Netflix has been extending its international presence by picking up original shows from various countries across the world including 3% from Brazil, Suburra from Italy, and a yet-to-be-named period piece from Spain by the director and producers of Velvet and Gran Hotel. Now the streaming giant is adding its latest show, Sacred Games, from India.
What is the series about?
Sacred Games is based on the best-selling novel of the same name written by Indian author Vikram Chandra. The series will be filmed in Mumbai, India and will follow organized crime, politics, corruption, and espionage within the economy. The video streaming giant says the series is an epic masterwork of exceptional richness and power that intermingles the lives of the privileged, the famous, the wretched, and the bloodthirsty.
No casting details were confirmed, but according to Erik Barmack, vice president of international original series at Netflix, the television adaptation of the novel will feature the best Indian and global film talent available today.
Chandra will be involved in the project and he said he is “confident that all the color and vitality and music of the fictional world I’ve lived with for so long will come fully alive on the large-scale canvas provided by Netflix. I’m thrilled to be working with Netflix and Phantom Films.”
Netflix’s magic will hopefully work on Sacred Games
Netflix’s new series will be produced in Hindi-English in partnership with Phantom Films, and once complete, it will be available to Netflix subscribers around the world. No confirmed release date has been made public.
Phantom Films, which was created by Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, was formed in 2011. The company has 10 releases to its credit so far, including Masaan, which won the Fipresci Award last year in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes. Its latest film, Udta Punjab, will be released around the world later this month.
The novel Scared Games, which was published in 2006, received positive reviews but did not do as well as expected. The book’s massive size of over 900 pages long could have been part of the reason behind its low sales. Hopefully, Netflix’s on-screen version ofScared Games will generate more positive results.
On Monday, Netflix shares closed up 1.15% at $100.74. Year to date, the stock is down almost 14%, while in the last year, it is up by over 11%. The stock has a 52-week high of $133.37 and a 52-week low of $79.95.
