Channel 4 goes on the Rebound

Channel 4 has acquired the UK premiere broadcast rights to Rebound (Les Revenants) from Zodiak Rights. The eight part, hour long episodes, will receive its premiere on Channel 4 later this year.

Gil Hay, Head of Acquisitions at Channel 4 says – “This powerful and innovative French series is already one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The first fully subtitled drama that we have broadcast in 20years, everything about Rebound feels very Channel 4; visceral, compelling and incredibly contemporary, the creators have taken the supernatural genre and re-written the rules. It is evidence not just of a creative high point in European drama but of Channel 4’s willingness to bring audiences the best and most challenging programmes.”

In a small Alpine village, in the shadow of a vast dam, a small group of men, women and children find themselves in a state of confusion, trying to return to their homes. What they do not yet know is that they have been dead for several years, and no-one is expecting them back.

Those returning from beyond the grave are determined to reclaim their places in the world of the living. The living are thrown into a state of turmoil by the return of friends and relatives who don’t understand that time has moved on.

But it seems they are not the only ones to have returned from the dead. Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders which bear a chilling resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past. This is a homecoming like no other

Eerily sound-tracked by Mogwai, Rebound is a stylish take on the horror genre weaving a thrilling murder mystery around a gorgeously subtle, chilling exploration of longing, grief and the reality of loved ones returning from the grave. The harrowing combination proved a ratings and critical smash, with the atmospheric French spine-tingler launching amid glowing reviews making it the highest-rated original drama of all times on domestic broadcaster Canal+.

Alexandre Piel, SVP International sales and acquisitions at Zodiak Rights says; ‘’Gripping us from the very start of the project, Rebound has proven to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are more than proud to distribute it. It is also extremely gratifying to work with such a prestigious broadcaster as Channel 4 and to bring to their audiences, a series as strong as the biggest UK and Scandinavian hits we also distribute’’.

Other sales for Rebound include Sweden (SVT), Netherlands (Just bridge), Israël (Hot), Turkey (Sinema TV), New Zealand (Rialto), Hong-Kong (Now TV) and Hungary (Viasat). Advanced negotiations are engaged with a number of major territories among which the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Italy and Latin America…

[Reported by Neil Lang]