A Pakistani web series on djinns is in the making

New production house Wingman Films has announced its flagship web series, a supernatural thriller tentatively titled Djinn.

According to the producer Ali Murtaza (Dekh Magar Pyaar Se, The Legend of Maula Jatt), Djinn will follow the adventures of its 17-year-old hero from Pakistan's northern areas who is on a quest to recover 'lost stones' and keep the world from being taken over by djinns. The show will thus also feature episodes set in the USA and China in its first season.

"The story originates from Pakistan because this is new folklore for a global audience. People are interested in supernatural and horror stories, but the cultural myths surrounding djinns will break new ground," Murtaza said in conversation with Images.

"Usually, supernatural stories show the negative side of the parallel world. We spent 8-10 months researching the various kinds of djinns and their traits. The show will also the good side of djinns," he further revealed.

The series, which is intended to be pitched to online streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon, is now in the advanced stages of pre-production and a prospective cast has been set that includes Emily Blunt, Bryce Dallas (Jurassic Park), Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) and Hamza Ali Abbasi.

Murtaza stresses that the prospective cast has not been locked down and is meant to convey the calibre of actors they seek to rope in. "During development, you create a prospective cast and you start pitching their agents/managers. None of the names are confirmed, they merely reflect our wish list. Our partners in the US will be pitching these roles to them."

However, Hollywood VFX supervisor Brian Adler (whose credits range from Terminator and Antman to Batman vs Superman and Furious 7 as well as upcoming Pakistani production The Legend of Maula Jutt) is confirmed to be working on the project.

"This will be a VFX-heavy show and Brian has some done top-notch VFX productions. He's also doing the VFX for Maula Jutt. Once you start working with someone, you start getting comfortable with them. When we approached him for VFX, he liked the idea of Djinn so much that he wanted to come on board as one of the executive producers," he shared.

Wingman Films has been founded by Murtaza, Yasir Tipu Khan and Mohammed Omer.

"Wingman has been formed precisely for this series. We thought it would benefit from a dedicated team. The company will focus on producing digital series and films, starting with Djinn."

Djinn will start filming in 2019.