‘Call My Agent!’ updates: More global remakes for the hit French series under development

Recent years have seen many hit television series being picked dubbed or fully remade in several languages in different countries with their own domestic title and actors. Examples of such dramas include  The Simpsons (United Arab Emirates), Money Heist (Spain), How I Met Your Mother (Russia), Breaking Bad (America) and Hatufim (Israel).

It seems the popular French comedy-drama Call My Agent is another addition to the list. It was already picked for many international adaptations, and several other remakes of the show are in the works at top streamers and broadcasters in South Korea, Indonesia, the Middle East, the Philippines, Malaysia and Poland.

Some examples of successful remakes of Call My Agent include the remake series in the Turkish version (‘Menajerimi Ara’ released in 2020), the British version (Ten Percent released in April 2022).

Some of the ongoing or upcoming remakes include India (Call My Agent: Bollywood), the South Korean adaptation (Surviving as a Celebrity Manage), the Italian version (Call My Agent - Italy) by SKY, the Indonesian version by Disney+ Hotstar, the Filipino adaptation by HBO Go, the Malaysian adaption by Astro and the Polish remake by TVN.

Many of the upcoming remakes are expected to go into production in 2022. Three or four more Call My Agent! remakes will follow, including in the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany and Spain, according to the sales agents.

The original series, Call My Agent! (French: Dix pour cent, lit. 'Ten Percent') has been recently renewed for Season 5. The tale portrays a group of agents in a talent agency in Paris.

The Call My Agent! TV movie was confirmed in April 2021 it was confirmed that the show would return with a 90-minute TV film followed by the fifth season. As of November 2021, the TV movie was under development. Everything depends on the availability of the cast, especially the lead Camille Cottin who plays Andrea Martel in the series.

Netflix picked up the series a few months after Season 1 launched on France Televisions’ flagship channel France 2.

“I remember when the series was first introduced to buyers at Mipcom in 2015, we had Cedric Klapisch (the filmmaker of ‘The Spanish Apartment’), who was giving interviews and Dominique Besnehard,” said Sabine Chemaly, who is head of international sales for films at TF1 Studios and reps the show and its format in “shared custody” with Julia Schulte, head of international sales at France TV Distribution.

“At the time, most French series that were successful were procedurals and cop shows, so ‘Call My Agent!’ with its comedic tone and Paris as a backdrop and main character really stood out,” added Chemaly.

“It was a very glamorous package and a totally different kind of comedy series in France, where the worlds of film and series were beginning to come together, not only with the stars doing cameos but also with Cedric Klapisch making his TV debut,” added Schulte.

Call My Agent! Synopsis

Andréa, Mathias, Gabriel, and Arlette, agents in the talent agency ASK (French: Agence Samuel Kerr), juggle tricky situations and defend their vision of the business. They skillfully combine art and business, but their private and professional lives sometimes conflict. While struggling to save their agency after the sudden death of its founder, the four agents take us behind the scenes of the world of celebrity, where laughter, emotion, transgression and tears constantly collide.

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