MADRID — Sergio G. Sánchez, scribe of J.A. Bayona’s “The Orphanage” and “The Impossible,” has signed with Netflix to create and direct “Alma,” the streaming giant’s fifth original scripted series in Spain.
A young adult supernatural drama, “Alma” is produced by Belén Atienza, a regular production partner on such Bayona movies as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Impossible,” “The Orphanage” and “A Monster Calls,” and also on TV series “Penny Dreadful.”
A 10-episode, 50-minute series, “Alma’s” principal photography and global release on Netflix are scheduled for 2020.
The series follows a young girl called Alma who survives a bus crash that killed most of her classmates. When she awakes with no memories of the incident or her past, her parents seem like strangers and her home becomes a place filled with secrets and mystery.
Alma gets the growing suspicion that everyone around her is lying, trying to turn her into someone else. Trapped in a world that doesn’t feel her own, she must unravel the events that led to the accident before her true identity vanishes forever.
Related
A screenwriter-turned-director, Sánchez debuted in 2016 as a helmer with Telecinco Cinema’s Lionsgate Intl.-sold movie “Marrowbone,” god-fathered by Bayona, who served as an executive producer.
“’Alma’ explores my favorite themes: the journey from childhood to maturity, the threshold between life and death, the emotional space where fantasy merges with reality, only this time on a broader canvas that will give me the opportunity to expand the narrative into multi layered, intertwined storylines with a broader spectrum of characters,” Sánchez said in a statement.
“It’s going to be very exciting to bring this rich universe to life and I’m thrilled that Netflix is giving me the chance to reach a global audience with a Spanish-language series that is deeply rooted in my own obsessions as a storyteller,” he added.
Sánchez has teamed with Teresa de Rosendo (“Servir y proteger”) and Paul Pen (“The Warning”) to write “Alma’s” script.
Also producing the series are Sandra Hermida, producer of Paco León’s Movistar + original series “Arde Madrid,” and Jesús de la Vega, with credits such as Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s film “Intruders,” are.
“It is a joy and a privilege for us to be joining forces with Netflix to bring to the screen Sergio’s unique and groundbreaking universe. People all around the world will be thrilled and inspired by a harrowing storytelling that springs genuine emotions from the darkest places,” the producers said.
“Alma” marks the fifth original scripted series announced by Netflix in Spain. The first, Bambú Producciones’ “The Cable Girls,” debuted in 2016 and has been renewed for Season 4.
The SVOD platform greenlit in October Season 2 of Zeta Audiovisual’s teen mystery series “Elite,” while Weekend Studio’s “Hache,” created by Verónica Fernández, and “Alta Mar,” another Bambú TV drama, are scheduled to launch by next year.