Netflix's Tour de France documentary series, Unchained, is to return for a second series, with filming at the 2023 Tour, Cycling Weekly understands.
Cameras are expected to follow teams in the build up to the biggest race of the year and then at the event itself, as they did last year. While the Tour's organiser ASO declined to comment, multiple sources close to the production confirmed that a second season is happening.
The first season, consisting of eight episodes, is yet to be released. It will be available to stream on Netflix on 8 June, coinciding with this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, the key precursor to the Tour.
The first highly-anticipated series, produced by Quadbox and Box to Box Films, the makers of F1: Drive to Survive, follows eight teams at the 2022 Tour de France, with exclusive behind-the-scenes access.
A teaser trailer was released last month, which showed footage from inside team cars and buses, as well as interviews and the on-bike action too.
Eight teams agreed to give exclusive access to Netflix camera crews for the series: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. It is expected that the eight will be filmed again for the project.
Filmmakers were embedded within squads at last year's Tour, with the sets of camera and boom operators essentially part of the team. The eight squads were given vetos over what footage stayed in and out of the documentary.
Each episode of the first series focuses on a team. One source told CW Jumbo-Visma's episode will centre on Jonas Vingegaard, the winner of the 2022 Tour, and Ineos Grenadiers' episode will be about Tom Pidcock's victory atop Alpe d'Huez.
According to reports, Netflix covered the production costs of €8m (£6.9m/$8.6m) to make the series, paying a total of €1m ($0.8m/$1m) to the different parties involved, with teams ending up with about €62,000 (£53,000/$66,000) each.
When the first documentary series was announced last March, Yann le Moënner, CEO of ASO, the organiser of the Tour de France, said: “We are proud of this partnership with Netflix, France Télévisions and the Tour de France teams, which will offer fans a unique immersion behind the scenes.
“Through a narrative approach, which is additive to the competition itself, the public will be able to discover how the Tour de France represents the ultimate challenge for the competitors ; in particular in terms of suffering, pushing their limits and team spirit. This project is part of our overall ambition to make our sport more accessible and meet an even wider audience.”
