Army of Shadows will become a British series for Canal +
Nearly 60 years later, Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece returns in the form of a series. But this time, the Resistance will take place in a dystopian Britain.
It’s a classic of French cinema which is about to experience an astonishing renaissance.
Canal+ and STUDIOCANAL, in partnership with Channel 4, have just launched filming on Army of Shadows, a new series loosely inspired by the film by Jean-Pierre Melville and the novel by Joseph Kessel.
Exit the occupied France of the Second World War. This adaptation transposes the spirit of the work into contemporary Great Britain, immersed in an authoritarian regime.
The synopsis: “To deal with growing instability in Great Britain, the government establishes a state of emergency reducing freedoms. Berry, a former soldier, is opposed to this new society. In the shadows, he joins the Resistance, under the orders of Helen Drax, an opponent of the regime exiled in France. Obsessed with the idea of a unified and organized Resistance, Berry will come up against Simon, a charismatic novelist in favor of a struggle more radical. Between these two leaders, Adam and Vanessa, two idealistic students, Esther, a discreet radiotherapist, Conor, a lucid journalist ready to take action: so many ordinary citizens who will find themselves confronted with extraordinary choices…”
The series is created and written by Ronan Bennett, the screenwriter of MobLand, who created the excellent remake of The Jackal, entitled The Day of the Jackal, on Prime Video. The series will be directed by Lisa Gunning.
The cast includes Paddy Considine, America Ferrera, Kit Harington and Alex Hassell.
Produced by STUDIOCANAL Television and Two Cities Television, Army of Shadows will consist of six 52-minute episodes. Filming has just started and will take place over 17 weeks between Manchester, Liverpool, London and Paris.
