Netflix Sets Seven New European Scripted Originals

Among the raft of newly unveiled original series from Netflix is The English Game, a six-part British drama written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

The English Game is about the invention of football and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport. The show will be produced by British production company 42.

Netflix revealed its first Dutch original series, created by production company Pupkin and launching in 2019. It is about Dutch students living in Amsterdam who have it all: youth, wealth, sex, power…and the portal to a demonic world from the Dutch Golden Age they opened by accident.

Mortel marks Netflix’s fifth original series from France. It tells the story of teenagers bound together by a supernatural force. The series will be created by Frédéric Garcia and produced by Mandarin Television.

The Wave, Netflix’s third original series from Germany, is based on the hit movie THE WAVE and inspired by real events. It is being produced by Rat Pack in association with Sony Pictures Television Germany.

Luna Nera from Italy is an original genre series about women suspected of witchcraft in the 17th century. It is created by Francesca Manieri, Laura Paolucci and Tiziana Triana, and produced by Fandango.

Following the global success of parts one and two of the Spanish heist hit La Casa de Papel, a third part will be coming in 2019.

Turn Up Charlie, a new Netflix original comedy series from the U.K., will star Idris Elba. The eight-part series is executive produced by Elba and Gary Reich.

Alongside the scripted fare, there are two new documentary series. The first is a docuseries based on one of the biggest cold cases in French history: the murder of Grégory Villemin in 1984. The other is The Staircase, the story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist accused of killing his wife Kathleen after she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home, and the 16-year judicial battle that followed. The brand-new episodes of the true-crime hit will air alongside the original series.

Netflix also revealed its first Italian original film, Rimetti a Noi i Nostri Debiti (Forgive Us Our Debts), by Antonio Morabito with Claudio Santamaria, Marco Giallini and Jerzy Stuhr.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said: “Our belief is that great storytelling transcends borders. When stories from different countries, languages and cultures find a worldwide platform where the only limitation is the creator’s imagination, then unique, yet universal, stories emerge that are embraced by a global audience.”

Sarandos added: “With over 100 European projects launching this year, we are committed to being a voice for European entertainment, giving passionate local content creators a worldwide platform to share their vision, and offering consumers around the world unique and diverse stories they can discover and enjoy, anywhere, anytime and at the same time, no matter their place or language of origin. And this is just the beginning of our journey.”