'The Mentalist' to Get Russian Remake

The series will premiere on Russia's Channel One and Che in 2017.

CBS hit series The Mentalist, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Primrose Hill Productions, is getting an adaptation for Russia and Ukraine, production company Star Media, which operates in both countries, unveiled Thursday.

The 16-part series will be directed by Alexei Muradov and star Yehezkel Lazarov and Anastasiya Mikulchina.

In Russia, the series will air on Channel One and Che and is tentatively scheduled to launch in late 2017. These TV networks are not available in Ukraine; the Ukrainian network that will air the Russian-language adaptation will be ICTV.

"We are keeping in mind fans of the original Mentalist," producer Vlad Ryashin was quoted as saying by trade journal Booker's Bulletin. "However, we're making a project for the broadest audience possible."

According to Ryashin, changes will be made to the Russian-language version so that it is "in line with the mentality and expectations of our viewers."

The original series aired in Russia on TV-3 and is among the best-known and most popular foreign TV series.

Shooting will take place in Russia and in Ukraine's port city of Odessa, making the project a rare Russian-Ukrainian collaboration since the relations between the two countries have soured over Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in East Ukraine.

A number of Russian movies and television series are officially banned in Ukraine.

The Mentalist aired on CBS for seven seasons, from 2008 to 2015.