Flair Magazine Lovers of the Netflix hit Stranger Things will want to hear this news out. Netflix is producing its First Arabic original series titled Jinn. Filmed in Jordan, the thriller revolves around a girl who accidentally releases a jinn in the form of a teenage boy, and they learn they’ve also unleashed an ancient darkness that threatens the world. The series is set to be the first Arabic language Original Series on Netflix from the Middle East, starring up-and-coming local talent.
Maximising on the beauty of the local setting, mixing themes of Supernatural and Teen Soap, Jinn will bring Middle East folklore into the modern world, exploring contemporary themes of Jinn mythology but with a coming of age supernatural story about friendship, love and adventure.
Produced by Kabreet Productions, this supernatural teenage drama will be directed and executive produced by rising star, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya (Very Big Shot) and executive produced by Elan and Rajeev Dassani (SEAM), with Elan serving as head writer. Rajeev contributed to the writing alongside Amin Matalqa (Sundance Award Winner, Captain Abu Raed) from Jordan who is directing the last 3 episodes. The six-episode series is expected to launch to Netflix members all around the world in 2019.
Jinn follows a group of Arab teenagers as their friendships and budding romances are tested when they unknowingly invite the supernatural forces of Jinn into their world. As good battles evil, can the friends come together in time, and find the answers needed, in order to save everything?
Featuring a cast of up-and-coming talent from the region, Jinn will see Salma Malhas star as Mira, a rebellious teen still devastated after the loss of her mother who learns to love again when she meets Keras, played by Hamza Abu Eqab, the Jinn who is tasked with guarding vigilante Jinns. Sultan Alkhalil as Yassin, who struggles with a world that seems stacked against him and we follow his coming of age story sparked by his supernatural friendship with Vera, played by Aysha Shahalthough who is on hunt for vengeance at any cost. Mira will be joined by her friends Fahed –Yaser Al Hadi – and Layla –Ban Halaweh– in the fight to rescue Yassin from the ruthless Vera before it’s too late.
Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Original Series said: “At Netflix, we’re always looking for local stories with an interesting and relatable perspective to bring to screens all over the world.
“With Jinn, we aim to create a fantastical show about young people in the Middle East in Arabic that’s real, authentic and action-packed. This Netflix show will be full of intrigue, adventure and amazing storytelling from Jordan and for our audiences around the world.”
Talking about the creative process, executive producer and head writer Elan Dassani commented: “The freedom Netflix gives producers really allows us to delve deep into the nature of storytelling and bring Arabic stories to life. Arab youth are just like teens everywhere, trying to find the balance between embracing modern culture whilst keeping true to their rich history. We’re excited to be able to bring a show reflecting this to Netflix fans across the world”.
Building on Elan’s sentiment, executive producer and contributing writer Rajeev Dassani said: “Creating Netflix’s first Arabic Original, and one of the first teen-focused shows ever from the Arab world, has been an unforgettable experience. We’ve had so many local teens tell us they’ve never seen themselves accurately represented on screen, and it is both our pleasure and our responsibility to bring that to them and, in doing so, showcase all that the region has to offer.”
Mir-Jean, director and executive producer of Jinn shares the Dassanis’ perspective: “It has been a great experience working with Netflix so far, both on a creative and production level. It’s been a very collaborative partnership where we have felt empowered to bring Jinn to life through our own creative vision with authenticity at the heart of the show.”
