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Isabelle Degeorges, president of Gaumont Television, has teased the upcoming six-episode series by Cédric Anger. Under the working title “In the Shadow of the Forest” (“A l’ombre des forêts”) and developed for Apple TV+, it features Benoit Magimel and Mélanie Laurent.
“It’s about paranoia,” said Degeorges.
“Four friends go to hunt in the forest and suddenly, somebody’s shooting at them. They have one second to decide what to do. They end up killing somebody. They are human – they’ve made the wrong decision, but their life becomes a nightmare. For me, it was interesting to wonder what I would’ve done in their place.”
Degeorges called “In the Shadow of the Forest” an “auteur” show.
“Cédric Anger [also behind “Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart” and “Paris Pigalle” has written the script and directed the show. He came to us and wanted to tell this story, but it was his story. He’s a cineaste. You have to respect that.”
Another new show, “The Deal,” world-premiered at Series Mania, receiving its Forum’s Buyers Choice Award. Set in Switzerland, it focuses on last-chance nuclear talks between U.S. and Iran, with Europe, Russia and China standing by, “It’s one of our missions to tell stories that resonate with what we are experiencing in our lives,” she noted.
“In a show, you need to have very strong characters. It’s a crucial ingredient. Here, everybody’s stuck in this one hotel, trying to find a solution. We know what’s at stake, but we keep watching because of the characters. For us producers, writers and directors it’s important to explain our world.”
Degeorges, this year’s recipient of Series Mania’s Woman in Series Award, opened up about her career during fireside chat moderated by Variety.
“For me, it’s the most beautiful profession in the world,” she admitted, also mentioning the recent Daniel Brühl starrer for Disney+.
“At Gaumont, we like telling very different stories. With ‘Becoming Karl Lagerfeld,’ the challenge was to make Karl Lagerfeld a man we can love. In real life, he was wearing a mask. But when you read Raphaëlle Bacqué’s book [‘Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfeld’], you can imagine he was very emotional.”
Lagerfeld enjoyed a long career and passed away in 2019. But the team decided to focus on his life in the 1970s.
“He was a very hard worker, but Yves Saint Laurent was a genius. He was a nobody, trying to be somebody. It was the right place to explain who he was, but it was challenging because of all the fashion. And expensive.”
While making shows for local and not always global audiences is still important – with the 9th season of “The Art of Crime” currently in production – international collaborations can lead to interesting results, she observed.
“In France, when we write a series… Everything has to make sense. Sometimes, we can be very boring,” she laughed.
“For ‘Lupin,’ we decided to work with an English screenwriter George Kay and it was a big lesson for me. I thought some things just weren’t working. He said: ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s entertaining.’ Later, my son told me: ‘Mum, you finally made a fun show.’”
Maurice Leblanc created gentleman thief Arsène Lupin in 1905 – the hit Netflix show was initially supposed to be a “modern adaptation” of his stories. In the end, it opted for a looser approach, with Assane Diop (played by Omar Sy) simply inspired by Arsène’s outrageous adventures.
“It’s interesting to play with our legacy this way,” she said.
Degeorges, who was a part of the selection committee for France 2030 infrastructure project, mentioned the struggles lying ahead.
“I’ve been working in this industry for 25 years. We all feel there’s less money, so we need to look for other solutions: in the way we write and the way we work. We don’t have enough studios – we need that.”
Teamwork is also key.
“This award… I received it, but it’s not mine. I want to share it with my team. When you are a producer, you are a competitor, because you want to be the best. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help a colleague if they need you. We need other people. We are stronger together.”
