The BBC has picked up ‘The Sentinels‘, an eight-part French wartime sci-fi drama which blends World War I action, espionage, and super-soldier horror.
Based on the graphic novels Les Sentinelles by Xavier Dorison and Enrique Breccia, the series comes from creator Guillaume Lemans, working in collaboration with Xabi Molia, and arrives on BBC iPlayer and BBC Four as part of a deal with STUDIOCANAL.
Set against the backdrop of a reimagined First World War, the story follows Gabriel Ferraud, a badly wounded soldier recruited into a secret French military project designed to create enhanced humans. Injected with a mysterious serum, Gabriel emerges stronger, faster, and more resilient than any ordinary man, before joining an elite unit of augmented soldiers known as the Sentinels. Naturally, because this sort of thing never ends well, he soon uncovers a truth that could change the course of the war itself.
It’s a striking setup, and one that sounds like it sits somewhere between a grim war drama, steampunk action thriller, and full-on body-horror sci-fi. That alone makes it feel like a pretty intriguing addition for the BBC, particularly on BBC Four, which has become a solid home for imported genre drama.
The series is directed by Thierry Poiraud and Édouard Salier, with scripts from Guillaume Lemans, Xabi Molia and Raphaëlle Richet. The cast is led by Louis Peres as Gabriel Ferraud, alongside Thibaut Evrard, Kacey Mottet-Klein, Carl Malapa, Olivia Ross and Ouassini Embarek.
Nick Lee, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “The Sentinels is a fully immersive war drama, drenched in adrenaline. The graphic novel origins has been cleverly adapted into a premium television experience by CANAL+ and BBC audiences will revel in the blend of steam punk meets robo-cop. There’s also a Frankenstein-ian level of depth and empathy to this story that really grips. Prepare for something totally different and unforgivingly entertaining.”
‘The Sentinels‘ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC Four in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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