Copyright Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: When news broke recently that a remake of 1964 French classic That Man From Rio was in the works the focus was on the fact that Sydney Sweeney had signed to star and Justin Lin to direct. One detail about the project – spearheaded by Oscar-nominated producer Kevin Walsh and tapping into his first-look deal with Apple TV – that probably escaped many was the involvement of film and TV production and distribution group Studio TF1. The group, which was rebranded from Newen Studios earlier this year and is a subsidiary of French commercial TV giant the TF1 Group, is one of Europe’s biggest production and distribution banners with 50 company labels in 11 countries. As such, its in-house production, distribution and international sales divisions have access to a major film library counting more than one thousand movie titles, including the original version of That Man From Rio. Directed by Philippe de Broca from a script by Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Ariane Mnouchkine and de Broca, the hit starred Jean Paul Belmondo as an airman who becomes embroiled in an Amazonian stolen treasure caper when he goes to visit his fiancé in Brazil, played by Françoise Dorléac. It drew 4.8 million spectators in France and was nominated in Best Original Screenplay category of the 1965 Academy Awards. “Our remake business is very active right now. It has really accelerated in the last five years, and a major part of our business today is not only selling readymade films but also remake rights. That Man From Rio is a perfect example of this,” says Alice Damiani, SVP International Film Sales at Studio TF1. She notes that remake potential is now factored into sales strategies, even if the remake rights are generally sold separately from distribution deals on new films. “Some companies like to take both but we prefer to keep them separate to highlight the fact that when we’re selling a new movie our main goal is for it to be released in the cinema,” she says. The exploitation of the Studio TF1 library titles is done is in unison with the group’s cinema production division led by Nathalie Toulza Madar, which also oversees the catalog and restorations. The production team was already in talks with a number of producers when Napoleon, Manchester By the Sea and House of Gucci producer Walsh got in touch with the sales team about the remake rights. “That’s when we came on board,” says Damiani. Walsh packaged the project through his The Walsh Company, bringing on Sweeney, who also executive produces, and Lin, who is producing under his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner. “We got involved for the negotiation part, working together with the production team, the distribution team and Kevin to make it work. We’re very happy to work with Apple – they’re a fantastic partner on this project.” says Damiani. As well as talking to potential partners, Studio TF1 was also in contact with the film’s original cowriters Rappeneau and Mnouchkine as well as the estates of Boulanger and de Broca. Beyond reviving the IP, Damiani expects the remake deal to have a knock-on effect for the original film. “The idea was also to revive a cult classic, to make it travel again, and to work not only on the new films but also on the library. The remake will give new life to the original film, even if That Man From Rio already still travels a lot internationally. There are still screenings of the film in U.S. to this day,” she says. While the splashy A-list Hollywood remake made the headlines, Damiani says it is one among many movie remake deals for Studio TF1 in recent years. “We’ve communicated quite on lot on deals we’ve done for TV series like HPI (which was acquired by Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature and made into High Potential with Kaitlin Olson) and Call My Agent! but not so much on movies,” she says. Other classics drawing interest include Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 thriller Possession with Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, which was adapted for Indonesia in 2024 under the title of Possession: Kerasukan and now has a U.S. remake in development. Discussions for a U.S. remake of Laetitia Colombani’s 2003 psychological thriller He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not, which originally co-starred Audrey Tautou and Samuel Le Bihan, are also underway. Damiani notes their most popular remake titles are French contemporary comedies. She points to Philippe Lacheau’s hit Alibi.com, about a start-up specialized in creating alibis, which has generated a slew of remake films and projects worldwide. These include L’Agenzia del Bugiardi in Italy (Medusa); ALIBII.COM in Indonesia (Falcon) and Coartadas in Spain (Beta Cinema), which will be released on November 28. Another two remakes are soon to soon to be released in India and Brazil, produced by Azure Entertainment and Imagem Filmes respectively, while versions are also in development for China, Germany, Mexico and Middle East. Elsewhere, Sony has acquired worldwide remake rights for Family Therapy by Arnaud Lemort and Price of Parenting by Alexandra Leclère. The latter, an empty nest syndrome comedy originally starring Josiane Balasko and Didier Bourdon and produced by UGC, has already been made into Natale a Tutti I Costi in Italy, with a sequel already produced, Ricchi a tutti i costi, and Un Lio De Millones for Spain. Other popular French comedy titles include If I Were A Rich Man, produced and released in Spain as Si Yo Fuera Rico (Telecinco) and in development in Hungary (Vertigo); Lacheau’s Superwho, which has been adapted in China as Super Villain, as well as Penny Pincher!, Better Days, Tanguy and New Biz in the Hood. Alongside, inhouse work on remake rights, Studio TF1 has had partnership since 2019 with remake specialist Globalgate Entertainment, which recently invested in a Mexican remake of the 2024 feel-good mover Karaoke, produced by Televisa and Univision. Damiani acknowledges that humor varies from country to country but Studio TF1 expects comedy remake projects to be rewritten. “The humor comes from the situations and the characters, and they have to be really well depicted,” she says. “You need a character driven story with a clear setting and a very easy situation to pitch, so it’s clear for them how to transpose it and adapt it in their culture.” As Damiani and the Studio TF1 team gear up for the AFM next week, she says they will have a remake book on the stand, but that their focus in L.A. will be on new films. “We might start discussions, but it often takes time to get these deals over the line. Most our remake deals get done outside of the main markets,” she says, The sales exec suggests there’s a need for dedicated remake markets or sidebars, such as the Cannes Marché du Film’s Cannes Remakes initiative, at which Studio TF1 pitched Meet The Leroys in May. “It would be useful,” she says.
