Netflix orders first African original

Netflix has ordered Queen Sono, a drama about a secret agent, as its first African original series.

The news was confirmed by South African talent and Quantico star Pearl Thusi, who tweeted about the series for the first time today.

She said: “#QueenSono – Africa’s first Netflix original! A thrilling story about a kickass female spy. Can’t wait for you guys to see what we have in store for you!”

The series, which launches globally in 2019, was created by Kagiso Lediga and will be executive produced by Tamsin Andersson.

Thusi’s announcement arrives days after Netflix’s VP of international originals Erik Barmack confirmed that the company will be commissioning original series in Africa across 2019 at Content London.

Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos further affirmed that international originals will be a main area of content spend in 2019, during the UBS Media Conference last week.

So far, the company already has 70 original local shows ready to appear on the platform in the new year.