EXCLUSIVE: France Télévisions has put into development a 26-part animated series based on the comic book Frnck.
French production house Superprod us attached to make the show, in which Franck, a 13-year-old orphan, suddenly finds himself transported back to the prehistoric era, surrounded by hungry dinosaurs, giant insects, and ferocious plants, only to be saved by a 14-year-old prehistoric mami, Kenza, who takes him into her tribe and gives him a chance to finally fit into a family.
Frnck is based on creator Brice Cossu and writer Olivier Bocquet’s comic book series, which was originally published in kids magazine Spirou in 2016 and later released as graphic novels by Dupuis. It has today been translated into nine languages, and spans ten volumes at the time of writing, with more than 600,000 copies sold.
Jean-Baptiste Lamotte, Head of Youth Programming at France Télévisions, said: “We’re very excited to bring Frnck to life with the talented teams at Superprod. This series, combining adventure, comedy, and emotion, aims to enrich our animated offering with more action and deeper reflection on family dynamics and social models.
“Through the journey of this orphaned boy transported into a wildly imaginative prehistory, where he discovers and reinvents what family means, the show will create a strong emotional connection with its two main characters and their chosen family.”
Camille Serceau, producer at Superprod Animation, added: “We were immediately drawn to the comic’s energy, humor, and originality. Frnck is truly one of a kind, and we believe the pilot we produced demonstrates the strength of the concept and our 3D adaptation. Like the pilot, the full series will be directed by Jean Duval, and we can’t wait to bring this world to life and take children on a one-of-a-kind prehistoric adventure.”
Julie Durot, Managing Director at Dupuis, said the animated series would “capture the comic’s humor and sense of adventure, while delivering powerful themes and thoughtful reflections on modernity and humanity.”
Superprod is here at MIPCOM in Cannes this week, as the animation market continues to wrestle with financing and developing new IP. The company has animation studios in Paris, Angoulême, Milan, and Luxembourg, and offices in London, L.A. and New York.
Along with producing animation, the company is also active in drama series development and feature films. Its slate includes Batwheels, Lego Friends, Hello Kitty, Miffy, Underdog, Mr Blake at Your Service!, starring John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant, Sunrise Files directed by Rupert Wyatt and Emilie Phuong; and live-action series Home Sweet Rome and Panda.
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