Banijay has confirmed a new premium adventure series from Danish label Metronome, focusing on the Shaolin Warrior Monk community in China, which will be a new competition format for TV 2. "Shaolin Heroes" will test celebrities like never before as they embark on a life-changing journey to master the ancient martial art of the Shaolin Warrior Monks in China. At a much-revered temple, the famous faces will receive the toughest, and most elite training possible. The challenge is not only physical, the celebrities will have to learn the Shaolin philosophy confront their deepest fears, and develop as a person to manifest a happier life.
Danish production company Metronome is behind Banijay’s dating format "Alone Together", as well as relationship hit, "Fabulous Dads". It also produces a range of long-running non-scripted series including "The Island", "MasterChef", "Taskmaster", "The Block" and "Ex on the Beach". This format will join Banijay’s catalogue of over 4000 formats, beside flagship brands "Survivor", "Hunted", "MasterChef", "LEGO Masters" and "Big Brother".
“At Banijay we pride ourselves on being a thriving home for world-class content built for contemporary audiences. I have always loved karate, and together with Henrik Rasmussen, the Head of Programmes at Metronome, we developed the idea of celebrities being trained by real-life Grandmasters into an ambitious new adventure reality format, and this show is set to be a high-end offering for Danish audiences. This is a bold and original concept, and testament to broadcasters in the Nordics who are creatively open and willing to take significant risks, commissioning new and innovative ideas,” Peter Hansen, Chief Creative Officer at Banijay Nordic, said.
“I’m really proud of the in-house development team here at Metronome, with a strategic focus they have created yet another original local format with the potential to travel. Over a number of years, Metronome has established itself as leading reality producer, and this, along with the confidence, resources and creative backing of Banijay, we have been able to pursue big format ideas with international appeal. With epic cinematic production values, we look forward to producing this authentic adventure reality series for TV 2 Denmark,” Tina Chistensen, Managing Director at Metronome, added.
“This exciting, brand new show taps into the inspirational values and philosophy behind Shaolin Kung Fu, with celebrities walking an ancient path of the world’s finest warrior monks. As we continue to innovate and create new IP, this impressive and original format utilises our expertise with big adventure and reality superbrands to build the next generation of hits,” James Townley, Global Head of Content Development at Banijay, stated.
“At TV 2 we are looking forward to sharing 'Shaolin Heroes' with the Danes. In addition to offering tremendous production values, we also believe that the programme can inspire us all to cut off unnecessary noise, find peace and our inner strength. The pandemic has challenged our daily lives in many ways, but I also think it has made many people reflect on what is important. Although we may not all be, or should be, Shaolin Monks, I am convinced that the special universe will set the viewers’ thoughts in motion,” Dorthe Thirstrup, Channel Controller at TV 2, said.