The Bridge Set for African Adaptation

Endemol Shine Group has sealed a deal with South Africa’s Both Worlds Pictures for a local version of The Bridge.

Both Worlds is seeking a broadcast partner for a South African/Zimbabwean version of the drama featuring an all African cast. It will be set along the Beit Bridge, the physical border post separating South Africa and Zimbabwe. This would be the seventh adaptation of the show, which has been remade in Malaysia/Singapore, Germany/Austria, Croatia/Serbia, U.S./Mexico, U.K./France and Russia/Estonia.

The original Swedish-Danish Bron/Broen was created by Filmlance International. Lars Blomgren, creator of The Bridge and Endemol Shine Group’s head of scripted for EMEA, said, “Thierry and the team at Both Worlds have such a huge enthusiasm for our beloved series and we couldn’t think of anyone better to create the first African saga. It’s been a joy to watch the various iterations of the format develop around the world and we can’t wait to see the direction they take this one in.”

Thierry Cassuto, founder and executive producer at Both Worlds Pictures, added “We are thrilled to adapt the award-winning series The Bridge for South Africa and the continent. I’ve always been a great fan of the series and admired how sensitively remakes were made in parts of the world that are so culturally different. It shows how the story and the characters are able to strike a universal chord, and we intend to create an adaptation that will be equally unique and will resonate with African viewers”