Amazon unveils Italian, Lat Am originals

Carlo Verdone, Georgia Brown and Luigi De Laurentiis

Amazon has greenlit three new Italian original series and four from Argentina, Chile and Colombia across a range of genres as part of its increased investment in local productions.

First up in Italy is 10-part comedy series Vita da Carlo, starring popular Italian actor Carlo Verdone as a fictionalised version of himself living in Rome.

The series was created by Nicola Guaglianone and Verdone and will be produced by Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis and their prodco Filmauro. Production is set to start this year.

Documentary Ferro tells the story of popular Italian musician Tiziano Ferro and features exclusive footage as he prepares for his new tour. The title is produced by Banijay and is set to launch on Prime Video in June.

New unscripted culinary series Dinner Club will also feature on Prime’s Italian menu this year. The cooking travelogue series sees Michelin-starred chef and TV personality Carlo Cracco, accompanied by famous Italian actors and comedians, travel the world to learn how to prepare the perfect dinner. Banijay is also producing the series, which will premiere on the platform later in the year.

“There isn’t a genre or topic we aren’t considering right now,” said Georgia Brown, director of European Amazon original series for Prime Video. “We have lots of more exciting ideas in development with Italian producers, writers, directors and acting talent.”

Additionally, filming for Bang Bang Baby, Amazon’s first original scripted Italian series, is set to begin this year, while its first unscripted Italian title, Celebrity Hunted – Caccia all’uomo, will air on the platform in March.

Meanwhile, Amazon has greenlit four new local original series from Argentina, Chile and Colombia, marking the first locally produced Amazon Originals to launch in those territories.

Eight-part Argentinian spy thriller Iosi, El Espía Arrepentido is based on the real story of a young intelligence agent on a mission of redemption after he infiltrates the Jewish community. It comes from Oficina Burman, part of The Mediapro Studio.

Eight-part Chilean mystery thriller La Jauría is about the disappearance of a young girl in a Catholic school who stages a protest and unwittingly becomes the centre of a police investigation. The series is directed by Lucía Puenzo and produced by Fabula and Fremantle.

Docuseries Colonia Dignidad explores the hidden truths behind the isolated colony of Germans and Chileans established in post-Second World War Chile by infamous Nazi cult leader Paul Schäfer. The limited series comes from producer Diego Guebel from Boxfish TV.

Colombian 6×60’ drama Noticia de un Secuestro is based on the bestselling non-fiction book of the same name by Gabriel García Márquez, telling the real-life story about a group of individuals kidnapped in 1990 by Colombian drug lords and the extraordinary efforts of their loved ones to free them.

Produced by Invercine & Wood, the series is executive produced by García Márquez’s own son, Rodrigo, along with Stuart Ford from US independent content studio AGC Television, part of AGC Studios.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring the work of these talented local writers, directors, producers and actors behind each series to an international audience of more than 100 million Prime members worldwide,” said Amazon head of international originals, James Farrell.

The new originals join the slate of Amazon’s Latin American originals, which include upcoming titles Tudo ou Nada: Seleção Brasileira, Soltos em Floripa, DOM (working title), LOV3 (wt) and an untitled hip-hop-inspired series on the lives of mothers in the favelas.