In a glittering event at Madrid’s Florida Park, Spain’s Secuoya Studios brought out its big guns, led by its president James Costos and Secuoya Content Group CEO Raúl Berdonés, to tout the fast-growing company’s slate, led by its 10-episode series “Zorro,” its most ambitious production.
The series pilot will be unveiled at Mipcom in a special screening on Oct. 15, noted 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 exclusively available on Prime Video in Latin America, the U.S., Spain, Andorra, and Portugal in the first half of 2024, followed by its broadcast on Spain’s TVE. Mediawan handles international distribution.
Attendees of the 3rdIberseries & Platino Industria were treated to a sneak peek two days before.
Speaking of the company’s slate, Berdonés remarked: “This ambitious, innovative, distinctive, and diverse content catalog in various stages of development proves that we are delivering on our promises. For us, this adventure has been an exciting journey, following more than two years of relentless studio production.”
“Secuoya Studios has become a preferred destination for talent looking to work with a content company that harbors big dreams, projects that aim to reach every corner of the world,” Costos said, expressing pride that Spain has solidified its position as “the Hollywood of Europe.” Costos, based in Los Angeles, heads the U.S. operations of Secuoya Studios, which launched early this year.
Among its stellar productions are two new projects with the production company of William Levy (“Montecristo”), the series “Los 39” and “Terra Alta,” the adaptation of the Turkish hit “Brave and Beautiful,” as well as the movie “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 explorer Christopher Columbus on the island of La Española. It’s currently in pre-production and being made in collaboration with TVE and other partners in Spain, Latin America, and Germany, with principal photography set for early 2024.
“Terra Alta,” is an adaptation of the bestselling novel by Javier Cercas, in collaboration with a prominent streaming platform and with filming set to begin by mid-next year.
Secuoya Studios is also betting big on telenovelas, adapting three Turkish soaps from Ay Yapim, Turkey and producing one original, “Manuela.”Aside from “Brave and Beautiful,” the other Turkish adaptations are “Viente minutos” and “Love Storm,” said Eduardo Galdo, executive producer of the Secuoya Studios Stories division. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Telenovela in 2018, “Brave and Beautiful” has been aired in over 60 countries with stellar audience ratings.
“Manuela,” a historical drama about Manuela Sáenz, a woman who defied conventions in the 19th century, is in co-production with Colombia’s CMO (“Pálpito,” “Pasión de Gavilanes 2”).
Secuoya’s film division has two more 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, with María Pulido (‘Bosé renacido’) directing.
The Unscripted team, led by Alfredo Pérez de Albéniz, celebrated the recent documentary releases “13 Días” and “JK Vuelo 5022. La tragedia de Spanair,” both of which ranked among the top most-watched documentaries on Netflix and Movistar Plus+.
The division is developing “Desnudos por la vida,” a docureality show based on the international format ‘Who Bares Wins,’ which has been successfully broadcast in France, England, Italy, Germany, and Australia and will soon hit the screens of Mediaset.
The studio will soon release the documentary series “La Dolce Vita” on AMC’s premium channel, El Gourmet, and is currently in post on “Team Heretics: Una historia de talentos,” a docuseries about a business initiative launched by four under-20 individuals, which has become a multi-million-dollar phenomenon.
The presentation ended with the introduction of Anna Cassina, who has worked on such hits as “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and “Black Mirror,” among others. Anna takes on the role of director of international production, a key division in the studio’s international expansion which 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 marvellous tax breaks, bi-lingual and ever more skilled crews and amazing locations, film and TV production in Spain could not be more robust, said Cassina.
