In 2025, TV series like Merteuil, a feminist take on Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Zero Day with Robert De Niro battling a global cyber-attack, and Ridley Scott’s Alien: Earth will offer exciting mixes of history, tech, and suspense. With stars like Martin Scorsese and Jon Hamm joining the small screen, 2025 promises bold and innovative storytelling.
In 2025, several series promise to captivate viewers with innovative plots, iconic film figures, and eclectic fictional universes. While some works extend the legacy of classics, others explore new themes, far from the beaten path, blending history and fiction. Among the most anticipated productions are Merteuil, a reimagining of Les Liaisons dangereuses, Zero Day with Robert De Niro facing an apocalyptic cyberattack, and Alien: Earth, a prequel to Ridley Scott’s cult saga.
Merteuil: A New Take on Les Liaisons Dangereuses
On the Max platform, the Merteuil series offers an adaptation of the famous epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses. This project, led by director Jessica Palud, is set to be resolutely feminist, revisiting the power games and manipulations of an 18th-century libertine society. Diane Kruger plays the central role in this version, portraying a more subtle and contemporary Merteuil, alongside actress Anamaria Vartolomei, known for Maria and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Emily in Paris star, Lucas Bravo, completes the cast. With this series, the ambition is to rival the 1988 film adaptation, starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich, while adding a new, more current dimension.
Zero Day: Robert De Niro vs. Cyber-Apocalypse
Still tapping into contemporary concerns, Zero Day on Netflix explores a digital dystopia. Robert De Niro, at 81 years old, plays a former U.S. president faced with a global cyberattack that threatens to plunge the world into chaos. This thriller, which blends questions about individual freedoms and the abuse of power, boasts an impressive cast, including Matthew Modine and Angela Bassett. Directed by Eric Newman, the series is set in an era where technology and its misuses are at the heart of global anxieties.
Returning to the Origins with Alien: Earth
In a completely different vein, Ridley Scott makes a major return in 2025, although not taking the helm of direction this time. On Disney+, Alien: Earth transports us to the year 2120, where Earth awaits a mysterious “child.” This prequel to the Alien saga, set before the events of Scott’s original 1979 film, promises to expand the eerie and hostile universe Scott created. While the cinematic icon is involved in the production, the series will be directed by emerging talents. The first trailer revealed an unsettling atmosphere, with sharp jaws and piercing screams, piquing fans’ curiosity.
Carême and Les Sentinelles: Historical and Futuristic Ambitions
For fans of period dramas, 2025 also promises to be rich. Carême, on Apple TV+, tells the story of a spy-chef during the Napoleonic Empire. The French-language cast, including singer Juliette Armanet, highlights the series' international ambition. Meanwhile, Les Sentinelles on Canal+ takes viewers back to World War I but with a futuristic twist. Based on a French comic book, this series features augmented soldiers whose adventures unfold in a retro-futuristic universe. A rather unique mix of war and science fiction.
Scorsese, Wyle, and Hamm: Legends on TV
Cinema giants are not left behind. Martin Scorsese, the living legend of filmmaking, ventures into the small screen with The Studio on Apple TV+. The series follows the disillusionment of a Hollywood studio head, played by Seth Rogen. A look at the film industry and its pitfalls, through Scorsese’s trademark nuanced storytelling.
Noah Wyle, the actor known for ER in the 1990s, returns to television after a 30-year absence in The Pitt, where he reprises his role as a doctor, but this time in a darker, more contemporary setting. As for Jon Hamm, the unforgettable Don Draper of Mad Men, he plays the role of a fallen hedge fund manager in Your Friends and Neighbors, a series where he uncovers his neighbors' secrets to serve his own interests.
The series of 2025 are set to be varied. Between historical adaptations, technological thrillers, and cinematic myth revivals, they promise to disrupt all expectations.
With AFP
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