What: Netflix is planning to release its first Spanish-language original series in 2015.
Why it matters: The comedy will be produced by Mexican director Gaz Alazraki and feature Luis Gerardo Mendez. The announcement of Netflix new investment in Spanish-language original content comes on the heels of Netflix’s recent launch in the Mexican market and plans for additional international expansion.
Netflix is planning to release its first Spanish-language original series, a comedy by Mexican director Gaz Alazraki. Produced in Mexico, the 13-episode series will be a satire on the world of professional soccer, with Spanish dialogues.
It will feature Luis Gerardo Mendez, who starred in “Nosotros Los Nobles” (We Are the Nobles), which showed the weaknesses of a wealthy family forced to cope with sudden poverty. Directed by Alazraki, “Nobles” generated US $27 million at the box office, making it Mexico’s second highest-grossing film of all time, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Mexico and Latin American are considered key markets by Netflix, as many Netflix subscribers regularly stream subtitled fare according to Businessweek . Although Netflix has not announced a name for it, this series will premier sometime in 2015.
This series may be the outset and also trigger Netflix’s non-English original-programming. However, the company already carries a selection of Spanish-language movies as well as children’s content. The company launched its service in Latin America in 2011.
“We formed a very special team for ‘We Are the Nobles,’ and we wanted to keep working together,” said Alzraki.
“When I told the team that Netflix was interested in producing the show, the excitement was contagious since there’s nobody cooler and more innovative in this day and age than Netflix.” Added Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, “We’re thrilled to be working with the talent from ‘We Are the Nobles,’ a movie that managed to capture a cultural phenomenon in a fun and engaging way while breaking box office records. Gaz has the disruptive vision and creative storytelling we were looking for in producing our first original series in Mexico. We’re confident our members in a market as important to us as Mexico and Latin America will love this family comedy.”
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