Turkish star Can Yaman ready for Mipcom launch of ‘El Turco’ series

Turkish megastar Can Yaman (“Daydream,” “Bitter Sweet”) will attend the upcoming Mipcom TV market in Cannes to promote the English-language drama “El Turco,” in which he plays a legendary historical figure who connects Turkey with the Western world . world.

The groundbreaking six-episode ‘El Turco’ series – featuring an all-star cast of actors from nine different countries and combining history, action-adventure and romance – will be unveiled in Cannes by Turkish distributor Madd Entertainment, which plans to show to get a worldwide release in February 2025.

In “El Turco,” produced by Turkey’s Ay Yapim, Yaman plays the 17th Ottoman soldier Hasan Balaban, who was wounded during the Turkish army’s campaign to conquer Vienna in 1683 and some 125 miles away in the Italian mountain village of Moena ended up. Nicknamed “El Turco” by the villagers, he led the locals in a vocal uprising against unfair taxes that made him a local hero.

In a statement vr VariationYaman said filming “El Turco” in Hungary was “quite a ride,” and at times “grueling.”

“I had to live like an athlete,” Yaman said. “I had to acquire many skills (such as riding a horse, using the sword perfectly, fighting, etc.); I needed to brush up on my English [‘El Turco’ is his first time acting in English] and pushing myself as an actor in general, as it was a completely different genre [than I’d done before] with an international cast.”

He added: “I believe the outcome will be very different from anything I have done before, and I feel nervous even thinking about how satisfying it will be once the show is out: I’m looking forward to it to share it. with the world and I keep my fingers crossed.”

Yaman will attend an event held by Madd for buyers at the Carlton Grand Salon in Cannes on October 21 at 6 p.m., where images of “El Turco” will be unveiled. The title of the event is: “Welcome to the next chapter of Turkish dramas.” The theme is how Turkey – which is currently the world’s largest exporter of TV series after the US and Britain – can gain a greater foothold in TV markets such as Britain, the US, Australia and Canada .

Kerem Çatay, CEO of Ay Yapım, in a statement called “El Turco” “a passion project” that aims to take Turkish dramas to another level.

“Imagine having a script based on a true story set in a small town in northern Italy,” he said, underlining that the characters involved come from different countries; the lead role is a Turkish warrior and the show’s language is in English.

“I really wonder [about] the reaction of the public on the international markets, also because they will meet a Turkish janissary for the first time [a member of the ancient Turkish Sultan’s guard]Çatay added.

In the 17th century, the villagers of Moena erected a monument to the Turkish janissary in their main square, where they still hold the Moena Turkish Festival during the first week of August to celebrate ‘El Turco’.

In addition to Yaman in the title role, the cast of “El Turco” includes Will Kemp (“The Christmas Waltz”), David Nykl (“Sleepers”), Kieran O’Reilly (“Vikings”), Veronica Ferres (“Berlin, I Love You”) and Maddalena Aragão (“Strawberries with sugar”).

The series is written by Kerem Deren and Çişil Hazal Tenim and directed by Uluç Bayraktar (“Ten Days of a Bad Man”). The production design is by Domenico Sica (“Wonder Woman”) and the costumes are by Carlo Poggioli (“The New Pope”).

The series was initially a Turkish original from Disney+, but the streamer reportedly pulled out in April, with the rights reverting to Ay Yapim.

Ates Ince, director of Madd – a partnership between two of Turkey’s leading producers, Ay Yapim and Medyapim – said Yaman will go on a world tour to promote ‘El Turco’ in February 2025. He pointed out that the show’s day-and-date release strategy involves “avoiding” piracy. Ince added that the main concept behind “El Turco” is “to offer the world a different perception of Turkish drama” — not necessarily as fodder for generalist TV, but as “a premium show that can travel around the world.”

Ince added that Madd has already closed several “El Turco” deals with unspecified outlets in Italy, Romania, Russia, Turkey and the Middle East and is confident he will achieve more sales soon.