‘Queen Sono,’ starring Pearl Thusi from ‘Quantico’ will be Netflix’ first original African series

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As Netflix upgrades its catalog to add shows from Africa in 2019, it has ordered its first African original series. Queen Sono features Quantico star Pearl Thusi, Deadline reports.

Thusi who is best known for her role as Dayana Mampasi on the hit ABC drama, will play a trained spy in a South African agency on Queen Sono.

“It’s going to change the game for every artist on this continent,” said Thusi. “I cannot wait for every young woman, every woman on this continent and on this planet to meet Queen Sono. We’ve worked so hard for this.”

Netflix wants to expand its global showcase of shows and is “in the process of looking at opportunities in Africa. It’s definitely the case that we’ll commission some series there in…2019,” said Erik Barmack, the streaming giant’s vice president of international originals last week at the Content London Conference this week.

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“We are excited to be working with Kagiso and Pearl, to bring the story of Queen Sonoto life, and we expect it to be embraced by our South African users and global audiences alike,” Barmack, said.

“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,” said Kagiso Lediga, the show’s creator and director.

Lediga has previously worked with Thusi in the comedy Catching Feelings.

Thusi’s character in Queen Sono will reportedly tackle dangerous missions, while navigating personal life challenges.

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Production will start in 2019.

By year’s end, Netflix will launch six new European shows including a period drama and a “Young Wallander” series. Barmack said it is working to increase the company’s Europe-originated story menu by a third in 2019.

“There’s 500 million people around the world who speak Arabic, and there’s a real opportunity to put different faces and a different type of programming [together] to get away from the traditional Ramadan shows, for example,” Barmack said at the London gathering.

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