WARNER BROS. TO PRODUCE DARK ICELAND
AUGUST 2021
Warner Bros. International Television Production Germany (WBITVP Germany) has acquired the exclusive international rights to bestselling Icelandic author Ragnar Jónasson’s “Dark Iceland” series of crime novels and will co-produce with Herbert L. Kloiber’s Night Train Media.
Jónasson said: “I am incredibly honoured and thrilled to be working with Warner Bros. ITVP Germany and Night Train Media. It will be a dream come true to see Ari Thór and the ‘Dark Iceland’ series brought to life on the screen, and I believe that in Warner — with its strong vision and long history of fantastic storytelling — we have found the perfect partner for that adventure.”
Jónasson’s books have to date sold more than two and a half million copies and have been published in 33 countries.
Bernd von Fehrn, director, scripted, WBITVP Germany, said: “We are thrilled to have convinced star author Ragnar Jónasson with our vision for a successful adaptation of his successful crime novels. To us, he is by far one of the most exciting authors in the crime genre internationally. The adaptation of these epic novels fits perfectly into our long-term strategy of realizing both local as well as international series at the highest level. Having an excellent partner such as Night Train Media on board for this exciting journey feels like the ideal match.”
Executive producers of the series at WBITVP will be Dagmar Konsalik and Tobias Rosen.
CBS STUDIOS TO PRODUCE THE DARKNESS
SEPTEMBER 2020
CBS Studios has struck a global first-look deal with Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures International and has set its first project – an adaptation of Ragnar Jónasson’s best-selling Nordic noir book The Darkness. The two companies will work together to source, acquire and develop premium scripted content for the international market that is creatively anchored outside the United States. The first project is a series adaptation of Jónasson’s The Darkness, from his Hulda series of crime novels. Rising writer Andrea Janakas, who wrote Amanda Seyfried-fronted short film Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves, is attached to write
The eight-part series is set in Reykjavik, Iceland, among the isolated fjords. It follows Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, who is given two weeks, before retirement to solve the cold case of a young Russian woman, whose body washes up on an Icelandic shore. Hulda discovers that another young woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation.
Truenorth Productions, the Icelandic production company that recently co-produced The Valhalla Murders, Netflix’s first Icelandic original, is attached to provide production services for the series, which is targeted for production in Iceland.
As part of the first-look deal, JP Sarni, who heads up international content and worldwide content acquisitions for Stampede Ventures, is developing book properties, original concepts and other IP for local and English-language production. The slate represents projects from 15 countries, including Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
“It is a remarkable opportunity for CBS Studios to partner and develop global content with Stampede Ventures, as we continue to build on our existing international slate,” said Meghan Lyvers, Senior Vice President of International Co-Productions and Development, CBS Studios. “Wonderful content will always stand out, regardless of origin, and The Darkness is a reflection of that fact. We are confident this is the first of many projects in this new partnership with Greg and JP.”
“We are ecstatic to be working with Meghan and the team at CBS Studios,” added JP Sarni. “This new relationship will develop and curate international series from top writers, directors, producers and talent. It’s a real opportunity to give voice to local stories that we can celebrate with both traditional broadcasters and streamers.”
GREG SILVERMAN’S STAMPEDE ACQUIRES RAGNAR JONASSON’S “THE DARKNESS”
MARCH 2019
Stampede, the indie media company founded by former Warner Bros Pictures President Greg Silverman, has acquired bestselling author Ragnar Jonasson’s Icelandic thriller The Darkness and will adapt it as a local-language series. The competitive acquisition heading into the London Book Fair marks Stampede’s first piece of development for its new international arm, which expands the duties of Worldwide Content Acquisitions Head, JP Sarni.
The Darkness, which was published last year, is Jónasson’s first in a planned trilogy focusing on Reykjavik detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir. A dedicated investigator, she is being forced into early retirement and takes on a final cold case centered on a young Russian asylum seeker who died mysteriously one year prior.
Jónasson’s crime books have been published in more than 20 languages. His next novel, The Island, is set to be released later this year in the U.S. and UK.
“I am thrilled to be able to work with Greg Silverman and his team at Stampede on The Darkness. Hulda is in excellent hands and I very much look forward to seeing her come to life on the screen,” says Jónasson.
Silverman adds, “I have always believed in ‘local for the world.’ There are no barriers for local content in this marketplace to succeed worldwide. It’s an unprecedented moment for IP, Film, TV and innovative world-builders. We are honored to be able to partner with storytellers around the globe to tell those stories in the most authentic way, with an eye towards the current market. We are curators, and as such, we’re thrilled to highlight writers like Jónasson, whose rich imagination creates not only worlds but mesmerizing characters which attract major talents.”
Stampede’s new international division builds on a robust slate of film, TV and alternative content that it has set-up with various buyers, broadcasters and platforms in the States. Stampede’s other drama projects include The Great Gatsby origin series Gatz, which is in development at YouTube Premium; and Witnesses, which is in the works at Fox through 20th Century Fox TV.
The film development slate also includes adaptations of James Riley’s middle-grade fantasy Revenge Of Magic, Sam Marsden’s dystopian YA novel Under Glass, and of the popular video game Dance Dance Revolution. Further recent deals include a first-look with Snail, one of China’s largest video game developers, with whom Stampede is teaming on Ark: Survival Evolved, an action film adapted from Snail’s game of the same name.
Jónasson is repped by Emily Hayward Whitlock at The Artists Partnership for film and TV.