Disney+’s Angela Jain Unveils Duffy Documentary & ‘Murder On Lake Garda’
Angela Jain, who took charge of content at Disney+ EMEA last June, told delegates she will increase investment in regional originals. She made the announcement at Series Mania in Lille, Northern France. The message to writers and producers was clear: expect more greenlights and bigger budgets.
Strategy shift and commissioning priorities
Jain said Disney+ will keep a careful commissioning process. However, she added the service needs to spend more to scale up local output.
She plans to rebalance scripted and unscripted content across Europe. Her background includes major unscripted franchises such as Love Island.
Unscripted growth and faster returns
Jain emphasised the value of unscripted formats. Reality, observational documentaries and factual entertainment can return faster and be commissioned in greater volume.
That does not mean a cut to drama. Instead, Disney+ intends to increase frequency of local originals so subscribers see more home-grown titles more often.
New titles unveiled at Series Mania
- ‘Murder On Lake Garda’ — An Italian Hulu original adapted from Tom Hindle’s Sunday Times bestseller. Produced by Fremantle label The Apartment, the thriller centres on a wealthy family’s private island wedding where a body is discovered.
- Duffy documentary — Disney+’s Angela Jain introduced a documentary about singer Duffy. Rare TV and Stellify Media are producing a film that traces her decade-long disappearance and her 2020 revelation of abduction and abuse.
- Abandoned — A Spanish documentary series from Luminol Media about three children found at a city train station. The series follows their search for answers forty years later.
- The Strange Story of Gustav Maier — A Turkish eight-episode comedy-drama produced by MGX. Written by Giray Altınok and directed by Umut Aral, it tells the tale of a 350-year-old virgin vampire and a normal woman.
Local success and global ambition
Jain noted Disney+ has enjoyed regional hits such as Bref 2 in France and Rivals in the UK. She said those shows prove local originals can drive cultural impact inside their markets.
She added that while some series may travel internationally, the primary test of success is local performance and talkability.
Autonomy and partnerships
Jain said she works closely with U.S. colleagues but holds final greenlight authority for EMEA programming. She warned against being overly prescriptive and described commissioning as part art and part science.
Disney+ is also exploring collaborations with free-to-air broadcasters. Existing partnerships include ITV in the UK, ZDF Studios in Germany and Atresmedia in Spain.
The Series Mania panel was moderated by Filmogaz.com. Jain framed the expansion as an opportunity for European creators to make more ambitious work that complements Disney+’s global slate.
