Sundance spooks with The Returned

Sundance Channel has emerged as the US broadcaster set to give French supernatural thriller The Returned its debut in the country this Halloween.

The Returned - Les Revenants

Sundance Channel US will begin airing the eight-part Canal+ series on October 31.

Set in an Alpine village where residents’ deceased loved ones start returning from the grave, The Returned (aka Rebound) was created by Fabrice Gobert and produced by Caroline Benjo, Jimmy Desmarais and Carole Scotta of Haut et Court.

The series, based on the feature film Lse Revenants by Robin Campillo, is distributed in the US by Zodiak Rights, while Music Box Films has secured a deal with an unnamed VoD platform for a January 1, 2014 debut.

Channel 4 in the UK began airing the show earlier this year and has already picked up its second season, which is set to go into production early next year. An English-language version is currently in development.

“This is a sign the US TV market is opening up to French drama and that the independent production and distribution companies need to continue to innovate and create original fiction to succeed internationally,” said Marc Nowak, general manager, Zodiak Rights.

Sarah Barnett, president of Sundance Channel, said: “The Returned is smart entertainment that shocks and entertains at every turn.”

Sundance is stepping up its drama credentials following on from Rectify and Top of the Lake, with new series The Red Road currently in the works for 2014.