Studiocanal’s Whodunit ‘This Is Not a Murder Mystery’ Kicks Off Multi-Country New8 Pact

Two years after announcing their alliance, New8 is about to present its first show as Studiocanal’s “This Is Not a Murder Mystery” arrives at Mipcom.

The deal between eight public broadcasters (Germany’s ZDF, the Netherlands’ NPO, Belgium’s VRT, Sweden’s SVT, Denmark’s DR, Finland’s YLE, Iceland’s RÚV and Norway’s NRK) is a co-production and broadcast collaboration where the resulting series are available to all New8 partners, boosting the viewership and relevance of European productions.

Belgium’s VRT kickstarts the showcase with its first-ever English series in “This Is Not a Murder Mystery.” Commissioned by the Belgian broadcaster, the show is produced by Panenka in co-production with Deadpan Pictures and distributed by leading film and series studio Studiocanal, which holds worldwide distribution rights to all territories excluding those of the New8 members.

Belgian director Hans Herbots (“The Serpent”) helms the six-episode series, which follows a young René Magritte (Pierre Gervais) trying to clear his name after waking up next to a dead woman in an opulent English estate. The year is 1936, just as the art world is abuzz with the rise of surrealism, and the Belgian painter is joined by a renowned roster of hopefuls in Salvador Dalí (Iñaki Mur), Lee Miller (Florence Hall), Man Ray (Frank Bourke) and Max Ernst (Mike Hoffmann).

Speaking with Variety ahead of Mipcom, where Studiocanal will shop the series, Panenka producer Kristoffel Mertens has nothing but praise for the collaboration with the New8. He particularly highlights the ease of having a single point of contact with VRT when dealing with the roster of broadcasters.

“Having that one spokesperson and a smooth communication process was the biggest asset on the creative side,” he adds. “The second was to be able to secure funding from Creative Europe and Eurimages. They want collaborations between countries, so our link to New8 was the perfect opportunity. What I find really important as a producer is that each broadcaster can make something with a local DNA. It’s not about finding a show that can please all of them.”

In this, Mertens emphasizes that, despite “This Is Not a Murder Mystery” featuring a conveniently international cast thanks to the nature of its premise, the series was not a response to the New8 proposition. “Our show was based on a true event and features a truly international cast, so it was a natural setup. It was not in any way a forced collaboration because of New8. It was a purely creative choice.”

Once Panenka secured funding from the European bodies and Belgium’s own Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), the final piece of the financial puzzle came in the shape of Studiocanal. Mertens says having a name like Herbots was essential in locking that partnership, given that the director was not only already established internationally but had recently begun production on “Paris Has Fallen” with the Canal+ company.

“They trusted his work and his great vision for the show,” says the producer, adding that it felt like a “perfect” match to have a Belgian director with a successful international track record. “We were very ambitious, so we needed someone with this level of experience.”

Chloe Marquet, head of international sales for films and TV series for Studiocanal, praises the “bold and unique tone” of the series, adding that, thanks to “the stunning visuals and genuine entertainment it provides,” “This Is Not a Murder Mystery” “really has a great potential to travel and delight audiences around the world, with the whodunit having recently proved once again to be a very successful genre.”

Talking about the creative side, Herbots says the “fantastic” pitch for the series “immediately” drew him in. The director joined the project three years ago and went on to develop its concept alongside the creative team. “Because financing took quite some time, it allowed us to prepare well and develop the vision together with the script, which was quite important.”

“The interesting thing about the show is that it depicts these famous artists before they became well-known,” he adds. “We have this image of Dalí with the moustache, but when he was starting, he was insecure. We meet all these icons when they are still creating their image. This gave us the freedom to find newcomers instead of established actors.”

Still on the casting, the director says they did not want “famous faces drawing attention away from the characters.” “The show is a real ensemble piece, and I thought it was very important to find personalities that match but were also able to create conflict. We managed to get a really interesting ensemble from all these countries and are really proud of the series.”

“This Is Not a Murder Mystery” is based on an original idea by Christophe Dirickx and Matthias Lebeer. The series will premiere this fall in Belgium on VRT and RTL Belgium, with other territories to follow in the winter.