Petra is getting a starring role in Netflix’s first Arabic original drama.
With the release of a flurry of new on-set and cast pictures, we've got our first look at Jinn, the streaming giant's supernatural series set in Jordan.
If the first look is anything to go by, the series looks primed to be an interesting juxtaposition of teen drama, located against some pretty impressive backdrops; one of which is a candlelit nighttime scene at the Unesco World Heritage Site of Petra.
Despite early uncertainty over exactly what countries filming would take place in, the series seems to have found a permanent home in Jordan.
Along with the pictures, Netflix also released a few more snippets of information about Jinn (which is not to be confused with the 2013 Emirati horror film Djinn).
The series is due to release in summer 2019, and will be five episodes in length, with each episode between 30 and 45 minutes long.
"Set in modern Amman and ancient Petra, Jinn follows a group of Arab teenagers as their friendships and budding romances are tested when they unknowingly invite the supernatural forces of jinn into their world," Netflix says.
"As the lines between good and evil blur, can the friends find the answers needed in order to save everything?"
The announcement seems to have unequivocally quashed any hopes that the UAE would get a cameo, as hopes were high shooting could include parts of the Emirates when the series was first announced.
The series began filming in August with Very Big Shot director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya in the director's chair.
Jinn will feature a cast of up-and-coming local talent including Salma Malhas as Mira, a rebellious teen still devastated after the loss of her mother who learns to love again when she meets Keras, played by Hamza Abu Eqab, the Jinn who is tasked with guarding vigilante Jinns. Sultan Alkhalil stars as Yassin, who struggles with a world that seems stacked against him.
We follow his coming-of-age story sparked by his supernatural friendship with Vera, played by Aysha Shahalthough, who is on hunt for vengeance at any cost. Mira will be joined by her friends Fahed (Yaser Al Hadi) and Layla (Ban Halaweh) in the fight to rescue Yassin from the ruthless Vera before it’s too late.
Theeb writer Bassel Ghandour was replaced on scripting duties by SEAM scribe Elan Dassani, who has also worked in visual FX on a host of shows including Suits and Knight Rider. Dassani also executive produces, and is joined on writing duty by Sundance Award winner Amin Matalqa (Captain Abu Raed), who will also direct the show's final three episodes.
