Amazon is buying the streaming rights to British period drama Doctor Thorne

Amazon is acquiring the streaming rights to Doctor Thorne, a period drama adapted by the creator of Downton Abbey that premiered in the UK earlier this year. Julian Fellowes scripted the three-part miniseries, based on Anthony Trollope's 1858 novel of the same name, as his first major project after Downton Abbey's run ended last year. (Downton Abbey is one of Amazon Prime Video's most popular properties ) The series stars Tom Hollander, Ian McShane, and Alison Brie, and it aired on UK network ITV over three weeks in March. American Prime Video users can start streaming the series — rebranded Julian Fellowes Presents Doctor Thorne — on May 20th.

Doctor Thorne's move to Amazon was facilitated by The Weinstein Company, which picked up the North American rights to series made by the British company Hat Trick Productions last fall. In a statement, the Weinstein Company co-chairman Harvey Weinstein made it clear that Fellowes' work with Hat Trick could pay dividends for both his company and Amazon in the future. "Amazon Prime is the perfect home to bring Fellowes' beautiful, smart, and creative world to US audiences," said Weinstein. "We hope this is the first of many Julian Fellowes Presents that we plan on creating with Amazon and our UK partner at Hat Trick."

• ViaVariety
• SourceAmazon