Paris Has Fallen

Paris Has Fallen

Company type	Television series
Industry	Television
Founded	2024 (2024)
Founder	Howard Overman
Headquarters	Paris and London , France, United Kingdom
Products	Television series
Parent	StudioCanal, Urban Myth Films, Millennium Media, G-BASE, Eclectic Pictures

Paris Has Fallen is a 2024 bilingual French-English action TV series developed by Howard Overman and directed by Oded Ruskin alongside Hans Herbots. The principal cast includes Tewfik Jallab, Ritu Arya, and Sean Harris.

Premise

Situated within the Has Fallen franchise, the storyline centers on a disenchanted ex-French Foreign Legion soldier who embarks on a vendetta targeting the French government.

Cast

• Tewfik Jallab portrays Vincent Taleb, an ex-soldier and bodyguard for the Protection Service
• Ritu Arya plays Zara Taylor, an MI6 operative working in conjunction with French officials
• Sean Harris appears as Jacob Pearce, a British terrorist and former Captain of the French Foreign Legion
• Ana Ularu acts as Freja Karlsson, a Swedish mercenary and former member of the Special Operations Group
• Camille Rutherford features as Théa, Zara’s partner from France
• Jérémie Covillault is cast as Matis Garnier, the DGSI Counterterrorism chief
• Emmanuelle Bercot takes on the role of Juliette Levesque, the President of France
• Nathan Willcocks plays Philippe Bardin, France’s Defence Minister
• Laurent Lucas embodies Pascal Moulin, CEO of KMI Systems, a French defence contractor and arms manufacturer

Production

This eight-episode series was penned by Howard Overman and produced by StudioCanal, Urban Myth Films, Millennium Media, and G-BASE—the same companies behind the Has Fallen movies. Eclectic Pictures also contributed to production. The producers include Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy, and Howard Overman representing Urban Myth; Gerard Butler and Alan Siegel for G-Base; Avi Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, and Yariv Lerner for Millennium Media; with Heidi Jo Markel for Eclectic Pictures. Lati Grobman holds the executive producer title. Directorial duties were led by Oded Ruskin and Hans Herbots. Principal photography commenced in October 2023 across Paris and London, with filming for season two taking place in Bristol in February 2025.

Mathieu Kassovitz was originally cast in the lead but was replaced by Tewfik Jallab. The ensemble also includes Sean Harris, Ritu Arya, Camille Rutherford, Ana Ularu, Jérémie Covillault, and Emmanuelle Bercot.

Release

The show debuted on France’s Canal+ on 23 September 2024. It subsequently premiered in Australia via public broadcaster SBS Television on 26 September 2024, followed by a UK release on Amazon Prime Video starting 1 November 2024. In the United States, all eight episodes were made available on 6 December 2024 through Hulu.

Reception

Neil Armstrong of the i described Arya’s portrayal positively while labeling the series as a "silly but enjoyable action thriller." Adam Sweeting from The Arts Desk awarded four stars, commending Arya’s and Jallab’s performances with Sean Harris standing out notably. Nevertheless, some viewers expressed dissatisfaction due to perceived implausibilities and what they considered an agenda-driven narrative overshadowing entertainment aspects.

Sequel

Filming for the follow-up series, Apollo Has Fallen, commenced on March 28, 2025, featuring a return of several original cast members. This development aligns with StudioCanal's objective to enhance its international television footprint by investing in prominent flagship series.