Currently sitting in the top 10 most-watched series in the U.S. Netflix charts, Queen Sono proves that there is an international market for stories set in Africa, especially if they have a gripping spy plot like the story of Queen (played by Pearl Thusi) taking on her ex-boyfriend and the evil Ekaterina Gromova (Kate Liquorish).
Diprente will return as the production team and are expected to begin production later this year. The thriller follows Pearl who plays Queen, a top spy in a South African agency who must tackle dangerous cases while facing the changing relationships in her personal life.
The series is created and will be directed by Kagiso Lediga. Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob Van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana, and Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa are all expected to return for the highly anticipated season 2.
“The first season of Queen Sono marked the beginning of our journey to introduce the world to exciting stories that are made in Africa,” said Dorothy Ghettuba who leads African original series at Netflix. “It was an unprecedented representation of a strong female black lead in African television. In the first season of Queen Sono, we saw grit and glamour, strength and vulnerability, as well as the past and the present, converge into a powerful narrative that explored the complexities and nuances of the African experience.
In recent months, Netflix has demonstrated a commitment to content from Africa, where all 54 countries have access to the streaming service—giving them a potentially much bigger market in the continent than Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, neither of which are available there (per DW), or AppleTV+, only available in around a dozen African countries.
Netflix first unveiled its plans for Africa in an April 2018 conference, where the company's vice president of international originals Erik Barmack told the audience the streamer is: "In the process of looking at opportunities in Africa. It's definitely the case that we'll commission some series there."
