Produced by Johannesburg-based film and television studio Motion Story, and written and co-directed by international novelist Gareth Crocker, Jongo is being dubbed the world’s first African superhero television series.
The eight-part first season which was shot mostly in Johannesburg centres around Eli King (Pacou Mutombo) who acquires supernatural abilities after discovering an alien crystal in a cave at the Cradle of Humankind. As Eli tries to deal with the death of his father, he sets out to find the men responsible, indelibly altering the course he is on. What Eli is not aware of is that the men he is hunting have their own crystals and are after his stone to fulfil an ancient, devastating prophecy that will threaten the lives of millions.
Katlego Baaitse plays Eli’s best friend Kay; Pauline Zwane plays his girlfriend Maya; and Luthuli Dlamini plays Noah, the head of an agency that protects the planet from alien activity.
Writer and director of Jongo, Gareth Crocker, said: “We knew from the outset that we wanted to do something quite different from the other shows currently on air in this genre. We wanted to ensure authenticity – to produce something that people can connect with. In casting, we specifically sought out people who are closely aligned to the characters we’ve written.’ The series is executive produced by Chris Lawrance, and produced by Phillip Wolmarans. Fred Wolmarans co-directed along with Gareth Crocker.
Benedikt Sebastian is a well-known actor who has recently appeared in the feature film Blood and Glory (Modder en Bloed); Aladdin, a children’s television series for BBC; and formed part of the star-studded cast for Hennie van Greunen’s theatre production Pa which is an adaptation of French playwright, Florian Zeller’s award-winning play Le Pere.
Sebastian’s character in Jongo, Mr Stone, is a police detective and bomb expert gone rogue who takes care of the dirty work, but has his own agenda brewing. On preparing for the role, Sebastian said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to play a villainous character – an actor’s dream. It gives you the chance to explore and challenge yourself. I was very privileged to be selected and form part of this talented cast.’
