.png)
2 months ago
20 ARTICLE AD
The long-gestating TV adaptation of Georges Simenon’s Maigret has landed at PBS Masterpiece, with Belgravia: The Next Chapter’s Benjamin Wainwright and Stefanie Martini (Prime Suspect 1973) playing the eponymous leads.
From Colin Callender’s Wolf Hall producer Playground, the series follows the detective and his wife in Paris. Maigret is a rising star in the Police Judiciaire, relentless in his investigations, with an uncanny ability to get under the skin of the criminals he is chasing and a matchless knowledge of Paris and its inhabitants. Lead Wainwright played Lord Frederick Trenchard in MGM+ sequel series Belgravia: The Next Chapter, which followed on from Julian Fellowes’ original.
Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, 24, The Tower) is writing Maigret and the cast includes Blake Harrison (World on Fire, I Hate Suzie Too), Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, Pirates), Kerrie Hayes (The Responder, Criminal Record), Shaniqua Okwok (The Flatshare, It’s a Sin) and Rob Kazinsky (Star Trek: Section 31, Eastenders), with Nathalie Armin (Showtrial S2, Juice) set to play Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel.
The Maigret books are the second best-selling detective series of all time behind Sherlock. Playground licensed them from Georges Simenon Limited and unveiled the development three years ago, at which point Red Arrow Studios International – which is no longer attached – was co-producing. Banijay Rights has since boarded and will sell globally.
The previous Maigret TV adaptation aired on ITV for two seasons from 2016, starring Rowan Atkinson.
Playground Joint MD David Stern said: “George Simenon’s creation of Jules Maigret holds a firm place in the pantheon of great literary detectives and we are incredibly grateful to our partners and John Simenon for their trust and support as we endeavor to bring a contemporary Maigret to a new, worldwide audience.”
Harbinson will direct the first two episodes of the Maigret series with Faye Gilbert (The Tower, The Bay) directing 3 and 4, and David Evans taking 5 and 6. Susanne Simpson serves as the executive producer on behalf of Masterpiece the lead commissioning broadcaster, with John Simenon executive producing on behalf of Georges Simenon Limited. International distribution will be handled by Banijay Rights, the global sales arm of Banijay Entertainment.
Playground has been busy of late. The indie has completed the second in the Wolf Hall franchise, also for Masterpiece and the BBC, and is working on an Inspector Lynley Mysteries adaptation for BritBox International.
