“The Sentinels,” Canal+‘s hugely ambitious French TV series blending superhero, steampunk and sci-fi themes into a WWI action drama, has found at home in the U.K.
In a deal with Studiocanal, the BBC has acquired the series, which is produced by Federation Studios France and Esprits Frappeurs and was already simultaneous released by Canal+ last year across more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Based on the comic book series “Les Sentinelles” by Xavier Dorison and Enrique Breccia (éditions Delcourt), “The Sentinels” was created by Guillaume Lemans in collaboration with Xabi Molia, written by Guillaume Lemans, Molia and Raphaëlle Richet, and directed by Thierry Poiraud and Édouard Salier.
The story takes place at the outbreak of WWI, when a severely wounded soldier named Gabriel Ferraud is selected for a top-secret research program headed by the French Army that aims to create a whole new breed of combatant. After being injected with a mysterious serum, Gabriel is endowed with unprecedented abilities. Now stronger, faster, and more resistant than the average human, he joins an elite unit of augmented soldiers known as the Sentinels. But he is soon confronted with a terrifying reality that could change the course of the war.
The series is produced by Lionel Uzan and Thierry Sorel for Federation Studio France, and Delphine Clot and Guillaume Lemans for Esprits Frappeurs.
Alongside the unprecedented Canal+ rollout, the series has also aired in Australia (SBS), Belgium (BeTV), Benelux (Play Media), Germany (ProSieben), Canada (TV5), Denmark (DR), Greece (NOVA), Portugal (NOS), Spain (Disney), Turkey (Tivibu) and has sold to more than 60 territories worldwide.
“The Sentinels” will premiere in the U.K. exclusively on BBC iPlayer and BBC Four later this year.
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