It is DStv’s biggest 2020 production and M-Net’s very first telenovela
Legacy is big in every way. Big cast, big set, big crew, big storyline - and big impact on the South African entertainment industry. DStv is deeply committed to impacting the lives of South Africans and Legacy is offering employment - directly and indirectly. With the show commissioned for more than 200 episodes and with the option to renew after that, Legacy will have a strong economic impact.
Created by an Emmy-nominated, multi-award-winning TV duo
Legacy has been long in the making. The award-winning production company, Tshedza Pictures, has been working on refining the storyline since 2018. It is written by Gwydion Beynon and Phathu Makwarela, whose other telenovela, The River, became the first and only South African telenovela nominated for an International Emmy Award.
Directed by Still Breathing’s co-creator and director Johnny Barbuzano
Barbuzano is a SAFTA award-winning director. His repertoire includes Izoso Connexion (2006), The River (2018) and Sober Companion (2016) and most recently M-Net’s local drama Still Breathing (2020).
The story mirrors our lived reality in SA today
The telenovela is relatable because it examines what it is like to be a South African in 2020, when the country feels so divided. Makwarela says, “Legacy is a show about a multi-cultural and multi-racial family at war with each other. It explores the family’s legacy and looks at how South Africa’s legacy is mirrored through this family. This show has been inspired by our love for television and our love for this country. Where do I belong in this rapidly changing society. What is my voice? What can I do? What can’t I do? That’s the deal.”
Everything is amazing to look at
“The story is highly relatable, but we sugar coat it with beautiful sets, beautiful actors, camp melodrama, love affairs and scheming. Legacy is a story of opulence and the cars, mansions, clothes and sets make it compelling viewing,” says Makwarela.
The cast is packed full of legends
Legacy boasts a stellar cast of TV, cinema and theatre legends like Dawid Minaar, Deon Lotz and Siyabonga Thwala (known for his sterling performance in the critically acclaimed Woza Albert play). Add to this the iconic Michelle Botes (Cherel de Villiers from Isidingo) and Mary-Anne Barlow (aka Egoli’s super-villain Coreen Edwards), and it is a recipe for highly compelling viewing.
And amazing hot new talent
For the younger market, newcomer Anton David Jeftha, may be one to the best things to happen to them this year - and he is joined by powerhouse female actress Kgomotoso Christopher who is best known for her role as Katlego Sibeko in Isidingo as well as Trackers star Trix Vivier.
The storyline is EVERYTHING a soap opera needs to be
Legacy is set in the dazzling, fast-lane world of investment billionaires. The locus of conflict and breeding grounds for startling storylines is an upmarket business empire that was established by Sebastian Price, the patriarch of the super-wealthy Price family, decades ago, when he was in his early twenties. Now he is a silver fox approaching retirement and it is clear that a family member will soon have to take over the reins. But who will it be? And, at what cost? Sebastian's bitter ex-wife and ruthless first-born daughter will do whatever it takes to ensure that Sebastian's second wife, Dineo, does not push her playboy son into the position of CEO. Of course, the power struggle turns nasty to become a witches' brew of betrayal, secrets, lies and revenge.
Legacy will hit screens on Monday, 21 September on DStv Channel 101 (M-Net) at 19:00.
