Fremantle Adds Crime Drama Taken Down to Slate

Fremantle has picked up international distribution rights for Spiral Pictures’ new crime drama Taken Down.

Commissioned by RTÉ Television in association with ARTE France, the series investigates the violent death of a young Nigerian migrant found abandoned close to a Direct Provision Centre, where refugees wait for political asylum. The investigation brings viewers into a twilight world of the new Ireland, where slum landlords and criminals prey on the vulnerable.

The cast includes Aissa Maiga (Anything for Alice, Bianco e Nero), Brian Gleeson (Resistance, Phantom Thread), Lynn Rafferty (Love/Hate), Orla Fitzgerald (The Young Offenders), Jimmy Smallhorne (Love/Hate, Clean Break), Barry Ward (End of The F*cking World, The Fall), Enoch Frost (Skyfall, The Desert) and Slimane Dazi (A Prophet, Rengaine).

Rebecca Dundon, director of acquisitions for international at Fremantle, said: “Taken Down is a gripping and authentic drama which highlights the reality of living as a refugee in Ireland today. The series will have global audiences transfixed with its emotionally charged storyline and complex characters played by an amazing ensemble cast.”

Suzanne McAuley, executive producer at Spiral Pictures, said: “We are delighted to have teamed up with Fremantle to bring Taken Down to a global audience.”