22/01/2024 - Based on Juan Gómez-Jurado’s novel of the same name, the show is directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas, Manuel Carballo and Alejandro Bazzano

A new, “high-octane” 8x50-minute thriller series, titled Scar, is in the making. The project, led by Spanish and Mexican producers, is an adaptation of the 2015 bestseller of the same name penned by Juan Gómez-Jurado.

The official synopsis reads as follows: “Simón [portrayed by Juanlu González] could be a lucky guy; he is young, smart and about to become a billionaire if he sells his great creation – a ground-breaking algorithm – to a huge corporation led by the ruthless Jakub Sanders. And yet, he feels lonely. His success in life is at odds with his distinct lack of social skills, but one day, despite his reservations, Simón joins a dating app and, with the inexperience and eagerness of a teenager, falls madly in love with Irina (Milena Radulovic), a young Ukrainian woman. Despite the thousands of kilometres that separate them, she decides to leave her country and travel to Spain. But the mysterious Irina, marked with an enigmatic scar on her cheek, carries a dark secret and pursues a single goal: revenge.”

The creative team have described the show as “a passionate love story that begins as a web of lies” and “ultimately changes the destiny of its two protagonists”. Moreover, the series promises to offer “an intriguing mix of southern and eastern climates, and is an unusual and far-from-stereotypical look at Spain”.

Shooting kicked off in Bilbao in November, and it is expected to wrap in March. Some scenes set in Serbia were filmed over the last two weeks of December. In particular, one of the directors (Miguel Ángel Vivas, one of the helmers behind the Netflix hit Money Heist) travelled to Serbia with Radulovic, actor Goran Susljik (who plays The Afghan) and some of the Spanish crew to film some scenes revolving around Irina’s childhood.

Among the other confirmed cast members are Maciej Stuhr, Luis Fernández, Julen Serrano, Stefan Kapicic and Mladen Sovilj. The directing team includes Vivas, Manuel Carballo and Alejandro Bazzano. The show is penned by Money Heist writers Fernando Sancristóbal and Pablo Roa with Verónica Marza, Laura Belloso, Fran Carballal, Ramón Tarrés and Pablo Manchado.

Scar is being produced by Plano a Plano (Spain) with Dopamine (Mexico) in collaboration with Asacha Media Group (France) and Adrenalin (Serbia), and in association with RTVE, Amazon Prime Video, Telekom Srbija and Canal+ Poland. César Benítez, Emilio Amaré, Emilio A Pina, Álvaro Benítez, Fernando Sancristóbal and Fidela Navarro are serving as the executive producers.

Canal+ Poland boarded the series in December. The deal was assisted by Akkari Enterprises Ltd (UK), a content distribution firm founded by Rita Akkari, a former Warner Bros executive.

The release date is yet to be confirmed.