Netflix takes hostage series Captive

Global streamer Netflix has commissioned an eight-episode series exploring delicate hostage situations around the world.

Simon and Jonathan Chinn’s prodco, Lightbox, and Doug Liman’s Hypnotic are coproducing Captive.

The producers have filmed everything from high-profile cases to those kept hidden from the public, looking at the views of the victims, their families, the experienced negotiators, business leaders, government officials and the kidnappers.

“Hostage taking is an issue that people are familiar with, but apart from those directly involved, nobody really knows much about,” said Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn in a statement.

“Each episode of Captive will reflect the tension that arises from the life and death stakes involved but also truly reveal the complexity inherent in every hostage crisis.”

Alex Marengo (The Bible) is showrunning, with Kathryn Taylor (America: The Story of Us) series producing. The Chinns, Liman, Dave Bartis, Gene Klein, Lisa Nishimura, Adam Del Deo and Jason Spingam-Koff executive producers.

Lightbox, which launched in 2014 and is part-owned by Channel 4 in the UK, is behind shows such as Xbox’s Atari: Game Over and The Thread and others for Esquire Network, VH1, ESPN and the BBC, where a factually-based drama miniseries is in development.

Simon Chinn (pictured) was behind James Marsh’s Man on Wire and Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching for Sugar Man, both of which won Academy Awards.

Liman, meanwhile, has directed movies such as Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Ultimatum.

Netflix has barged in on the factual space with the success of Making a Murderer, which was one of the biggest watercooler series of 2015.