EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a splashy European project to end the week: Gerard Butler’s Has Fallen film franchise is getting the television treatment, with filming set to get underway at the end of the month.

Respected French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Kassovitz will lead the cast of Paris Has Fallen, which will be made by StudioCanal, War of the Worlds producer Urban Myth Films, and two companies behind the film franchise: Millennium Media and Butler’s G-Base.

Howard Overman, the creator of BAFTA-winning series Misfits, is writing Paris Has Fallen. Oded Ruskin is directing having previously worked on series including Hulu’s No Man’s Land. Shooting will commence on May 30 in London and Paris.

Paris Is Fallen is set up at Canal+ in France; ZDF in Germany; Canal+ International in Poland and Africa; and M7 in Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. StudioCanal is preparing to shop the eight-part series to U.S. and UK buyers over the coming months.

Kassovitz will star as Vincent, a protection officer to a French Minister, who is the target of a terror group led by villain Jacob. Vincent works with MI6 operative Zara to keep the politician safe, but they eventually unravel a wider plot, suspecting that a security service colleague is feeding information to Jacob, who is always a step ahead in his mission to bring down Paris.

Butler, who plays all-action U.S. Secret Service agent Mike Banning in the film franchise, is not officially attached to star in the TV adaptation, but Deadline hears he could make a cameo. Deals for other cast members are currently being finalized.
Mathieu Kassovitz in ‘Le Bureau Des Legends’

Kassovitz is best known for directing iconic feature La Haine and starring in movies such as Amelie. Most recently he has directed and starred in the hit French political series Le Bureau des Légendes.

Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy, and Overman will produce Paris Has Fallen for Urban Myth, which is owned by StudioCanal. Overseeing for G-Base is Butler and Alan Siegel, and for Millenium Avi Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, and Yariv Lerner.

There have been three Have Fallen films — Olympus Has Fallen (2013), London Has Fallen (2016), and Angel Has Fallen (2019) — and a fourth, Night Has Fallen, remains in the works. The first three films have grossed more than $500M worldwide.

Deadline revealed last year that Overman is penning a TV adaptation of The Wicker Man, Robin Hardy’s horror classic. Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s The Imaginarium and Urban Myth are producing.

EXCLUSIVE: Mathieu Kassovitz has quit the Paris Has Fallen television series citing creative differences. He has been replaced by Spiral actor Tewfik Jallab.

Deadline can reveal the casting switch as StudioCanal has released first-look images from the series, which is based on Gerard Butler‘s Has Fallen film franchise and is shooting in London and Paris.

The eight-part drama is made by StudioCanal, War of the Worlds producer Urban Myth Films, and two companies behind the film franchise: Millennium Media and Butler’s G-Base. Eclectic Pictures is also attached.

Kassovitz, best known for his 1995 film La Haine, is recovering from a motorbike accident last month, though his departure from Paris Has Fallen was for creative reasons. In his place, Jallab will play Vincent Taleb, a protection officer to a French Minister, who is the target of a terror group led by villain Jacob.

Vincent works with MI6 operative Zara (Ritu Arya) to keep the politician safe, but they eventually unravel a wider plot, suspecting that a security service colleague is feeding information to Jacob, who is always a step ahead in his mission to bring down Paris.

Other cast includes Sean Harris (Mission Impossible: Fallout), Ana Ularu (Emerald City), Camille Rutherford (Blue Is The Warmest Colour), Jérémie Covillault (Tell No One), Emmanuelle Bercot (My King), and Karl Collins (Attack The Block).

Butler, who plays all-action U.S. Secret Service agent Mike Banning in the film franchise, is not officially attached to star in the TV adaptation. Butler and the producers of Olympus Has Fallen this week settled the actor’s lawsuit for $10 million in profits from the 2013 movie.

Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy, and Overman will produce Paris Has Fallen for Urban Myth, which is owned by StudioCanal. Overseeing for G-Base is Butler and Alan Siegel; and for Millenium Avi Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, and Yariv Lerner. Lati Grobman is also an Executive Producer.

Overman wrote the series. Oded Ruskin (No Man’s Land) is the lead director alongside Hans Herbots (The Serpent). Ruskin also has an Executive Producer credit.

Paris Is Fallen is set up at Canal+ in France; ZDF in Germany; Canal+ International in Poland and Africa; and M7 in Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. StudioCanal is shopping the eight-part series to U.S. and UK buyers.

When the city falls, heroes will rise.

Don’t miss #ParisHasFallen – a new CANAL+ Original Series based on the HAS FALLEN movies. On ‪@Canalplus‬ in France from September 23, and coming soon internationally.

When a terrorist group led by the villainous Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris) attacks a high-profile event, with the French Minister of Defence as their target, protection officer Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab) finds himself working with street-smart MI6 operative Zara Taylor (Ritu Arya) to save the day. But when events take a dark turn, Vincent and Zara soon realize that the plan extends beyond just one politician. When they suspect that one of their colleagues in the security services is feeding information to Jacob, Vincent and Zara find themselves needing to rely only on each other. Increasingly isolated and with Jacob always one step ahead, can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man hell-bent on vengeance?

When a terrorist group attacks a high-profile event with the French Minister of Defense as their target, protection officer Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab) finds himself working with street-smart MI6 operative Zara Taylor (Ritu Arya) to save the day. But when events take a dark turn, Vincent and Zara realize that the plan extends beyond just one politician. Can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man determined on vengeance?

Stream all episodes of Paris Has Fallen on December 6.