Netflix (NFLX) has just announced its first Chinese-language original series from Taiwan: a supernatural jailbreak thriller called Bardo.
In a press release Friday, the streaming platform announced a collaboration with Taiwan-based director Sam Qua on the series. Bardo‘s eight episodes will track the journey of Ah Quan, a “good man” who after descending into crime finds himself awaiting execution on death row.
Taiwanese aboriginal mysticism is woven through Ah Quan’s attempt to breakout of jail and protect his family, in a quest that “originates from current issues in modern society regarding real-life prisoners on death row,” according to Qua. “The series addresses the beliefs these prisoners have regarding their own freedom,” he said in the release.
“A supernatural premise, a production team that’s created regional hits, and an up and coming director who’s received international acclaim—all of this has Netflix excited about Bardo,” said Erik Barmack, vice president of international original series at Netflix.
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Netflix, which now has a membership base of 104 million people in over 190 countries, has long struggled to break the lucrative Chinese market. However an April licensing deal with the video streaming platform iQIYI, a subsidiary of Chinese search engine Baidu, finally opened a path past the country’s regulators.
Bardo will be available to all Netflix subscribers around the world.
