Studiocanal has announced the development of Red Butterfly, a new TV series produced in partnership with Beach House Pictures (a Fremantle company) and Momo Film Co.
The explosive and stylish crime drama is commissioned by the Canal+ group and Studiocanal and follows the rise of an all-female gang run by two sisters in 1950s crime-ridden Singapore, the glamorous but lawless “Wild West” of Asia.
Red Butterfly will be filmed in English and Chinese languages on location in Singapore and Malaysia.
Co-creator Constance Cheng (Hulu’s The Great, Amazon’s Rings of Power) will write and serve as showrunner. Fellow co-creator Kris Ong (Ajoomma, nominated for a Golden Horse Award in the Best Original Screenplay category) will also write on the project.
The fight choreography will be supported by Martial Club (Everything Everywhere All At Once), founded by the Lee Brothers and Daniel Mah.
Studiocanal will distribute the series and handling worldwide international sales.
Ron Halpern, EVP Global Production, Isobel Carter, VP Global Production Studiocanal, and Damiano Malchiodi, Content Development Asia Canal+ International, comments: “We are delighted to be joining forces with Beach House Pictures and Momo Film to develop this remarkable true story into a premium show for global audiences. Singapore at this time was such a cosmopolitan city. In addition to the diverse local population, American agents and British officials were part of the intrigue. Constance Cheng and Kris Ong have created an ambitious, thrilling series that disrupts traditional ideas of power, exploring female leadership in a male-dominated criminal world. We’re incredibly lucky to also be working with Martial Club, whose supreme expertise in fight choreography will be in instrumental in bringing the extraordinary action to life.”
Donovan Chan, Creative Director, and Jocelyn Little, Managing Director Beach House Pictures, expands: “We are thrilled to partner with Studiocanal and Canal+ on an original international series inspired by our rich Singaporean history. Red Butterfly is a great representation of Beach House Pictures’ ambition to tell amazing stories inspired by Asia and seen by the world.”
Tan Si En, Managing Director of Momo Film Co., adds: “I have always admired Studiocanal and Canal+’s body of work. It is a dream to be collaborating intimately to bring stories from Singapore to a global audience. Their dedication to authentic storytelling and their deep respect for diverse cultures align perfectly with our vision. Through this series, we hope to amplify Asian voices, explore rich cultures, and create a series that resonates across borders.”
