SVOD giant Netflix has partnered with U.K. network E4 to co-produce a new teen sci-fi thriller, Kiss Me First, written by Skins screenwriter Bryan Elsley.
The six-episode drama, based on the novel by the same name written by Lottie Moggach, will be produced by Balloon and Kindle Entertainment. It will first be broadcast on the U.K. linear network E4 at an unknown date (production is slated to begin later this year) and will then be released on Netflix in all other territories immediately following the conclusion of the first season.
Kiss Me First follows teenage gamer Leila, who meets a new friend Tess through an online game. After Tess mysteriously disappears, Leila assumes Tess’s identity and is drawn into unraveling the mystery behind her disappearance. The series will combine live and CGI action to depict the parallel worlds of Leila and Tess’s real and online lives.
Larry Tanz, VP, global television at Netflix, said in a statement that the “global themes” of Kiss Me First make it ideal for a simultaneous global release.
That release will truly be “global” by Kiss Me First’s initial broadcast, following Netflix’s expansion into 130 more countries. The SVOD can now be accessed in most countries across the globe following — a move made public by CEO Reed Hastings at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show. In his keynote, Hastings said that in Q4 2015 12 billion hours of Netflix content was streamed across its existing 60 global territories, compared to 8.25 billion a year earlier.
No details on casting or release date were announced at press time.