Two years after announcing the partnership, New8 is about to present its first show as Studiocanal’s “This Is Not a Murder Mystery” arrives at Mipcom.
The agreement between eight public broadcasters (Germany’s ZDF, Netherlands’ NPO, Belgium’s VRT, Sweden’s SVT, Denmark’s DR, Finland’s YLE, Iceland’s RÚV and Norway’s NRK) is a co-production and broadcast collaboration, and the resulting series will be made available to all New8 partners, increasing viewership and relevance for European productions.
Belgium’s VRT opens its showcase with its first English-language series, “This Is Not a Murder Mystery.” The show was commissioned by the Belgian broadcaster, produced by Panenka in collaboration with Deadpan Pictures, and distributed by leading film and series studio Studiocanal, which holds worldwide distribution rights to all territories except New8 members.
Belgian director Hans Herbotz (The Serpent) will helm the six-episode series, which follows a young René Magritte (Pierre Gervais) who wakes up next to a dead woman in a luxurious English mansion and attempts to clear his name. In 1936, the art world was abuzz with the rise of Surrealism, and the Belgian painter was joined by such notable up-and-comers as Salvador Dali (Iñaki Moor), Lee Miller (Florence Hall), Man Ray (Frank Burke), and Max Ernst (Mike Hoffman).
Speaking with Variety ahead of Mipcom, where Studiocanal will sell the series, Panenka producer Christoffer Mertens had nothing but praise for the collaboration with New8. He particularly emphasizes the ease of having a single point of contact with VRT when dealing with the station roster.
“Having one publicist and a smooth communication process was our biggest creative asset,” he adds. “The second thing was that we were able to secure funding from Creative Europe and Eurimages. They want collaboration between countries, so the connection with New8 was a great opportunity. What I think is really important as a producer is that each station can create something that has local DNA. It’s not just about finding a program that can satisfy every station.”
In this, Mertens emphasizes that although This Is Not a Murder Mystery conveniently featured an international cast due to the nature of its premise, the series was not a response to New8’s proposals. “Our show is based on true events and features a truly international cast, so it was a natural setting. Thanks to New8, we were never forced to collaborate. It was a purely creative choice.”
Once Panenka secured funding from European organizations and Belgium’s Audiovisual Fund of Flanders (VAF), the final piece of the financial puzzle was completed in the form of Studiocanal. Mertens says having a name like Harbots was essential to securing this partnership. Considering that the director was not only already established internationally, but had also recently started production on “Paris Has Fallen” with Canal+.
“They believed in his work and his great vision for the show,” the producers said, adding that they felt it was “perfect” to hire a Belgian director with a track record of international success. “We were very ambitious and needed someone with this level of experience.”
Chloe Marquette, head of international sales for film and television series at Studiocanal, praised the series’ “bold and unique tone” and added that thanks to its “stunning visuals and genuine entertainment,” “This Is Not a Murder Mystery” has “great potential to travel the world and delight audiences. The murder mystery has once again proven to be a highly successful genre in recent times.”
Speaking about the creative side, Harbots said he was drawn in “right away” by the “great” pitch for the series. The director joined the project three years ago and worked with the creative team to develop the concept. “It took us quite a while to get the funding, so we were able to prepare well and develop a vision with a script, which was really important.”
“What’s interesting about this show is that it depicts these famous artists before they became well-known,” he added. “We have an image of Dali with a mustache, but he lacked confidence when he first started working. We met all of these icons when they were still building their images. This gave us the freedom to find newcomers rather than established actors.”
Regarding casting, the director says he didn’t want “famous faces to take attention away from the characters.” “This show is a true ensemble piece, and I thought it was really important to find personalities that could match up but also create conflict. We were able to get a really interesting ensemble from all of these countries, and I’m really proud of this series.”
“This Isn’t a Murder Mystery” is based on an original idea by Christophe Dirickx and Matthias Lebeer. The series will premiere this fall on VRT and RTL Belgium, and will be broadcast in other territories in the winter.
