Deutschland ’86 Star Anke Engelke To Front Netflix Comedy Drama ‘The Last Word’

Deutschland ’86 star Anke Engelke is to lead a German Netflix original as a funeral eulogy speaker who sabotages her own husband’s funeral.

The SVOD service has ordered The Last Word, a six-part series from Pantaleon Films, which produces Amazon’s You Are Wanted. It will be showrun by Aron Lehmann and Carlos V. Irmscher, who wrote the series with Nora Valo and Carolina Zimmermann based on an idea from Thorsten Merten.

Engelke plays a funeral eulogy speaker who loses both faith in her work and control over her family. When she realises that she can’t let go, she starts to sabotage her husband’s funeral – until she finds the right words.

Engelke said, “I am very much looking forward to The Last Word and this work and journey with Netflix, Pantaleon, the wonderful director Aron Lehmann, the fantastic screenplay and amazing colleagues. Just like in real life, drama and humour are clashing constantly. Family and relationships, loss and grief, life and death, the absurdities of life, the rediscovery of strength and lust for life, it is all in there – so beautiful it makes you cry.”

Rachel Eggebeen, Director, Netflix Originals, added, “Together with the wonderful showrunner and director Aron Lehmann and his project The last word we have the chance to shed new light on Anke Engelke’s versatility as an actress and present this German megastar to a global audience.”