French filmmaker Jérôme Salle has just launched Syzygy, a brand-new French production company, in conjunction with the backing of Paris-based producer and distributor Federation Studios, which has taken a 51% stake in the company. With the new outfit, Salle plans to begin producing international projects, both films and series, for platforms, broadcasters and potential theatrical release.

Salle is known for directing the Orlando Bloom-led thriller Zulu [+lee también:
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The only Syzygy project with details currently available is Les Ambitieux, an eight-part political series in development by writer Loïc Barrère, as listed by Paris-based artistic agency Aimant, which represents Barrère. The series is stated as being penned by Barrère and co-created by Pablo Pillaud-Vivien for Syzygy and Federation.

The move to finance Syzygy comes in conjunction with a series of strategic moves to continue funding large international co-productions. The studio has just revealed its intention to seek cash investment via a sale of up to a 40% stake in the company, valued at around €220 million. Founders Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan are headed to the USA for the cash injection they are seeking, while Breton also announced their objective to launch an Italian JV outfit as well, in addition to French company Syzygy.

Federation Studios most recently launched Showtime’s The Agency, executive-produced by Breton and George Clooney, an English-language adaptation of the outfit’s hit Canal+ spy series The Bureau [+lee también:
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ficha de la serie] starring Mathieu Kassovitz. Breton has conceptualised this next step as a way to deepen their grounding in English-language shows, which he says “are not easy to finance”. Federation also recently announced a contemporary television miniseries adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels, created by Emmy and BAFTA winner Tom Bidwell.