France TV Distribution Boards Sci-Fi Series ‘Sea Shadows’

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of its bow at Series Mania, French sci-fi drama Sea Shadows been picked up for distribution.

France TV Distribution has acquired rights to the show, which is from Mintee Studio and Thalie Images and is for the sale house’s stablemate, France 2.

The series, originally known as Rivages, will follow a marine scientist who returns to her hometown of Fécamp to research a mysterious shipwreck and finds mysterious phenomena occurring at sea that are stopping fishermen from doing their jobs. She soon realizes that an underwater presence is about to upset the fragile balance between man and nature.

The project is one of several that were selected for Unifrance’s Coming Next From France presentation at next month’s Series Mania in Lille.

leur Geffrier, Guillaume Labbé, Thierry Godard, Jean-Marc Barr, Younès Boucif, Jonas Bloquet, Anne Loiret, Lucia Passaniti and Olivia Cote star in the six-part ecological thriller series, which is in the same vein as high-rating German series The Swarm.

Jonathan Rio and Monica Rattazzi are co-creators. They write alongside Mathilde Arnaud and Fanny Talmone and David Hourrègue is the director.

“We are absolutely thrilled to pick up our first sci-fi series with a monster, coproduced by France Télévisions,” said  Julia Schulte, SVP International Sales at France TV Distribution. “We have high sales expectations as this genre is spreading all over the world with big success upon younger viewers but also mainstream audiences.

“Sea Shadows is a highly ambitious production including great special effects, a premium cast and an arena promising an atmospheric sci-fi thriller playing at the rough seaside of Normandy where fisherboats are attacked by a mysterious sea creature.”