EXCLUSIVE: Filming is underway on long-gestating European thriller series The Kollective (6 x 60′), which we can reveal will star Natascha McElhone (Californication), Celine Buckens (Showtrial), Felix Mayr (Unorthodox), Gregg Sulkin (Marvel’s Runaways), Grégory Montel (Call My Agent), Karel Roden (A Spy Amongst Friends), Cassiopée Mayance (The Clearstream Affair), Martha Canga Antonio (Lupin) and Ralph Amoussou (Transatlantic).
Produced by Submarine (Apollo 10 ½) and created by Leonardo Fasoli (Gomorrah), Maddalena Ravagli (Gomorrah) and Submarine’s Femke Wolting, the series was commissioned by The European Alliance and will be distributed worldwide by A+E Media Group, with Hulu coming aboard for U.S. distribution.
Inspired by the investigative journalist group Bellingcat, the series will span Europe from Budapest and St. Petersburg in the East to London in the West. It will follow a group of intrepid young citizen journalists who, after a sudden tragedy, find themselves sucked into a web of government lies and corruption. Through a dangerous international investigation, the group exposes nefarious activities of rogue governments and discovers the human price of keeping truth alive.
The European Alliance, comprising France Télévisions, Rai Fiction (Italy), and ZDF (Germany), and Hulu (U.S.), are lining up a 2025 launch for the series. Videoland will premiere the show in the Netherlands.
The drama will be steered by lead director and EP Assaf Bernstein (Fauda) and Randa Chahoud (Deutschland 89). Writers are Fasoli and Ravagli, both of whom were key players on hit Italian crime series Gomorrah.
Also among the creative team are writer and co-EP Ed Hemming, lead DOP Robrecht Heyvaert (Bad Boys For Life), Lennert Hillige (The Forgotten Battle) and designer Alexei Tylevich (Ant-Man and the Wasp).
The series is executive-produced by Submarine’s Femke Wolting. For A+E Media Group, the executive producers are Patrick Vien, Alexandra Finlay, and Hannah Dal Pozzo. For Rai Fiction (Italy), the executive producers are Andreana Saint Amour and Andrea Ozza. For ZDF, the executive producers are Frank Seyberth and Laura Mae Harding. For France Télévisions, the executive producers are Manuel Alduy, Morad Koufane and Pascale Deschamps. The series is financially supported by Creative Europe, Eurimages and Netherlands Film Fund.
Femke Wolting, EP of The Kollective and co-CEO of Submarine, said: “We made this series to highlight the bravery of the individuals who will do everything in their power to protect each other and the society around them, even in a time of political turmoil. With a fantastic creative team and cast to match, this series is equal parts thrilling, entertaining, and driving important conversations.”
Leonardo Fasoli, creator and writer, added: “We love investigating what is happening in the world around us and tackling difficult questions through our work. We feel like the battle for truth against fake news is the battle of our time, it’s a fight for the millennial generation.
Since 2018, The European Alliance has co-produced ten series, including 80 Days around The World, Leonardo and The Swarm.
