Netflix Teams With Damien Chazelle on Paris-Set Musical Series ‘The Eddy’
VENICE, Italy — Netflix is joining forces with Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning director of “La La Land,” for “The Eddy,” a Paris-set musical drama series which will mark Chazelle’s first venture into TV.
Chazelle will direct two episodes of the series, on top of exec-producing. The eight-episode show comes from IMG and will premiere exclusively on Netflix for subscribers around the world.
Jack Thorne, the five-time BAFTA Award-winning of “National Treasure” and “This is England,” is writing “The Eddy.” Glen Ballard, the six-time Grammy Award-winning music composer and producer of Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” and Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” is writing the original score for the series. Emmy-winning producer Alan Poul (“Six Feet Under,” “The Newsroom”) is executive producing.
A major coup for Netflix, “The Eddy” marks the streaming giant’s first collaboration with Chazelle, who joins a string of big-name directors, including the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, Ava DuVernay, David Fincher and Shonda Rhimes, who have been lured to work with Netflix.
Set in contemporary multicultural Paris, “The Eddy” revolves around a club, its owner, the house band, and the chaotic city that surrounds them. The series will be shot in France, and will feature dialogue in French, English and Arabic.
Speaking to Variety at the Venice Film Festival, Erik Barmack, Netflix’s VP of international originals, said the show would explore the relationship between the American and French-Arab co-owners of a jazz club. Barmack said “The Eddy” would feature French actors, crew members and possibly even French helmers directing some episodes. In terms of atmosphere and tone, Barmack said it would fall “somewhere in between” the movies “Whiplash” and Chazelle’s own “La La Land.”
“I’ve always dreamed of shooting in Paris, so I’m doubly excited to be teaming up with Jack, Glen and Alan on this story, and thrilled that we have found a home for it at Netflix,” Chazelle said.
Following on the heels of other productions in Europe, including “The Crown” and upcoming “Dark,” “The Eddy” continues Netflix’s investment in international and French content.
“From the intense, complex relationship between a jazz drummer and his instructor in ‘Whiplash’ to his dazzling duo of lovelorn Los Angelenos in ‘La La Land,’ Damien’s work is emotional and electrifying,” said Barmack.
“We couldn’t be happier that he will be shooting ‘The Eddy’ in France and that we will bring this bold, global and multilingual series to our members around the world,” Barmack added, noting that Netflix has so far invested $2 billion in content (original programming, licensed content and co-productions) in Europe since launching.
Chris Rice, a partner at WME/IMG, said that “‘The Eddy’ is the definition of premium, global programming, and as one of the first projects of its kind from IMG, we couldn’t be happier to have Netflix as the home to take it to audiences around the world.”
“The Eddy” will be produced by Patrick Spence and Katie Swinden’s Fifty Fathoms. BAFTA-winning producers Spence (“Guerrilla,” “Fortitude”) and Swinden (“Luther,” “Peaky Blinders”) will executive produce along with Chazelle, Thorne, Poul and Ballard.
Barmack said Netflix will soon be announcing 7 or 8 new European original series, including two or three from France, two from Italy, one from Spain, one from Scandinavia (a crime noir set in Sweden) and one from Poland.
Netflix is at the Venice Film Festival with Ritesh Batra’s “Our Souls at Night,” starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, which is world-premiering Friday out of competition. The festival is also screening two episodes of “Suburra,” Netflix’s first Italian original production. Netflix also has the documentary-scripted hybrid series “Wormwood” and Jon Alpert’s “Cuba and the Cameraman.”
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