It’s a star-studded Marbella of the 1980s, and the glam Andalusian backdrop frames an opulent narrative that fuses suspense, betrayal and slow-simmering vengeance in the Atresmedia original series “Eva & Nicole,” teased by its producers – Spain’s Atresmedia TV (“Veneno”) alongside Good Mood (“Cristo y Rey”) – at the MipDrama showcase on April 7, a precursor to the broader MipTV international series market in Cannes, running April 8-10.
Handling global distribution, Atresmedia TV International Sales will attend MipTV.
One of only 10 international series selected by the MipDrama jury, the eight-episode affair is directed by David Molina, Antonio Hernández and Álvaro Vicario and structured around a fast-paced script written by Daniel Écija, Patricia Trueba, Andrés Martín Soto, Iñaki San Román, Paula López Cuervo and César Mendizábal.
The series opens with gusto at Nicole’s, the social club named after its owner who is framed from the back as she fiercely pulls open a red velvet curtain to reveal the luxe locale-music pumping, bodies clad in designer apparel litter the surroundings of an outside terrace. The camera follows her as she finds her way inside, people pack the dance floor and she snakes through the crowd, pausing only for brief pleasantries and an accolade until an eerily-familiar Eva saunters towards her, stopping her dead in her tracks.
Atresmedia director of fiction Montse García and Écija executive produce the project, which stars Goya-Winner Belén Rueda (“The Orphanage,” “The Sea Inside”) and Hiba Abouk (“El Príncipe”) as the titular characters, two high-society rivals gunning for the top nightclub slot while rehashing a decades-long grievance. The script forgoes narrowing in on men in power and instead breathes new life into the era by focusing on the mighty, feminine prowess of its leads.
“It’s time to offer stories with women as protagonists; strong, empowered women who can be both heroines and villains. The story of “Eva & Nicole” is inspired by real events and is different from anything we’ve seen so far in series about the nighttime entertainment business,” Garcia told Variety.
Entangled in a feud that would make Bette Davis and Joan Crawford blush, the pair trade wry and subtle jabs as Eva further encroaches on Nicole’s livelihood. As the scenes mount, characters on the periphery are gradually fleshed out and after an absorbing episode one, the plotline is left dangling from the highest cliff.
Eva & Nicole
Courtesy of Atresmedia
“Without a doubt, the personal conflicts that involve friendship and love are a good basis for powerful dramas like ‘Eva & Nicole,’” García admitted. “We’re sure that the series will be well received since it has three fundamental ingredients: Betrayal, revenge and passion; all wrapped in a universe of excess and luxury, attractive worlds with great visual power that captivate the audience.”
Action-packed, the scenes drive forward at an electric pace as each twisted revelation finds its way to the surface. Outside of 1980s Marbella, the two women are also seen in their youth as their sordid history together is presented via hazy flashbacks from their days in Paris, a decade earlier.
“Today’s viewer is increasingly demanding, has access to a greater variety of content and we need to maintain their attention throughout the entire season. For this reason, the rhythm is dynamic with no time for boredom and with great surprises,” García relates.
With no shortage of conflict to sift through, the story of “Eva & Nicole” seems it could unravel well into a second season, with material to hold those audiences captive long after its eight-episode debut run. García agrees, yet tempers any talk of future seasons, encouraging viewers to fully savor the episodes at hand first.
“Of course, when inspired by a true story, there are always many ways to extend the battle between these two great women. Still, let’s enjoy these eight episodes before talking about new seasons.”
Esmeralda Moya (“Sin Novedad”), Cristina Kovani (“Raqa”), Andrés Velencoso (“100 Metros”), Craig Stevenson (“The Machinist”), Oliver Ruano (“Dos Vidas”), Belinda Washington (“Valientes”), Sandra Cerver (“Intercanvi”), Ricardo Pereira (“Sunburn”), Samy Khalil (“El Cid”), Almar G. Sato (“Letters To Paul Morrissey”), Javi Coll (“Broken Embraces”) and Gonzalo de Castro (“Doctor Mateo”) round out the cast.
