Broadcasting12.11.2015

South African superhero series coming in 2016

By RDM News Wire

From the tops of buildings and bottom of basements to tattoo parlours and theatres of Johannesburg‚ South Africa’s first African superhero Jongo is springing to life now that digital and broadcast partners have been secured.

The first eight-episode season of the television series is scheduled to come onto our screens in March 2016.

Local digital entertainment and technology company‚ Discover Digital‚ was today named as the African digital distribution partner for the television series alongside Jongo’s Netherlands-based distributor‚ FCCE. The series has already been picked up by both e.tv and Ebony Life TV.

Produced by Johannesburg-based film and TV studio‚ Motion Story‚ Jongo tells the story of Eli King‚ a young man who acquires supernatural abilities through an alien crystal at the Cradle of Humankind.

The crystal is left to him by his father‚ an enslaved miner who is murdered shortly after escaping. As Eli tries to deal with the death of his father and find the men responsible‚ he must also grapple with the powers of the crystal and how it will change his life. However‚ the men he is hunting have crystals of their own and need Eli’s to fulfil an ancient and devastating prophecy that threatens the lives of millions.

“We wanted to showcase the beauty and dynamism of the continent and of South Africa in particular. So many films and TV shows focus on the problems Africans face. Jongo will emphasise all that is positive about this great continent of ours‚” says writer and co-director of Jongo‚ Gareth Crocker.

To optimise on-location shooting in Johannesburg‚ high-end equipment including drones‚ cranes and low-light cameras were used to ensure dynamic cinematography.

“Virtually the entire show is shot on location in Johannesburg…The effects we use in the show are physical and we use them sparingly. They’re there to enhance and add to the show‚ not dominate it‚” says Crocker.

The team behind the new series includes businessman and venture capitalist Chris Lawrance as the executive producer‚ along with producer Phillip Wolmarans. Nick Keulemans is the cinematographer and the series is co-directed by Crocker and Fred Wolmarans.