Netflix beefs up local content, adapts Mr. Midnight books SG folks grew up with

Netflix has adapted children’s horror book series Mr. Midnight into a series which will premiere on 24 October. Netflix partnered with a local production company, Beach House Pictures, to produce the series. It stars Singaporean actress Chen Yixin, Malaysian actor Idan Aedan and Australian actor Caleb Monk and actress Nikki Dekker. 

The series follows a group of teenage friends who become paranormal detectives and document their adventures in an online blog, written under the pseudonym “Mr. Midnight.” Mr. Midnight is a popular Southeast Asian book series which is written by Singapore-based Australian James Aitchison who goes by his pen name James Lee.

The production of the show comes a year after Singapore media companies Beach House Pictures and Clover Films announced that they were partnering global players to co-create content for a global audience. The partnerships, facilitated under the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)’s enhanced Capability Partnership Programme (CPP), will see Beach House Pictures creating a series of premium documentaries for international over-the-top (OTT) platforms and broadcasters including CuriosityStream.

Meanwhile, Clover Films will be partnering iQIYI on a slate of online films. The partnerships are expected to benefit more than 80 local SMEs and more than 500 media talent through job creation and opportunities for upskilling in the next two years.

Netflix, with support from IMDA, also organised a Series Writing Workshop in the first quarter of 2022. Up to 20 writers from Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia were able to participate in the virtual workshop, which aims to help writers sharpen their series writing abilities. The workshop were be conducted by industry experts Christopher Mack, director of Grow Creative at Netflix, and screenwriter and producer Joe Peracchio. Guest speakers such as writers behind Netflix’s popular series expected to be added to the line-up.

Just a few days ago, Netflix announced it is launching its US$6.99 per month ad-supported plan, Basic with Ads, on 3 November. The new plan will include an average of four to five minutes of commercials each hour and the inability to download titles. There is also a limited number of movies and TV shows that won’t be available due to licensing restrictions, which Netflix is currently working on. At launch, commercials will be 15 or 30 seconds in length and will play before and during shows and films. Netflix’s current plans and members will not be impacted.

Related articles: 

Netflix to unveil ad-supported plan in November across 12 countries
Netflix banks on influencer strategy with Preetipls and Ivor Xian Z promoting 'Tudum'
Netflix deepens ties with Thai market with 'Thai Cave Rescue' series
Netflix views of 'The Crown' surge following Queen Elizabeth II's death
Netflix flexes Indonesian film industry creativity with original content