WASHINGTON: The hit US TV show 'Suits' created by Aaron Korsh, has gotten a high-end Arabic adaptation. Shooting on the first two seasons of the series, comprising 30 episodes, had commenced in January.
According to Variety, NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group, has teamed up with Cairo-based media production company TVision and OSN, as well as Egypt's UMS, to produce the Arabic redo of the show.
"'Suits' is one of the most popular TV shows in the world, and we are thrilled to be adapting it for Middle Eastern audiences and partnering once again with our friends at TVision," said Enrique Guillein, executive VP of commercial strategy and international development at Universal Studio Group.
In the US 'Suits' ended its nine-season run in 2019 having spawned 134 episodes, two remakes (in Korea and Japan), plenty of play on a slew of international broadcasters, and a royal wedding that transformed series star Meghan Markle into a global, household name.
'Suits' narrates the story of Manhattan's top corporate law firm, led by the legendary Harvey Specter, played by Gabriel Macht. The original show also stars Rick Hoffman, Katherine Heigl and Sarah Rafferty.
The original series was produced by UCP, which is part of Universal Studio Group, and Hypnotic Films and Television, for the USA Network.
The Arabic 'Suits' adaptation features an A-list local cast, including Asser Yassin as Harvey; Ahmed Dawood as Mike, Saba Mubarak as Jessica, Reem Mostafa as Donna, Tara Emad as Rachel, and Mohamed Shahin as Louis.
It has been written by Egyptian multi-hyphenate Mohamed Hefzy, the producer-writer who also heads the Cairo Film Festival, and Yasser Abdel Mageed. The show is being directed by Myriam Ahmadi, and produced by TVision Media founder and CEO Tarek El Ganainy.
As per Variety, the Arabic-language 'Suits' is slated to start playing on OSN and its streaming app Watchit across West Asia, the region also referred to as the Middle East, during the region's upcoming Ramadan TV season, starting April 2.