Broadcasters in France, Germany and Italy have joined forces on family adventure series “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure,” which will be produced under the Alliance, apartnership formed in 2018 by leadingEuropeanpubcasters to finance ambitious, internationally-driven series.
Commissioned by France Télévisions, ZDF and RAI, “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure” won the call for projects launched in 2022 by the Alliance. So far, as many as 10 shows have been produced via the Alliance, including “Mirage,” “Germinal,” “Around the World in 80 Days” (pictured), “Leonardo,” “Survivors,” “The Swarm” and “The Reunion,” among others.
“The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure” is being produced by Mathieu Ageron, Maxime Delauney and Romain Rousseaufor Paris-based Nolita (“Orelsan,” “Lost Bullet”saga”);Andrew Rosen and Anthony LeoforCanadian outfit Aircraft Pictures (“Circuit Breakers”); and David WichtforFilm Afrika in South Africa(“One Piece,” “Black Sails”). Marion Cécinas serves as creative executive consultant for Nolita.
Described as in the vein of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The DaVinci Code,” the six-part series follows modern-day treasure hunter Théo Levasseur, who discovers the diary of his famed ancestor, the real-life French pirate Olivier “La Buse” Levasseur. However, Théo’s relationship with his immediate family commands far less of his attention. With his wife, son and daughter in tow, Théo must race to find the mythical jewel, The Emperor’s Stone, before it falls into the wrong hands.
“We are incredibly excited to be working with the European Alliance in bringing this jam-packed adventure series to life,” said Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, co-founders of Aircraft Pictures. “This project holds a special place in our hearts and with support from our incredible partners Nolita and Film Afrika, we look forward to capturing the imagination of families while keeping them on the edge of their seats.”
Ageron said the producers’ goal was “to create a high-quality series that appeals to the widest possible audience, both challenging and popular.”
Wicht pointed out the French-South African co-production treaty was recently extended to audiovisual projects, and said “‘The Emperor’s Stone’ could be the first major series to be made under the treaty.”
Aircraft Pictures and Film Afrika initially developed the project with the financial backing of the Canada Media Fund and South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, working with executive producers Benjamin Anderson and Gina Marcheschi.
