Netflix today announced Jinn, the first Arabic original series from the Middle East. The series will feature Middle Eastern talent, and is set to be filmed in Jordan later this year.
The show will be produced by Elan and Rajeev Dassani, with Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya and Jordanian screenwriter Bassel Ghandour also coming on board for the project. The six-episode series is expected to launch to all Netflix members all around the world in 2019.
As far as storyline goes, Jinn will be a contemporary supernatural teenage drama focused on young Arab characters. A group of teenagers’ lives are disrupted when a Jinn in the form of a teenage boy appears to them in the ancient city of Petra. A great darkness threatens to destroy the world, and so the group must band together to save everything that they know.
"This is a great opportunity to portray Arab youth in a very unique way. The level of authenticity Netflix is trying to achieve with this show is definitely what attracted me the most to be part of this project.” said, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
Said Ghandour, “We are really excited about this. It is very common in Middle East that people know someone who has a Jinn story, so it’s nice to take that and turn it into a fun and mysterious teen adventure that everyone can enjoy. On a broader note, I love that Netflix is investing a lot in the region, it’s a real turning point. We have such a rich storytelling culture, and we'll finally be able to enjoy Arabic content with Netflix quality."
“We’re delighted to be working with such a variety of breakout talent to launch our first Arabic original series in the Middle East.” said Erik Barmack, VP of International Original Series at Netflix. “We are extremely excited to bring this story to a global audience, and to celebrate Arab youth and culture. We can’t wait to share more details later this year.”
Jinn is Netflix’s second project in the region. Netflix’s first project, the Arabic stand-up comedy Adel Karam: Live from Beirut, is due to launch on March 1st.
