Disney+ have locked German actor Malick Bauer to star as the lead character in ‘Sam – A Saxon’ – their upcoming German Language Original. Sam – A Saxon was one of the 10 European Originals unveiled by Disney+ for their general entertainment brand Star last year.
The show will tell the true story of East Germany’s first Black police officer, Samuel Meffire. The series is expected to have seven episodes The show is about Meffire’s extraordinary life after he became a media sensation and a symbol of modern society in the post-reunification 1990s. But Meffire’s father was killed in a racially motivated attack and he eventually became disillusioned with his symbolic status, ending up behind bars himself just a few years after the Berlin Wall fell. Ultimately, however, Sam – A Saxon is a redemptive story, with Meffire now a reformed character, putting his experiences to good use.
The remaining cast includes Tyron Ricketts, who plays Sam’s mentor Alex, Svenja Jung, Luise von Finckh, Nyamandi Adrian, Paula Essam, Ivy Quainoo, Thorsten Merten, Martin Brambach, Aristo Luis and Daniel Klare. Shooting for the series began in Germany in January and is set to last till May.
Joerg Winger, producer and co-creator of the hit three-season “Deutschland” Cold War spy series, is producing the series through his Big Window Productions, together with Tyron Ricketts for Panthertainment. Cold War espionage series Deutschland 83 is one of Germany’s biggest TV exports and a third season, Deutschland 89, premiered in 2020. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Amazon in India.
Netflix has tasted huge success and witnessed tremendous growth due to its non-English language shows. Through these European based originals, which include French, Italian and Dutch shows as well, Disney+ is expecting to reap similar awards.