The English-language sci-fi thriller is among the first international co-productions for French telco Orange’s recently launched Orange Studio.

Orange Studio will act as co-producer and main commissioner on the series, set to premiere on its pay TV service OCS.

The ground-breaking deal was secured by the three co-development and co-production partners APC Studios (formerly About Premium Content), Make It Happen Studio in France, and Sweet Chili Entertainment in Denmark. APC Studios will handle global distribution in partnership with Orange Studio. 

Set to start production in November, the 8x56’ series Unpunished is a thriller about artificial intelligence and cyber warfare. The international creative team comprises Argentinian-born director Álex García López (Utopia, Misfits), French creator/writer Coline Abert (The Returned) and Swedish creator/writer Fredrik Agetoft (Arne Dahl). 

Set across Europe, the series follows the evolution of an artificial intelligence (A.I.), from a man-made virus into an ever-evolving, ever-learning, ever-growing, super intelligence with the capacity to take away humanity’s control of its own destiny.  When start-up CEO David Dimauro finds out that his younger sister’s suicide was a direct result of lies spread on social media, he decides to launch a revolutionary new virus, but then disappears, without a trace. The virus is designed to quietly spread, avoid detection and expose every secret it can find on any major social network. Millions of secrets are leaked causing irreversible damage to first private citizens and then corporations and governments. Cyber security specialist Frida Raila at the EU Defence Ministry, is put on the case.

Seasoned Danish producer Ole Søndberg (Millennium films, Wallander) and Sweet Chili co-founder said: “Unpunished is a wonderful project that I started years ago with a great ambition from the outset and I found great partners along the way."  APC Studios’ co-founder Laurent Boissel said: “We are excited to be partnering with Orange on such an ambitious project with some of the most experienced European creators of high-end drama. Unpunished is intelligent, epic and original and we look forward to working with the teams at Orange, Sweet Chili Entertainment and Make it Happen Studio to bring this fascinating and timely story to the screen.” Boissel said he is in advanced discussions with Nordic broadcasters on the series. 

The boutique global distributor, producer and financier APC has long-standing relationships with the Nordics. Scandi shows on its line up include Alex (Viaplay), Valkyrien, Young & Promising (NRK), Shadow Lines (Elisa Viihde) and the original kids series Pronto, produced by APC Kids’ owned Zephyr Animation and Finland’s Gigglebug.

APC co-founders Emmanuelle Guilbart and Laurent Boissel celebrated their company’s fifth anniversary at Lille’s Series Mania and rebranding under APC Studios.