If Only it was to be a drama series filmed in Turkey until the government of that country banned its recording. Netflix had relied on Turkish screenwriter Ece Yörenç to develop the story. However, the incorporation of a gay character led to local censorship of the production. Since last year, the company canceled the filming because it did not want to do without this character.
Little more was known about the project until now, when the company has resumed production and filming work in Spain. Although Netflix will not be able to develop the original story related to Turkey, the production company has given a twist to continue with its story. To do this, he made different changes, from the actors to the name of the project, with the aim of presenting it as a global series rather than a local product.
The countries selected to continue with the project are Spain and France, in the cities of Madrid, Seville and Paris. The cast will also have a greater participation of Spanish actors without losing the initial essence, based on a cast with Turkish actors. To this change of location and cast is also added that of the name. The series that would be called If Only will now be called If i had known.
If Only: from censorship to a slight twist
If Only, hereinafter If I had known It can be understood as a political bet by Netflix, according to the trend of changes that run in different societies. Irma Correa, the screenwriter who works together with Ece Yörenç for the Spanish adaptation, offered some ideas in this regard.
He did so in statements given to Bloomberg, a medium to which he explained: “We are not telling a Spanish or Turkish story, but a universal one.” To this comment he added: “We have worked to reflect what we see as an open and plural society, in which everyone will feel represented”.
The synopsis of If i had known revolves around Emma, a thirty-year-old woman who wishes to explore new possibilities, after the exhaustion of a ten-year marriage. What happen? Through a supernatural event, Emma could travel through time and occupy the position of a younger woman and, thus, make a kind of redemption of herself, exploring other forms of life.
According to information collected by Bloomberg, the Government of Turkey does not plan to take any action against the producer in light of the new adaptation. It is expected that If i had known be distributed in different parts of the world and, yes, within them, Turkey. If i had known will star Megan Montaner.