Hulu, the newly minted Disney-backed streamer, has reasserted its commitment to original voices in a straight to series order for Fertile Crescent, a drama that will focus on the Syrian Civil War. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the limited series has been allotted eight episodes so far and plans to focus on unconventional perspectives from the conflict.
The conception of the series was a collaborative effort between Maria Feldman (False Flag), Amit Cohen (False Flag), Eitan Mansuri (When Heroes Fly) and Ron Leshem (Euphoria – Israel). The new, U.S. version of Euphoria, led by Zendaya and airing on HBO, is set to drop this Sunday June 16, 2019. Cohen and Leshem are set to be head writers as well as Xabi Molia (Commes des rois, Les conquérants) with Oded Ruskin (False Flag) directing.
The series will follow Antoine, a young French man, who goes looking for his estranged, likely dead sister. While solving the case of his sister’s disappearance, Antoine joins forces with a group of Kurdish female fighters, women who are unafraid, because they can’t be, and in their revolt, ISIS’ biggest nightmare. They take him within ISIS-occupied territory where Antoine meets an eclectic mix of people, from vagabonds seeking adventure to anarchists looking to stir the pot, as well as spies, for either side, and innocent victims. The show will give a unique look at the tragic events in Syria and the way they affect the entire world.
James Purefoy (Altered Carbon, The Following) is set to star. Félix Moati (The French Dispatch), Mélanie Thierry (La Douleur), Souheila Yacoub (Climax), James Krishna Floyd (The Good Karma Hospital), and Dean Ridge (Vikings) are also set to star. Julia Faure, François Caron, Céline Samie, and Joe Ben Ayed help round out the cast.
Variety reports that Hulu’s Vice President of content development Jordan Helman says, “From the moment we read the initial scripts, we were blown away and leaped at the opportunity to jump on board.” Hulu is rather new to the game of exciting, noteworthy original content, but has recently picked up the pace with shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and The Act.
Collaborators Cohen and Leshem have released a joint statement saying, “We feel fortunate to write about a world of brave women who change history, and to deal with captivating personal stories, while exploring one of the most tragic, heartbreaking events in recent decades. We are extremely excited to work on this show with such a talented, devoted and passionate team from all over the world.”
One of the companies working on production and distribution, Fremantle told Deadline back in 2017 that it was a “very layered family drama set against the backdrop of the Middle East” similar in tone to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s BBC and Sundance co-produced The Honourable Woman.