A first look at the upcoming adaptation of the classic Inspector Maigret novels has been revealed, with Belgravia: The Next Chapter star Benjamin Wainwright leading the cast in the titular role.
The series, which is based on George Simenon's beloved novels, comes from Playground, the production company behind TV hits, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light and All Creatures Great and Small.
It will follow Maigret, an "unconventional young detective with something to prove" and a "rising star in the Police Judiciaire" with an "uncanny ability to get under the skin of the criminals he is chasing". The series will see the detective head the elite police unit known as La Crim, responsible for investigating all serious crime in and around Paris.
The first look image sees Benjamin in character, wearing a navy shirt and black coat with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
© Michael Shelford / MASTERPIECEThis isn't the first adaptation of former crime reporter turned prolific author Georges Simenon's novels, with Rupert Davies starring in the 1960s TV series and Rowan Atkinson stepping into the role in a two-season ITV drama in 2016.
Benjamin will star alongside Stefanie Martini (The Gold) as Madame Louise Maigret, while Blake Harrison (World on Fire), Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, Pirates), Kerrie Hayes (The Responder, Silent Witness), Shaniqua Okwok (The Flatshare) and Rob Kazinsky (Eastenders) make up the 'Les Maigrets,' Maigret's loyal team of detectives. Nathalie Armin (Showtrial S2, Unforgotten) rounds out the main cast as Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel.
Production is underway in Budapest.
According to the synopsis, Maigret "inhabits a vividly realised Paris not often seen on camera that takes us from the glitzy upper-class world of luxury hotels and mansions to local bourgeois bistros and bars and the underground haunts of the professionally criminal".
© Gareth CattermoleThe new series is penned by Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, 24, The Tower), who also serves as executive producer on behalf of Windhover Films, and will direct the first two episodes of the series with Faye Gilbert (The Tower, The Bay) directing episodes three and four and David Evans (Domina, Django) directing episodes five and six.
The series will premiere on MASTERPIECE in the US, with a UK broadcaster to be confirmed.
