Malaysia\u2019s Double Vision and Astro Shaw and the Philippines\u2019 ABS-CBN have signed an agreement to co-produce three drama series over the next two to three years.<\/p>\n
Under the terms of the agreement, the three series will be made available to viewers as iWant Originals on the iWant platform, ABS-CBN\u2019s OTT service, and as Astro originals on Astro platforms in Malaysia. The first series into production will be a reboot of the romantic drama A Time for Us<\/em> (Kahit Isang Saglit<\/em>), followed by Besa<\/em> and Habitat<\/em>.<\/p>\n A Time for Us<\/em> was first produced in 2008 by Double Vision and ABS-CBN and was the first Filipino-Malaysian co-production to receive an International Emmy nomination. Now, development is underway on a reminded version set between Kuala Lumpur and the political landscape of the Philippines. It will center on Angela, a Malaysian woman who unearths a clue to her father\u2019s mysterious disappearance, and Miguel, a Filipino Interpol agent who is on a parallel mission to dismantle a Southeast Asian crime syndicate.<\/p>\n Also coming as part of the co-pro agreement is Besa<\/em>, a crime thriller based on an original idea by Sr\u0111an \u0160aper and created by British writer Tony Jordan (Hustle<\/em>, Life on Mars<\/em>). It will be an adaptation of the original drama of the same name, which was co-produced by Serbia\u2019s Adrenalin, the U.K.\u2019s Red Planet Pictures, Serbia\u2019s PRVA, Slovenia\u2019s Planet TV and Croatia\u2019s RTL. The Malaysian-Filipino version will follow the journey of Gabriel Diaz, a Filipino man dragged into a secret underground mafia world and forced to kill to atone for accidentally killing the daughter of a Malaysian gang boss.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a story that plays out across international borders, Besa<\/em> is a format that lends itself well to such a co-production partnership,\u201d \u0160aper noted. \u201cWe are excited at the vision for this Malaysian-Filipino adaptation and at the commitment to the series from each of the three companies. We look forward to following its progress to the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n Habitat<\/em>, based on an original idea from Double Vision, will also be produced as part of the agreement. The YA sci-fi adventure will center on a group of misfit teenagers who must save the world from the evil teachers at their boarding school, who just happen to be body-snatching aliens.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile each of the series on this co-production slate is very different, the common thread of brilliant stories, engaging characters and excellent production values makes them all perfect for our newly revamped iWant streaming platform\u2014and the large numbers of discerning Filipino viewers it attracts\u2014both at home and overseas,\u201d said Jamie Lopez, head of digital at ABS-CBN. \u201cPremium programming is at the very heart of our offer, and I am excited that this new co-production partnership will deliver 30 hours of top-quality content over the next two to three years.\u201d<\/p>\n Min Lim, head of production at Double Vision, commented, \u201cWe are on the cusp of a very exciting time for Southeast Asian content. For Double Vision, now in its 40th year, we are honored to work with ABS-CBN and Astro Shaw. Not only are they trusted partners today, but more importantly, they have been with us on this journey over the last few decades. With a new original story, the reboot of a popular classic and a scripted adaptation\u2014something we have done very successfully in the past with Liar and The Bridge\u2014this varied co-production slate will be the perfect platform for us to continue delivering premium drama that resonates with wide-ranging audiences at a national, regional and global level.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor Astro Shaw, meaningful co-productions are the catalyst to elevate regional storytelling,\u201d noted Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, head of Astro Shaw. \u201cWorking with trusted partners enables us to scale our Astro Originals ambition, deepen our creative capabilities and deliver premium Southeast Asian content to a wider global audience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Malaysia\u2019s Double Vision and Astro Shaw and the Philippines\u2019 ABS-CBN have signed an agreement to co-produce three drama series over the next two to three years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":23953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[11707,2435,11708,2599,5599,11709,11710,5601,11711],"class_list":["post-23952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-a-time-for-us","tag-abs-cbn","tag-astro-shaw","tag-besa","tag-double-vision","tag-habitat","tag-jamie-lopez","tag-min-lim","tag-raja-jastina-raja-arshad","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n