The trailer for "Invisible", the eight-part television adaptation of Deon Meyer’s "Blood Safari", has arrived ahead of its M-Net premiere in October, offering the first look at how a South African thriller that began as an Afrikaans novel nearly two decades ago has been brought to the screen.
From "Onsigbaar" to "Invisible"
The journey began in 2007, when Meyer’s "Onsigbaar" was published in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau.
The novel won the 2008 ATKV Prize for Best Suspense Novel. Its German translation, "Weißer Schatten", later placed third in the 2009 Deutscher Krimi Preis. The English edition, "Blood Safari", followed in 2009.
Meyer’s official website lists "Blood Safari" as having been published in English, German, French and Dutch, giving the story a readership beyond its original Afrikaans publication.
The novel follows professional bodyguard Martin Lemmer, who is hired to protect Emma le Roux after her safety is threatened. He also becomes involved in her search for her brother, who disappeared years earlier but may still be alive.
The television adaptation has developed that story into "Invisible". The series is created by Meyer and William Josef Schneider, with Schneider taking the lead in writing the television adaptation. Amy Jephta also contributed to the writing, while Jozua Malherbe directs.
International cast leads M-Net adaptation
The series stars Australian actress Abbie Cornish, known for films including "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", and Scottish actor Dougray Scott, whose screen credits include "Enigma" and the television crime drama "Crime".
But the local talent holding its own alongside the international names is worth celebrating. Tim Theron, known for work including "Trackers" and "Heart of the Hunter", brings both acting and producing experience to the project, while Tumisho Masha has built a substantial television and film career, including "Isibaya" and "Silverton Siege".
Frank Rautenbach, Kim Engelbrecht, Chi Mhende and Siv Ngesi add their own considerable experience, with credits spanning productions including "The Bang Bang Club", "Reyka", "Queen Sono", "The Woman King" and "Unseen".
Together, they give "Invisible" a cast with the range and familiarity to make its South African setting feel authentic rather than simply scenic.
The television story follows Emma, a South African expat who returns home while searching for answers about her missing brother, and former bodyguard Martin Dekker. Their investigation intersects with that of SAPS investigator Colonel Jack Phatudi, who is pursuing a network connected to poaching and corruption.
For the television adaptation, Lemmer has become Martin Dekker, played by South African actor Theron. Theron himself described Dekker as “Martin Lemmer in the book” when the series was previewed at the Silwerskerm Festival.
The series is also inspired by true events, including the mysterious 1986 plane crash that killed former Mozambican president Samora Machel. The production does not present the event as a factual retelling but draws on it as part of its wider story.
"Invisible" was announced on 14 October 2025, with Meyer saying at the time that the team had spent two years putting the production together. He is also an executive producer on the series.
Now, with the trailer released, viewers can see the Lowveld landscape, the cast and the action-thriller world that has grown out of a novel first published as "Onsigbaar" in 2007.
When to watch
"Invisible" premieres on M-Net on Wednesday, October 14 at 8pm and will air weekly. Episodes will also be available on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
For Meyer, the transformation represents a considerable journey for a story that began on the page.
"It's a strange and wonderful thing to see a story you wrote alone at a desk turned into something this big. The trailer captures the tension and the landscape beautifully. I can't wait for South Africa, and the world, to see the rest."
From an award-winning Afrikaans novel to an English edition that helped take Meyer’s work to international readers, and now an eight-part television series with an international cast and ITV Studios behind its global distribution, "Invisible" marks the latest chapter in a story that began on the page almost 20 years ago.