ITV is extending the run of Maigret. The commercial broadcaster has ordered a further two TV movies based on the novels by Georges Simonen which will again star Rowan Atkinson as Maigret.
Jules Maigret (Rowan Atkinson) is a legendary French detective, who is described as “magnificently measured and insightful”. The character was created by Georges Simenon and first appeared in print in 1931. By the time of his death in 1989, Simenon had written some 75 novels featuring the character, known for his laconic manner, heavy coat and trademark pipe.
The order for more Maigret movies comes after ITV tested the waters with an initial two movie order late last year. The first of those movies, Maigret Sets A Trap aired on ITV earlier this year to a consolidated audience of 7.2 million viewers. The second move from the initial order, Maigret’s Dead Man, has wrapped production and will premiere later this year.
“It’s an absolute privilege to commission two further stand alone Maigret films for ITV,” said ITV’s Controller of Drama Victoria Fea. “We were thrilled to welcome Rowan Atkinson to the channel as Maigret. His superb performance, and the filmic execution from the production team ensured the audience greatly appreciated the first Maigret film which aired earlier this year.”
Stewart Harcourt, who penned the scripts for both Maigret Sets A Trap and Maigret’s Dead Man, will pen the two new movies, which are based on the Simenon novels Night At The Crossroads and Maigret In Montmartre. Thompson & Thompson Productions Ltd and Georges Simenon Limited are producing, with Barnaby Thompson, John Simenon, Stewart Harcourt and Jeremy Gwilt executive producing. Production is set to commence in November and will last until February 2017. BBC Worldwide will handle global distribution.
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