Netflix orders first-ever Spanish original, locks in Mitch Hurwitz

Netflix has ordered its first Spanish-language original series, a thirteen-part comedy drama set in the world of professional soccer in Mexico.

The as-yet-untitled series will be made by Gaz Alazraki, the producer behind smash-hit Mexican movie We Are the Nobles. It will debut next year and be shot entirely in Mexico, tracking a family feud among heirs of a soccer club after the owner’s death.

We Are the Nobles star Luis Gerardo Mendez has been cast in the series.

“We formed a very special team for We Are the Nobles, and we all knew we wanted to keep working together,” said Alazraki. “When I told the team that Netflix was interested in producing the show, the excitement was contagious since there’s nobody cooler and more innovative in this day and age.”

“Gaz has the disruptive vision and creative storytelling we were looking for in producing our first original series in Mexico,” added Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer. “We’re confident our members in a market as important to us as Mexico and Latin America will love this family comedy.”

In separate Netflix news, the US-listed streaming service has locked Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz into an overall deal. Hurwitz worked on new episodes of Arrested Development for Netflix, which launched last year.

The deal between Hurwitz and Netflix will see the writer create new shows for the streaming platform under the auspices of his Hurwitz Company prodco.