Studiocanal has acquired worldwide rights to Michel Bussi’s bestselling young adult saga “N.E.O” and will adapt it as a 12-part series with Authentic Prod.
“N.E.O” will be a quadrilogy, the first two of which have been published by PKJ (EDITIS Group).
Set in a world where adults have disappeared, there are shelters for the two rival tribes who survived a cataclysmic event — the Tipi (The Eiffel Tower) and the Castle (The Louvre). Some hunt to feed themselves, the others live as recluses as the hour of confrontation arrives.
Produced by Françoise Guyonnet for Studiocanal and Aline Panel for Authentic Prod, the adventure series will be written by Brigitte Bémol and Julien Simonet.
Bussi is one of the best-selling and most widely-read French authors with over eight million copies of his novels sold. His books have been translated in 36 countries and three of them have been adapted for television. He will collaborate as co-author of the adaptation.
Authentic Prod is known for TF1 series “Sam” and “Je te promets” (the French adaptation of “This is Us”) and the miniseries adaptation from Bussi’s best-selling novel “Time is a Killer.”
Françoise Guyonnet, executive MD, TV Series at Studiocanal, said: “This is a far-reaching and timely project aimed specifically for young adults. As the way we live our lives alongside the natural world becomes ever more perilous this look into the near future seems far too close for comfort. Along with our colleagues at Editis and our friends at Authentic Prod we are delighted to be working with the exceptional Michel Bussi and look forward to delivering this thrilling and thought-provoking story to screens around the world in the coming months.”
Aline Panel, producer and president of Authentic Nord, said: “’N.E.O’ is entertainment in the noblest sense of the word, striving to fulfil the aspirations of younger generations to work toward a world that is fair, at peace, and environmentally-friendly.”
“Three of my novels have been adapted into a series for French TV, but the ‘N.E.O’ project is the one that is closest to my heart,” Bussi said. “I imagined it as a spectacular and addictive saga, dealing with major contemporary issues. The meeting of the talents of Authentic Prod and Studiocanal, their enthusiasm and their great professionalism, are the best guarantees for my dream to become reality.”