Acclaimed Austrian director Michael Haneke‘s first TV series project will be “Kelvin’s Book,” a 10-part series produced by Germany’s UFA Fiction, the makers of “Deutschland 83.”
“After 10 TV movies and 12 films, I wanted to tell a longer story for once,” the double Palme d’Or- and Oscar-winning screenwriter and director said.
UFA, which is part of production and distribution giant FremantleMedia, is behind German-language hit “Deutschland 83” and its upcoming second season, “Deutschland 86,” but Haneke’s project will be in English. The high-concept series will tell the story of a group of young people in a dystopian near future who, during a flight, are “forced to make an emergency landing outside of their home and are confronted with the actual face of their home country for the first time,” a press statement said.
Nico Hofmann and Benjamin Benedict will serve as executive producers for UFA Fiction on the series.
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“No contemporary director has moved and inspired me more than Michael Haneke,“ Hofmann said. “‘Kelvin’s Book’ is an extraordinarily rich, gripping and ambitious story. With contemporary themes and a reflection of the digital age that we live in, there’s no better time for this project.”
For FremantleMedia it is the latest collaboration on a scripted project with a well-known creative after previous work with Neil Gaiman on “American Gods” and Paolo Sorrentino on “The Young Pope.” The company will handle international sales. No broadcaster or partners have been announced.
