Newen Connect snags sales rights to Prime Video’s ‘Dark Hearts’ second season

Dark Hearts

France’s Newen Connect has snagged global distribution rights to the second season of Amazon Prime Video’s war drama, Dark Hearts (Coeurs Noirs).

The show is produced by Mandarin Télévision and has been written by Corinne Garfin and Duong Dang-Tha, who were previously behind The Bureau. Ziad Doueiri (Baron Noir) directs the series, which was extended into a second run by Prime Video yesterday.

The show is an example of the increasing flexibility shown by streamers such as Prime Video. The first season is soon to debut on France 2 following its window on the Amazon-owned service, while Newen’s sales arm is also taking the first season to buyers outside of France.

Rodolphe Buet, CEO at Newen Connect, said: “Dark Hearts may be a gripping story about French elite soldiers fighting terrorism, but at its heart the series contains themes that transcend geography, making it accessible to a broad range of audiences. This show epitomises the great characters and bold, ambitious storylines that Newen Connect is looking for in its scripted catalogue.”

The first season is set around the battle of Mosul in 2016, when Iraqi forces, backed by the US, sought to wrest the city back from ISIS. The story follows the leader of an elite French commando unit – Group 45 – who has his sights set on returning to Paris, but days before his departure date he captures a high-ranking jihadi who throws his plans into doubt.

The second season has been written by Virginie Brac (Spiral) and is expected to become available on Prime Video in France in 2025.

Amazon set up its own distribution arm earlier this year to sell its wholly owned originals, such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hunters. Amazon MGM Studios Distribution is led by MGM’s distribution chief Chris Ottinger.