Netflix announces Jinn, its first original series from Middle East, to be filmed in Jordan

Netflix, has announced Jinn, its first original series from Middle East. The Arabic series will be filmed in Jordan featuring Middle Eastern talent.

The series will be produced by US-based brother duo Elan and Rajeev Dassani who have previously written and directed a Sci-Fi short film SEAM, directed by Lebanese Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya known for Very Big Shot and written by Jordanian screenwriter Bassel Ghandour, who is famous for Theeb, a Jordanian film that was nominated for the Oscar in category of Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2016.

“Jinn will be a contemporary supernatural teenage drama focused on young Arab characters. A group of teenagers’ lives are disrupted when a Jinn in the form of a teenage boy appears to them in the ancient city of Petra. Their friendships and young romances are tested when they set out to stop an even greater darkness that is threatening to destroy the world. Can they come together in time, and find the answers needed, in order to save everything,” Netflix said in a statement.

“This is a great opportunity to portray Arab youth in a very unique way. The level of authenticity Netflix is trying to achieve with this show is definitely what attracted me the most to be part of this project.” said, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, director of the show.

Screenwriter of the series, Bassel Ghandour speaking about Jinn, said, “We are really excited about this. It is very common in Middle East that people know someone who has a Jinn story, so it’s nice to take that and turn it into a fun and mysterious teen adventure that everyone can enjoy. On a broader note, I love that Netflix is investing a lot in the region, it’s a real turning point. We have such a rich storytelling culture, and we’ll finally be able to enjoy Arabic content with Netflix quality.”

Jinn is set to be released in 2019. It is Netflix’s second project in the region. The first one, Arabic stand-up comedy Adel Karam: Live from Beirut is launching on 1st March.

The US-based internet entertainment company had last week announced their first partnership in the region, with OSN, the leading Pay-TV network of MENA.