David Farnor | On 01, Feb 2019

Naruna Costa and Seu Jorge will star in Netflix’s new Brazilian series Brotherhood.

The crime thriller, originally titled The Faction, was commissioned by the streaming giant last year. Set in the 90s, it follows the story of Cristina, an honest and dedicated lawyer that finds that her brother has been jailed for years and is a leader of an ascendant criminal faction. Coerced by the police, she is forced to become an informant and work agains the brother she idolized as a child. But as Cristina infiltrates the Brotherhood, she begins to question her own values about law and justice and comes into contact with a dark side of herself she did not imagine she had.

Now, Netflix has picked two of Brazil’s brightest talents to lead the show. Naruna Costa (The Way He Looks) will play the hardworking lawyer Cristina Ferreira, and Seu Jorge (Abe, City of God, The Life Acquatic of Steve Zissou) will play Edson, her estranged older brother. Award winning actress Hermila Guedes (Love For Sale a.k.a Céu de Suely) also joins the cast as Edson’s wife, Darlene, alongside Lee Taylor (The Mechanism), as Ivan, a clever inmate whose opportunistic allegiance with the Brotherhood has him cross paths with Cristina.

The series was created by Pedro Morelli, who will also direct along with Gustavo Bonafé and Aly Muritiba. Other behind-the-camera talent includes Felipe Sant’Angelo, Iris Junges, Leonardo Levis, Mirna Nogueira, Francine Barbosa and Tom Hamburger as writers, as well as Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Bel Berlinck as producers.

The first season will feature eight episodes and will premiere on 25th October 2019.

 

Brotherhood is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Netflix locks down Brazilian prison thriller The Faction

12th July 2018

Netflix is going back to the 90s for its latest Brazilian original series, The Faction.

The prison thriller follows the story of Cristina, an honest and dedicated lawyer who finds that her missing brother has been jailed for years and is a leader of an ascendant criminal faction. Coerced by the police, she is forced to become an informant and work against her brother. But as Cristina infiltrates the faction, she begins to question her own values about law and justice and comes into contact with a dark side of herself she did not imagine she had.

“What drew us to The Faction is that through the perspective of Cristina the series invites the audience to explore the inhospitable prison universe of São Paulo of the 90s through an electrifying dramatic thriller.”, says Erik Barmack, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix. “Cristina’s trajectory of empowerment and corruption is intertwined with that of the faction and will appeal to Netflix members around the globe.”

The series is produced by O2 Fimes, a company with everything from City of God and Blindness to Adrift and Waste Land on its CV. O2 is the only Brazilian production house with 5 Oscar nominations. The series was created by Pedro Morelli, who will also direct. The show was written by Felipe Sant’Angelo, Iris Junges, Leonardo Lev, Mirna Nogueira and Francine Barbosa and produced by Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Bel Berlinck.

“We are thrilled to be producing for Netflix a show about such a relevant issue. In a country where people have grown used to appalling levels of violence, The Faction addresses the contradictory Brazilian reality as a way of better understanding the origin of the problem. At the same time, this is a suspenseful and high voltage thriller that will get the audience hooked”, says Morelli.

The first season will feature eight episodes and will premiere in 2019.

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