Written by new-contact on Sep 30, 2014. Posted in On Location

Trilingual jewel heist miniseries The Last Panthers to film in four European cities

Jewel heist miniseries The Last Panthers is set to film in three languages in four European cities, including London. The drama is based on the true story of the Pink Panthers, a notorious group of Balkan jewellery thieves credited with over 150 dramatic robberies over the past 20 years.

Sky Atlantic and French broadcaster Canal+ are co-producing the miniseries, with Warp Films and Haut et Court TV taking care of physical production. The story will focus on a loss adjustor and a French-Algerian police officer who hunt the Panthers in the European underworld after a diamond heist.

Filming will take place mainly in London, Marseille, Montenegro and Belgrade, and the story will be in English, French and Serbian.

“What Sky Atlantic and Canal+ have given us is the chance to make a truly contemporary, world-class series that is smart and multi-layered,” said Peter Carlton of Warp Films and Caroline Benjo of Haut et Court TV, in a joint statement.

“The Last Panthers is a big, bold operatic series that tells a story about Europe today, about old alliances and terrifying freedoms, through the lives of our characters who move within it. Our shared histories and moral choices impact on every one of us in ways we cannot foresee.”

What Sky Atlantic and Canal+ have given us is the chance to make a truly contemporary, world-class series that is smart and multi-layered.

Peter Carlton of Warp Films / Caroline Benjo of Haut et Court TV

The series is the second high-profile production in recent weeks to focus on Marseille. Netflix has confirmed filming for new political crime drama Marseille will take place entirely in France. The country’s Tax Rebate for International Production is accessible for shoots spending at least a million euros.

Belgrade has hosted high-profile productions like Ralph Fiennes’ modern-day Shakespeare adaptation Coriolanus (above), but as a country Serbia currently lacks a formal filming incentive. Local authorities recently promoted the Danube region with a filmmakers’ conference.