Sundance Channel Acquires French Zombie Series

Sundance Channel has acquired the U.S. broadcast rights for the French zombie series The Returned.

The eight-part series will premiere on the network on Halloween at 9 p.m., and will continue to air on Thursdays at the same time. Distributed by Zodiak Rights, The Returned was created by Fabrice Gobert and is based on the feature film Les Revenants by Robin Campillo. The series takes place in a French mountain town, where a collection of people return to their homes to find out they've been dead for several years.

"We decided to take zombies to a new and utterly original level- we made them French!" said Sarah Barnett, president of Sundance Channel. "The Returned is smart entertainment that shocks and entertains at every turn. We think our audience will love how this series grounds the supernatural in deeply human emotions."

The supernatural drama aired on France's Canal+ and the U.K.'s Channel 4.

The Returned will precede the network's second fully owned original series, The Red Road, which is slated to premiere next year. The premiere also comes a few weeks after cable-sibling AMC debuts the fourth season of ratings hit The Walking Dead on Oct. 13.