M-Net and Fremantle have announced a new jointly done crime drama series, Reyka, that will be filmed in South Africa and distributed internationally, and that will be co-produced by Serena Cullen Productions in the United Kingdom and South Africa's Quizzical Pictures.
Reyka as a contemporary crime thriller in 8 episodes, will be shown on M-Net (DStv 101) will be distributed globally by Fremantle.
M-Net tells TVwithThinus that production of Reyka will start in early-2019, with a local broadcast date on the M-Net 101 channel that has to be confirmed.
Reyka, titled after the lead character Reyka Gama, is set against the tropical coastline and vast sugarcane fields of KwaZulu-Natal, and will follow the story of a flawed by brilliant female detective, haunted by her past.
Reyka will start in 1994 at the end of apartheid and a new dawn in South Africa as Reyka, the 11-year old daughter of African and British parents is abducted. Having escaped her tormentor, she now lives her life as a mother and investigative detective.
Reyka returns to her home town to lead the investigation into a serial killer who is behind a string of brutal murders where victims' burnt bodies are being found in sugarcane fields.
"Caught between hope for new beginnings and living with the horrors of the past, Reyka's worlds collide and reveal a dark secret of her own," says M-Net and Fremantle in a statement.
Reyka is created by screenwriter and showrunner Rohan Dickson, with the UK-based Jake Riddell as story consultant and writer.
Reyka will be jointly produced by Serena Cullen for Serena Cullen Productions in the United Kingdom and Harriet Gavshon of Quizzical Pictures in South Africa.
The executive producers are Serena Cullen, Harriet Gavshon and Rohan Dickson. Jan du Plessis will executive produce for M-Net and Sarah Doole for Fremantle.
Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment at the MultiChoice Group, says "This partnership with Fremantle is the perfect way to shine the spotlight on the African film and television industry and provides compelling new stories for global audiences beyond African shores".
"With more than 13.5 million subscribers in Africa and several international awards for our scripted content, we are already the leading African storyteller on the continent. With an esteemed distributor like Fremantle at our side, we can now share our talent and unique content globally."
Sarah Doole, Fremantle's director of global drama, says "We are proud to partner with MultiChoice Group for our first South African drama. A compelling story, Reyka brings modern day South Africa and its rainbow nation of different communities and cultures to the global stage".
"Reyka is a very distinctive lead and watching her complex life unfold in this diverse landscape adds a new dimension to the crime drama genre."