'House' Getting a Russian Remake, Casts its Hugh Laurie Fill-In
Russian Public Broadcaster Russia Television and Radio has commissioned an official remake of the enormously popular medical drama House, to air on its flagship channel Rossiya 1.
The deal was closed with NBCUniversal Intl., and will be produced by Alexander Rodnyansky's Non-Stop Production, the team behind 2014 fiilm Leviathan (which won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nominee for foreign-language film).
Russian actor Aleksei Serebryakov has been cast in the Hugh Laurie leading role. His credits include the aforementioned Leviathan, as well as The Ninth Company and Cargo 200.
Production begins on a 40-episode first season in April, and an air-date will be confirmed later this year. "We have seriously considered all the pros and cons before obtaining the format of such a famous series," said first deputy director of Russia Television and Radio Anton Zlatopolskkiy.
"It is quite a challenge for us to create our own version. Neither well-known producers or actors, nor a big budget can guarantee success when it comes to a local version. There are always a couple of 'secret ingredients' that make a series outstanding and we know how to make them work."
Source: Variety
