BBC Acquires 'Kabul' Thriller Starring Late Eric Dane
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- BBC acquired six-part thriller "Kabul" from Mediawan Rights, featuring the late Eric Dane and "Tehran's" Shervin Alenabi, set against the August 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban return to Kabul.
- "Kabul" follows the Nazany family alongside French police, Italian diplomats, German military, and American intelligence coordinating civilian evacuations amid an ISIS attack threat.
- The production is a Franco-Italian collaboration from 24 25 Films and Cinétévé, directed by Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas from a screenplay by Olivier Demangel, Thomas Finkelkraut, and Joey Lavy.
- Nick Lee, the BBC's head of program acquisition, called "Kabul" "a tragedy of the highest stakes" anchored by "the real ticking clock of the evacuation that was just five years ago this summer."
- "Kabul" launches on BBC iPlayer on Aug. 2 and broadcasts on BBC Four from Aug. 15 — the latter date marking the fifth anniversary of the actual Taliban takeover of Kabul.
Why it matters: The Aug. 15 BBC Four broadcast lands exactly on the fifth anniversary of the Taliban takeover, giving this European co-production an anniversary-timed platform on British public television. The acquisition — featuring Eric Dane in one of his final screen roles — adds a multinational drama to BBC's iPlayer slate at a moment when public-service broadcasters are leaning into premium international co-productions.
