Studiocanal and French publishing company Hachette Livre have announced a strategic book-to-screen adaptation joint venture called On Screen.
The companies, which are both controlled by the Bolloré Group following their 2024 spin-off from Vivendi, will develop film and television adaptations from Hachette Livre’s catalogue under the partnership.
Hachette Livre, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, is France’s biggest publisher while ranking second in the UK, and third in Spain and the U.S.
It owns the rights to literary IPs such as the Astérix comic book series and the Enid Blyton estate as well as the work of best-selling authors such as James Patterson, Stephenie Meyer and Michael Connelly. Its publishing houses include Éditions Grasset, Fayard, Calmann-Lévy, Larousse, Hatier, Dunod, Le Livre de Poche in France as well as Hachette UK and the Hachette Book Group in the U.S.
News of the partnership comes at a tumultuous time for Hachette Livre in France, following the ousting in April of Oliver Nora as CEO of Grasset to be replaced by Jean-Christophe Thiery, whose career is tied to billionaire Bolloré Group founder Vincent Bolloré.
Nora’s sudden firing, after more than 25 years in the role, prompted the departure of 130 of its top authors, including Virginie Despentes, Frédéric Beigbeder, Bernard-Henri Lévy and Vanessa Springora, who accused Bolloré of attacking “editorial independence and creative freedom” in an open letter.
In a release on Tuesday, Studiocanal and Hachette said their new joint venture comes at a time when book adaptations account for 40% of the top 100 global box-office but less than 10% of total film production.
They added that the partnership built on their existing strategy in the space, which also featured the launch of Studiocanal Stories in 2024, a dedicated label focused on developing adaptations from literary IP, and tapping into the pan-European studio’s know-how demonstrated by the global success of Paddington.
“By bringing in such complementary expertise, we are strengthening Hachette Livre’s strategic goals and further supporting the work carried out by our talented teams across the Group. This alliance reinforces our commitment to storytelling in all its forms, ensuring our content resonates across every platform,” Hachette Livre CEO Arnaud Lagardère.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada added: “It marks an important step in our strategy to develop premium content from strong intellectual property. By working more closely upstream, we will be able to tell these stories in a different way and make them travel globally”.
