In a glittering event at Madrid’s Florida Park, Spain’s Secuoya Studios brought out the big guns, led by president James Costos and Secuoya Content Group CEO Raúl Berdonés, to promote the fast-growing company’s slate, headlined by the 10-episode series “Zorro”, its most ambitious production.
The series pilot will be unveiled in a special screening at Mipcom on 15 October, said Berdonés, who added that the two-year-old company has made a strong commitment to sustainable production.
“Zorro,” starring Miguel Bernardeau and Renata Notni, will be available exclusively on Prime Video in Latin America, the US, Spain, Andorra and Portugal in the first half of 2024, after which it will air on Spain’s TVE. International distribution is handled by Mediawan.
In a glittering event at Madrid’s Florida Park, Spain’s Secuoya Studios brought out the big guns, led by president James Costos and Secuoya Content Group CEO Raúl Berdonés, to promote the fast-growing company’s slate, headlined by the 10-episode series “Zorro”, its most ambitious production.
The series pilot will be unveiled in a special screening at Mipcom on 15 October, said Berdonés, who added that the two-year-old company has made a strong commitment to sustainable production.
“Zorro,” starring Miguel Bernardeau and Renata Notni, will be available exclusively on Prime Video in Latin America, the US, Spain, Andorra and Portugal in the first half of 2024, after which it will air on Spain’s TVE. International distribution will be handled by Mediawan.
The company’s stellar slate includes two new projects with William Levy’s (“Montecristo”) production company, the series “Los 39” and “Terra Alta”, the adaptation of the Turkish hit “Brave and Beautiful”, as well as the film “Padres”, in collaboration with Eduardo Campoy’s Álamo Producciones Audiovisuales, and the Spanish version of the international docu-reality “Who Bares Wins”.
“Los 39” is a historical series about the Spaniards abandoned by Christopher Columbus on the island of La Española. Currently in pre-production, it’s being made in collaboration with TVE and other partners in Spain, Latin America and Germany, with principal photography scheduled for early 2024.
“Terra Alta” is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Javier Cercas, in collaboration with a prominent streaming platform, with filming set to begin by the middle of next year.
Secuoya Studios is also betting big on telenovelas, adapting three Turkish soaps from Ay Yapim, Turkey, and producing an original, “Manuela”. In addition to “Brave and Beautiful,” the other Turkish adaptations are “Viente minutos” and “Love Storm,” says Eduardo Galdo, executive producer of Secuoya Studios’ Stories division. “Brave and Beautiful,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award for best telenovela in 2018, has been broadcast in more than 60 countries with excellent ratings.
“Manuela”, a historical drama about Manuela Sáenz, a woman who defied convention in the 19th century, is in co-production with the Colombian CMO (“Pálpito”, “Pasión de Gavilanes 2”).
Secuoya’s film division has two other projects in the pipeline: “El Director”, a co-production with Beta Fiction Spain, Fremantle and Play Time, directed by Dani de la Orden and based on the book by journalist David Jiménez; and “Solos”, based on the literary success of Paloma Bravo and directed by María Pulido (“Bosé renacido”).
The Unscripted team, led by Alfredo Pérez de Albéniz, celebrated the recent release of the documentaries 13 Días and JK Vuelo 5022. La tragedia de Spanair”, both of which were among the most watched documentaries on Netflix and Movistar Plus+.
The division is developing “Desnudos por la vida”, a docu-series based on the international format “Who Bares Wins”, which has been successfully broadcast in France, England, Italy, Germany and Australia and will soon be on Mediaset screens.
The studio will soon launch the documentary series “La Dolce Vita” on AMC’s premium channel El Gourmet and is currently working on “Team Heretics: Una historia de talentos”, a docu-series about a business initiative launched by four people under the age of 20 that has become a multi-million dollar phenomenon.
The presentation concluded with the introduction of Anna Cassina, who has worked on hits including The Bourne Ultimatum, Blade Runner 2049 and Black Mirror. Anna takes on the role of Director of International Production, a key department in the studio’s international expansion that will focus on providing production services for international feature films and series, with a particular interest in the American and Latin American markets.
With Spain’s wonderful tax incentives, bilingual and increasingly skilled crews and amazing locations, film and television production in Spain could not be more robust,” said Cassina.
