Filming has begun on a new drama series about “terrorist hunters” during the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris in 2015 and 2016.
New Belgian TV series honours terrorist hunters during the Brussels and Paris attacks
Colin Clapson
Published:
Actors Veerle Dejaeger, Matteo Simoni and Geert Van Rampelberg are currently on set filming a new drama series for the Flemish public broadcaster VRT and its Francophone counterpart RTBF. The series highlights how special forces operated during the attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels the subsequent year. Each episode focuses on a specific, true-life intervention.
The series follows the 440 days between the attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices in Paris and the bomb attacks at Brussels Airport and at Maalbeek metro station. Each episode focuses on a specific, true-life intervention. The series is based on the book “Terrorist Hunter – In the Heart of the Special Forces” by Lionel D. & Annemie Bulté.
In this psychological action thriller, police special intervention units are confronted with a wave of terror that undermined their confidence. For the first time, they experience vulnerability when faced with extremists who are prepared to die.
Matteo Simoni and Veerle Dejaeger receive instructions from director Mathieu Mortelmans
Actors portraying special intervention squad officers
Matteo Simoni and director Mathieu Mortelmans
Nabil Mallat and Pierre Gervais
The focus is on the manhunt for terrorist Salah Abdeslam, a search that pushes the team to its physical and mental limits. The series not only shows the operations in the field, but also the impact on the officers' private lives.
Veerle Dejaeger, Matteo Simoni, Jonas Bloquet, Louis Talpe, Geert Van Rampelberg, Nabil Mallat, Clara Cleymans, Pierre Gervais and Laura Sepu star in the leading roles.
More than a factual reconstruction
Director Mathieu Mortelmans emphasises that the series aims to be more than a factual reconstruction. He wants to show the tension between the extraordinary work of officers and their lives outside the job.
‘My goal is not only to give a glimpse behind the scenes, but also to convey the emotional impact of this terror episode.’
The director enlisted the help of writer Lionel D., because although the characters are fictional, he wants to ensure the historical accuracy of the events portrayed. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are also involved as artistic producers.
Geert Van Rampelberg
Veerle Dejaeger
Matteo Simoni
Laura Sepul
‘We all watched the news and saw images of these units protecting us. Anonymous faces behind balaclavas, risking their lives on the front line,’ El Arbi and Fallah say. ‘But after arresting the terrorists, there was no recognition, no parade, no medals. This series is a tribute to them and their courage.’
Collaboration between VRT and RTBF
The series is a co-production involving production companies Versus, Los Morros and Caviar, in collaboration with the VRT and the RTBF. The collaboration follows on from previous joint projects such as “1985”. ‘It came about organically,’ the press release states. ‘This series is another story based on true events from our shared history.’
According to the broadcasters, the theme of mental resilience remains particularly relevant, ten years after the attacks in Brussels.
Filming will take place in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia and will continue until the end of April. The broadcast date will be announced later. In Flanders, the series will be shown on VRT 1 TV and online on VRT MAX. In French-speaking Belgium, it will be available on RTBF TV and online platform Auvio.