Game of Thrones star in new SA series alongside Kim Engelbrecht

British actor Iain Glen, who played Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones, will take on a new role as Angus Speelman in the upcoming investigative crime drama Reyka, set to air on M-Net.

Glen recently expressed his wish for everyone to watch the show in a recent video posted by M-Net.

“Hello South Africa, I’m Iain Glen. Now, you may have seen me play Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones or Sir Richard Carslyle in Downton Abbey but it’s highly unlikely you’ve ever seen me play a character like Speelman,” began Glen.

This is after it was announced that production has started on the eight-part contemporary crime drama Reyka, which will star South African-born actress Kim Engelbrecht (Isidingo, Dominion and The Flash).

The international co-production – a collaboration between M-Net and Fremantle – is being filmed in South Africa and is set to debut on M-Net in July 2021.

Reyka will also be distributed globally by Fremantle.

In her return to South African television after a stint acting abroad, Engelbrecht will take on the role of Reyka Gama – a flawed but brilliant criminal profiler.

“Haunted by her past, she investigates a string of brutal murders committed by a serial killer in the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal. Having been abducted as a child by a farmer named Speelman [Iain Glen], Reyka is traumatised by the experience but this also helps her enter the minds of Africa’s most notorious criminals and turn them inside out,” said M-Net in a statement.

“Manipulative and charming, his hold on Reyka, 20 years later, forms part of the backbone of the story, as does Reyka’s relationship with her mother Elsa, played by Anna-Mart van der Merwe [Binnelanders, Kanarie and Poppie Nongena].”

Iain Glen in character as Angus Speelman in the upcoming investigative crime drama Reyka, set to air on M-Net. Picture: m-net.dstv.com

“With a dramatic backdrop of sugar cane fields, tropical beaches, stifling heat, dangerous wildlife, a criminal underworld, and shadowy politics – each place is connected by sugar but divided in so many other ways.”

Hamilton Dhlamini, Kenneth Nkosi, Nokuthula Ledwaba, Desmond Dube, Gerald Stein, Ian Roberts, Fiona Ramsey, David Butler, and Jessica Hayes are among some of the other names set to appear in the series, which will be directed by Zee Ntuli (Hard to Get) and Catharine Cooke (The Girl from St Agnes).

Reyka will be jointly produced by Serena Cullen for Serena Cullen Productions in the UK (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Cold Feet) and Harriet Gavshon for Emmy-nominated Quizzical Pictures in South Africa.

Kim Engelbrecht and Iain Glen will star in the upcoming investigative crime drama Reyka, set to air on M-Net. Picture: m-net.dstv.com

Reyka was created and written by award-winning screenwriter Rohan Dickson (Husk and Welcome to Hawaii).

According to M-Net, Dickson has worked with South Africa’s major broadcasters and has been showrunner on highly successful dramas, including Scandal, Zone 14, Jacob’s Cross and High Rollers.

He was also the executive producer and showrunner of Isidingo, a long-running multi-award-winning drama series with a huge fan base across the whole of Africa.

“MultiChoice continues to lead the continuous productions of high-quality African television content that goes beyond our borders,” said M-Net chief executive officer, Nkateko Mabaso, in a statement.

“Our first co-production on this sort of scale was Trackers that we co-produced with HBO’s sister channel Cinemax and ZDF and has received great reviews in the US, Australia, France, and the UK. This partnership with Fremantle is a brilliant way to showcase our prowess as DStv is Africa’s most-loved storyteller, and we particularly relish pairing our local talent with international stars,” added Mabaso.

Julie Hodge, editorial director for global drama at Fremantle, expressed pride as production commenced on their first-ever South African drama.

“The series has been in development for many years, and we hope it will be the first of many successful projects in the region. Reyka is a rich and compelling story and we couldn’t be happier to have Kim and Iain on board to bring these complex characters to life – we are confident it will be one of our standout international dramas for 2021,” said Hodge.

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Compiled by Kaunda Selisho

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