Almost six months after the fire that devastated Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, the cathedral is back in the news. The events of April 19 will be the subject of a miniseries, currently in development. The Pathé and Vendôme groups, in association with The New York Times, are at the forefront of this project, which is still in its early stages, reveals Variety.
What happened on April 19? In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, tracing the course of events posed some problems. Over the days, however, we have understood how just a key 30 minutes were almost fatal to Notre-Dame, the minutes plagued with disfunction and lost time. It’s a story soon to be brought to the screen through a miniseries that will take us into the depths of the inferno. For this project, the producers co-acquired TV rights to the exclusive reporting produced by The New York Times. Through computer graphics and never before heard testimonies, the American newspaper plunged into the heart of the problems that led to devastation.
The inspiration for this series is found in recent news. “Chernobyl,” the dark HBO series on the 1986 nuclear incident, is the model. Producers have already announced their intention to film mainly in English, while including multiple characters speaking different languages. “Notre-Dame is more than a building. It is where Paris was born and is part of its very soul,” says Philippe Rousselet of Vendôme Production.
A sure sign that the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral fascinates the world, dozens of books were published after the event. In addition, the production companies Zed and Show of Force are also developing a documentary series. Their project, announced shortly after the tragedy, will focus on the restoration of the building through the lens of architects, engineers and historians.
This article was first published on Le Point.
