The Normandy coast, rich in history and characterized by its weathered beauty, will remain a significant location for television productions long after buyers leave this week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord, and the coast will be prominently featured in historical documentaries from around the world. Meanwhile, local and international productions continue to utilize the rugged landscapes of the region.

Produced by Mediawan shingle CC&C and sold by France TV Distribution , the long-running “Apocalypse” doc brand marked this 80-year occasion with “ Apocalypse: D-Day ,” a two-part series that brought archival material to life in vivid color.  The production outfit used tools developed in-house to colorize and remaster black and white footage, mixing manual processing with AI assistance to lend the footage an awesome impact.

“You can’t just slap on pretty colors everywhere,” says Julia Schulte from France TV Distribution. “Everything was meticulously researched, from the historical details to the exact colors of uniforms and tanks. We’ve always known this story in black and white, so seeing these images was almost jarring. It felt more real, like it could have been filmed yesterday. You felt like you were actually there on the beaches of Normandy.”

Supported by audiovisual commission Normandie Images, series like the political thriller “Haven of Grace” and the ARTE broadcast art doc “1874, The Birth of Impressionism” have showcased radically different aspects of Normandy on screen.

Meanwhile, international productions have also tapped into the coastal region’s post-apocalyptic potential, with AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” making the most of otherworldly locations like Omaha Beach and the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel.

Not content to let Americans have all the fun, France Television is now preparing its own genre-bending blockbuster about a sea monster wreaking havoc in, you guessed it, the very same region.

Produced by Mintee Studio and Thalie Images, “Sea Shadows” blends Spielbergian fantasy with a detective thriller vibe as it follows an oceanographer investigating mysterious attacks in her coastal hometown. Targeting a younger, tech-savvy audience, the project emphasizes high-end production values and spectacle, and for that reason, the striking rock formations and towering cliffs of Normandy became essential elements.

“[These locations] helped us connect with similar English-language and Nordic productions,” says Schulte. “The audience expects darker settings and cooler lighting, and we were able to achieve that, while also giving this series a distinct French identity by incorporating Normandy’s extraordinary landscapes.”