Ratlines an original dark drama series set in 1960’s Ireland is one of the projects being pitched at this year’s MIPTV in Cannes. Irish Production Company Ripple World Pictures are behind the title and are among hundreds of content makers from around the world in attendance at the global TV & online distribution market event.
The project will be the first of Ripples' original television drama ventures. Based on the book Ratlines by Stuart Neville, the 8 x 52 minutes episodes will set the scene, at a time when former Nazis living in Ireland under false identities started being murdered. As a result of this Irish Secret Service agent Albert Ryan is recruited to find the killers.
Speaking to IFTN, a founder of Ripple World Pictures and Producer on the Ratlines series Dominic Wright had this to say about the project: "Ripple is proud to be working with the teams at RTÉ, NI Screen, KGB Screen and Banijay Group to produce the first of Ripple's original television dramas. Stuart Neville's novel presents a fascinating untold story of complex and questionable machinations behind the scenes in 1960's Ireland, which combined with Alan Whiting's brilliant scripting will make for a powerful, unmissable series for the international market that will hit our screens in 2018."
A brief overview of the project sees the spy thriller set in the year 1963. As the Irish people prepare to welcome President John F. Kennedy to the land of his ancestors, a German businessman is murdered in a seaside guesthouse.
A note from the killers is found on the corpse, addressed to Colonel Otto Skorzeny, Hitler's favourite commando. It says simply: 'We are coming for you. Await our call.' He is the third foreign national to die within a few days, and Irish politicians are desperate to protect a shameful secret: the dead men were all former Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government.
Lieutenant Albert Ryan, Directorate of Intelligence, is ordered to investigate the murders and protect Skorzeny. But as he infiltrates Ireland's secret network of former Nazis and collaborators, Ryan must make a terrible choice: his country or his conscience?
More about Ripple World Pictures: In addition to developing and producing its own film and television projects, Ripple acts as Co-Producer and Executive Producer on selected incoming features and TV drama to the UK and Ireland. The team at Ripple works closely on all aspects of projects, from script development to attaching talent, crewing, and arranging financing through national and regional funding bodies, distributors, broadcasters, private equity and fiscal incentives.
Other Irish production companies attending MIPTV in Cannes this week with slates of their programmes include; Element Pictures, Kavaleer Productions, Like It Love It (International), Telegael, Metropolitan Films, Kite Entertainment, Screen Scene, ShinAwiL, JAM Media, Tyrone Productions, Monster Entertainment, Kite Entertainment, Fitzpenny productions, Soho Moon Pictures, Storyful and broadcasters TG4 and RTÉ.
Project Details
Title: Ratlines
Script Writer: Alan Whiting and Stuart Neville, based on the novel by Stuart Neville.
Producers: Jacqueline Kerrin, Dominic Wright, Marie-Claire Kerrin & Stuart Neville (Exec)
Co-Producers: Stuart Graham, Louise Gallagher, Paul Kennedy (KGB Screen, N.I Screen)
Format: HD
Runtime: 8 x 52 min
Status: Development
Distributor: Banijay Group - Zodiak Rights
Co-developed and backed by RTÉ and NI Screen.