MASTERPIECE PBS is co-producing a new detective series - Maigret.
MASTERPIECE Head of Scripted Content and Executive Producer Susanne Simpson said: “Maigret will be a perfect addition to MASTERPIECE’s line up of Mystery! shows. Our partners at Playground have assembled an incredible cast and creative team, and our audience is going to love Inspector Maigret and his unique style of crime solving.”
This is the first contemporary television adaptation of Georges Simenon’s novels about the streetwise Parisian Chief Inspector Jules Maigret. Production has started production in Budapest. Colin Callender and David Stern will executive produce for Playground, the Golden Globe and BAFTA award winning production company behind upcoming series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light and All Creatures Great and Small, both for MASTERPIECE.
Jules Maigret will be played by Benjamin Wainwright (Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim), and Stefanie Martini (The Gold, Last Kingdom, Emerald City) stars as his wife Madame Louise Maigret. Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, 24, The Tower) serves as lead writer and executive producer and will direct the first two episodes of the series.
The Jules Maigret series is the second best-selling detective series ever, behind only Sherlock Holmes.
“To understand and not to judge”: Maigret strives above all to unravel our motivations. He is good at this not because he is a genius, or has special methods, but because he listens – he doesn’t solve crimes so much as he solves people.
I'm looking forward to the new Maigret series.
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Maigret has appeared numerous times on the screen, with at least thirty-four actors assuming the role at different times. The long list of film adaptations began in 1932, two years after Maigret was created, with the release of two films.
Some of the actors who portrayed Maigret: Michael Gabon, Rowan Atkinson, Gérard Depardieu, Bruno Cremer, and Jean Richard.
Though Simenon's books have been adapted many times for film and television, Rupert Davies's celebrated, BAFTA-winning portrayal won the approval of Simenon himself, who stated: At last, I have found the perfect Maigret! Running to 52 episodes, this complete 1960s series has been remastered in High Definition from original film elements and is featured now on MHz in its original full screen TV format.
While you're waiting for what will be a great PBS Masterpiece series have a look at some of the other portrayals of Maigret, of which many are available to stream.
Or, start reading Simenon's mysteries. They are wonderful!
I was surprised at how much I liked Rowan Atkinson's portrayal. He perfectly conveyed the world-weariness and simmering anger beneath the surface.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree!
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