Brian de Palma is developing an English-language remake of the long-running French period drama hit “Un Village Francais.”
The “Scarface” director is currently collaborating with Frédéric Krivine, the co-creator of “Un Village Francais,” on the U.S. remake which will unfold during the Civil War, according to the French magazine Telerama which broke the news.
The producer of the French series, Tetra Media Fiction, is also involved in the development of the U.S. remake whose working title is “Newton 1861.”
Set during the Second World War, “Un Village Français,” which was created by Kirvine, Philippe Triboit and Emmanuel Daucé, follows the lives of ordinary people in a small French village under German occupation.
Commissioned by French public broadcaster France Televisions, the series ran for seven seasons and has highly successful in terms of ratings and reviews.
Dealing with slavery, the U.S. adaptation will shed light on the ethical and political dilemna faced by ordinary American people during the Civil War, according to Telerama.
De Palma last directed the thriller “Domino” with Carice van Houten, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Guy Pearce.