Xilam Animation and French producer/distributor UGC have teamed up to adapt Bernard Werber’s popular novel Empire of the Ants as a mixed-media series for family audiences.

The animation studio behind Where’s Chicky, Zig & Sharko and Submarine Jim will blend styles in this new series concept, jumping between live-action stories of humans investigating the mysterious death of an ant expert and scenes featuring animated ants who uncover secrets that threaten their colony. Vladimir Haute (Mash Up, Mixte) is writing the scripts, and Nicolas Deveaux and Quentin Reubrecht (Arcane, I Lost My Body) will direct the VFX.

Producing the series for Xilam are CEO Marc du Pontavice and chief content officer Caterina Gonnelli, alongside UGC’s Franck Calderon and Céline d’Asaro Biondo.

UGC is one of France’s largest cinema chains, operating theaters in France and Belgium. It’s currently screening kids & family films such as Anastasia, Falcon Express, Elio and Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. Canal+ bought a 34% minority stake in the company in October.

Werber’s sci-fi book has sold more than seven million copies globally (including four million in France) since Le Livre de Poche began publishing it in 1991. It has since spawned two sequels, and was adapted into a same-name video game five years ago and a remake (pictured) that was released last year.

Image courtesy of Microids.