The BBC has secured the rights to the thriller series “Kabul,” featuring the late Eric Dane and Shervin Alenabi from “Tehran,” from Mediawan Rights.
Set against the backdrop of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s resurgence in Kabul, this six-part series chronicles the tumultuous evacuation of various characters, including diplomats, soldiers, and civilians.
The storyline unfolds on August 15, 2021, as American forces retreat and the Taliban seize the city. The Nazany family, along with many other civilians, is compelled to escape due to fear of retaliation. Amidst the chaos and the looming threat of an ISIS attack, French police, Italian diplomats, German military, and American intelligence must coordinate to handle the flood of civilians. The tension mounts as they struggle to ensure their survival. The countdown is on.
Produced by France’s 24 25 Films and Cinétévé, the series also features Jonathan Zaccaï (“Le bureau des legendes”), Thibault Evrard (“The Night of the 12th”), Vassilis Kukalawi (“Kandahar”), Jeanne Goursaud (“Pax Massilia”), Gianmarco Saurino (“L’estate piu Calda”), and Valentina Cervi (“Medici: Masters of Florence”).
Kasia Adamik (“No Escape”) and Olga Chajdas (“Imago”) direct the series, with a screenplay by Olivier Demangel (“Atlantics,” “November”), Thomas Finkelkraut (“Thomas Finkielkraut”), and Joey Lavy (“The Shift”).
Nick Lee, BBC’s head of program acquisition, describes “Kabul” as a high-stakes tragedy. He notes, “A warzone story propelled by the real ticking clock of the evacuation that was just five years ago this summer. Global politics remain complex, but ‘Kabul’ dramatizes the biggest view of history through the smallest window of a human family.”
The series is produced by Fabienne Servan-Schreiber and Charlotte Ortiz at Cinétévé, along with Matthias Weber and Thibault Gast at 24 25 Films, which is part of Mediawan. Sandrine Paquot serves as executive producer. The production is a collaboration with the European Alliance, and Mediawan Rights is handling global sales.
“Kabul” will debut on the BBC’s streaming platform iPlayer on August 2 and will air on BBC Four starting August 15.
