VARIETY:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118031732?categoryid=13&cs=1French DVD house We Prods. is partnering with publisher United Humanoids to produce "Metal Hurlant Chronicles," a live-action TV skein based on a French anthology of sci-fi/fantasy graphic novels.
The Licencing Machine, the commercial arm of the Panini Group, is handling international sales.
After presenting the pilot to buyers at Mipcom in October, the company pre-sold the show in more than 20 territories, including Italy, Germany, Poland and Russia. Shingle is negotiating with a French TV channel and a U.S. distributor.
Skein is exec produced by United Humanoids' Pierre Spengler in association with Laurent Tolleron.
Directed by Guillaume Lubrano, co-founder of We Prods., each half-hour will be shot in English and French and will cover one or two stories adapted from the original graphic novels.
Pilot's two parts, "Red Light" and "Cold Hard Facts," star David Belle ("The Prince of Persia") and Jean Yves Berteloot ("The Da Vinci Code").
United Humanoids was set up by comic artists Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) and Philippe Druillet, among others. Launched in 1974, "Metal Hurlant" became a popular anthology for sci-fi fans in the 1980s.
The series' first two seasons, comprising 12 episodes, will be delivered next January.
