US show ‘Suits’ set for Arabic adaptation
JEDDAH: An Arabic-language version of the popular American TV series “Suits” will be produced by Egyptbased TVision Media Production, according to reports.
The announcement was made by TVision CEO Tarek Ganainy at the Dubai International Film Festival. Ganainy has purchased remake rights to the “Suits” format from NBCUniversal International.
“Suits,” first aired on USA Network in 2011, has lately been in the news because of its star, Meghan Markle’s engagement to Britain’s Prince Harry in November.
The show is centered around a bright college drop-out who finds himself working as an attorney at a New York law firm despite having never attended law school.
Ganainy told Variety that the localized Arabic-version will be set in Cairo, with filming set to begin in June following months of “trials and errors” with the screenplays. The head writer is Egyptian independent film producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzy.
Casting has not been finalized, and the show is currently being shopped around to broadcasters in the region.
Ganainy said the Arabic-version of “Suits” will be “an adaption, not a translation,” which must “feel that it’s an Arabic show.”
The production house is best known in the Middle East for “Saturday Night Live Arabia,” the Arabic version of “Saturday Night Live.”