series.
A Sky spokesman said Riviera made Sky box office history: ‘The series was viewed nearly 14 million times across Ireland and the UK.’
However, the show has been plagued by rifts and fall-outs as writer/director Neil Jordan and writer John Banville withdrew from the series soon after it began filming. Jordan said the finished product ‘couldn’t be more different’ from his vision.
He also said Banville withdrew over artistic differences. ‘The first two episodes that myself and John wrote were very dark and complex, and that’s what got everybody attracted to the project in the first place... But then the producers decided to go in a different direction,’ he said.
He added that the episodes he co-wrote were changed ‘to my huge surprise and considerable upset.’
‘There were various sexual scenes introduced into the story and a lot of very expository dialogue. I objected in the strongest terms possible.’