René Magritte, Salvador Dalí and other surrealist artists become characters in a new television series that blends art history with murder mystery. Titled This Is Not A Murder Mystery, the six-episode drama is directed by Hans Herbots, known for The Serpent and Paris Has Fallen.
Set in the mid-1930s, the series follows a young Magritte (Pierre Gervais) after he is invited to a private art exhibition at an English estate owned by the flamboyant Lord James. Fellow guests include Dalí (Iñaki Mur), Lee Miller, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Gala Dalí. After a wild night, Magritte wakes up beside the body of performance artist Sheila Legge, and more deaths follow. Scotland Yard detectives DCI Thistlethwaite (Stephen Tomkinson) and DC Quant (Donna Banya) are called to investigate.
Herbots said the show aims to translate surrealism into its visual style. “We wanted to elevate the genre and give it a twist,” he explained. “We could bring in colors and go all the way with the art direction and even the tone.” The series is predominantly in English and was filmed in Ireland and Belgium.
Produced by Belgium-based Panenka, the series was commissioned by VRT, RTL and Proximus, and co-produced with the New8 alliance of European public broadcasters and Deadpan Pictures. Studiocanal handles international distribution. The creators had to secure approval from various artists' foundations to use their characters and works.
Producer Kristoffel Mertens noted the appeal of surrealism: “These artists are more popular than ever because it’s surrealism and that’s cool and it’s very visual and striking.” The series was pitched at the Co-Pro Series event during the Berlin Film Festival in 2022.
