Good news for millions of inconsolable fans: Plus belle la vie could make its big comeback on screen, according to certain sources! Here's what we know about the incredible resurrection of this program, less than a year after it stopped airing on France 3.
This is an unexpected twist.
The cancellation of "Plus belle la vie", the successful series broadcast on France 3 between 2004 and 2022, left millions of fans with a bitter taste. The rumor of a revival of this series, completely unexpected, therefore appears as a miracle for the die-hard fans of these Marseille adventures.
The news spread like wildfire after Laurent Lhardit, deputy mayor of Marseille, revealed to the newspaper La Provence that he had received "several proposals for the use of the studios at Pôle média, including a revival of Plus Belle La Vie".
Fans who are already wondering when Plus Belle La Vie will resume filming must still be patient: shooting could resume in a few months at the Pôle média studios, in the very same location where the PBLV series was previously filmed for France 3.
2- The actors were the first to be surprised.
The likely return of Plus belle la vie to the small screen was then confirmed by the actors themselves. They were indeed approached by the production to find out if they were ready to resume their roles...
Three months after the destruction of the show's sets, the actors themselves no longer believed it would happen and were surprised by the announcement of this incredible resurrection. Marie Réache (aka Babeth) said, "I had mourned, I had said to myself: 'It's over, it won't start again.'"
Among the actors contacted by the production, some, like Stéphane Henon, are enthusiastic. He said, "It's great. I have never been so spoiled as with the character of Boher."
Others have already made other commitments, like Pierre Martot (Léo), or are reluctant to resume their roles, like Rebecca Hampton. The actress does not intend to return to the show right away, but left a door open by saying, "It was very complicated, but it's a closed chapter. It was worse than a breakup! If it starts again, it will start without me. [...] What is certain is that I cannot start again right away."
3- A good number of actors are ready to re-enlist.
Among the cast members who are willing to participate in this new version of Plus belle la vie, we could soon find on screen:
• Jérôme Bertin (Nebout)
• Stéphane Henon (Boher)
• Marie Réache (Babeth)
• Pauline Bression (Emma)
• Anne Décis (Luna)
• Élodie Varlet (Estelle)
• Léa François (Barbara)
• Cécilia Hornus (Blanche)
• Marwan Berreni (Abdel)
• Théo Bertrand (Kévin)
• Sylvie Flepp (Mirta)
4- Expect changes.
A number of actors are ready to reprise their roles, sometimes with enthusiasm, but not all of them will be included in the cast of this new version of Plus belle la vie.
Of course, neither Dounia Coesens (Johanna) nor Laetitia Milot (Mélanie) will be part of this adventure, as they now play in Demain nous appartient on TF1. The same goes for Fabienne Carat (Samia), whose character has been dead and buried for a long time... On the other hand, other members of the cast, who had left on their own, may come back on a punctual or regular basis.
There should also be surprises and changes on the set. The production has indeed explained that the main sets, including the famous Mistral square, located in the Belle de Mai wasteland, have been dismantled. Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, PBLV will come back in a necessarily different form...
Based on what we know so far, the writing of this soap opera should start in July, for a resumption of filming in September or October.
5- Plus belle la vie could return to a channel of the TF1 group.
Another major surprise concerns the broadcast of this series. Indeed, the highly anticipated return of Plus belle la vie on television will not be on France 3 but on a channel of the TF1 group!
After being broadcast on France 3 from 2004 to 2022, PBLV is changing channels: the new version is expected to arrive on one of the TF1 group channels before the end of 2023 or early 2024.
There are still uncertainties about the time slot for the broadcast of this series. It could be aired on TF1 after the 1pm news or on a TNT channel of the group, "in a shorter version", according to the initial information revealed by the newspaper La Provence. The new episodes are expected to no longer last 25 minutes but only 15 minutes.
For now, the TF1 group has simply stated that the return of Plus Belle La Vie on its channel is under consideration. The production company Newen, which also produces Demain nous appartient and Ici tout commence, has chosen not to react and has not provided any official confirmation.
Despite many uncertainties, several converging clues give hope to fans of seeing the heroes of the Mistral neighborhood back on television. In the meantime, one thing is certain: the story of the PBLV series is an exciting soap opera to follow!