Netflix UK executives Anne Mensah, Fiona Lamptey and Kate Townsend discussed the studio’s upcoming slate in London on Thursday (March 17), as the company launched new erotic thriller series Damage.
The three-part series is led by The Hobbit star Richard Armitage and Peaky Blinders’ Charlie Murphy. It is produced by France’s Gaumont and the UK’s Moonage Pictures.
Adapted from a novella by Josephine Hart, Damage centres on a love triangle between an enigmatic woman (Murphy) who embarks on a passionate affair with her fiancé’s father (Armitage).
The series is written by UK playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Benji Walters, with Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa directing. Gina Carter, Moonage’s Matthew Read and Frith Triplady, and Gaumont’s Alison Jackson serve as producers. It will also star Game Of Thrones actress Indira Varma, Ms. Marvel’s Rish Shah and Gangs of London’s Pippa Bennett-Warner.
Netflix “misconception”
Mensah, who is vice president, original series at Netflix, explained how the streamer’s commissioning process works.
“Everybody thinks two things about Netflix,” she said. “That we commission by algorithm – we don’t, we commission by human; they also think it’s all about global shows, and you’ve got to find a global show that appeals to somebody in India and somebody in Alaska. Actually the complete reverse is true. It’s all about authenticity on a global platform.”
Mensah cited South Korean series Squid Game as an example, and said the UK team is attempting to emulate that local-global balance.
“Our jobs in the UK are to make properly authentic local programming that will be hopefully loved by our UK members but also has potential to reach the world.”
Lamptey introduced first footage from two of her first commissions in her role as director of UK features: I Came By directed by Babak Anvari and starring George MacKay and Hugh Bonneville; and The Wonder from director Sebastian Lelio and starring Florence Pugh.
Describing herself as “a baby in my Netflix career” compared to her fellow executives, Lamptey said her newly-created role demonstrates “a real commitment to the UK industry and UK talent”.
She continued, “I want to continue to make projects that feel creatively and aesthetically ambitious and large-scale, and also support filmmakers and create a different offering for UK audiences.”
Following the presentation from the three executives, director SJ Clarkson and lead actress Sienna Miller presented the trailer for UK series Anatomy Of A Scandal, about a sexual consent scandal among the UK elite and the women caught in its wake.
“When art imitates life, it’s exciting,” said Miller of the series’ similarity to ongoing UK political scandals. “We do live in a country – it’s not really a meritocracy a lot of the time. We live in a place where if you’ve had access to education of a certain standard and calibre, and if you go through the motions, you probably have aspirations of being in…”
The actress then checked herself, saying, “Should I shut up?!”, before a final comment on the UK political scene: “We’re seeing it – they’re all friends! Make up your own minds.”
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