The Box: South Africa’s ‘The Wife’ Season 3 Returns In November; Anime Series ‘Trigun’ Being Remade On Crunchyroll; WB Discovery Latin America Acquires Indonesian Kid’s TV Series ‘BeachBuds’
Khanyi Mbau and Mondli Makhoba - The Wife/Showmax
Africa: Season 3 of The Wife will return this November. Running under Showmax’s banner, the creators have confirmed pre-production will be underway till this August. The principal cast will be reprising their roles including Mbalenhle Mavimbela as Hlomu. The series will continue to follow the events of Dudu Busani-Dube's bestselling book, Naledi His Love.
Ayo Ajala has been promoted to the chief operating officer of MultiChoice Nigeria. He held a number of positions at the company and most recently acted as the executive head of human resources in 2019. His position was brought into effect in April, earlier this year. His new role will have him overseeing customer interactions and major business operations that can ensure growth for the organization.
Shooting has begun for Shake Ilembe. Announced back in 2018, the series was stuck in pre-production under MultiChoice and Bomb Productions up until now. Filming is well underway with an estimated release of late 2023. Lemogang Tsipa will take up the historical role of the grown king while Nomzamo Mbatha will portray Queen Nandi as well as an executive producer on the show.
Netflix continues to recruit from Multichoice with its latest public relations and publicity manager for sub-Saharan South Africa Efosa Aiyevbomwan. Efosa was picked up from his role as chief marketing officer for Appzone in Lagos. Before that, he worked as a public relations and talent manager at MultiChoice. His hire comes fresh after Netflix’s acquired Sbu Mpungose who previously acted as MultiChoice’s communications manager.
Asia: K-drama Flower Of Evil is being remade in the Philippines. The series follows a police detective who suspects her husband is a serial killer. The show’s format will consist of 16 one-hour-long episodes and be distributed on the streaming service Viu as one of its originals. The series will star Piolo Pauscual (Silong, 2015) and Lovi Poe (Owe My Love, 2021).
The new Japanese streaming service TodoiF launches. The service was created by Kawano Koichi, a successful Japanese talent manager that also launched the flagship streaming service Cinema Discoveries. TodoiF will focus on local filmmakers with exceptional talent that can have their works uploaded monthly in an on-demand viewing structure. Prices of titles will vary from $4-22 USD. Expect a limited number of films, to begin with as the service aims to build traction.
The anime series Trigun is set to get a remake on Crunchyroll titled Trigun Stampede. Details, including a possible trailer, will be revealed at this year’s Anime Expo 2022 in Los Angeles. The original series launched in 1998 and was based on Yasuhiro Nightow’s manga of the same name. Nightow is attached to the remake and will make an appearance to field questions from panelists at the Anime Expo 2022 on July 1st.
Netflix has dropped a teaser for the upcoming second season of Squid Games. The writer, director, and creator of the series Hwang Dong-Hyuk has gone on social media to announce the story will follow up with the return of series lead Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) and masked menace the Front Man (Lee Byung-Hun). Expect the series to return late next year.
An Indian adaptation of the hit Israeli series Fauda is undergoing production. Set to stream on SonyLIV, the new show will be titled Tanaav. The cast includes Manav Vij, Sumit Kaul, Rajat Kapoor, and more. The story follows a special covert ops unit in Kashmir set in 2017. The show will also be shot on location to add to the thrilling authenticity.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Latin America: Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America has purchased the rights to Indonesia’s BeachBuds. The children’s TV series follows the tropical bird residents of the Zoobak Resort and their goofy adventures. With the first season finished airing, the upcoming season is expected to stream in Latin America later this year.
Popular K Drama Stairway to Heaven is getting a Latin American remake on Telemundo. The 20-episode love story follows Jung Seo and Song Joo as their love story grows from their childhood into adulthood. Expect the new series to enter production later this year.
