First Israel exported oranges, then diamonds, followed by high-tech electronics, and now – television series?
After the warm reception of HBO’s “In Treatment,” the U.S. spinoff of Israel’s “BeTipul,” comes word that the Fox network is adapting “Hahatufim” for the American market, reports Variety.
The title translates as “The Kidnapped” and revolves around three Israeli soldiers – two alive, one dead – who are returned home in a massive prisoner swap after 17 years in captivity.
Much of the action deals with how the two survivors cope with reintegrating into families and a society which have greatly changed during the men’s absence.
In the U.S. adaptation, tentatively titled “The Patriots,” the plot revolves around two American soldiers taken prisoners shortly after 9/11 and released 10 years later.
As a twist, one of the returned men is under suspicion of having been brainwashed by his captors and may now be a terrorist threat himself.
Helming and co-writing “The Patriots” is Howard Gordon, just off his long stint as executive producer of “24.”
Gordon said that he finds his new project “liberating,” after being confined to the real-time format of “24” for the last eight years.
In addition, Fox is also said to be adapting the Israeli TV comedy series “Traffic Lights.”
