Notizie

Netflix’s recent Nordic Noir series, The Are Murders, an adaptation of Viveca Sten’s thriller novels, revolves around two different cases of murder mystery set in the Swedish town of Are, and the investigating detective duo are the connecting factor between them. The first case, which concerns teenager Amanda Halvorsen’s murder, is inspired by “Hidden in Snow” and focuses on the disturbing real-world crisis of immigrant exploitation and human trafficking. On the other hand, the second one, the investigation into Johan Andersson’s murder, unearths deep-seated familial issues and relationship troubles as the reasons behind the act. A common factor in both these cases is the way they challenge the existing idealized image of community spirit and familial values, which allows the devious criminal elements to conceal themselves and beguile others. The cast and crew involved in the series emulated this factor very well through their performances, strengthening...

Based on the Västberga heist, a real-life smash-and-grab incident that is so thrilling that it seems to be taken straight from some blockbuster action flick, Netflix’s Swedish thriller series The Helicopter Heist focuses mostly on the characters involved and the transformation in their lives following the heist. At the same time, the series is an adaptation of Jonas Bonnier’s novel sharing the same title, and like the novel, it follows the real-life scenario pretty closely, especially the operation itself, while adding drama and tension by taking certain creative freedoms. While the characterization is nothing to write home about, it still manages to capture different shades of the lives of the people on both sides of the law, allowing viewers to form a perspective of their own. The ensemble cast, which consists of mostly Swedish actors, performed well according to the demands of the character-driven narrative.

Rami Farhan (Safa...

In one of the most exciting new ventures coming out of Scandinavia, the former Flx CEO Pontus Edgren, Breakable Films’ VP Eleonor Sager (Netflix’s “One More Time”), writer and best-selling novelist Ulf Kvensler have joined forces to deliver prime scripted content for streamers and cinemas, Variety has learned exclusively.

With storytelling at its core, Stockholm-based Ivy Prodco will develop and produce scripted series and films for the Nordic and global markets, tapping into the founding partners’ own materials and the best ideas and content from up-and-coming talents.

All three partners boast impressive track records in film and TV.

As CEO for Jarowskij (2009-2012) and then CEO/managing partner for Sf Studios’ banner Flx (2013-2023), Edgren has more than 40 productions to his credit, including the mega comedy hits “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared,” “Solsidan,” “The Bonus Family” and Netflix originals “Quicksand” and “Love & Anarchy.

Acorn TV has announced the titles that will be available on the AMC-owned streaming service in August 2024. The Acorn TV August 2024 slate adds to the service’s various acclaimed English and foreign-language dramas, engaging comedies, documentaries, and more.

The August schedule includes Under the Vines Season 3, new Signora Volpe Season 2 episodes, and The Sommerdahl Murders Season 5.

Signora Volpe Season 3 Acorn TV August 2024 Highlights

Under the Vines Season 3 (Acorn TV Original Series) – New Season Premieres on Monday, August 19

Former Sydney socialite Daisy Monroe (Rebecca Gibney) and ex-London lawyer Louis Oakley (Charles Edwards) continue to run a small vineyard in New Zealand while navigating their complicated love lives. Six months on from when we last saw them, Daisy and Louis are trying to oust William, the mysterious stranger who arrived at the end of season two claiming half of Oakley.

But it seems the annoying shanty-singer’s claim might be legitimate,...

Acorn TV has announced the titles that will be available on the AMC-owned streaming service in July 2024. The Acorn TV July 2024 slate adds to the service’s variety of acclaimed English and foreign-language dramas, engaging comedies, documentaries, and more.

The July schedule includes Signora Volpe Season 2, new episodes of My Life Is Murder Season 4, Candice Renoir Season 9, and more. The titles are available on the Acorn TV site and on Prime Video Channels, Apple TV, Roku, YouTube TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Xfinity, iOS, Android, Cox, and more.

Acorn TV July 2024 Highlights

Signora Volpe Season 2 (Acorn TV Original Series) – New Season Premieres on Monday, July 29, on Acorn TV and BBC America (10 p.m. Et on BBC America)

Former British spy Sylvia Fox has settled in the Umbrian countryside for a quiet life, reconnecting with her sister and restoring a beautiful house. But old habits die hard, and she’s...

Based on the book by Magnus Montelius, Swedish series “8 Months” seemed more like a fantasy than political thriller. Not for long.

“I read this book on vacation and I was intrigued by the idea that you could use a political consultant to find a new foreign minister. The only problem was that it was about NATO. I thought: ‘Nobody cares about that,’” writer Jens Jonsson tells Variety at Series Mania.

“I was skeptical, but we decided to take a gamble. Suddenly, we were pretending that Sweden joined NATO, that they were wondering if we should have nuclear weapons as well. [Broadcaster] TV4 agreed. After the show was greenlit, Ukraine was invaded by Russia and people started to ask: ‘Should we join?’ And look at us now.”

Sweden became a full member of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] ­on March 7, 2024. It now counts 32 countries among its members.

The producers have shared first-look photos with Variety.

“We...

A new episode of “Rebuilding Black Wall Street” is set to air on Friday, November 3, 2023, at 9:00 Pm on the OWN network. The show focuses on the ongoing efforts to reconstruct the historic Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was tragically destroyed during the 1921 massacre.

The episode, titled “The Restaurant,” delves into the revitalization of this significant area, shedding light on the progress made in rebuilding and preserving its rich history. Viewers will witness the transformation of the Greenwood District and how it is being brought back to life.

“Rebuilding Black Wall Street” offers a factual and straightforward look at the restoration of a community that holds deep historical significance. It’s an educational series that showcases the resilience and determination of the people involved in this important endeavor.

For those interested in the restoration of historic landmarks and the preservation of cultural heritage, this episode provides an informative and...

Exclusive: Snabba Cash author Jens Lapidus and star Alexander Abdallah are combining on a Viaplay TV adaptation of the former’s novel Paradis City.

Abdallah is leading alongside Julia Ragnarsson (End of Summer) and Lapidus, who penned the Stockholm Noir trilogy that includes Snabba Cash, is an exec producer on the six-parter.

Paradis City follows a Home Secretary who delivers a speech in a deprived area and is kidnapped by masked men. Security Service agent Fredrika (Ragnarsson) then turns to Emir (Abdallah), a former Mma fighter facing a life sentence in prison, with an ultimatum – go undercover in Paradis City and find the Home Secretary if you want to see your daughter again. Félice Jankell (The Playlist) and Lancelot Ncube (The Restaurant) co-star with more to be announced in due course.

The Snabba Cash TV adaptation was also penned by Lapidus and Oskar Söderlund and has been one of Netflix’s most popular Scandi titles,...

HBO Max is set to premiere in exclusivity “The Head” Season 2 in Spain on Dec. 22.

As a preview, on Nov. 1, HBO Max will release the first full season of “The Head,” which was originally bowed in Spain by Orange. The second season will be made available in a marathon format, HBO Max and The Mediapro Studio announced Thursday.

HBO Max has already released “The Head” Season 1 in the U.S. and Latin America.

The biggest hit to date from The Mediapro Studio, opening in over 90 territories worldwide, “The Head” Season 2 sees Season 1’s two survivors – renowned biologist Arthur Wilde (John Lynch), head of Polaris VI’s scientific mission, and Maggie (Katharine O’Donnelly), the station’s young doctor – now on board the Alexandria, a massive scientific freighter that houses a major laboratory, where Wilde, who has escaped from jail, carries out a crucial mission in the fight against climate change, to...

Click here to read the full article.

Netflix on Tuesday unveiled plans for new Swedish comedy film One More Time, directed by Student Academy Award winner Jonatan Etzler and starring Hedda Stiernstedt (Beforeigners, The Restaurant).

Miriam Ingrid (Beartown), Elinor Silfversparre Fahlén and Maxwell Cunningham are also part of the cast.

The news of the project comes a day after Warner Bros. Discovery said that its streaming service HBO Max would no longer produce originals in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Central Europe and Turkey.

Stiernstedt plays Amelia, 40, who is hit by a bus the night of her birthday and wakes up back in 2002, on her 18th birthday, “with the chance to relive her best day and make her life the perfect vision of what she’d intended it to be,” according to a plot description. “But when she starts to wake up again and again on this same day, she has...

Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio, one of Europe’s super-indies, is re-teaming with Hulu Japan to produce Season 2 of thriller “The Head,” the studio’s hit drama series whose Season 1 was broadcast in more than 90 countries.

The English-language shoot has got underway in Tenerife, in Spain’s The Canary Islands, helmed by Jorge Dorado, who directed Season 1.

“The Head” Season 2 boasts an extensive international cast led once again by John Lynch and Katharine O’Donnelly.

Joining them for Season 2, the series features Hovik Keuchkerian, Moe Dunford (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Josefin Nelden (“The Restaurant”) and Olivia Morris (“Hotel Portofino”).

Season 2’s newest additions in leading roles take in Enrique Arce, Nora Ríos and Tania Watson, Thierry Godard and the special collaboration of Japan’s Sota Fukushi (“Bleach”).

If Season 1 was set at a remote polar research station, the principal setting for “The Head” Season 2 will once again be an isolated and inaccessible location,...

The Mediapro Studio has unveiled first key cast for Season 2 of crime thriller “The Head,” one of its biggest international hits, with John Lynch and Katharine O’Donnelly reprising their lead roles as biologist Arthur Wilde and young doctor Maggie Mitchell.

They will be joined by the Spanish actor of Armenian-Lebanese origin Hovik Keuchkerian who shot to fame playing Moscow in “Money Heist,” as well as Ireland’s Moe Dunford (“Vikings”), Sweden’s Josefin Nelden (“The Restaurant”) and British thesp Olivia Morris (“Hotel Portofino”). More substantial name cast will be announced in upcoming weeks.

A huge global hit for The Mediapro Studio, the production-distribution arm of media giant Mediapro, “The Head” is heralded by the company as a model for high-end success: It clinched some 25 distribution deals and aired in 90 countries, allowed The Mediapro Studio to retain a large part of the IP and promised to become the basis for a franchise.

Amazon Prime Video’s epic The Lord of the Rings series won’t arrive until 2022. Thankfully, with its list of new releases for November 2021, Amazon has a pretty major fantasy adaptation to hold us over.

The Wheel of Time is set to premiere on Nov. 19 and will bring Robert Jordan’s massive fantasy universe to life. Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, a powerful magic-user who guides five young people on a perilous journey around the world. One of them just might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a powerful entity who could save the world…or destroy it.

Read more TV The Wheel of Time: Who Are the Aes Sedai? By Michael Ahr TV How The Wheel of Time Adapts a Sprawling Epic Fantasy By Michael Ahr

In addition to that bit of fantasy fun, Amazon Prime also has some other TV options this month. Lesbian dating show Tampa Baes (Nov.

Series

Banijay Nordic company Jarowskij has unveiled “A Class Apart,” a new eight-part drama series commissioned by Viaplay, which Banijay Rights will distribute internationally. Based on an original idea from Henrik Schyffert and Gustaf Skördeman, the series unspools within a secret society at on of Sweden’s top boarding schools. After a hazing ritual goes wrong and an alumni is found dead, a student from a nearby disadvantaged public school is accused of murder. The series was written by Michaela Hamilton (“Eagles”) and Erik Eger and stars Aliette Opheim (“Caliphate”) and Valter Skarsgård (“Lords of Chaos”). Eger, Andrea Östlund (“The Restaurant”) and David Berron direct. Jarowskij, Brommamamma, Viaplay, Film I Väst and Banijay Rights all co-produce.

Distribution

Abacus Media Rights has closed a series of sales for the CBC/HBO Max original comedy program “Sort Of” ahead of its premiere on CBC’s streaming services Gem and CBC TV in November and in the U.

“Remember, you have been trained for this,” says a veteran cop to the rookies sitting in the back of a van as they approach a post-soccer match brawl at a local park.

But in “Huss” nothing in her police academy lessons prepares Katarina Huss for her months as a trainee on the mean streets of Sweden’s Göteborg: Abduction, battery, corruption, betrayal, manslaughter and attempted murder. And that’s just within the police force itself.

Produced by Daniel Gylling (BBC’s “Wallander”), and written and directed by Jörgen Bergmark, “Huss” is the latest series from Yellow Bird Productions (“Millennium”). Co-written by Peter Lindblom, whose work includes Sweden’s “Wallander” series, and inspired by Helene Tursten’s best-selling novels, “Huss” is backed by Viaplay, Scandinavia’s biggest local SVOD player, Discovery, and Germany’s Zdf and Zdf Enterprises, Europe’s biggest TV co-producers.

Zdfe has acquired international rights and is now...

Exclusive: Evin Ahmad, who is set to star in Netflix’s Snabba Cash series, has signed with ICM Partners for representation in all areas.

Currently, Ahmad is set to star in the lead role of the new Swedish Netflix Original series Snabba Cash, from acclaimed screenwriter Oskar Söderlund and best-selling author Jens Lapidus, whose Stockholm Noir crime trilogy was adapted into the Snabba Cash or Easy Money feature film franchise starring Joel Kinnaman.

The trilogy, set in Stockholm’s underworld, has been adapted into more than 30 languages. Events in the series will take place ten years after the films, following Leya (Ahmad), a young single mom trying to make it within the startup scene who becomes entangled in the criminal world. The series bows tomorrow on the streamer.

Ahmad is a Swedish and Kurdish actress and writer, who in a short period of time has become one of Sweden’s most talented young actresses.

A daring character-driven crime drama about motherhood, “Snow Angels” is one of the highlights of this year’s Berlinale Series selection. Set in wintertime Stockholm, the gripping story follows three women — a mother, a policewoman and a child nurse — whose fates become intertwined following the disappearance of a 5-week-old infant.

The series is headlined by Josefin Asplund (“Vikings”), Eva Melander (“Border”), Maria Rossing (“Splitting Up Together”) and Ardalan Esmaili (“The Charmer”). Produced by Sweden’s Yellow Bird and Denmark’s Happy Ending Film, the six-part show is being represented in international markets by REinvent which unveiled a sale to Germany’s Ard Degeto at the start of market.

Variety talked to the strong female duo behind the gripping drama, the creator and writer Mette Heeno (“Splitting Up Together”), and the director Anna Zackrisson.

What’s the genesis of “Snow Angels”?

Mette Heeno: I wanted to explore the theme of motherhood...

The character-driven, six-part crime drama is created and written by Mette Heeno.

REinvent has sold its Berlinale Series selection Snow Angels (Snöänglar) to Ard Degeto for Germany.

The character-driven, six-part crime drama is created and written by Mette Heeno (Splitting Up Together), directed by Anna Zackrisson and produced by Georgie Mathew for Sweden’s Yellow Bird and Denmark’s Happy Ending Film.

The story, set during a cold winter in Stockholm, is about three women — a mother, a policewoman and a child nurse — connected to the case of a missing infant. The cast is led by Josefin Asplund (Vikings), Eva Melander...

American viewers have long had deep appetites for TV shows imported from overseas — so long as the characters in those shows spoke British-accented English.

But with a crush of new streaming services in need of content and American attitudes toward subtitles warming, the market for so-called “tape sales” of local-language programming from abroad has grown more robust than ever.

“There’s no question, I think that streaming in general has made U.S. audiences not only more open, but more eager to check out local-language shows from abroad,” says Casey Bloys, chief content officer, HBO and HBO Max.

More than five years ago, a typical tape sale to a U.S. programmer would land producers five-figure dollar amounts per hour. But quality series now draw numbers in the mid- to high-six-figure range. Increasingly, competitive bidding situations can drive acquisition costs over $1 million per hour.

And if a U.S. bidder...

November can be a slow month for streaming services. Amazon, however, is entering into 2020’s penultimate month with some steam.

Amazon is really beefing up its TV library in November 2020. Both Community (which arrives on Nov. 8) and Scrubs (Nov. 14) will be added to Amazon Prime this month and in the process complete the streaming trifecta: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu. That’s pretty impressive stuff for both shows. And then on the film side of things, November 1 sees the arrival of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Twilight, and the Underworld franchise. Somebody didn’t tell Amazon Spooky Season was over and bless them for it.

As for the originals, Alex Rider is the most intriguing TV series here. That is based on the British spy novel series and premieres on Nov. 13 on IMDb TV (which is available to all Prime subscribers). That will be followed by Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Nov.

Amazon Prime Video has a whole load of new content coming this November, and the best thing about the large haul is that all tastes are accounted for, so whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll have a lot of options. From Christmas flicks to action films to some classic sci-fi and horror, subscribers will find much to enjoy from what’s hitting Prime next month.

Take a look at the full list below and scroll down further for our runthrough of the highlights:

Released November 1

28 Days Later (2003)

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

A Christmas Switch (2018)

(2018) (Hallmark Movies Now)

Arizona Whirlwind (1944)

Article 99 (1992)

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Boyz N’ The Hood (1991)

Breathless (1983)

Country Strong (2011)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Deja Vu (2006)

Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009)

Firewalker (1986)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)

Marrying Father Christmas (2018) (Hallmark...

Studiocanal will handle worldwide sales at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival on “The Jonsson Gang” from “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “Let The Right One In” director Tomas Alfredson.

A reboot of a successful Swedish film series, “The Jonsson Gang” follows a gang gone legit who reunite for one last heist. It stars Henrik Dorsin (“Triangle of Sadness”), Hedda Stiernstedt (“The Restaurant”), David Sundin (“Taskmaster”), Myanna Buring (“Downton Abbey”) and Lena Olin (“Chocolate”).

Alfredson said: “‘The Jonsson Gang’ is based on a film series from the 1980’s that practically every living Swedish person has seen. An international audience mostly knows my work with intimidating vampires and sullen spies, while most of my work has been comedic. It’s been a lot of fun to return to something laughable and we look forward to finding a worldwide audience with Studiocanal.”

The film is written by Alfredson, Henrik Dorsin and Rikard Ulvshammar,...

AMC Networks is offering free programming across its networks — AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV and the Svod service Sundance Now as part of its “We’re With You” initiative to help entertain during the coronavirus pandemic.

Content will be available for free across digital and on demand, along with specially curated programming marathons across linear networks. The network also will be running a variety of spots with scenes that have renewed relevance to current circumstances that feature series stars including Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito and more in home-made videos.

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Among the free programming — AMC has made the first half of The Walking Dead Season 10 available in front of the paywall until May 1 on AMC.

AMC Networks announced Friday a new coronavirus initiative that includes a host of free programming from across its network portfolio.

The “We’re With You” campaign will allow viewers to watch the first half of “The Walking Dead” Season 10 on the AMC website, and will also make several BBC America nature documentaries free to watch. Free IFC programming will include full seasons of “Baroness von Sketch Show,” “Birthday Boys,” and “Spoils of Babylon” among others. It was previously announced that AMC and BBC America had moved up the premiere ate of “Killing Eve” Season 3 to April 21.

The networks will also be running a variety of spots that feature talent like Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito and more in home-made videos meant to encourage and entertain viewers. One of the spots can be viewed below.

“We want to join with our talent and respond to this moment in the...

The crime-drama, commissioned by Nordic pubcasters Svt and Dr, is set to premiere in 2021. Stockholm-born helmer Anna Zackrisson will start filming a new Nordic TV series in February 2020. The project, entitled Snow Angels, follows her recent outings directing the Swedish television dramas Vår tid är nu (2018-2019) and Piratskattens hemlighet (2014). The six-episode crime-drama, penned by Mette Heeno and commissioned by public broadcasters Dr and Svt, is set the night before Christmas Eve, as Sweden is paralysed by heavy snowstorms. Meanwhile, five-week-old baby Lukas inexplicably disappears from his home in a Stockholm suburb, and his young parents are in shock. Veteran police officer Alice believes that something is not quite right with their stories and becomes obsessed with the case. Moreover, other people become suspicious of Lukas’ mother, Jenni, who took sleeping pills that night and doesn’t remember a thing,...