MUMBAI: The Australian prison drama, Wentworth that has won millions of fans will now be adapted into German. The series will be produced by UFA Serial Drama, FremantleMedia’s German production arm UFA and RTL.

FremantleMedia has always been known for hit formats like Idol and The X Factor that has been adapted in several languages. For the current deal, the commission will have 10 episodes of the German version which goes into production in Berlin in March next year.

Based on FremantleMedia’s Australia series, the compelling and emotional Wentworth will follow the same gritty story of survival, rivalry, power struggles and unlikely allegiances within a female prison.

The original series that was launched in Australia earlier this year became the most watched non-sports programme in the Australian subscription television history ever. Even in the UK, the series became the number one primetime Australian drama in the UK since 2002.

Talking about the deal, RTL head of fiction Barbara Thielen said in a press release: “The stories and characters of Wentworth will polarise and initiate discussions among the audience. Many women whose fates we are telling are certainly guilty in a legal sense, but if you can condemn them in a moral sense as well, everyone will judge differently.”

UFA Serial Drama chief creative officer Guido Reinhardt commented: “Wentworth is dynamic, controversial as well as emphatic. In this field of tension we present an uncompromising world, where friendship, trust and loyalty means everything and the question whether law and justice are actually the same is repeatedly raised. The answer to this is more than complex and thus a fascinating subject - packed in a highly emotional series.”

The Australian drama airs on Foxtel Australia and the second season of the show is currently under production in Melbourne. The Australian version has been sold to Africa (MNET), Eire (TV3), Sweden (TV4), Scandinavia (CMORE), New Zealand (TVNZ) and UK (FIVE). It is also available in 15 markets through a pan-Eastern Europe deal with SPI. Additionally, deals for season two have been concluded for UK, Eire, Scandinavia, Sweden and New Zealand.