Netflix Fires Up Original Production in Argentina

John Hopewell
·2 min read

Concluding its roadshows in Spain and Latin America, Netflix has confirmed its biggest original production slate ever in Argentina.

Made late last week, the update was unveiled just days after the U.S. streaming giant reconfirmed a $300 million investment in 50 productions shot in Mexico and announced mid-April that it was opening offices in Bogotá Colombia and would unveil 30 new projects in Colombia through 2022.

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It also comes after Netflix confirmed in a letter to investors last week that Mexican mystery thriller “Who Killed Sara?” had become the U.S. streaming giant’s most popular non-English title ever in the U.S. in its first 28 days – racking up an estimated 55 million household account views.

Netflix’s confirmation of its Argentine originals 2021 releases is led by “El Marginal 4” and a first season of “El Reino.” Adding current Argentine projects, the studio streamer’s production portfolio is a further indication that Netflix is still in a phase of robust expansion in the production of originals across Latin America, where it has more than 37 million household accounts.

Highlights of its Argentine roadshow took in first images of banner 2021 release “El Reino,” a political thriller that underscores how Netflix is now producing with much of the country’s top talent.

Directed by Marcelo Piñeyro (“Kamchatka”) from scripts co-written with novelist Claudia Piñeiro (“Las grietas de Jara”), the eight-hour series is produced by Matías Mosteirin for K&S, whose movie credits include Cannes and Venice competition players “Wild Tales” and “The Clan.”

Featuring a top-notch Argentine cast – Mercedes Morán, Diego Peretti, Chino Darín, Nancy Dupláa, Joaquín Furiel and Peter Lanzani – “El Reino” turns on a man running for vice-president of Argentina, when the presidential candidate is assassinated at campaign close. Sensing the opportunity to become the next president of Argentina, he also seeks to discover who’s behind the assassination and its reasons. “El Reino” will bow on Netflix this Argentine winter.

Netflix also released a promo for the fourth season of “El Marginal,” the most celebrated of recent Argentina series, which went into production in March as Argentina reinitiated film and TV shoots. Star of season one, Juan Minujín returns to the gritty prison thriller which has a new penitentiary, Puente Viejo, but retains key cast in Nicolás Furtado, Martina Gusmán and Gerardo Romano. The series is showrun for Netflix by Underground and Telemundo Global Studios’ Sebastian Ortega.

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