Cyber Group Studios has acquired the audiovisual adaptation rights to the bestselling adventure books, Phobos, for a serialized science fiction reality series for young adults (YA) in both animated and live action formats. The new show will be based on the books by award-winning French screenwriter/author Victor Dixen (pictured) and adapted for TV and digital platforms.
Cyber Group Studios chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann said, “It is an honour to collaborate with the talented Victor Dixen and to have the chance to adapt Phobos for audiences everywhere. Phobos delivers an extraordinary experience for readers with captivating themes, fascinating adventures and a strong visual identity that will translate beautifully onto the screen.”
Dixen said, “I am delighted to team up with Cyber Group Studios to adapt Phobos for a worldwide audience. They’ve got the talent and high standards to take this story to a new dimension and as an artistic consultant, I look forward to being part of this incredible team.”
Éditions Robert Laffont editorial director and publisher of popular Phobos book series Glenn Tavennec said, “This upcoming adaptation is a real testament to the success of this saga and the immense talent of Victor Dixen.”
Phobos is a dystopian/space sci-fi saga that imagines the very first mission to Mars in which the astronauts are teenagers taking part in a reality TV series. The story follows six boys and six girls, each living in two separate bays of a spaceship, who have six minutes each week to seduce and make their companion choices under the unblinking eye of the onboard cameras. They are the contenders in the Genesis program, the world’s most incredible speed-dating show in history, intended to create the first human colony on Mars. A true space epic with many twists and turns, the saga also addresses important current themes such as the power of the media, international finance, human nature and its ambitions, as well as protection of the environment.
A hit in France and in international markets, the five-book Phobos series already has been translated into English, Dutch and Polish. It has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Imaginales and Chimères prizes in 2016.