Starzplay has announced its first Arabic-language original series, created in collaboration with Emirati content powerhouse Image Nation Abu Dhabi.
The international streaming service of Starz has a big following in the Middle East and North Africa where its regional offering Starzplay Arabia is available in 19 territories.
The new show, called Kaboos, features five standalone episodes and is billed as a modern-day retelling of Arab folklore. It explores urban legends in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and the UAE, across a variety of genres from classic horror stories to noir psychological thrillers.
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Some of MENA’s hottest rising young directors are attached to the show, including the UAE’s Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana, Paranormal) and Hana Kazim (Makr) as well as Iraq-born, Abu Dhabi-based Yasir Al Yasiri (122), Egypt’s Ahmed Khaled (30 March) and Bahraini, U.S.-based director and producer Hala Matar (Streetcar).
The horror anthology series is produced by Al Yasiri’s and Mansoor Al Feeli’s production company, Abu Dhabi-based Starship Entertainment.
Al Yasiri has just recently completed an ambitious adaptation of Saudi Arabian supernatural novel HWJN, produced by Image Nation and regional giants MBC Studios and Vox Cinemas.
Kaboos also features a host of popular MENA talent including Passant Shawky, Khaled Anward, Abrar Al Hamad, Rakeen Saad, Kady Al Qaisy and Ahmad Al Saeed.
“Kaboos is our biggest content asset this year, our very first Arabic language original and we are very excited to roll out the production across the Middle East,” said Nadim Dada, VP Programming and Content Acquisition at Starzplay.
“Our goal at Starzplay has been to invest in content that is regionally relevant and as a homegrown platform we continuously strive to bring in content which our MENA audiences can relate to.”
The TV series will begin streaming on Starzplay on February 9, when the first two episodes will be released, with the remaining episodes released weekly after that.
Commenting on the production, Image Nation Chief Content Officer Ben Ross said the project chimed with one of the group’s founding goals.
“Image Nation Abu Dhabi constantly looks for challenging new projects that enable regional filmmakers to share the region’s contemporary heritage and culture with the world through Arabic-language content, and what better way to do so than through Arab myths and legends that embodies the region’s love for storytelling,” he said.
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