ALBAWABA - Samer Ismail and Valerie Abou Chacra begin filming Endless Love remake.
Syrian actor Samer Ismail has announced the beginning of filming in Istanbul for the Arabic version of the hit Turkish series "Endless Love" (Kara Sevda), promising audiences a unique and inventive production.
The 90-episode series will star Samer Ismail and Valerie Abou Chacra, a duo predicted to gain a lot of attention.
The Arabic adaptation of Turkish plays is currently enjoying a spike in development, with an increasing number of projects based on popular Turkish series. Following the start of preparations for the Arabic versions of "The Ambassador's Daughter" and "You Knock on My Door" in Turkey, work has officially commenced on the Arabic adaptation of the popular Turkish series "Endless Love."
In addition to Ismail and Abou Chacra, the series will include actress Ward El Khal, who returns to the screen after a nearly two-year sabbatical. The actress's fans have warmly welcomed this announcement, especially since she has consistently voiced her astonishment at being absent from artistic pursuits.
Ward El Khal is regarded as one of the most notable Lebanese actresses, having had a successful creative career since the 1990s. She has been in several notable Lebanese series, including "The Storm Blows Twice" and "Women in the Storm," culminating with the 2023 series "For Death."
What's interesting is that Ward El Khal's reappearance will not be through Lebanese drama or the 2026 Ramadan season, but rather through a dubbed series created by MBC, which has been quite active in making Arabic adaptations of Turkish series.
This decision is part of MBC's growth of its dubbed programs, after it halted the airing of Turkish series in 2019 due to political sensitivities. It then resumed broadcasting and decided to increase its dramatic presence by making Arabic translations of Turkish masterpieces in Istanbul.
The network renewed its contracts for dubbed drama productions for another five years, airing Arabic versions of the most popular Turkish series, allowing a number of Lebanese and Syrian performers to return to the screen. Three dubbed Turkish series are now filming in Turkey: "Sen Çal Kapımı" (You Knock on My Door), "Sefirin Kızı" (The Ambassador's Daughter), and "Kara Sevda" (Endless Love). "Kara Sevda" is regarded as one of the most prominent Turkish series of the previous decade, having achieved enormous success and high audience numbers globally since its debut in Turkey in 2015. The series, starring Burak Özçivit, Neslihan Atagül, and Ebru Urgancıoğlu, explores a complex love tale.
The series is divided into two seasons: the first, which aired 35 episodes, ended in June 2016, and the second season began in September of the same year to continue the enthralling love tale.
The story follows Kemal, an ambitious young engineer from a modest family, who falls in love with Nihan, a beautiful girl from an affluent family. This innocent love contrasts with the harsh reality of social life and the two families' class divisions. Nihan is compelled to marry Emir, a wealthy businessman who keeps many secrets.
As fates intersect between the past and present, the love tale takes a dramatic turn, evolving into a series of conflicts laced with mystery, destiny, and revenge.
The drama in "Blind Love" is more than just a romance story; it deftly explores problems of class, power, and social justice, presenting serious questions about the meaning of sacrifice and love in the face of money and influence, which resonates well with Arab audiences.
The Arabic version of "Blind Love" stars Lebanese and Syrian actors Samer Ismail, Yamen Hajjali, Abdel Hakim Qutaifan, Valerie Abou Chacra, and Ward El Khal. The film will be shot in Turkey over several months and will be shown on television and the "Shahid" app in 2026.
