Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold and Corey Stoll as Graham Patterson in Transatlantic, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Expanding its library of international content, Netflix has signed a multi-year creative partnership with Anna Winger, author and the creator of Netflix’s Unorthodox. Transatlantic is the first major project from her production company Airlift Productions, which will arrive on Netflix globally in April 2023. Here’s what you need to know.
Transatlantic was first announced in September 2021, and this preview has and will be updated over time to reflect new information.
Based in Berlin, Airlift works with writers worldwide on projects set in Europe, Africa, and the UK. Winger will also work with Netflix’s Grow Creative initiative to help foster the next generation of talent in Europe.
“Berlin is a crossroads for international artists. As an American living and working here, far from Hollywood, my work is deeply rooted in local conversations. I founded Airlift as an umbrella for resulting collaborations and am thrilled that Netflix provides us with such a direct connection to the global audience. This partnership is an opportunity to build on our Unorthodox experience, bringing ambitious projects to life.”
Rachel Eggebeen, Netflix’s Director of Original Series:
“We are very excited about our new partnership with Anna. Having witnessed her magic whilst collaborating on Unorthodox, we’re already aware of her unique talent for turning stories into thrilling global hits. The combination of Anna’s creative vision and our ambitions for our growing European drama offering align perfectly. We’re looking forward to working with Anna and the team at Airlift Productions to bring their series to our members in Germany and around the world.”
What’s the plot of Transatlantic?
Netflix’s Transatlantic is inspired by the true adventures of the Emergency Rescue Committee and Julie Orringer’s 2019 novel, The Flight Portfolio. Here is the synopsis of the novel:
In 1940, Varian Fry traveled to Marseille carrying three thousand dollars and a list of imperiled artists and writers he hoped to help escape within a few weeks. Instead, he stayed more than a year, working to procure false documents, amass emergency funds, and arrange journeys across Spain and Portugal, where the refugees would embark for safer ports. His many clients included Hannah Arendt, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, and Marc Chagall, and the race against time to save them is a tale of forbidden love, high-stakes adventure, and unimaginable courage.
Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschmann and Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry in Transatlantic, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold, Ralph Amoussou as Paul Diallo, Deleila Piasko as Lisa Fittko, Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschmann, Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry in Transatlantic, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschmann, Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry and Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold in Transatlantic, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Lucas Englander as Albert Hirschmann and Gillian Jacobs as Mary Jayne Gold in Transatlantic, Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Who is cast in Transatlantic?
In March 2022, Netflix unveiled the main headline cast members for Transatlantic.
- Gillian Jacobs (pictured top left) is known for Community and Netflix’s Love and will play an American heiress based on the character Mary Jayne Gold.
- Cory Michael Smith (pictured top middle), known for Gotham and Utopia, will play Oscar a Harvard-educated American journalist based on the character Varian Fry.
- Deleila Piasko (pictured top right) is a German actress known for Boys Are U playing a yet-to-be-announced role.
- Corey Stoll (pictured bottom left) is best known for his roles on Netflix’s House of Cards and Billions and will be playing Patterson the American Consul in Marseille who sees the refugees as an existential threat to American values.
- Grégory Montel (pictured bottom middle) a French actor is best known for his roles on Netflix’s Call My Agent! and Barking Dogs. His role has yet to be unveiled.
- Ralph Amoussou (pictured bottom right) is a French actor best known for appearing in Netflix’s French series Marianne. His role has yet to be unveiled.
- Amit Rahav (not pictured) is an Israeli actor who appeared in Winger’s previous series Unorthodox.
What’s the production status of Transatlantic?
The series began filming in March 2022, with Netflix announcing that production was underway on March 14th, 2022. Filming lasted for several months before ending on November 20th, 2022.
Filming took place in Marseille, France.
What’s the Netflix release date for Transatlantic?
Netflix confirmed a 2023 release date when the project was first announced, but since then, we’ve now got the official release date for Transatlantic on Netflix.
Transatlantic will debut on Netflix globally on April 7th, 2023.
The series consists of 7 episodes.
Are you looking forward to this new period drama coming to Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
