MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), the commercial and brand extension arm of television format creator and distributor FremantleMedia, has acquired rights to adapt the French supernatural thriller series ?Les Revenants? for the English language. The English adaptation, ?They Came Back? (working title), will be produced by writer, creator and producer Paul Abbott and his company AbbottVision, with which FME has a first look deal.

Originally developed as a feature film, ?Les Revenants? was adapted for TV by producers Haut et Court for the French pay TV channel Canal+. The series launched in Autumn 2012, attracting a sizable audience averaging 1.4 million viewers across eight one hour episodes. It is the most-watched Canal+ original series. FME will distribute the English adaptation internationally.

?Les Revenants? tells the story of a group of men and women in a small Alpine village in the shadow of a vast dam, who find themselves in a state of confusion, trying to return to their homes. What they do not yet know is that they have been dead for several years, and no-one is expecting them back.

FME CEO David Ellender said, " ?They Came Back? has all the hallmarks of a successful international drama - a compelling concept, proven track record, some of the world?s most talented producers and a committed distributor. We await the final product of this exciting project with great anticipation."

AbbottVision founder Paul Abbott said, "The scripts are a fantastic distillation of the emotional content honed from the film and crafted into a five star TV series, with highly rewarding expansion, suspense and depth."

AbbottVision executive producer Martin Carr said, "We are very excited to be able to take They Came Back into production. There has been fierce international interest in the format and we are very fortunate to have been able to forge a relationship with Haut et Court through FME to take the series and remake it. It is a perfect fit for the AbbottVision brand."

Haut et Court producers Caroline Benjo and Jimmy Desmarais said, "We are absolutely thrilled to have Paul Abbott on board, as he is one of the most idiosyncratic and original writers and we dreamt of being associated with him one day."