SND, the commercial arm of the French TV network M6, has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Family Shake,” a comedy series written by Baya Kasmi and Michel Leclerc.
SND is the latest vertically integrated French film group to start handling live-action series, following TF1 Studio, Studiocanal and Gaumont, among others. Produced by Gaëlle Cholet at Elephant, “Family Shake” has been commissioned by M6 in France and will start airing later this year in a primetime slot.
The show centers on the ups and downs of a modern, multi-ethnic and blended family. The ensemble cast comprises Grégory Montel (“Call my agent!”), Nailia Harzoune (“Patients”), Julia Piaton” (“Serial (Bad) Weddings”), Lyès Salem (“Just to be sure”), Biyouna (“Aïcha”) and Djemel Barek (“The Bureau”).
The concept of “Family Shake” seems to bank on the success of the comedy franchise “Serial (Bad) Weddings,” which has a similar topic. The first movie grossed more than $148 million worldwide in 2014, while the second installment, released in France on Jan. 30, is already a BO hit.
Elephant is a well-established production company whose series credits include “Desperate Parents” (pictured) and “WorkinGirls.”
Kasmi and Leclerc are the pair behind “Desperate Parents” and “The Names of Love,” the 2011 comedy which won the Cesar Awards for best original screenplay and best actress (for Sara Forestier). The duo also has another comedy, “La lutte des classes,” with Leïla Bekhti and Edouard Baer, coming out in theaters in April.
Kasmi has also been a frequent collaborator of Thomas Lilti, with whom she worked on “Hippocrates” and “Irreplaceable.”
SND will introduce the series to buyers at MipTV, which will take place April 7-11.