WBD brings French thriller ‘The Crimson Rivers’ to Max France & HBO Max Belgium

The Crimson Rivers (Source: ZDF Studios)

Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the SVOD rights to all four seasons of French thriller The Crimson Rivers for for French-speaking territories and Belgium, with the show to launch in Max in France and HBO Max in Belgium on 11 June.

The deal with distributor ZDF Studios includes 32 x 50-minutes episodes of the series, which was originally produced by Storia Television in co-production with Maze Pictures for France Télévisions and ZDF.

The show has previously sold to Netflix. NBC Universal, TV3 Russia, Radio Canada, SBS, GSN (Walter Presents) and FTV Prima, among others.

The Crimson Rivers is based on the novel of the same name by author Jean-Christophe Grangé, who also penned the 2000 feature film adaptation of the story starring Jean Reno.

In this version, French actor, director, screenwriter and a former policeman, Olivier Marchal stars in the lead role as Detective Pierre Niémans.

Along with his new partner Camille Delauney, the duo investigates a series of bizarre crimes in remote regions of France. The shocking brutality of the cases, steeped in regional myths and forgotten customs, are far beyond the capacity of the local police departments.

Actress and director Erika Sainte co-stars as Delauney in the series, which was written by Grangé, alongside Alin Michel and David Neiss.

Mirela Nastase, director of drama at ZDF Studios, said: “The Crimson Rivers is an exceptional thriller with its mystical touch. I’m delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery viewers will get an opportunity to watch this intriguing drama that touches on French history and beliefs grounded in local culture.”