Netflix announced on July 24, 2026 that it is adapting Happy Old Year, known in Portuguese as Feliz Ano Velho, into a series. The announcement was made at the 24th edition of Flip, the Paraty International Literary Festival, with Amaia and O2 Filmes producing.
Filming has not started, and there is no release date
This is the detail that sets expectations, and Netflix states it plainly: filming has not yet begun and no release date has been announced. The announcement is a commitment to the project rather than a scheduling item, so casting, production timeline and platform availability all remain open. Readers looking for a date will not find one here.
What the source book is
Marcelo Rubens Paiva published the autobiography in 1982. It centres on the accident that left him quadriplegic at the age of 20, written in a confessional tone and colloquial language, and delivers what Netflix describes as a surprisingly ironic account of that turning point. The book is regarded as a foundational text of late 20th-century Brazilian literature, and Netflix credits it with breaking stereotypes around disability while working through themes of youth and coming of age.
It has been adapted repeatedly before. Paiva notes the work has already become a play, a musical and an opera, making a streaming series the latest in a long line rather than a first translation to another medium.
Who is making it
Haná Vaisman, Netflix's director of series in Brazil, framed the appeal as a personal account that reaches a universal subject, and said the aim is to move readers who already know the story while drawing in new audiences. Producers Diane Maia of Amaia and Andrea Barata Ribeiro of O2 Filmes described the adaptation as engaging with Paiva's own journey and the decision to turn personal experience into literature. Amaia was founded in 2021.
What has not been announced
Beyond the absent start date, Netflix has not named a director, writer or any cast, has not given an episode count, and has not said whether the series will be in Portuguese only or carry wider localisation. The descriptions of the book's significance are drawn from the announcement itself. NexusGG has not seen any material from the production.
