'Jinn' Teaser: Netflix Makes A Play For The Middle East With Its First Arabic Original Series

At this point, it’s clear that Netflix isn’t just interested in English-language content focusing on American audiences. The Netflix subscriber base is massive and global. So, over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the streaming service branch out to create content that appeals to various regions of the world. And in 2019, the Netflix global initiative reaches the Middle East, with the upcoming TV series “Jinn.”

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The first Arabic Netflix original series, “Jinn” is filmed entirely in Jordan and tells the story of some high schoolers that have to stop an evil being that seems to be following them after a trip to some ancient ruins. That’s right, not even the Middle East is able to escape the YA genre. All joking aside, outside of the language barrier, this is the type of series that American fans would likely eat up if the setting was changed to the US. It’ll be interesting to see if “Jinn” is able to transcend the region it’s created for and become another global hit for the service.

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As mentioned, Netflix has made a very real effort to attract a more global audience. Outside of “Jinn,” the series recently released another supernatural series, “Kingdom,” which is from South Korea, but mixed the massively popular zombie genre with martial arts, attracting viewers from around the world. Those series join “3%” from Brazil, “Dark” from Germany, and “The Rain” from Norway as other high-profile international series.

“Jinn” stars Salma Malhas, Hamzeh Okab, Sultan Alkhail, and Aysha Shahaltough.

Netflix is expected to release the series on June 13.