Bavaria Sells Remake Rights to French Novela

CANNES/MUNICH: Bavaria Media has clinched a deal for Lebanon-based Charisma to produce a version of the French telenovela Second Chance for broadcast across the Middle East and North Africa.

Charisma has scored the rights to remake 180 episodes of the show—about a woman who has to start a new life when her husband abandons her after 18 years of marriage—for Arabic audiences. More than 20 territories in the Middle East and North Africa are covered by the Charisma deal, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

“We are excited to announce Charisma’s acquisition of the scripts for Second Chance, which we will produce in the Arab world with Arab actors,” said Charisma Productions’ CEO, Ayman Al-Zyoud. “I am confident that this series will set a new benchmark of quality and relevance for drama series in the Middle East.”

"Second Chance is one of the most attractive programs in our current distribution portfolio," added Oliver Kreuter, the head of television at Bavaria Media. “We are pleased that the format has found a home at Charisma Productions. This will give it the opportunity to reach a much wider television audience in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Bavaria Media Television handles the worldwide distribution rights to the original French novela and the format.