VARIETY: Gaumont Germany Makes Debut on Netflix With "Barbarians"
Gaumont Germany is bowing its first major production this month with the premiere of the historical action series “Barbarians” on Netflix.
The six-part miniseries promises to take viewers to the blood-drenched Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which Germanic warriors halted the northward advance of the Roman Empire in A.D. 9.
Part of French film and TV studio Gaumont and launched in 2018, Gaumont Germany has benefited from its parent group’s well established ties with the streaming giant.
“Our long close partnership with Netflix with productions like ‘Narcos,’ ‘Hemlock Grove’ and ‘F is for Family’ led us to early discussions with them when they expanded in Europe a few years ago,” Gaumont Germany president Sabine de Mardt told Variety.
“[Gaumont Vice CEO] Christophe Riandée knew what Netflix was looking for even before I joined the company and we opened Gaumont Germany,” de Mardt explained.
Indeed, the new division had already been looking for “a brilliant series to fit this genre,” she added.
Created by Jan-Martin Scharf, Arne Nolting and Andreas Heckmann, “Barbarians” fit the bill.
“When we met with Arne, Jan-Martin and Andreas, they pitched us the story of quarreling Germanic tribes, friendship and love under the ruling Roman empire, which had all the ingredients for the ambitious and highly original series that we were looking for,” de Mardt said.
By Ed Meza | Variety Oct. 13, 2020
