Joko Anwar is both directing and writing “Halfworlds” for HBO Asia
One of Indonesia’s hottest film directors, Joko Anwar, is making the move to the small screen with a TV series being produced by HBO Asia.
Anwar, who has had a number of critical successes with films such as as “Janji Joni” (Joni’s Promise) and “Pintu Terlarang” (The Forbidden Door), will be directing all eight episodes of “Halfworlds,” a dark fantasy thriller that takes places in a version of modern-day Jakarta that is populated by supernatural creatures.
The official synopsis from HBO describes “Halfworlds” as a “fantastical tale of love, redemption and betrayal…about a young street artist who uncovers her true origins when she finds herself unwittingly caught in a battle between humans and demons.”
Definitely sounds intriguing, as well as being a good fit for Anwar’s directorial sensibilities. The 39-year-old filmmaker also scripted series along with writer Collin Chang.
Shooting on the series begins this week. The cast contains a number of well-known Indonesian actors including Arifin Putra (The Raid 2; Macabre), Reza Rahadian (Habibie & Ainun), Aimee Saras (Musical Onrop), Alex Abbad (The Raid 2) and Ario Bayu (Soekarno; HBO Asia’s Serangoon Road). Model and actress Salvita Decorte plays the lead in what should be a breakout role.
No word yet on a release date but we’re super excited to see what Anwar can do with an HBO TV series.
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