EXCLUSIVE: Israeli romcom drama series The Baker and the Beauty is being remade for France’s TF1, with French singer-songwriter Amir Haddad playing the lead.
Shooting starts this week in Paris on the show, which was remade by ABC in the U.S. several years ago, marking Israeli major Keshet‘s first scripted format adaptation in France.
Based on the acclaimed Israeli series from Assi Azar, La Belle et Le Boulanger follows Benjamin Mercier (Haddad) and Louise Meyer (Ludmilla von Claer – L’Apéro), who are opposites. While Louise travels around the world modelling for the biggest name designers and parties into the night, Benjamin is up early preparing baguettes at his family-run bakery. They meet accidentally in a restaurant men’s room, and Benjamin’s life is turned upside down.
Haddad is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter who contested the French version of The Voice and was France’s Eurovision Song contest participant in 2016. This is one of his first TV roles.
Hervé Mimran (Tout ce qui brille) will direct the four-part French series for TF1, with Caroline Franc, Marion Michau, Jane Rioufol, Léa Lando and Ichem Saïbi writing. Banijay France’s Marathon Studio and Terence Films are behind the adaptation.
The Baker and the Beauty aired on Israel’s Channel 12 for three seasons between 2013 and 2021, performing well with audiences and critics. A version was ordered by ABC and launched around the time of the pandemic but was canceled after one season due to low ratings, although a passionate fanbase mounted a Save the Show campaign with petition and fundraiser. It has also been remade in Russia, the Netherlands and India, while distributor Keshet International (KI) has licensed the original Israeli series to Amazon via a global deal. KI will distribute the French version internationally.
KI Distribution MD Kelly Wright called the show “one of those formats with undeniable universal appeal.”
Azar added: “It still amazes me to see that a series I wrote in my living room continues to cross continents and thrill viewers across the globe. The Baker and the Beauty is one of the most romantic love stories out there.”