‘Wisting’ has the best opening ever for a Viaplay Original

Wisting premiered April 11 on Viaplay and became an immediate success. It is the most viewed drama series premiere in Norway, beating all other premieres for Viaplay originals in the Nordic countries.

Wisting has also received great attention in Nordic press as a whole, and been reviewed in newspapers all across Scandinavia:

“[Wisting] has everything that the wider crime audience would expect and like.”
NRK, Norway

Wisting: A solid crime series with international potential. /…/ [Sven] Nordin is marvelous in the role of Wisting and plays him with an excellent mix of wisdom and weariness. /…/ Wisting has non-stop momentum from its first episode onwards.”
Aftenposten, Norway

Wisting has everything necessary to become this year’s big crime series. /…/ Series creators Kathrine Valen Zeiner and Trygve Allister Diesen have crafted a classic crime series with great audience potential.”
Cinema, Norway

Wisting […] is a sure winner. Jørn Lier Horst’s bestselling crime series about William Wisting has been made into a new, solid Nordic noir that will go right to the head of series addicts. /…/ We’re not just talking about excellent craftsmanship here; there’s also an embedded humor and a hint of welfare-society innocence.”
Jyllands-Posten, Denmark

“[The series has] an intricate and riveting criminal mystery […], a brilliant Sven Nordin in the lead role, and satisfyingly frozen, atmospheric milieus wherein a variety of shady characters lure, and that radiates a Nordic, rural noir.”
Aftonbladet, Sweden

Wisting is based on the best-selling novels of Jørn Lier Horst, and co-created and written by director Trygve Allister Diesen and Kathrine Valen Zeiner.

‘U – July 22’ praised in The New Yorker

U – July 22 has since its premiere at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival received rave reviews and numerous prestigious awards and nominations. The New Yorker has now joined in the chorus of praise, applauding the film for its one-take concept among else.

“[The] combination of extreme subject matter, supercharged emotional stakes, and the one-take approach make for a transformative cinematic experience. /…/ They succeed in making us feel as though we are legitimate eyewitnesses to the action.”
-The New Yorker

U – July 22 is written by Anna Bache-Wiig & Siv Rajendram Eliassen, and directed by Erik Poppe.

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The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Stefan Ahnhem’s Motive X remains No. 1 on the official weekly Swedish bestseller list for paperbacks. Stina Jackson’s The Silver Road follows closely behind, landing three spots on the lists also this week: No. 3 in paperback, No. 2 in e-book and No. 3 in audio.

The hardcover list sees Hjorth & Rosenfeldt land the No. 2 spot with A Higher Justice, and Lars Kepler the No. 3 one with Lazarus. Lazarus also comes in at No. 4 on the audiobook list.

‘Palm Beach, Finland’ shortlisted for Last Laugh Award

Antti Tuomainen’s Palm Beach, Finland has been shortlisted for The Last Laugh Award in the UK. The award will go to the best humorous crime novel published in the British Isles in 2018, and the winner will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

The winning title will be announced during the CrimeFest convention in Bristol, May 11th.

New Author – Simona Ahrnstedt

Simona Ahrnstedt (b. 1967) was born in Prague and moved to Sweden with her parents at a very young age. Besides being one of Sweden’s best-selling authors, she is a licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist. Ahrnstedt’s rich and captivating character depictions, paired with her provocative and daringly executed plots, breathed life into the now rapidly growing genre of Scandinavian women’s fiction. Alongside her role as novelist, Ahrnstedt is a spokesperson for books by women, for women and about women.

‘Wisting’ to premiere April 11

On Thursday, April 11, Wisting – the biggest budget Norwegian drama to date – will premiere on the SVOD platform Viaplay. Wisting is based on the best-selling novels of Jørn Lier Horst, and co-created and written by director Trygve Allister Diesen and Kathrine Valen Zeiner. The series stars The Matrix and Jessica Jones alum Carrie-Anne Moss and long-time Norwegian film and TV star Sven Nordin.

Wisting has already been praised in Dagbladet, one of Norway’s largest newspapers:

“[Wisting] is a tasteful hybrid of Nordic noir mixed with the often more sedate narrative style of the best crime series, created by among else British BBC. Adding to this a feather-light touch of Fargo, and placing it all in the small community of Larvik and its surroundings, makes it near waterproof. /…/ Wisting has the potential to become a Norwegian series winner, like [the Swedish] Wallander or Beck.”
– Dagbladet, 5 stars

Jake Gyllenhaal to team up with Oscar-winning duo for ‘The Helicopter Heist’

Filmmaker-duo Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, who won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary’ for Free Solo, are in early talks with Netflix to helm the movie based on Jonas Bonnier’s The Helicopter Heist, starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. Gyllenhaal will also produce the drama with his Nine Stories partner Riva Marker and ACE Content partner Evan Hayes (Free Solo).

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Peter Thorsboe & Mai Brostrøm’s new adapted crime series

Peter Thorsboe & Mai Brostrøm are the renowned Emmy-award winning screenwriting duo behind some of the acclaimed crime series at the forefront of the Nordic noir genre (The Protectors, The Team, Modus). Their next highly anticipated project is an adaptation of Jens Henrik Jensen’s book trilogy The Oxen, which will be turned into a two-season series of eight episodes.

The Oxen features war veteran and elite soldier Niels Oxen, brought back from retirement to investigate a series of mysterious murder cases along with his side-kick, agent Margrethe Franck.

Copenhagen-based REinvent Studios has just picked up the high-end crime series, and SF Studios Denmark’s Senia Dremstrup is producing.