A live-action TV series based on the cult classic French cartoon “Totally Spies!” is in development at Amazon with Will Ferrell as executive producer.
Described as a YA adaptation of the long-running Banijay Kids animated show of the same name, the new “Totally Spies!” will follow iconic best friends Clover, Alex and Sam as they navigate saving the world as international spies, while trying to survive the ups and downs of first year college life.
No writer or talent is currently attached to the potential “Totally Spies!” series, which is a collaboration between Amazon MGM Studios and Banijay Kids & Family, shepherded by Amazon’s head of Pan-English original series Rola Bauer.
Executive producing the project alongside Ferrell, under their Gloria Sanchez Productions banner, are Jessica Elbaum and Alix Taylor. Banijay Kids & Family CEO Benoît Di Sabatino is executive producer for the studio.
Created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel, the original “Totally Spies!” has aired nearly 200 episodes since debuting in 2001 and spawned a prequel film, “Totally Spies! The Movie,” and a spinoff series, “The Amazing Spiez!” The show recently premiered its seventh season in France and will air in the U.S. on Cartoon Network later this year. “Totally Spies!” is currently streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video.
“’Totally Spies!’ is a huge success for Banijay Kids & Family, having been translated in 60 languages and sold to more than 220 territories,” Di Sabatino said. “With a social media base of 3 million, the series continues to thrive in its animation form with the recently launched 7th season. Rola Bauer approached me for a live-action adaptation, and we were thrilled to partner with Amazon MGM Studios. With her, Ludovic Attal, and Punit Matoo’s support, we are honoured to join such a stronghold of female-focused producers in Gloria Sanchez Productions to produce for Prime Video.”
“Will, Alix and I are thrilled to be joining our partners at Amazon and Banijay to bring ‘Totally Spies!’ to life as a live-action show,” Gloria Sanchez president Elbaum said. “Gloria Sanchez was originally founded to tell stories about complicated characters and empower female voices and storytellers. As longtime fans of the animated show, we couldn’t think of a story more fitting to our ethos. The themes of girl-power, never sacrificing friendship, fun, or your true self to be successful resonated with us then, and feel ripe to revisit now.”
Source Agencies
