Two Cities Television Boss Michael Jackson Credits “Backrooms” Success as He Makes Case for a TV Reimagining of 1969 War Film “Army of Shadows”

Two Cities Television executive Michael Jackson says the recent success of “Backrooms” is helping validate the company’s approach to turning niche film stories into series, and he is now pointing to a different property as the next opportunity. In comments shared in an interview with Deadline published July 3, Jackson described “Army of Shadows,” the 1969 war film by Jean-Pierre Melville, as a strong candidate for television with a “reimagining,” framing the effort as timely for audiences and for the industry.

Jackson’s remarks connect the company’s adaptation strategy to a broader shift in how viewers discover and rally around titles. Deadline’s report says Jackson discussed how online conversation can elevate a film from relative obscurity to mainstream attention, and he said that dynamic underpins his confidence that “Army of Shadows” can find a wider audience in serialized form.

The interview also locates Jackson’s reasoning in contemporaneous audience behavior. Deadline reports that Jackson described a “there’s something in the zeitgeist” moment, without detailing policy or regulatory developments, and he characterized the interest in an older, historically rooted resistance story as an opening for a modern TV treatment.

For context on timing and production, Deadline’s coverage places Jackson’s “Army of Shadows” discussion alongside Two Cities’ ongoing publicity for its current screen slate. The same interview references “The Yank,” with Deadline noting performers Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney in connection with the project, suggesting the company is continuing to develop multiple genre and prestige efforts while exploring new IP for television.

Deadline’s report frames “Backrooms” as a key indicator for the business side of Two Cities’ slate, describing the success as “heartening” for the company and implying that investors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms are more receptive when a title shows audience demand beyond traditional mainstream categories. Jackson’s comments treat the film-to-series pipeline as a matter of execution and audience alignment rather than a single property bet.

While the interview discusses an intent to adapt “Army of Shadows,” Deadline’s reporting indicates the concept would involve a reimagining rather than a straightforward remake. That distinction matters for rights holders and for audiences, since any adaptation of a film canon in a different medium typically requires script development that adjusts pacing, character arcs, and narrative structure to fit episodic storytelling.

No further deal terms, production timelines, or casting announcements were detailed in the Deadline item itself. The next steps, based on what was actually reported, would depend on Two Cities converting the concept discussions into a full development package, including negotiations tied to rights, creative attachments, and the target distribution path for a series.

As Two Cities weighs new adaptation opportunities, the interview underscores how the company is tying its creative decisions to measurable audience outcomes from recent releases. In that framework, the reported enthusiasm for “Army of Shadows” is less about revisiting film history for its own sake and more about positioning a historically themed narrative for a modern television audience using the same development logic that Jackson says helped validate “Backrooms.”