From Dan Franck, Writer Of Carlos And Florent Emilio Siri, Director Of Cloclo, Comes The First French Netflix Original Series: Marseille

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AN UNCOMPROMISING LOOK AT POLITICS, AMBITION AND MONEY, MARSEILLE DEBUTS IN ALL NETFLIX TERRITORIES IN LATE 2015

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Aug 28, 2014, 12:00 ET

PARIS and BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Marseille, an eight episode tale of power, corruption and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the French port city, will debut exclusively in all Netflix territories in late 2015.

The first French production from the world's leading Internet TV Network, Marseille focuses on the story of Robert Taro, mayor of the city for 25 years. The coming elections have him face the man he chose as his heir, an ambitious youngster aiming high. Both candidates will fight mercilessly. Marseille stages a fight around revenge, animated by drug lords, politicians, unions and the political players of the city.

Shot entirely in France, Marseille is created and written by Dan Franck, writer of La Separation and Les Hommes de l'ombre and co-writer of Carlos, which won a Golden Globe for best miniseries and a Cesar for most promising actor, Edgar Ramirez, and was nominated for 36 international awards, including two Emmys.

Directing the first two episodes of Marseille will be Florent-Emilio Siri, director of the Cesar-nominated theatrical hits Cloclo and L'Ennemi Intime. Also directing will be Sundance Award-winning filmmaker Samuel Benchetrit ("J'ai toujours reve d'etre un gangster")

Marseille is produced by Paris-based Federation Entertainment, led by Pascal Breton, producer of the hit French series Dolmen and Sous le Soleil.

"Creating a series for an enormous audience and without any constraints will let us push to its limits a story about the Shakespearean theater of politics in a city where Alexandre Dumas and Jean-Claude Izzo, among others, have planted many spears," said Dan Franck. "Netflix has given us a blank page to create a "House of Cards" in French that breaks through unspoken hypocrisy. This is a writer's dream and a great opportunity for French producers and creators to enter a new world."

"Movies today sacrifice a lot to almighty pacing and often lose the essential: the characters. Current TV series do exactly the opposite, they stretch time and work characters in depth with all their complexities and contradictions. That's what makes for their success," said Florent-Emilio Siri. "The movie business in France today confines itself to comedy or what is called 'author cinema.' TV series give movie directors the potential of a new opportunity to be able to explore and express their talents within the full extent of their art. This is why I'm really eager to work on Marseille."

Added Samuel Benchetrit: "I'm incredibly excited and honored to work on Marseille and to create an original series that will be powerful and unique. Working with Netflix is a great opportunity for artists and creators, it democratizes movies and series in France and globally."

Producer Pascal Breton said: "Marseille will take the audience right into the political arena where the old regime of traditional politicians are getting ready to face the younger generation of predators, thugs, and sometimes their own heirs. Netflix is giving us the perfect opportunity to tell this story from a uniquely French viewpoint, in association with some of France's best writers and directors. Produced entirely in France, Marseille has the potential to become one of the most gripping television events of the coming years."

"Marseille is an ambitious, diabolically smart fictitious exploration of local politics in one of the world's most vibrant and fascinating cities." said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. "We are delighted to be working with some of the best storytellers in France to deliver a series that erases the line between film and television."

Production is expected to start in spring of 2015 with the series debut everywhere Netflix is available in late 2015.

About Federation Entertainment

Based in Paris, Federation Entertainment is a fully-integrated television production and distribution mini-studio comprised of exclusive partnerships with some of the most renowned executives, producers and showrunners in global entertainment. Established by leading French entertainment executive Pascal Breton, the company represents a new model for the creation, production, distribution, deficit financing and marketing of high quality original television series programming and motion pictures for the global marketplace

About Netflix

Netflix is the world's leading Internet television network with over 50 million members in more than 40 countries enjoying more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series. For a low monthly price, Netflix members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

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SOURCE Netflix