Netflix orders originals in India, Lat Am

Netflix has ordered two original series from India, one based on a book by Aravind Adiga and another a supernatural detective series set in New Delhi, plus a horror thriller from Mexico.

Erik Barmack

A story of “cricket and corruption,” Selection Day is based on author Adiga’s novel of the same name and tells the coming-of-age story of a 14-year-old cricketer.

It will be produced by UK-based Seven Stories, which was set up by Sharon Maguire and Anand Tucker in 2015 with the backing of production giant All3Media.

Meanwhile, detective series Again tells the story of a homicide detective who must put her career and life on the line when a recent murder connects to closed cases from her past, proving she has a serial killer on her hands.

The series is written by Marisha Mukerjee (Quantico), who said it “not only speaks to my own duality and cultural heritage, but also to the universal grey that exists between life and death, where religion intersects justice.”

“These projects have specifically local subjects but will be great for our global audience, and are supported by world-class talent,” said Erik Barmack, VP of international original series at Netflix.

The commissions come after Netflix added another international series to its slate of exclusive dramas this week with Diablero, which is to be filmed entirely in Mexico.

The show joins 50 new and returning productions in various stages of development in Latin America, including 19 stand-up comedy specials from around the region, Netflix said.

During C21’s Drama Summit West event in May, the SVoD giant said it was aiming to triple the number of exclusive, non-US original series on its service over the next two years.

Horror fantasy thriller Diablero, produced by Juan Gordon and Pedro Uriol of Morena Films, follows a fallen priest who finds himself seeking the aid of a legendary demon hunter.

It is based on the book El Diablo me Obligó by FG Haghenbeck and is due to begin streaming on Netflix in 2018.

“Local creatives are breaking the paradigms of what storytelling has traditionally looked like in Latin America,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer.

“As part of our expanded investment in the region, we’re looking for innovators who are excited about redefining the boundaries of Latin American entertainment, which makes the opportunity to push into an underserved format like stand-up even more exciting.”

Comedians from across Latin America tapped to film stand-up comedy specials for Netflix include Natalia Valdebenito, Ricardo Quevedo, Sebastián Wainraich, Sofía Niño de Rivera and Carlos Ballarta

Meanwhile, other Netflix original series from Latin America include Ingobernable, Club de Cuervos, La Casa de las Flores, Edha, Narcos, Samantha!, O Mecanismo, O Matador and 3%.