Showing posts with label Kagiso Lediga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kagiso Lediga. Show all posts

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Coronavirus: Second season of South Africa's Queen Sono drama series canned over Covid-19; cancellation of Netflix's first African Original series happened because it 'couldn't be executed in these current trying times,' says Diprente director Kagiso Lediga.


by Thinus Ferreira

The South African produced Queen Sono has become the Netflix series to be abruptly cancelled after renewal because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, with Netflix telling TVwithThinus that it is no longer moving forward with Netflix's first Netflix African Original series it ever commissioned that was already renewed for a second season earlier in 2020.

Netflix already cancelled shows like GLOW, The Society, I am Not Okay with This that were renewed and supposed to have further seasons because of the financial and logistical production implications of Covid-19.

Queen Sono, produced by Diprente and headlined by Pearl Thusi, was renewed earlier this year but has now also been axed.

Netflix mentioned nothing to the media about Queen Sono's cancellation during last week's first-ever Netflix South Africa Content Showcase 2020 event with Dorothy Ghettuba, head of Netflix's African Originals and Ben Amadasun, director of licensing and co-productions in Africa.

In response to a media enquiry, Netflix says "We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with season 2 of Queen Sono".

"We are incredibly proud of the Diprente team for sharing their audacious vision and bringing it to life with Netflix."

"A huge thank you to our fans across the world for the love shared for our first African Original series. Netflix is also grateful to the amazing efforts shown by the cast and crew for their stellar efforts in creating this show for our members around the world."

 We’ll continue to work closely with South Africa’s creative industry to keep producing more compelling 'made-in-South Africa' stories."

Kagiso Lediga, Diprente director, says that "We wrote a beautiful story that spanned the continent but unfortunately could not be executed in these current trying times".

In response to the Queen Sono cancellation, Pearl Thusi says "It’s so incredible that we as a team got a lifetime opportunity to make history together as there will never be another ‘first’ African Netflix Original Series. I’m proud of the work we did, but everything happens for a reason. I am excited about what the future holds."

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Netflix's first South African drama series Queen Sono produced by Diprente renewed for a second season.


by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix has renewed its South African drama series Queen Sono for a second season.

Headlined by Pearl Thusi and produced by Diprente in Johannesburg, South Africa with showrunner and director Kagiso Lediga, the 6-episode trope-filled spy drama tale made its debut at the end of February 2020 to mostly lukewarm reviews.

Diprente will continue to produce the second season of Queen Sono with the cast who have not yet been signed but according to Netflix are all expected to return, including Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana and Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa.

Production is expected to start later in 2020 once more clarity exists over TV and film production given the multiple national lockdown periods in effect in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa because of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Queen Sono's second season renewal is the first African Netflix production renewal handed out under Dorothy Ghettuba who took up the position to head up the commissioning of Netflix's African originals in mid-2019 and is tasked to expand Netflix's content slate from the African continent from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 

"The first season of Queen Sono marked the beginning of our journey to introduce the world to exciting stories that are made in Africa. It was an unprecedented representation of a strong female black lead in African television," says Dorothy Ghettuba in a prepared statement issued on Tuesday announcing the second season renewal.

"Kagiso Lediga and the Diprente team delivered a compelling story that resonated with our viewers and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for Queen Sono in this coming season."

Kagiso Lediga in the press release says "I am so excited by the appetite for African stories and that Netflix is continuing to partner with us to bring to life the next chapter of Queen’s story and showcase it to the world".

Tamsin Andersson, executive producer, in the statement says "We are thrilled to continue our production of Queen Sono season 2 with Netflix. The hard work from season 1 paid off and we're excited that the brand is investing further in the growth of our local production team."


ALSO READ: REVIEW. The flawed Queen Sono's first season on Netflix is an unremarkable, uneven and missable spy trope-filled tale.

Friday, February 28, 2020

REVIEW. The flawed Queen Sono's first season on Netflix is an unremarkable, uneven and missable spy trope-filled tale.


by Thinus Ferreira

Regretfully, the flawed Queen Sono on Netflix is an uneven, unremarkable spy-trope filled drama series that offers the viewer little new, while etching Pearl Thusi with some stilted acting in front of pan-African wallpaper scenery as she channels a bruised-yet-determined James Bond Afro'ed femme fatale stock character.

Long story short: You've seen all of this already years before streaming services like Netflix came along.

Netflix's first local African commissioned series, created by director Kagiso Lediga and Tamsin Andersson's production company Diprente comes up short in several areas with wooden acting, pacing issues and other problems that detract from Queen Sono's 6-episode first season (no word on whether there will be more).

Visually Queen Sono has some moments of wonderful travelogue-like cinematography but overall the first season - with showrunner Kagiso and Tebogo Malope who took turns to direct episodes - is missable fare and lacking a binge-watching quality.

On its own Queen Sono sadly isn't worthy of a Netflix subscription or worth the data, time and gawk-interest as the "first African Netflix Original" with an ever-present unevenness across the season and a lot of padding and badly done exposition all through the first three episodes.

Compared with M-Net's recent local spy thriller series Trackers that looks and feels better, Queen Sono feels very much like more of the same.

The story takes too long to get going for a property that was created to live on a streaming service where it should inspire a "I can't wait to watch more" feeling. The scriptwriting and fragmented plot are served lukewarm given the rich potential available in the story matter and themes that Queen Sono tries to weave into the episodes.

Change some of the names, places and faces (and diamonds for weapons) and Queen Sono looks like a cluttered Trackers Repeat with a plopped-in Bambi-like, cynical protagonist who this time is a field agent (channelled by Pearl) at the fictional Special Operations Group (SOG) of the South African government. Queen is searching for the killer of her mother Safiya.

On an interesting meta-level Queen is investigating a foreign company's incursion into Africa and trying to figure out what it all means and how the outside interests in Africa are connected. It's similar to Netflix itself and its global streaming aspirations and why Netflix spent money to create Queen Sono in the first place.

Amidst a seesaw of sappy melodrama and action scenes, Queen Sono peppers the often-odd and awkward dialogue with obviously forced and weird "F"-words and things that people won't say in front of grandma - as if to somehow try and emphasise that the series isn't your regular SABC1 Sunday night drama.

The sound design and jarring soundtrack transitions is another production pitfall and also needed some more refinement in studio in post. It's simply all over the place. Among the often stilted portrayals in Queen Sono, especially Sechaba Morojele as Dr Sid and other actors with distracting and changing accents, there are some gems. Bright sparks include the acting chops of James Ngcobo.

Queen Sono is additive but not groundbreaking and sadly not stand-out in any way besides that it will have a footnote in the TV history books as "the first African Netflix Original".

The dreary, tedious and drawn-out quality of Queen Sono is as disappointing as what The Girl from St. Agnes was as MultiChoice's first Showmax Original and unfortunately doesn't live up to the hype that Netflix probably hoped there would be around it's first original South African series.

Maybe give it a try if you already have Netflix - although you'll probably struggle to sit through and watch the entire 6 episodes - but don't waste money buying a Netflix subscription just because of it. It's not actually worth it.

As Netflix does more African commissioned series it will probably, hopefully, do better in future.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Filming starts on Netflix's first South African Netflix Original drama series, Queen Sono; cast and directors announced.


Filming has started in Johannesburg, South Africa on Queen Sono, Netflix's first commissioned Netflix Original series for Africa with the 6-episode spy drama, produced by Diprente, that will likely be released globally on Netflix during 2020.

Rounding out the Queen Sono ensemble cast beyond the already-announced Pearl Thusi are Vuyo Dabula, Enhle Maphumulo, Kate Liquorish, Loyiso Madinga, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Rob Van Vuuren, Khathu Ramabulana, Abigail Kubekha, Otto Nobela, Connie Chiume and James Ngcobo. 

Pearl Thusi portrays an unconventional spy "working for an undercover South African agency devoted to protecting the people of Africa".

Vuyo Dabula from Generations: The Legacy fame plays Shandu, an ex-spy who has taken a different path, while Sechaba Morojele who starred in Yizo Yizo, Rhythm City and Hard Copy will be seen as Dr Sid, director of the SOG.

Chi Mhende (also previously from Generations: The Legacy), Loyiso Madinga of The Bantu Hour, and comedian Rob Van Vuuren are agents on his team.

Kate Liquorish of The Bantu Hour plays Ekaterina, the heiress of an oligarch family with ulterior motives, while Khathu Ramabulana of Scandal! and Generations plays Queen’s childhood friend, William, now in a relationship with Nova, played by Enhle Maphumulo who previously appeared in Scandal!, Broken Vows and Rockville


Abigail Kubekha will appear in Queen Sono as Mazet, Queen's beloved Gogo, who has always supported her irrespective of the trouble she might find herself in.


Tamsin Andersson is the executive producer with directors Tebogo Malope and Kagiso Lediga who will both be directing three episodes of Queen Sono each.


While Netflix had the debut of Shadow in March this year, Netflix didn't commission the series but merely acquired the rights to it, making Queen Sono its first real South African produced Netflix Original show. 

Netflix has since commissioned another drama series, Blood & Water as a high school set series produced by Gambit Films; as well as an animation series, Mama K's Team 4 produced by Triggerfish Animation Studios and CAKE.




Monday, December 10, 2018

Netflix commissions Queen Sono as its first African original drama and spy series with Pearl Thusi.


Netflix has commissioned its first African original drama, Queen Sono, a spy series with Pearl Thusi cast as the title character.

Queen Sono, filmed in South Africa, will be produced in 2019 and become available on Netflix later next year.

Queen Sono will revolve around a "highly trained, top spy in a South African agency", with the series following her most dangerous missions while the relationships in her personal life comes under strain and change.

Although a drama series, Queen Sono will contain some humouristic elements as well and will be produced by the Johannesburg-based Diprente production company.

The South African comedian Kagiso Lediga is the director, with Tamsin Andersson as co-executive producer together with Kagiso Lediga, and both who created Queen Sono.

"We are excited to be working with Kagiso Lediga and Pearl Thusi to bring the story of Queen Sono to life, and we expect it to be embraced by our South African users and global audiences alike," says Erik Barmack, vice-president of international original series at Netflix.

"We are delighted to create this original series with Netflix, and are super excited by their undeniable ability to take this homegrown South African story to a global audience. We believe Queen Sono will kick the door open for more awesome stories from this part of the world," says Kagiso Lediga.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

SABC2 adds The Bantu Hour as a new comedy sketch and variety show with host Kagiso Lediga and Hugh Masekela as the bandleader.


SABC2 is adding The Bantu Hour, a new comedy show from the people who produced Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola for eNCA (DStv 403), fronted by Kagiso Lediga and Hugh Masekela who will be the bandleader.

Like Saturday Night Live, The Bantu Hour, starting on Saturday 7 November at 21:00 on SABC2, will contain comedy skits presented by Kagiso Lediga and other stand-up comedians including Celeste Ntuli, Trevor Gumbi and Chris Forest.

The Bantu Hour will also have a celebrity guest in each episode, similar to Saturday Night Live. "When we came with this concept, this really brough memories of days when we used to do The Pure Monate Show back then," says Kagiso Lediga. "The comedy features a myriad of comedians, so viewers are in for a treat".

The Bantu Hour on SABC2 will use several languages.

"The Bantu Hour is a great way to revive sketch comedy on SABC2 because it brings the best of South African comedy talent together," says Jacqueline Setai, the SABC's head of entertainment programming.

The Bantu Hour is produced by Gunga7.com which is Diprente Films that did LNN for eNCA, with Hugh Masekela, Kagiso Lediga, Themba Vilakazi and John Volmink as executive producers and Tamsin Andersson as producer.