'Ottoman Rising' Limited Series Lands at Netflix

[Ulquiorra]

Netflix has ordered Ottoman Rising, a six-episode limited series that will chronicle the 15th century reign of Ottoman ruler Mehmed II.

The project from STXtv and Karga Seven Pictures will use a blend of scripted and documentary elements to tell the story of Mehmed II, aka Mehmed the Conqueror. Born in 1432, Mehmed was first installed as Sultan in 1444 and had a 30-year reign from 1451-81 that included the conquest of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Sarah Wetherbee, Kelly McPherson and Emre Sahin will executive produce the series for Karga Seven, a Red Arrow Studios company. STX has retained first-run distribution rights in China and Turkey, with Netflix in charge of the rest of the global launch.

The series in some ways harkens back to Netflix's early playbook. One of the streaming giant's first wave of originals — and one that signaled the company's global ambitions — was Marco Polo, which chronicled the famed explorer's time at the court of Kublai Khan. Whereas that show centered on a European character, however, Ottoman Rising will focus on a Muslim ruler from present-day Turkey. 

Karga Seven's productions include the forthcoming Netflix docuseries Shot in the Dark, History's Hunting Hitler and Travel Channel's Booze Traveler.