In recent years Netflix, the world’s leading entertainment company, has been blessing us with one binge-worthy series after another. Incredible titles like Black Mirror, Narcos, Stranger Things and, of course, Money Heist to name just a few. Everyone has come to expect great things from Netflix Originals.
And now Netflix has decided to venture into its first ever Arabic-language project with the announcement of a brand new six-episode fantasy series called ‘Jinn,’ set to launch in 2019.
‘Jinn’ cast. Photo courtesy of Netflix.
The show has been described as a coming-of-age supernatural teen drama. It follows the lives of a group of young Arabs trying to save the world from a Jinn (spirit) that appears to them in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. We can’t wait to see this project come to light! We’ve definitely all heard one Jinn story or another from our teita (grandmother) or one of our aunts! There’s no denying these spooky stories were a major part of our childhoods. That said, it’s really great that Netflix chose to base the story line of their first Arab series on something with regional roots rather than just casting Arab actors to play out traditional western themes.
Netflix’s Jinn: Production Begins on First Original Arabic Series #Netflix #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/42pplw42pO
— Netflix Updates (@Netflix_Updates) August 13, 2018
The series will be directed by Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya (Very Big Shot) and written by Bassel Ghandour (Theeb) – who are both HUGE names in their own rights. Netflix really went all out for this! Salma Malhas, Hamza Abu Eqab, Sultan Alkhalil and Aysha Shahalthough are announced to have been cast in the series which began filming on August 13th in Amman, Jordan. Jinn promises to portray Arab youth in a unique, contemporary way, while adding Netflix’s own touch of action that we all know and love.
The whole thing sounds like it will be the first project of its kind in the landscape of Arabic teen dramas, and hopefully the first of many Arabic Netflix projects. A specific launch date in 2019 is yet to be announced, but we know the series will launch with 6 episodes.
We can’t wait!
