Netflix aims to once again find success with a period piece drama that they saw with the likes of Bridgerton as the streaming service has ordered a brand-new series from Kathleen Jordan, the creator of Teenage Bounty Hunters and produced by Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan. This brand-new series is known as The Decameron and is a period drama set in the 14th century.
The series' announcement comes from Deadline, who also provides insight into what the series will be about. The eight-episode series will be based on The Decameron by 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, which is a collection of short stories that range from witty to tragic. The series takes place during the time that the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic in history, descended upon Florence in 1348. In an attempt to wait out the deadly plague, several Florentine nobles along with their servants retreat to a grand villa in the Tuscany countryside. What begins as a sex and wine-fueled holiday away from the horrors of the world slowly degrades into a mad scramble for survival as the social rules of the villa begin to fall apart.
Jordan will serve as the creator and showrunner of the series. She clarified that while the setting and name were inspired by Boccaccio's work, the vision she has for the series will be wholly original. “I’m absolutely thrilled that I get to work with Jenji, Tara, Blake, and Netflix again,” Jordan said. “I can’t wait for people to meet this ridiculous group of characters. I’m sure Giovanni Boccaccio would be… confused?” Boccaccio's work has been the source of influence for many pieces of literature in the centuries since its release, with there even being a 1971 film from Pier Paolo Pasolini also called The Decameron.
Along with being the showrunner, Jordan will also serve as an executive producer alongside Kohan as well as Blake McCormick and Tara Herrmann for Tilted Productions. Deadline also confirmed that Mike Uppendahl (Ratched, American Crime Story) will serve as director on the project and that the series is expected to film in Italy. “Kathleen Jordan is the real freakin’ deal,” Kohan said. “I am so excited and grateful that I get to work with her and we get to make this awesome, funny, timely, weird show together for Netflix.”
There is currently no word on when The Decameron will release or when it will begin production.