"The Mentalist" is getting a remake that will be aired in Russia and Ukraine. The collaboration between the two countries are said to be rare but the adaptation of "The Mentalist" has already been confirmed. However, some changes will apparently be implemented in the show to match the expectations and mentality of its new audiences in both countries.
"The Mentalist" Russian adaptation will reportedly be produced by Star Media. It will be a 16-part TV series that will be aired on Channel One and Che in Russia and will be carried by ICTV in Ukraine. "The Mentalist" Russian remake is expected to be directed by Alexei Muradov with star Yehezkel Lazarov and Anastasiya Mikulchina, Yahoo! News reported.
"The Mentalist" Russian version producer Vlad Ryashin revealed that they are still considering the fans of the original show but they had to make some adjustments to embrace a wider audience. Ryashin expressed that the changes will be necessary so that "The Mentalist" Russian adaptation will be "in line with the mentality and expectations" of their viewers according to Calvert Journal.
The original U.S. version of "The Mentalist" premiered in 2008 and ended in 2015. The hit crime and mystery TV series reached seven seasons on CBS. The story follows the life of Patrick Jane portrayed by Simon Baker who lost his wife and daughter because of a man codenamed Red John.
Jane became a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) because of his observational and mind reading skills that proved helpful to the CBI team. He spent his life in CBI trying to unlock clues to the real identity of Red John. "The Mentalist," however, also focused on general crime cases apart from Jane's search for Red John.
"The Mentalist" U.S. version reportedly aired in Russia and became one of the highly favored and most popular foreign TV show in the country. That said, there is no wonder why it is getting a Russian remake. "The Mentalist" Russian adaptation is confirmed to air in 2017 though no official date has been released. In the meantime, watch a clip from the original "The Mentalist" below.
