NBCU, RTL Germany & TF1 Greenlight New Procedural

LONDON: NBCUniversal International Studios, Germany’s Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and France’s TF1 have aligned for a new procedural drama series, Gone, based on Chelsea Cain’s novel One Kick.

Chris Noth (The Good Wife, Sex and the City) will star in the 12 one-hour episodes, created by Matt Lopez (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) to be launched in late 2017/early 2018. Gone tells the fictional story of Kit “Kick” Lannigan, survivor of a famous child abduction case, and Frank Booth (Noth), the F.B.I. agent who rescued her. 

The series order marks the first from a unique collaboration between NBCUniversal International Studios, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and TF1, which was created to secure a pipeline of U.S.-style procedural content. All episodes of Gone will be written, cast and produced in the U.S. Mediengruppe RTL and TF1 will broadcast and distribute the series in their respective territories, and NBCUniversal International Distribution will license the rights for the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Michael Edelstein, the president of NBCUniversal International Studios, commented: “Working with Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and TF1 has been a fantastic collaboration and we are all delighted to be moving forward so quickly on our first series together. In Gone, Matt Lopez has created a fascinating character who we believe will connect with procedural audiences around the world. We are in the process of assembling a first-rate production team and look forward to future series with our partners.” 

Joerg Graf, the executive VP of production and acquisition at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, added: “We are excited about Gone as an emotional series with a twist on the successful procedural form with unique characters and a contemporary setting. TF1 and NBCUniversal International Studios share our view that tailor-made formats will meet the increasing need of our viewers for high-quality modern crime dramas. Thereby we are looking forward to working with Matt Lopez and our reliable partners on the further developments of this outstanding project.”

Fabrice Bailly, the head of programs and acquisition for the TF1 Group, said: “We are delighted to greenlight the first high-quality scripted series from our innovative partnership with NBCUniversal International Studios and Mediengruppe RTL. The collaborative relationship represents a new way of working, for both studios and European broadcasters, to achieve high-quality procedural dramas. We are very excited to have such great talent attached to the project: Matt Lopez as showrunner and Chris Noth as one of our stars; we are confident Gone will be widely enjoyed by French audiences.”