Netflix is moving into the production of Turkish-language content with a 10-episode series co-produced with Istanbul-based O3 Medya.
O3 Medya co-founder Onur Guvenatam will serve as executive producer on the series, which will combine “a hero-driven action story with Ottoman and Turkish legend and history” and is expected to launch on Netflix in 2018.
Established in partnership with regional broadcaster MBC, O3 Medya produces some of Turkey’s biggest TV series such as The Day My Fate Is Sealed, Pretty Little Liars, Queen Of The Night and Wounded Love.
The as-yet-untitled Netflix series focuses on a young man with special powers who teams up with a bunch of misfits to defend Istanbul when dark forces threaten to destroy the city.
“We’re thrilled to confirm that we will be producing our first Turkish original series and are very happy to be working with O3 Medya on this project, which is young, fresh, and exciting,” said Netflix vice president, international original series, Erik Barmack.
“We are extremely proud to be producing the first original series in Turkey. We are confident that this new genre will be a milestone for our market and it will not only resonate with the Turkish audience but will also travel globally,” said Guvenatam.
Turkish dramas are popular across the Middle East, particularly since war engulfed Syria, which was previously one of the biggest producers of TV drama in the region. Netflix is already streaming several Turkish series that it has licensed rather than produced, including Magnificent Century, Ezel and Lovebird.