Maybe the next day squid game, Lupine either stealing money Does it come from Latin America? Television history teaches us that you can't engineer a global hit, but with three big projects launching in the coming months, Netflix is stacking the odds in favor of the next freshest global show to come from the region. Each of Netflix's Big Three is a local landmark, the biggest streaming show outside of its home country. Or, in case SinaThe largest ever made in the region. This is high quality television, Latin American style.
To break this mess, everyone is looking for an IP that will tempt the public to try the program. In this case, the levels of curiosity and anticipation are very high. 100 years of isolationThe series is based on Gabriel García Márquez's magical realism masterpiece, which was filmed in Colombia. Outside Argentina there is an adaptation of the comic Eternal – It is not well known worldwide, but it is highly appreciated locally and has the potential for great advancement. Get away from the world of adaptation Sina It still provides instant name recognition. It will highlight the high-octane exploits of famous Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna.
Credit for the streamer's programming strategy goes to Francisco “Paco” Ramos, Netflix's vice president of content for Latin America. He is a former terrestrial television executive, where he was a buyer and programming manager for the Spanish company Antena 3, and was also a Spanish distributor for New Line, Morgan Creek, Spyglass and Miramax, and later a producer.
The realities of production are such that Netflix's upcoming releases outside of Latin America, while suggesting ambition, are not designed to be a triple title. “It wasn't like we said five years ago: 'Let's do all three series and release them at the same time,'” Ramos says. “Everyone came together when they did. All three are very complex projects and we started developing them all before the pandemic. However, the pandemic has really given us the opportunity to delve deeper into creativity and move forward.
In fact, Netflix acquired the originals nationwide in 2015, before Ramos joined in 2017. There's been steady streaming since then, but with the aforementioned trio on the initial network, things are about to get even better . Given the car racing analogy, Sina A good place to start.
Off to the races: Senna
Ramos scored the squares Sina. “When I joined Netflix, the Brazilian national team told me, 'We have to do this,'” he says. “We got the rights and then I met the family. They are extraordinary people. His sister and niece gave me access to things and told me stories, and then we read letters. I also started reading books and watched Asif Kapadia's documentary (also titled Sina), one more time.”
Showrunner Vicente Amorim spoke about the magnitude of the production. To give an idea of the magnitude, more than 14,000 extras were used in the six parts, which were filmed in the host's native Brazil, as well as Argentina, Uruguay, Northern Ireland and Monaco (notably, 100 years of isolation It had more additions (see below).
Drive to survive The appeal of Formula 1 broadcast live has been demonstrated. “Sure, it showed that there is interest in the sport, but I also feel that the team – producers, writers and directors (Amorim and Julia Rezende) – were able to build a unique vision of an unusual story.” “He was a human being full of resilience, passion and honesty, which drove him to this endless desire for perfection, which I think people will really identify with,” Ramos says.
The series stars Gabrielle Leone (ferrari) in the lead role. Milla died (the office) is Alain Prost, Senna's archrival. Kaya Scodelario (Gentlemen) You play Laura, a fictional Formula 1 journalist. Naturally, there's a lot of burning rubber, but the story of the man Senna, who tragically died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, is equally interesting. “Motor racing is exceptional,” says Ramos. “They turned out great and the emotional part is very strong.”
100 years in two parts
100 years of isolation It is the first series adaptation of the book and has been approved by the García Márquez family. Given the multi-generational fairy tale that follows the Buendía family and the founding of the legendary city of Macondo, Colombian series producer Dinamo has had his work cut out for him. The book is in the pantheon of classics that are often considered unfilmable. García Márquez himself reportedly believed that it could not be made into a film due to lack of time, even if it was a very long film.
Claudio Cattaneo as Aureliano in “100 Years of Solitude”
Cr. Mauro González on Netflix
Netflix gives you room to breathe. The streamer tells the story over 16 episodes, divided into two seasons. “You will see something completely different,” Ramos promises. “It has its own little world, its own little rhythm, its own little dynamics, its own little internal rules,” he adds. He uses the word “small” affectionately and to refer to color, but strictly speaking, this is a large project in terms of ambition and physical size.
Production designer Eugenio Caballero (Oscar winner for Pan's labyrinth) and Bárbara Enríquez (Oscar nominee Rome) Supervised the construction of four copies of Macondo to reflect the passage of time according to history. Meticulous attention to detail was required to achieve the desired aesthetic. Antique furniture was purchased from local antique stores and local artisans made fabrics and other crafts.
Alex García López (the witcherVelora Morakings of the worldColumbia's 2023 Academy Award nominee) shares directing duties.
Netflix already has one season, and after a six-month break, season 2 will begin filming in November.
Why cut it in half? “If we had filmed all this, we would have had to wait, but also, since we found a really strong ending in the middle of editing, there is a great reward,” explains Ramos.
It breaks it down even further. “We really needed to figure out, structurally, thematically and tonally, how to have a very strong ending to the first part, and then a very strong way to have a very strong first episode in the second part, which had to be propulsive and moving. “It should move things forward and not just be the ninth episode of the series.
Science fiction on Earth
comic adaptation Eternal Almost the next big three. On paper, it doesn't have the same global traction as the other two series, but Netflix has high hopes for a show that Ramos says is only possible as a series because of how the premium drama market has developed in Latin America. “The producers had been trying to make this happen for a long time, but they couldn't make it happen. There's something about adapting a graphic novel told in a strip that makes it so challenging for a three-act structure.
As the high-end drama market developed in Latin America, everyone involved was able to obtain a storyboard adaptation by Héctor Germán Osterheld and cartoonist Francisco Solano López. K&S Films produces and Bruno Stagnaro directs. Martin M. Oosterheld, Hector's grandson, is a creative consultant.
The live-action series revolves around a group of people who survive a snowfall that kills millions and then must fight a mysterious alien threat. It's on the high end of the science fiction spectrum, Ramos says. “It looks like the real world,” he says. “It is like the Buenos Aires of today, and it is not that we have created the Buenos Aires of the future.”
Local legacy
Talking about programs that reach an international level can lose meaning. A global success would be very welcome, but Netflix also has work to do regionally and country by country in Latin America. With around 49 million subscribers in the region, there is still plenty of room to grow, which is no longer the case for streaming in many other parts of the world as markets mature.
Local content can also be a special ingredient for the platform, and that is the goal of Netflix's head of Latin American content. “The reaction you can have to content that you like from another country versus content that you like from your own country is different,” says Ramos. “It doesn't mean that people like one more than the other, but there is a sense of belonging and connection, as well as a feeling that these stories relate to you or your neighbors on local shows.”
Ramos says Netflix has created opportunities for talent to produce series that previously rarely existed outside of the film industry. “People could make movies, but the television they could make was linear and, in classic fashion, the content of soap operas was more serialized. Without a doubt, long-form novels are a huge and very successful business. But now you have a talent that says, “Oh, I can tell my story in eight episodes or 12 episodes.” I was able to delve deeper into the characters of the seasonal arc. Many things are starting to open up for filmmakers, creatives and writers.
Netflix could ruffle feathers when it goes into local production. Its entry is shaking up the markets and generating deep competition for traditional players. The American company is always willing to highlight its local goodwill. This is true both for Latin America and for other places in its enormous area.
Ramos believes the legacy of these new original works will be deeply felt throughout the region. “What's very impressive to me is that in each of these three countries where we've made these products, the manufacturing ecosystem has never made offerings of this size and scale before,” he says. “The talent has exploded from these shows and there are huge lessons and experiences they have gained for their future and for the shows and films they will continue to make in their careers. They will be introduced to our competitors, which is great because they will grow and get better and better. “It will be exceptional for storytelling in Latin America.”
