Not a single day goes by without the actors of "Plus belle la vie", an emblematic soap opera of France 3 whose 4,665th and last episode was broadcast on Friday November 18, without receiving a message of encouragement from fans. .
Driven by this momentum, more than 300 people — actors, technicians, authors — came together to revive fiction from its ashes.
The project is now imagined in the form of a cooperative society of collective interest (SCIC), in prefiguration, which would allow the integration of external investors.
This is not to entertain false hopes.
Contrary to rumor, "nothing has been signed yet," recalls Florence Demay, spokesperson for the collective.
But we work hard."
A cost of “24 to 27 million euros per year”
After a first meeting with the production group Newen, owner of the brand, the collective returned to work.
“As it stands, the project is not economically viable,” noted the company, which did not sell the license.
“We listened carefully to what they suggested to us, notes Florence Demay, who played the character of Bianca Soubeyrand.
This series still costs 24 to 27 million euros per year.
»
The one who is also the companion of Grégory Questel, alias Xavier Revel in "Plus belle la vie" that viewers have just discovered in the guise of Milo in "Un si grand soleil" (France 2), multiplies the appointments to find funding.
Ministry of Culture, Marseille town hall, local businesses… Everyone is called upon.
"We obviously also looked at the side of the call for tenders of M 6, which is looking for a daily", we slip into the collective.
A hard blow for the former members of the team, the recent destruction of the Place du Mistral, in the studios of Belle-de-Mai.
“For us, he was almost the main character of the series”, regrets Florence Demay.
Since the decor cannot be dismantled, it has disappeared.
Other avenues are now being explored by the authors who are working on episode synopses and are ready to work twice as hard if an agreement is reached with Newen.
"We are thinking about other decorations, easier to use", further details Florence Demay.
If the door of the production group is still open, there is still a lot to do before being able to satisfy the 2.7 million fans who were still following the series daily in 2022. Patience...