One of the works of Deon Meyer, the popular South African author, will be turned into a television series. The series, called Trackers, will be filmed in and around Cape Town in 2019. It weaves together storylines about diamond smuggling, organised crime and a terrorist plot to attack the Mother City.
The show’s six episodes will feature both local and international actors and will be produced by SCENE23 – a production hub created by Meyer himself, along with Tim Theron and Cobus van den Berg – and Three River Fiction. The series’s production signals the very first partnership between M-Net and ZDF, a German production company.
Jyri Kähonön will direct all six episodes of the series, while British writer Robert Thorogood will be the show-runner and Ivan Strasburg the director of photography.
“We are the leading African storyteller on our continent, and this deal is a fantastic way to diversify programming for our subscribers across Africa,” says Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment.
Johnathan Drake, Three River Fiction CEO says to Channel24: “Ultimately, our vision is to shine the spotlight on the African film and television industry and provide compelling new stories for global audiences.”
According to Dr. Simone Emmelius, ZDF main editorial director of feature film and international co-production, Meyer’s stories are very popular in Germany.
“Trackers is an intelligent crime story and that, combined with the exhilarating South African locations and the great talent, both in front of and behind the camera, is guaranteed to enthrall viewers while, at the same time, introducing a huge television audience to Meyer’s work, and that will inspire both old and new Deon Meyer fans,” Emmelius says.
Picture: YouTube