One of Butler's most enduring franchises, the 'Has Fallen' series, is headed to TV with a new eight-episode series.
One of Gerard Butler’s most enduring and beloved action franchises, the Has Fallen series, is heading to television for its next installment. Variety reported the news. The ultra-violent, almost comedically jingoistic franchise kicked off in 2012 with Olympus Has Fallen. That surprise box office hit led to increasingly preposterous sequels London Has Fallen (2016) and Angel Has Fallen (2019).
Now, it appears Paris will be the next place to fall. French production company StudioCanal has inherited the rights from original producers Nu Image and G-Base. They unveiled the project at this week’s London TV Screenings (LTVS), the annual event where buyers pick up their properties from distributors.
Paris Has Fallen has already completed production, with series star Gerard Butler getting an executive producer credit. Tewfik Jallab will take over starring duties as Vincent Taleb, a protection officer guarding the French Minister with the help of MI6 operative Zara (Ritu Arya, Barbie). When they’re targeted by a terrorist group with a mission to destroy Paris, they team up to save the day.
StudioCanal is best known for its output of largely foreign-produced and arthouse movies; however, they occasionally dabble in more straightforward fare like Liam Neeson actioners, which have proved to be one of the studio’s hottest assets.
According to Variety, StudioCanal plans “to elevate” the Has Fallen property “to another level” while retaining its signature shoot-’em-up qualities over the eight-episode first season.
“Paris Has Fallen is not just an action series but highly developed in terms of plot and character arcs,” Anne Chérel, StudioCanal’s EVP of global sales and distribution. “The idea is to develop a series which can appeal [more] to broader audiences than core action fans.”
If that sounds ponderous, Chérel reassured franchise fans that they can expect the same toe-curling mayhem they saw in the Has Fallen movies.
“We know that [most] people are not going to watch eight hours in a row. So the idea is to have eight episodes that can be perceived as eight action movies,” she explained. “Each episode will feel like a mini film delivering epic action sequences. It’s honestly a huge challenge. But [co-producers] Urban Myth Films (have) delivered a series which maintains the energy and intensity of an action thriller across eight episodes. It’s really exciting.”
StudioCanal is handling Paris Has Fallen’s U.S. distribution. Though it doesn’t have a release date stateside yet, it’s pegged to air internationally within the year if all goes well at LTVS this week.
