Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
Calling all TV fans - Netflix has finally gone Dutch! If you’ve ever been disappointed by the streaming giant’s somewhat scant Dutch-language offering (how else are you supposed to practice for that Dutch course?), you’ll be pleased to hear that they are working on their first Dutch original series, Ares.
Although Netflix confirmed a while back that a Dutch show was in the planning stages, the details were rather vague. Last week, however, they announced that filming on the new series had already commenced in Amsterdam. Netflix also revealed some details about the eight-part show’s plot and characters - and it all sounds very exciting!
Billed as a “psychological horror series”, Ares follows best friends Rosa and Jacob as they are drawn into a secret student society in the heart of Amsterdam. These students seem to have it all - youth, wealth, sex and power. Gradually, however, the friends come to realise that they’ve opened the door to a terrible, demonic world. To mix with the Amsterdam elite, it seems, Rosa and Jacob have to pay a terrible price...
Are you hooked yet? So are we! If you’re worried you’re going to have to wait forever to get a first look at Ares, fear not - Netflix confirmed that the series would be released in late 2019. We’re hoping for a trailer in the meantime.
Not only will the series be filmed in the Netherlands, but it also features a lot of home-grown talent. It is the work of Amsterdam-based production company Pupkin, well-known for its successful true-crime dramas. The series also stars Jade Olieberg, Tobias Kersloot and Rifka Loseizen, two-time Golden Calf winner at the Nederlands Film Festival.
With this first foray into Dutch content, Netflix is ramping up its production of international content. There are now more than 40 titles in the Netflix International Originals catalogue, with shows in every language from Japanese to Hindi. They also recently announced five new Spanish original series and their first German-language feature film. Hopefully, this means more Dutch TV shows will soon be on their way!