Netflix Orders up ‘Puerta 7,’ Third Argentine Original Series

By John Hopewell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – MADRID — Driving ever more into originals in Latin America, Netflix has placed an order for “Puerta 7,” the U.S. platform’s third Argentine original series, which is created by “Ozark” and “Narcos” writer Martin Zimmerman and produced by leading Argentine production house Pol-ka.

“Puerta 7” is written by Patricio Vega, whose credits include crime-fighting commando thriller “Los Simuladores,” created by “Wild Tales’” Damián Szifrón, which broke out to large international success.

The series is described by Neflix as an “unflinching exploration of Argentina’s infamous (and world famous) soccer “barra bravas,” bare torso-ed soccer fans feared by the public and even police responsible for fatalities at soccer matches.

One narrative line follows “a woman’s attempt to cut through this male-dominated world and cleanse one club of its corruption and criminal element in order to redeem her family name,” announced.

Another charts one young man’s transformation into a “barra brava” to lift his family out of back-breaking poverty, a third chronicles a civil war between different “barra brava” factions at the same club.

“We’re thrilled to continue investing in the wonderful content and talent Argentina has to offer, and especially to be working on our new Argentine original with Pol-ka and the creators of hit shows such as ‘Los Simuladores’ and ‘Ozark,’” said Erik Barmack, vice president of international originals.

“As a lifelong soccer fan, for years I’ve wanted to explore the intersection between the sport, politics, and crime in Argentina—one of the great incubators for global soccer talent, and my mother’s homeland,” added showrunner and creator Martin Zimmerman.

Added Pol-ka founder and artistic director Adrián Suar: “Since its inception, our production company has worked tirelessly to produce high-quality content for television, and this opportunity fills us with pride: it is a huge challenge that we’ll undertake with all the passion, commitment and responsibility that we put into every project.”

“Puerta 7” follows on, in terms of Argentine Netflix originals, Daniel Burman’s fashion world set drama-thriller “Edha,” and musical “Go! Vive a tu Manera.”

A class act on the Argentine TV production scene, Pol-ka credits include HBO Latin America’s first premium TV series “Epitafios,” its most-watched series last year, “The Bronze Garden,” and, most recently, with Turner Latin America, political thriller “The Lobbyist.”