Newsroom

The French giant, which owns UK label Red Planet Pictures, is working with Ross and Bad Sisters actor Assaad Bouab for The Voyager (working title), the first dramatisation of the story of Battuta, who lived in the 1300s and documented his twenty years of travelling across Africa, India and Eurasia in his book The Rihla.

French-Moroccan Bouab, who also starred in Call My Agent!, is to exec produce the series and play the explorer, while Ross will be showrunner.

The Voyager is one of the first co-productions to emerge from Asacha following the appointment of head of international content & co-productions Maria Ishak in 2021. Asacha, which specialises in high[1]end scripted content and owns Picomedia in Italy and Kabo Family in France alongside Red Planet, is backing the series and seeking production and broadcast partners.

Ishak said: “In such a saturated market, it’s hard to find distinctive and important stories to tell. This one is both.”

Ross said: “Ibn Battuta’s Rilha is one of the most fascinating documents in history and a privileged window onto a vanished world. In our hands it’s also the scafold for an epic, multi-series adventure of intrigue, ambition, global politics, romance, and spiritual quest that will entertain and enthral audiences around the world.”

Bouab added: “Ibn Battuta is one of the greatest explorers of all time and I would have loved to have had his life. I now have the chance to live in his shoes for a while.”