Chilean production banner Fabula, the Oscar-winning company behind A Fantastic Woman and Jackie, has started filming its first scripted series in Spain: Un perfecto extraño, a four-part thriller for Disney+.
Produced as a Spanish Hulu original for Disney+, the project is shooting in Jaén. Manuel Martín Cuenca, credited with Caníbal and El autor, is making his television drama debut as director and wrote the show with Lola Mayo. The cast is led by Patricia López Arnaiz, Lola Dueñas and Alberto San Juan, with Blanca Soroa, Agustín Domínguez and Fidel González also appearing.
The story and the strategy
The plot follows Juan, a 17-year-old who returns after being missing for five years and offers no explanation for his absence. His reappearance destabilises the family, raises questions about his identity and draws a police inspector into reconstructing the disappearance.
For Fabula, the production is another step in an international expansion that already includes a Madrid office led by Álvaro Cabello and plans for a Buenos Aires base. The company has also built Spanish development ties through Brutal Media and Alea Media.
Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín said: “We are interested in telling deeply human stories that allow us to explore how a family copes with the loss of a child. Un perfecto extraño is one of them.”
Why the number matters
Disney+ says it has supported more than 17 original series in Spain. Adding a Larraín banner to that slate is a signal that the streamer is pairing local-language volume with production brands that carry international awards pedigree.
Sofía Fábregas, VP of original production at Disney+ Spain, said the company was pleased to support Fabula as it enters the Spanish market, describing its storytelling as having “connected with audiences around the world.”
For Disney+, the move is consistent with a local originals strategy that leans on recognisable directors and actors. A four-part thriller is also a format choice: limited series can be programmed as premium subscriber acquisition titles, easier to market around a single premise than an open-ended returning drama.
The expansion matters beyond Spain, too. Fabula’s credits include El presidente, La jauría and Baby Bandito, which already sit on global platforms. A Madrid office, Spanish development partnerships, and now a Disney+ commission make the company a cross-border Latin American-European supplier, a category buyers are watching closely.
What to watch
- Spain is becoming a bigger premium Spanish-language thriller export hub; Fabula joining Disney+ raises the competitive bar for local producers.
- For production houses, this is a partnership-led entry model: align with a platform and local development partners before the first shoot.
- For media planners, Disney+ Spain’s 17-plus original slate suggests local inventory is expanding, not just library licensing.
The project won’t prove its audience overnight, but Fabula’s Spanish debut explains why global streamers are still spending on prestige local originals even as their programming budgets come under scrutiny.
Source: C21media
