Banijay picks up Drowned for Cannes

We, The Drowned from from Denmark’s Marlowfilm Productions

MIPCOM: The distribution arm of European production group Banijay has picked up the latest historical drama from Oscar-nominated director Mikael Salomon for distribution at Mipcom.

Banijay Rights will be holding preliminary discussions with potential buyers of We, The Drowned from Denmark’s Marlowfilm Productions in Cannes this week.

The eight-part English-language series from Salomon (Band of Brothers, The Abyss) is based on the bestselling book by Carsten Jensen and is in the latter stages of development.

Adapted for the TV screen by Jan Trygve Røyneland (Occupied, The Spy, The King’s Choice), the series tells a story of men on the high seas and the women and children who await their return.

Chris Stewart, commercial director at Banijay Rights, said: “We, The Drowned is the perfect example of a local story with a truly global appeal, focusing on timeless and universal themes of adventure, love, desire, grief and the passage of time, which we know will strike a chord with international audiences.”

The series joins Banijay Rights’ scripted slate for this week’s Mipcom market, a slate that is headlined by Yello Bird’s dark urban fantasy thriller Hidden, starring August Wittgenstein and Izabella Scorupco.

Further new titles making their debut via Banijay are eight-part Couple Trouble from Mastiff Denmark, and six-part drama thriller The Red Shadows, from H2O Fictions and Gétévé Productions. Returning series include Public Enemy, The Restaurant and Black Lake.