Desperate Housewives to Get Turkish Treatment

ISTANBUL: The Walt Disney Company Turkey is preparing a local production of Desperate Housewives, which will be broadcast on the free-to-air channel Kanal D later this year under the title Umutsuz Ev Kadinlari.

The Turkish series will be co-produced by Medyapim and Disney. In the U.S., the show is headed into its eighth and final season. Since 2006, four different versions have been produced for Latin American audiences.

The series’ well-known Turkish cast includes Songül Öden (Gümüş) as Susan (to be called Suzan), Bennu Yildirimlar as Bree (called Berrin), Evrin Solmaz as Gabrielle (called Yildiz) and Ceyda Duvenci as Lynette (called Leyla). The series will be filmed on location in Istanbul, where a local Wisteria Lane has been found. Production will closely follow the format and story lines of the original U.S. version, with a uniquely Turkish flavor.

Sinan Ceylan, the country manager at The Walt Disney Company Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, said: “We’re extremely excited to be co-producing a local version of the hit series “Desperate Housewives” as it offers us the opportunity to connect with Turkish audiences by telling a locally relevant and entertaining story with an all star Turkish cast, using the universal stories and characters created by ABC Studios. This announcement demonstrates our commitment to investing in the Turkish market and supporting the local entertainment industry.”

Fatih Aksoy, the CEO of Medyapim, added: “I believe Desperate Housewives has one of the best scripts ever written for television. When adapting to Turkish, we are ensuring that we keep up with the level of the original values of the script and will pursue as excellent a production as it has been in the U.S.”