Colin Callender’s Playground Productions is adapting Georges Simenon’s bestselling detective novels “ Maigret ” into a television series that will premiere in the U.S. on PBS under the “Masterpiece” banner.

Production has begun in Budapest for the adaptation of the street-smart Parisian Chief Inspector Jules Maigret. Callender and David Stern will serve as executive producers for Playground.

Benjamin Wainwright (“Belgravia: The Next Chapter,” “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim”) will play Maigret and Stefanie Martini (“The Gold,” “Last Kingdom,” “Emerald City”) stars as Madame Louise Maigret.

“George Simenon's creation of Jules Maigret occupies a significant place among the most celebrated literary detectives, and we are deeply grateful to our partners ‘Masterpiece,’ Banijay, ILP and John Simenon for their trust and support in our efforts to introduce a modern Maigret to a global audience,” Stern stated. “Patrick Harbinson's remarkably fresh interpretation of this iconic character reflects Playground's goal to expand our growing list of contemporary, ongoing dramas that resonate with a worldwide audience.”

Blake Harrison (“World on Fire,” “I Hate Suzie Too”), Reda Elazouar (“Sex Education,” “Pirates”), Kerrie Hayes (“The Responder,” “Criminal Record”), Shaniqua Okwok (“The Flatshare,” “It’s a Sin”) and Rob Kazinsky (“Star Trek: Section 31,” “Eastenders”) form the “Les Maigrets,” Maigret’s dedicated team of detectives, with Nathalie Armin (“Showtrial,” “Juice”) portraying Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel.

“Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, the creation of former crime reporter turned prolific author Georges Simenon, inhabits a vividly depicted Paris not often seen on screen, taking viewers from the glamorous world of luxury hotels and mansions to local bourgeois bistros and bars, and the underground haunts of the criminal underworld,” reads the series’ logline.

It continues: “Patrick Harbinson's adaptation presents Maigret as an unconventional young detective eager to prove himself, a rising star within the Police Judiciaire, relentless in his investigations, with an uncanny ability to understand the criminals he pursues and an unmatched knowledge of Paris and its residents.  Devoted to and married to Madame Maigret, Maigret leads the elite police unit known as La Crim, responsible for investigating all serious crimes in and around Paris.”