
Photo: Nina Rangoy
Alex Dahl (b. 1982) is a half-Norwegian, half-American author. She grew up in Oslo and is a native speaker of both Norwegian and English. She studied Russian, German and international studies in Oslo and Moscow before earning a creative writing degree from Bath Spa University. She is the author of five psychological thrillers so far: The Boy at the Door – which was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger – The Heart Keeper, Playdate, Cabin Fever and After She’d Gone. Girl Friends published in 2024, is her latest, highly anticipated, novel.
Disney+ has today revealed the launch date and official key art for the upcoming UK Original, The Stolen Girl, produced by Quay Street Productions with Brightstar. The five-part psychological drama-thriller, based on the bestselling novel by Alex Dahl (Playdate), launches exclusively 16th April 2025 on Disney+ worldwide.
A seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down in this tense thriller. When her 9-year-old daughter Lucia excitedly asks to go on an overnight playdate with her new best friend Josie, Elisa agrees. After meeting Josie’s mother, Rebecca, she’s put at ease by her charming nature and their impressive house. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare. Starring Denise Gough (Andor), Holliday Grainger (Strike), Ambika Mod (One Day), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Bronagh Waugh (The Suspect), and Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane), the series is adapted by Catherine Moulton (Baptiste) and is directed by Eva Husson (Mothering Sunday). The series tells the story of fascinating, relatable and complex women in an unimaginable situation.
Two best friends
A girls’ trip to Ibiza
One night that changes everything…
Charlotte Vinge is famous throughout Norway for her low-carb cookery shows and self-branded merchandise. She is the face of “having it all”. When she meets Bianka Langeland, the two hit it off straight away. Bianka is creative and artistic, she makes Charlotte feel a little looser and wilder. The women quickly become inseparable.
But when Charlotte suggests a girls’ weekend in Ibiza, their friendship takes a darker turn. What should have been a trip full of sun, sea and cocktails soon becomes a living nightmare.
Can what happened on holiday stay there? Or will the events from this weekend ricochet through Charlotte’s perfectly planned life back in Oslo? Girl Friends is a dark and addictive glam-noir thriller about toxic friendship, passion, and murder.
Disney+ is moving into the contemporary UK thriller space with the greenlight of a series based on Alex Dahl’s parents-worst-nightmare novel Playdate.
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing.
Shindler said Playdate “tells the story of fascinating, relatable and complex women in a situation that is any parent’s worst nightmare,” while Brightstar’s Seghatchian and Woodward described it as a “very rare beast – a thriller that combines beautifully crafted edge-of-the-seat suspense with unexpected plot twists and truly powerful drama.”
Johanna Devereaux, VP of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA, added: “Playdate is a brilliantly twisty thriller with a terrifying, instantly relatable hook. We are very proud to be working with celebrated producers, a visionary director Eva Husson and rising star writer on this must-see thriller.”
Filming will commence in the UK and France over the summer. Casting is yet to be announced.
After She’d Gone is a timely psychological thriller about the danger of beauty, the lure of power, and the fierce love of a mother for her son.
Liv keeps a low profile in Sandefjord, Norway: she’s just another tired single mother, trying to make ends meet. She has never told her son about the secrets she carries or the life she lived before he was born. She will do anything to keep him safe.
Anastasia’s life is transformed when she moves from Russia to Milan to work as a model. She’s rich. She’s desired. But there’s a dark side to the high-pressure catwalk shows; the sun-baked Italian palazzos; the drink-fuelled after-parties hosted by powerful men. Soon, she will do anything to escape.
Selma is a journalist in Oslo. She’s investigating scandals in the modelling industry, but can’t get her article published. Then a woman goes missing in Sandefjord. Now Selma is about to uncover the biggest story of her life…