“Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta‘s India-set Prime Video series “Poacher” could become a global franchise.
The Amazon original is produced by QC Entertainment, led by partners Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield and Edward H. Hamm Jr., who backed Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning “Get Out” and “Us” and Spike Lee’s Oscar, BAFTA and Cannes-winning “BlacKkKlansman. It is executive produced by Bollywood star Alia Bhatt via her Eternal Sunshine Productions outfit.
The team was in London on Saturday for the U.K. premiere showing of the first two episodes of the series, which bowed at Sundance 2023. Based on true events, Amazon original “Poacher” unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. A second, India-set season is being planned. However, poaching is a global wildlife crime. When Variety asked Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, Prime Video India, about the series going beyond the subcontinent to other parts of the world as a global franchise, McKittrick said, “I’ll speak for Manish, yes.”
“My short answer to that is, this is obvious,” Mehta added. “It’s a global phenomenon. And I knew when I was researching this, every single person I was dealing with had ties to different countries. And they were doing wildlife crime operations, multinationally and so that already for me was like, ‘Oh my God, this story is particularly residing in India, but where this can go can be anywhere and everywhere.’”
Bhatt said: “Executive producer is a fancy word, but I’m the mascot of ‘Poacher’ and I don’t mind being for ‘Poacher’ or for any show that has such heart at its storytelling.”
“Poacher” streams worldwide on Prime Video from Feb. 23.