Lead actor Wainwright (pictured left) played Lord Frederick Trenchard in the MGM+ series Belgravia: The Next Chapter, which was a sequel to the Julian Fellowes original.
Patrick Harbinson writes Maigret and the cast consists of Wainwright and Martini (pictured right) of Blake Harrison, Reda Elazouar, Kerrie Hayes, Shaniqua Okwok and Rob Kazinsky, with Nathalie Armin as prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel.
The Maigret books are the best-selling detective series of all time after Sherlock. Playground licensed them from Georges Simenon Limited and unveiled the development three years ago. At the time, Red Arrow Studios International - which is no longer affiliated - was co-producer. Banijay Rights has since been on board and will sell worldwide.
Maigret (2016), the previous television series, aired on ITV for two seasons from 2016, starring Rowan Atkinson.
Playground Joint MD David Stern said: “George Simenon’s creation of Jules Maigret holds a firm place in the pantheon of great literary detectives and we are incredibly grateful to our partners and John Simenon for their trust and support as we endeavor to bring a contemporary Maigret to a new, worldwide audience.”
Harbinson directs the first two episodes of the Maigret series. Faye Gilbert directs episodes 3 and 4 and David Evans will direct episodes 5 and 6. Susanne Simpson is the executive producer on behalf of Masterpiece, which commissioned the series, and John Simenon is the executive producer on behalf of Georges Simenon Limited. International distribution is handled by Banijay Rights, the global sales arm of Banijay Entertainment.
Playground has been busy lately. The indie company has completed the second installment in the Wolf Hall franchise, also for Masterpiece and the BBC, and is working on an Inspector Lynley Mysteries adaptation for BritBox International.
