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Netflix's newest original series is a dystopian thriller in Brazil

Netflix's newest original series is a dystopian thriller in Brazil

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In the future, only 3 percent of us understand the meaning of luxury

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Boutique Filmes

Netflix has ordered a new original series called 3%, a bleak, discomfiting look at a future where the great majority of people will never have a taste of the good life. Produced by Brazilian studio Boutique Filmes and directed by Cesar Charlone (City of God), the series will become the streaming service's first piece of original programming produced entirely in Brazil. The idea for 3% has been kicking around for a while: a pilot was posted to YouTube in three parts back in 2011, albeit with a different director behind the camera. In the show's world, everyone is given one chance to vault themselves from extreme civil disarray into decadence — but only 3 percent of applicants manage to succeed. The series is set to film in early 2016, and it'll premiere on Netflix later that year.

3% may be Netflix's first entirely Brazilian series, but it's not the first time the company has leveraged its global presence for programming purposes. Spanish-language comedy Club de Cuervos, set for release this Friday, was shot and produced in Mexico, French drama Marseille is scheduled for release sometime this year, and incoming drama Narcos is the product of a collaboration between American producers and a Latin director and cast. By greenlighting and developing these shows, Netflix is augmenting its ongoing international expansion.