DARK RISING

SDFilms

Dark Rising is a 60-min fantasy-drama episodic currently in development for premium SVOD platforms

Created by Souvid Datta, the proof-of-concept - featured in the first-look trailer above - was filmed on a micro-budget with street-casting on location in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.

Since then, the narrative has widened following emerging international super-humans as they struggle to find their place in our present-day world – one that has grown increasingly reactionary in their wake.

A diverse, original superhero TV
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Season one pits competing protagonists against an elusive and Machiavellian human foe, anchoring us to a core good-versus-evil conflict that exists within the current superhero Zeitgeist and successful dramatic traditions.

As with the best of television though, Dark Rising aims to be far more. By pushing the genre into more nuanced and grittier territory, the show delves into timely, yet universal themes of collective identity and discrimination, political ambition and personal redemption.

The show’s protagonists are dark and rich characters with traumatic pasts – notably closer to villains than traditional heroes. We follow as they are forced to rediscover and rebuild morality in a world where they could so easily rule supreme.

Evolving the superhero genre

Recall the point when Game of Thrones dared to be more than an epic fantasy saga and rather an unflinching thematic and visual exposition on power. Consider how Sense 8 and Heroes shone brightest by evolving past sci-fi structures to explore deeper pursuits of purpose, identity and family. 

So too, Dark Rising should not be judged as yet another populist Marvel or DC iteration - despite being aimed at the vast genre following. Rather, a hyper-realist tone, a global scope and a cinematic vision will set it apart, with the grand ambition of provoking debate on human virtue itself.

By evolving beyond the superhero caricatures often found in Network television staples, and by always setting narratives within a backdrop of contemporary global issues, Dark Rising aims to be television’s most authentic superhero show.

Without sacrifice to pace or tension, it will offer widely representative, fully-formed characters, and nuanced moral conflicts, pushing for a modernisation of the genre. The ultimate aim is to create a genuine superhero narrative worthy of our changing times and today’s discerning fans, who above all yearn for depth and authenticity.

Dark Rising's world will be wild and cruel but remains allegorical and hopeful – inviting a new look at what it means to be human.

Comic Con London unveiling

On May 2018, Dark Rising  was exclusively unveiled as a new superhero series in development at Centre Stage for MCM Comic Con at the London's ExCeL.

With an overwhelming, positive response and raving crowds, the panel event marked the launch of the fan site and the first teaser trailer.

Over three thousand fans across 14 countries signed up to a temporarily site to follow the series development and unlock exclusive content at darkrising.tv