Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.
Banijay is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Marathon Studio

  1. Banijay France’s Marathon Studio and Terence Films to Adapt Hit Psychological Thriller Il Était Deux Fois

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    Content powerhouse, Banijay Entertainment, today announces the adaptation of Frank Thilliez’s psychological thriller Il Était Deux Fois (Twice Upon a Time) for France Télévisions. Co-produced by Banijay France’s scripted labels Marathon Studio and Terence Films, the six-part drama is created by Eric Delafosse and France Jacquet, and directed by Florian Thomas and Valentin Vincent.

    Set in 2013, police captain Gabrielle Moscato (played by Odile Vuillemin), a dedicated and determined mother, embarks on a desperate search for her missing daughter. When Moscato falls asleep in a hotel room, she wakes up twelve years later, in 2025, with no recollection of the time that has passed. A rare form of dissociative amnesia has erased her memories but has not dimmed her instinct as a police officer or as a mother. How far will she go to uncover the truth and save her daughter? The cast also includes Hubert Delattre, Nicole Calfan and Rémi Devilla.

    Malika Abdellaoui, CEO Marathon Studio says: “Following three years of development, we are proud to bring to the screen one of Frank Thilliez’s best-selling novels, Il Était Deux Fois. France Télévisions is a trusted partner for this breathless thriller about a mother, played by Odile Vuillemin, who will do anything to recover her memory and her missing daughter.”

    Bertrand Cohen & Stéphane Meunier, CEO Terence Films say: “Frank Thilliez is a master of the psychological thriller genre, known for his ability to weave intricate mysteries and develop complex characters. With nerve-racking twists, the series promises to be a mesmerising thriller and is a testament to our commitment to bringing compelling stories to life with an international appeal.”

    Terence Films, led by Bertrand Cohen and Stéphane Meunier, has built a reputation as a producer of high-quality drama with over 500 hours of premium programming. Known for hit thriller Rivière-Perdue, the French adaptation of La Caza. Monteperdido for TF1, and cop series OPJ for France Télévisions. They have also co-produced with Marathon Studio, The Baker and the Beauty for TF1. Founded in 2021 by Malika Abdellaoui, Marathon Studio focuses on creating original scripted content with both local and global appeal.

  2. Marathon Studio Secures Rights for Nora Lakheal’s Elite Undercover Agent

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    Marathon Studio, a joint venture with Banijay France, today announces it has picked up the television rights to Nora Lakheal’s ground-breaking biography, Nora Lakheal – Elite Undercover Agent.

     

    A true tale of a woman who chose to risk her life, Elite Undercover Agent is Nora Lakheal’s first-hand account of the eighteen years she has spent relentlessly hunting down Islamism terrorists. A student of philosophy, the boxer from Barbés joined the police force to experience the action and the unexpected. She soon became the first French Muslim woman to join antiterrorist department, Islamisme Radicale of SORS, the elite operatives of French General Intelligence internal services and a department of the current DGSI. Risking her life for her country, she infiltrated several Islamist groups, and is thought to have intercepted a number of planned terrorist attacks.

     

    The scripted development acts as Marathon Studio’s first adaptation project based on a book since the announcement of its launch with Banijay France in November. With work on the drama well-underway, the series will highlight the personal challenges faced in the unprecedented missions Nora Lakheal embarked on during her service.

     

    Nora Lakheal comments: “I am very proud that my life is set to inspire a TV series promoting a French Muslim woman from North African heritage working for the French intelligence internal services. I thank Max Milo, the publisher, that always believed in me and Malika Abdellaoui who, thanks to her ambition and vision for this unique project, will know how to bring my story to the screen.”

     

    Malika Abdellaoui, producer and CEO of Marathon Studio comments: “We are honoured to be collaborating with Nora Lakheal on a standout drama based on her own testimony: Elite Undercover Agent. It is a valuable opportunity to bring to screen the story of an ordinary woman who completed extraordinary undercover missions to protect the French Republic against terrorism. Never once hesitating, despite the significant risk to her life, Nora is a strong role model, and her narrative deserves to be shared beyond the page.”

     

    Jean-Charles Gérard, Max Milo Publishing House comments: “We are delighted to start this new adventure with Nora Lakheal and Malika Abdellaoui, to bring forward this aspirational character; a woman working in the shadow with an exemplary trajectory.”

     

    Nora Lakheal – Elite Undercover Agent is published by Max Milo Publishing House.