Idris Elba’s Green Door Teams With Tandem, Save Ferris on ‘Brazza’
LONDON – Studiocanal’s Tandem Productions and Havas Media’s Save Ferris Entertainment have teamed up with Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures on drama series “Brazza.”
The show is set in Brazzaville, the capital city of the Congo, “where one family’s bloody feud threatens the country’s uneasy truce,” according to a statement. “Guns and lives are cheap but some people are prepared to fight for what is right. Straddling Congo, Kinshasa and Paris, this gritty, fast-paced drama explores the vivid culture and dark underworld of Brazzaville, where people know ‘peace brings life’ but not everybody is prepared to make the right choice between good and evil.”
“Brazza” will be produced by Tandem, in co-production with Save Ferris, and in association with Green Door. The series will be distributed internationally by Studiocanal.
“I am so proud to be working on this African-set drama and to introduce a global audience to a world and culture that resonates so vibrantly with me,” Elba said. “We at Green Door are thoroughly enjoying our journey with Studiocanal, Tandem and Save Ferris and are very excited for the future.”
Actor, writer and director Paul Viragh is attached to the project as the writer. Viragh’s first feature film “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” starred Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris and Olivia Williams, and received seven award nominations, including two BAFTAs. Other work includes crime thriller “Ashes,” starring Ray Winstone and Jim Sturgess, and “The Face of an Angel,” directed by Michael Winterbottom.
Tandem chief Rola Bauer commented: “’Brazza’ will be a visceral series exploring one family’s feud across Africa and Europe. Idris’ lens into this narrative is quite inspirational and as Africa awakens, marching boldly into the first world, we could not have asked for better partners in Idris and his team, as well as our cousins at Save Ferris/Havas Productions. Paul Viragh’s talent to create compelling characters with strong emotional journeys will ground this story in the here and now.”
Together with executive producers Bauer, Tim Halkin, Jean-Charles Felli and Christophe Tomas, Elba (“Beasts of No Nation,” “Luther” and the upcoming “Dark Tower”) will executive produce along with his development team at Green Door.
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