Filming will begin at the end of October, announced TF1 from the studios of the Belle de Mai media center in Marseille, marking the return of the longest soap opera ever produced in France.
Less than a year after the broadcast of the last episode on France 3, the phenomenon series More beautiful life returns to service. Filming, which will include many more outdoor scenes, will soon begin for broadcast in early 2024 on TF1 at a “very nice time slot”. But the broadcast date remains “a secret”according to Rodolphe Belmer, boss of the group. “It will be at a very good time slot, both on TF1 and on our free streaming platform which will be launched at the same time as this series which represents a considerable financial investment”, he clarified.
Economic issue for the region
A sign of the importance of resuming the series, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak went for the occasion on Wednesday October 11 to the studios, located at Belle de Mai in Marseille, to discover the new decor and meet the actors. The channel promises a lot more outdoor filming for “highlight the region”. The filming on the terrace of the Mistral will take place, for example, around fifteen kilometers from Marseille, in the Provencal village center of Allauch in a real bar, L’Hostellerie. “We hope it will be a new place of pilgrimage” as the Panier district in Marseille already is, said the mayor of this small town, Lionel de Cala.
The return of More beautiful life is also an economic issue for the second largest city in France which aims to become the capital of cinema in the Mediterranean. One episode per day will be shot, employing 200 people including 30 to 40 authors.
New characters
Some characters must continue the adventure, others will be created. “There will be a lot of new features, a new story, we’re taking back some of the characters,” detailed Vincent Meslet, general director of Newen Studios, a production company and subsidiary of TF1. Regarding Marwan Berreni, who plays lawyer Abdel Fedala, “honestly, we don’t know any more than you”, replied Vincent Meslet. The small screen star disappeared after a road accident in early August in which he may have been involved.
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The series became a phenomenon by tackling themes previously rarely addressed in French fiction, such as gay marriage, surrogacy or resistance to the gentrification of working-class neighborhoods. It was one of the public service’s star programs, reaching audience peaks of 6 million viewers in 2008, ending up with around 2.5 million followers.