One week after its release, “The Eternaut“ became the number one non-English language series on Netflix’s global Top 10 list. Netflix shared with Variety that the production put 41 billion pesos ($33 million), adjusted for inflation, into Argentina’s economy.
This big boost shows how valuable major international productions can be for local economies. Netflix explained that the total investment, the money spent directly on production and the extra business it created, counted towards Argentina’s GDP.
Between April 28 and May 4, the show got 10.8 million views worldwide and became the weekly Top 10 in 87 countries, including Brazil, France, India, the U.S., Italy, Mexico, Germany, and Spain. This proved Netflix was right to bet on Bruno Stagnaro’s version of the classic Argentine comic strip by Héctor G. Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López.
Advertisement The six-episode sci-fi series, written by Stagnaro and Ariel Staltari, with Martín M. Oesterheld as creative consultant, was produced by Hugo Sigman, Matías Mosteirin, Leticia Cristi, and Diego Copello at K&S Films in Argentina.
The size of “The Eternaut” is like nothing seen before in Argentina. It is one of Latin America’s most ambitious productions, similar to Brazil’s “Senna” and Colombia’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” It has created a lot of excitement across Buenos Aires, with people talking about it and already hoping for Season 2.
The story follows a group of struggling characters after a strange summer snowfall turns Buenos Aires into an empty city, killing most of the people. The survivors, dealing with anger, grief, and confusion, band together to fight an unknown enemy.
The cast includes Ricardo Darín (“The Secret In Their Eyes”), Ariel Staltari (“El Puntero”), Carla Peterson (“Lalola”), César Troncoso (“Yosi, the Regretful Spy”), Marcelo Subiotto (“Puan”), Andrea Pietra (“Socias”), Claudio Martínez Bel (“El agrónomo”), Orianna Cárdenas, and Mora Fisz.
This is the first time the comic has been adapted for the screen. Work on the project started in 2019, with two years spent developing and writing the script, four and a half months of preparation, 148 days of filming in Buenos Aires, and more than one and a half years of post-production.
The series filmed in 50 locations in Buenos Aires, had 25 artists create 35 virtual sets, and involved 2,900 people as actors, extras, and stunt performers, supported by a crew of over 400. This massive effort highlighted Argentina’s talent and showed that the country is ready to host big international productions.
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“The Eternaut” created hundreds of local jobs, helped many local businesses, and became the first production in the region to mix real locations and virtual sets on such a large scale.
Using photogrammetry and 3D scanning with drones and cameras, the team captured the streets, trains, buildings, and landscapes of Buenos Aires very accurately. They stayed true to the comic’s spirit, making small real-time changes during filming to keep the story authentic and powerful, while also giving it a fresh, live-action energy.
Source: Variety