News

Poorna Jagannathan and Gary Carr have been cast in Apple TV+’s upcoming adaptation of Lars Keppler’s “Joona Linna” book series.

Per the official description, the series “tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter FBI agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz) up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?”

Carr will play Nathan, a forensic investigator who is dedicated to Jonah but has reconcile with his feelings for Saga. Jagannathan will play, Quinn, an FBI agent from D.

Poorna Jagannathan and Gary Carr are the latest stars cast in the Apple TV+ and A+E Studios as-yet-untitled series based on the bestselling crime novels by Lars Kepler. Filming begins this summer in Pittsburgh.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?

Jagannathan and Carr join the previously announced series regulars: Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp,...

Chrissy Metz is the latest to join the cast of the Apple and A+E Studios as-yet-untitled series based on the bestselling crime novels by Lars Kepler. Metz joins the previously announced series regular stars, Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Stephen Graham, Bill Camp and Rory Culkin.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?

Metz will play Ida, a single mother who struggles...

Chrissy Metz has joined the cast of Apple TV+’s upcoming crime drama based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna books, Variety has learned.

Metz is the latest addition to the series, joining previously announced cast members Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Stephen Graham, Bill Camp, and Rory Culkin. The show was officially picked up in May for 10 episodes. Production will begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

The official series description states:

“The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter FBI...

Exclusive: Rory Culkin has been cast in Apple and A+E Studios’ as-yet-untitled series based on the bestselling crime novels by Lars Kepler. He joins the previously announced series regular stars, Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, Stephen Graham and Bill Camp.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go? Camp will play Chief Ellison, the police chief.

Culkin will star as Karl,...

Bill Camp is the latest addition to the cast of Apple TV+’s upcoming series based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna books.

Camp joins previously announced cast members Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham in the drama project, which was first reported to be in development in 2023 and officially picked up in May for 10 episodes. Production will begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

The official description of the untitled series states:

“The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted...

Emmy, SAG, and Tony-nominated actor Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent, The Queen’s Gambit) joins the series regular cast of the Apple and A+E Studios as-yet-untitled series based on the bestselling crime novels by Lars Kepler. He joins the previously announced stars, Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?

Camp joins the cast as Chief Ellison, the police chief.

Rowan...

Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham have joined the cast of the currently untitled Apple TV+ series based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna novels.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier-turned-homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?

Also in news – Theo James, Kaya Scodelario & more return for season 2 of ‘The Gentleman’ High Bonneville joins cast

Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin serve as writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Schreiber and Beetz will executive produce,...

Lars Kepler’s first book, ‘The Hypnotist,” of the Killer Instinct book series

Lars Kepler’s bestselling Killer Instinct book series is being adapted into an Apple TV+ series, with Liev Schreiber (The Perfect Couple), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), and Stephen Graham (Adolescence) attached to star. Emmy nominees Schreiber and Beetz will also serve as executive producers, and BAFTA Award winner Rowan Joffe (Tin Star) and John Hlavin (Shooter) will serve as writers, co-showrunners, and executive producers.

The Killer Instinct novels centering around Detective Joona Linna are set in Sweden, but the series will move the action to the U.S. Filming is expected to begin on the 10-episode season in Pittsburgh this summer, with the lead character’s name switched from Joona Linna to Jonah Lynn.

“The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves...

Apple TV+ is going dark with its latest series order.

The streamer has greenlit a drama starring Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham that tracks the face-off between a homicide detective and a serial killer. The untitled show is based on a series of best-selling crime novels by Lars Kepler.

Rowan Joffe (Tin Star, 28 Weeks Later) and John Hlavin (Shooter, The Man Who Fell to Earth) are adapting the books and will serve as showrunners. Tim Van Patten (The Sopranos, Masters of the Air) will direct the first two episodes and executive produce with Joffe and Hlavin.

Lars Kepler is the pen name of married couple Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. The series will be based on Kepler’s Joona Linna series, transplanting the action from Sweden to the United States.

The show’s description reads, “Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia,...

Apple TV+ has ordered a series based on Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna novels with Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham attached to star. The untitled series has been given a 10-episode order. Production will begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

The official description of the series states:

“The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz) up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?”

The project was first reported to be in development in...

Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Stephen Graham (Adolescence) and Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) are set to star in an Apple TV+ series based on the internationally bestselling Joona Linna crime novels by Lars Kepler.

Written by BAFTA Award-winner Rowan Joffe (Tin Man) and John Hlavin (Shooter), with Emmy/Peabody/DGA Award winner Tim Van Patten set to direct the first two episodes, the untitled series tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life.

More from TVLineThe Morning Show Sets Season 4 Premiere Date,...

Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham are set to star in a new TV adaptation of Lars Kepler’s best-selling crime novels for Apple TV+.

The untitled 10-episode drama series, which from A+E Studios in association with Range Studios, tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life.

But as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. The desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz) up against Jurek.

Filming will begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

The series is written and executive produced by showrunners Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin, with Emmy, Peabody and DGA...

Apple and A+E Studios have set a new, as-yet-untitled series based on the Lars Kepler novels, starring Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham. Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin will co-showrun the project and executive produce alongside Tim Van Patten, who will direct the first two episodes.

Filming is set to begin this summer in Pittsburgh.

Deadline previously revealed exclusively that the project was in early development, with Tom Hardy in talks for the role of Jurek, the character Graham will now play.

The project tells the story of Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective who, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in Western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But, as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must...

You won’t need your magnifying glass for this mystery, because we have all the answers for you. Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole, a Nordic noir series based on author Jo Nesbø’s crime novels about Detective Harry Hole, is coming to Netflix in 2026.

The series stars Tobias Santelmann as Hole, Joel Kinnaman as his adversary (and fellow detective) Tom Waaler, Pia Tjelta as Rakel Fauke, as well as Anders Danielsen Lie, Ane Dahl Torp and pop singer Dagny (Home for Christmas).

Director and executive producer Øystein Karlsen tells Tudum, “It is a great mix of a fast-paced whodunit and a genuine drama with real people and lives the viewer can relate to — and it has more twists and turns than I can remember having...

Netflix announced today that production of Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole has wrapped after 113 days of shooting across 160 locations. The streaming service has shared a first-look video featuring Tobias Santelmann as Harry Hole and Joel Kinnaman as Tom Waaler in Harry’s shabby Oslo apartment.

From best-selling author Jo Nesbø, one of the leading crime writers in the world, the nine-episode series will launch on Netflix in 2026.

The streaming service also revealed that Anders Danielsen Lie, Ane Dahl Torp and pop singer Dagny (Home for Christmas) have joined the cast of the anticipated series.

Filming started on May 23, 2024, and has lasted over 113 days in Oslo, including iconic Harry Hole locations like Harry’s favorite hangout Restaurant Schrøder and Frognerbadet.

Created by one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero Harry Hole. Underneath the surface, this...

From playing Leonard Cohen to a conflicted frat boy, Alex Wolff’s recent on-screen roles span life on idyllic Greek islands to toxic college parties. Next up is his second directing effort, If She Burns.

“I didn’t realize how much of a razor’s edge I was walking when I was making the movie, but I really feel it when I watch it,” Wolff tells Deadline about playing Tom Backster in Ethan Berger’s The Line. The film portrays the outsized power and privilege wielded by a fictional fraternity, Kappa Nu Alpha, and the accompanying web of friendships and hazing. Wolff’s Tom, unlike his fraternity brothers, is not from money and is both intoxicated and horrified by the world he inhabits.

Walking the line here meant bringing empathy to a character who is part of a group that behaves awfully. Wolff says: “It’s always a scene or...

Acorn TV’s fan-favorite crime drama Whitstable Pearl returns with all-new episodes on Monday, October 21, in the US, Canada, UK (including Northern Ireland), Australia, and New Zealand. Additional episodes of the six-episode Acorn TV Original series will drop weekly on Mondays.

Based on the beloved novels The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries by Julie Wassmer, Season 3 sees the return of Kerry Godliman (After Life) in the lead role of Pearl Nolan and Howard Charles (Top Boy) as Detective Chief Inspector (Dci) Mike McGuire.

The other returning cast members include Frances Barber (The Chelsea Detective) as Dolly, Robert Webb (Peep Show) as Tom Grant, Isobelle Molloy (EastEnders) as Ruby Williams, and Sophia Del Pizzo (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Detective Sergeant (DS) Nikki Martel.

In Whitstable Pearl, sleuthing restaurant owner Pearl (Godliman) continues to build her private detective business and finds herself involved in more diverse investigations, including reopening an infamous local...

Deadline reports that Netflix has announced the casting of 28 actors for the upcoming whodunnit mystery series Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole. The mystery’s plot is led by “famed anti-hero detective Harry Hole. Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers — and supposed colleagues — operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective, Tom Waaler. Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons. As the two navigate the blurred ethical lines of the criminal justice system, Harry must do all he can to catch a serial killer and bring Waaler to justice before it is too late.”

The series was previously reported to star Tobias Santelmann, Joel Kinnaman and Pia Tjelta. The series is now welcoming character actor Peter Stormare (Fargo) to the cast, as well as...

Exclusive: Peter Stormare (Fargo) is among 28 new additions to the cast of Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole, Netflix’s forthcoming crime series based on the novels from Norwegian author Jo Nesbø.

Others featuring in prominent secondary roles include Anders Baasmo (Power Play), Ellen Helinder (Exit), Simon J. Berger (Exit), Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Westworld) and Kelly Gale (Plane). Director Anna Zackrisson (Deliver Me) has also joined the production, which as previously reported, will star Tobias Santelmann, Joel Kinnaman and Pia Tjelta.

Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero detective Harry Hole (Santelmann). Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers — and supposed colleagues — operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective, Tom Waaler (Kinnaman). Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons.

The name Harry Hole may sound like a joke to a lot of English speakers, but Norwegian author Jo Nesbø has managed to build a bestselling series of crime novels around the character – whose last name is meant to be pronounced as “Hoo-leh.” There have been thirteen books in the Harry Hole series to date, with the seventh one having previously been brought to the screen as the 2017 film The Snowman… which, despite having Tomas Alfredson at the helm, Martin Scorsese on board as a producer, and a strong cast that included Michael Fassbender as Hole, did not turn out well. (You can read our 3/10 review Here.) Now Nesbø is seeking redemption for his character by teaming with Working Title and the Netflix streaming service for a series called Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole, which is set to star Tobias Santelmann (The Last Kingdom) as Hole. Deadline has unveiled an image of Santelmann in character,...

Today, Netflix revealed the main cast and title of Jo Nesbø’s upcoming crime series about the introverted detective Harry Hole. The live cast announcement happened at the iconic restaurant Schrøder in Oslo, Norway, which also serves as Harry Hole’s “second home” in the novels.

Tobias Santelmann will lead the cast as the legendary detective Harry Hole, alongside Joel Kinnaman as Tom Waaler, and Pia Tjelta as Rakel Fauke.

As a memorable entrance, the cast arrived in the cars they will drive in the series, including a 1988 Ford Escort, a Skoda Enyaq, and a brand new Lotus Emira. During the press conference, Netflix confirmed the title of the coming Netflix series Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole and the main cast.

Created by one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed antihero Harry Hole. Underneath the surface,...

Netflix and Working Title have found their Harry Hole.

German-Norwegian actor Tobias Santelmann (The Last Kingdom) will play the lead in the Jo Nesbø adaptation, which will be officially titled Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole.

Santelmann is joined by Joel Kinnaman (Altered Carbon, The Suicide Squad) playing Tom Waaler and Pia Tjelta (Made in Oslo, State of Happiness) as Rakel Fauke. The casting has been announced in the past few minutes at the iconic restaurant Schrøder in Oslo, Norway, which also serves as Harry Hole’s ‘second home’ in the novels.

Created by the much-loved Scandi crime fiction author, Nesbø’s Harry Hole is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by the famed anti-hero. Underneath the surface, it is a nuanced character drama about two police officers – and supposed colleagues – operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the first season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long time adversary and corrupt detective Tom Waaler.

In the first few minutes of his first Zoom casting call with actor Alex Wolff, Oystein Karlsen knew he had found his Leonard Cohen.

“He came on the screen like this,” the Norwegian director and screenwriter puts his hand over his face, with one eye poking out. “He said: ‘Sorry, I’m so hung over. I know I’m not going to get the role. I feel horrible.’ I thought: That’s Leonard!”

Karlsen already had his eye on Wolff to play the famously melancholic Canadian singer-songwriter in his new TV miniseries about Cohen and Marianne Ihlen, his great love, muse and the woman who inspired the song that gives the series its title: So Long, Marianne.

Alex Wolff as Leonard Cohen and Thea Sofie Loch Ness as Marianne Ihlen in So Long, Marianne.

“I wanted a professional musician and singer because I wanted our Leonard to really sing, to really play Cohen’s music,...

“’I sacrificed my love on the altars of fame,’ Leonard Cohen said in the ‘70s,” “So Long, Marianne” showrunner Øystein Karlsen notes. Cohen was referring of course to his ‘60s decade-long relationship with Norway’s Marianne Ilhen, which shaped him for life.

One of the highest-profile and most anticipated world premieres in Series Mania main competition, “So Long, Marianne” is a coming of age love story which, in a quietly innovative, genre-breaking turn, asks whether the place in the world chosen by one character, Leonard Cohen, was always for his good.

Sold by Cineflix Rights as an eight-part series, “So Long, Marianne” begins in 1959 focusing on Norway’s Marianne Ilhen and Cohen’s love idyll on Hydra, a Greek island, which Ilhen reaches as the partner of budding Norwegian novelist Axel Jensen, and Cohen looking to find a place where, he says in Episode 1, he “can take responsibility for my own identity.

Leonard Cohen had a huge impact on generations of fans, and So Long, Marianne star Alex Wolff is one of them.

Speaking exclusively to Deadline ahead of So Long‘s worldwide premiere at Series Mania this week, Oppenheimer and Hereditary actor Wolff paid tribute to the late singer-songwriter. “His contribution to my life has been so substantial that whatever words I have don’t sum up what he’s meant to my working life and to me personally,” he said.

Wolff, who is himself a musician and recording artist, plays Cohen in So Long, Marianne, which is one of the buzziest international series at Series Mania, which is Europe’s largest scripted television festival. The Nrk and Crave series is the International Competition category against the likes of Peacock’s Apples Never Fall and the ABC’s House of Gods.

In the eight-part series, Wolff appears opposite Thea Sofie Loch Næss...

Netflix has good news for fans of dark Scandinavian mysteries. Jo Nesbø, the author of a popular series of mystery novels starring Norwegian detective Harry Hole, is adapting his work for a new series. The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Nesbø will be adapting his novel The Devil's Star into a new series for the streamer, titled Harry Hole. No casting announcements have been made, but the series will be directed by Oystein Karlsen, whose series So Long, Marianne, starring Alex Wolff as the late Leonard Cohen, is slated to premiere later this year.

Netflix has unveiled a suite of Nordic features and series, partnering on projects with the likes of Working Title, Jo Nesbø, Milad Alami, Dome Karukoski and Sf Studios.

Little Siberia, a Finnish film from Finnish-American director Dome Karukoski, whose credits include Goteborg premiere Tom Of Finland and Jrr Tolkein origin story Tolkein, directs an adaptation of Antti Tuomainen’s novel of the same name. The everyday life of the small village of Hurmevaara is shaken when a meteorite falls through the roof of a car one night.

Cast includes Eero Ritala, Malla Malmivaara, Tommi Korpela and Martti Suosal, with Ina Sohlberg,...

Netflix has unveiled its roster of Nordic titles, including Jo Nesbø’s Norwegian series “Harry Hole” (working title), a series adaptation of Amanda Romare’s novel “Diary of a Ditched Girl” starring Carla Sehn (“Love & Anarchy”), the female-led “The New Force,” and a film adaptation of Alex Ahndoril’s “The Key Series.”

“Harry Hole” is entirely penned by Nesbø, a bestselling crime novelist best known for “Occupied” and “The Snowman.” Based on Nesbø’s novel “The Devil’s Star,” the series is set in Oslo during the summer and follows police detective Harry Hole who’s just been abandoned by his girlfriend. On his last mission, Hole has to partner with a corrupt cop to investigate the murder of a woman. The series will be directed by Øystein Karlsen (“Exit”)

“Diary of a Ditched Girl,” penned by Tove Eriksen Hillblom (“Solsidan”) and Moa Herngren (“Bonus Family”), stars Sehn as 31-year-old Amanda who,...

Another day, another Netflix content slate in Europe.

Following content showcases in Germany and London last week, the streamer has unveiled its slate in the Nordics. Among the key TV announcements are a Norwegian series based on author Joe Nesbø’s police detective Harry Hole and Netflix’s first Nordic period drama.

A number of films were also unveiled at a Next on Netflix event today in Stockholm, Sweden, and you can read about them here.

On the TV front, Harry Hole (working title) comes from Exit and So Long, Marianne creator Oystein Karlsen, and is based on Nesbø’s novel The Devil’s Star, about the titular detective. Working Title is producing ahead of a 2026 debut and Nesbø is writing the script.

Synopsis reads: “A heat wave hits a holiday-quiet Oslo. In an apartment by the cemetery, small black lumps begin to drip through the floor. At the same time,...

Netflix is teaming up with Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo, whose Harry Hole crime novels have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and, thanks to an awkward English-language adaptation of Nesbo’s The Snowman in 2017, launched endless online memes.

On Monday Netflix unveiled a new Nordic noir series, Harry Hole (working title), based on Nesbo’s novel The Devil’s Star, the fifth in his Harry Hole series about the obsessive, brilliant but introverted titular homicide detective.

Working Title will produce the Norwegian series, with Øystein Karlsen — whose new Leonard Cohen-inspired drama So Long Marianne premieres at the SeriesMania this week — attached to direct. Working Title produced the English-language version of Nesbo’s The Snowman in 2017. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and starring Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole, the movie is now best remembered for the many online parodies of its poster, which featured...

To celebrate the release of Whitstable Pearl Series 2 on DVD from 24th March, we are giving away DVDs to 3 lucky winners!

Return to the stunning Kent coast for another dose of seaside suspense in Whitstable Pearl Series 2, which sees the brilliant Kerry Godliman reprise her role as the eponymous Pearl, a restaurateur turned private detective. The series sees the return of familiar faces Frances Barber and Howard Charles and introduces a new character played by TV favourite Robert Webb (Peep Show).

Set in the picturesque 16th century English seaside resort of Whitstable, one of Kent’s most stunning coastal towns famous for its native oysters, the enthralling mystery series, based on acclaimed author Julie Wassmer’s (EastEnders) popular novels The Whitstable Pearl Mystery and Disappearance at Oare is brought to life by iconic Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen.

Series two sees the big-hearted Pearl Nolan (Godliman) continue to juggle her impeccable...

Such has been the chaos in international TV over the past 12 months that you could argue Cineflix Rights’ Head of Scripted, James Durie, is underplaying things when he says it has been “a hell of a year.”

Distributors around the world have watched on in horror as the streaming sector crumbled and the crashing TV ad market decimated budgets at commercial nets everywhere, not to mention the license fee woes being experienced by the likes of the BBC. Redundancies, cost saving and restructuring took hold, and the likes of Paramount, Disney+ and Prime Video have cut back on international originals, in some cases brutally culling non-u.S. shows.

In recent months, international scripted projects from countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia that would have been viable options for the U.S. streamers have suddenly been seen as big gambles. The sense that co-production agreements with streamers could be struck faded into dust,...

Exclusive: Whitstable Pearl has been greenlit for a third season by AMC streaming platform Acorn.

The British crime drama stars After Life‘s Kerry Godliman in the lead role and is based on the mystery novels by Julie Wassmer.

In Season 3 of the show from Crime producer Buccaneer, Godliman returns to build her private detective business, finding herself involved in more diverse investigations, including reopening an infamous local cold case and the death of a famous food critic. She’s aided and abetted by her outspoken, feisty mum Dolly and still going strong with boyfriend Tom, but it’s navigating her complex relationship with Dci Mike McGuire that still proves Pearl’s most challenging case

Howard Charles returns as Dci Mike McGuire and other returning cast members include Frances Barber as Dolly, Robert Webb as Tom Grant, Isobelle Molloy as Ruby Williams and Sophia del Pizzo as DS Nikki Martel.

Cineflix’s Rights’ Leonard Cohen series starring Alex Wolff as the iconic singer-songwriter has revealed presales in the U.K., Greece and Cyprus, with Ard’s Fabfiction in Germany joining as a co-producer.

Titled “So Long, Marianne,” the drama has sold to Itvx in the U.K., Cosmote TV and Star Channel in Greece and Movies Best HD in Cyprus. Ard’s Fabfiction has joined original co-producers Nrk in Norway and Bell Media’s Crave in Canada.

According to its official description, the series “tells the legendary love story of Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen, and his muse Marianne Ihlen who inspired the titular song. It’s an intimate tale of two lonely people falling in love during a period of their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world, while one is becoming one of the most famous singers of all time.

Alex Wolff will play Leonard Cohen in a new series about the Canadian icon and his muse Marianne Ihlen.

Thea Sofie Loch Næss will portray Ihlen in the show, which is called “So Long, Marianne” — the title of one of Cohen’s songs about his partner. Other cast members include Anna Torv as Charmian Clift and Noah Taylor as George Johnston.

The show is a co-production between Norwegian broadcaster Nrk and Canada’s Crave, the streaming service owned by Bell Media. Cineflix Rights is distributing the series globally.

Principal photography on the show began on March 24, with shooting taking place on the Greek island of Hydra — where Cohen first met Ihlen — as well as Ihlen’s home country of Norway, and the late singer’s hometown of Montreal, Canada.

“So Long, Marianne” is billed as an “intimate tale of two, lonely people falling in love, during a period of their...

Alex Wolff has been cast as legendary singer Leonard Cohen in So Long, Marianne, the Nrk drama series we first revealed last year.

Thea Sofie Loch Næss will play Canadian musician Cohen’s muse Marianne Ihlen. Anna Torv has also been cast Charmian Clift and Noah Taylor is George Johnston.

Wolff appeared opposite Joachim Phoenix in indie flick Pig and has been cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Before that, he reteams with Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski on Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place: Day One alongside Lupita Nyong’o in 2024.

In further developments, Canadian streamer Crave has boarded So Long, Marianne, which began principal photography on March 24 and is shooting in multiple locations including the Greek island of Hydra, Oslo in Norway,...

Apple TV+ is kind of an oddity in the streaming world — it doesn't have the kind of draw as some of the big dogs like Netflix or HBO Max, but it does have some incredible original programming. Seriously, it's worth checking out for at least a month and binging all of "Mythic Quest," "Ted Lasso," and "Severance" out so far. Now it looks like there might be another reason to check out the streaming service, as Deadline reports that a new murder mystery series called "Lazarus" will be coming to Apple TV+. Why is "Lazarus" exciting? It's set to feature "Deadpool 2" and "Atlanta" star Zazie Beetz and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and "Peaky Blinders" star Tom Hardy in the lead roles, which sounds amazing.

The series is still in very early development, which means that everything here is subject to change and will be updated as new information comes out,...

There’s a chance Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz will team up to star in Lazarus, a serial killer drama series in early development at Apple TV+. I said, “there’s a chance” because the project is, technically, “nearing development,” according to Deadline. In other words, the ink still needs to be dry, and deals are still in the works. Lazarus is a co-production between A+E Studios and Range Studios, with plans to sell the package to Apple.

Based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (pseudonym for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), Lazarus gives off The Silence of the Lambs vibes while telling a dark tale about murder and a search for the truth.

Here’s a description of Lars Kepler’s Lazarus via Deadline‘s exclusive report:

In the series, an emaciated young man is found wandering along a train track. Thirteen years earlier, he and his sister went missing,...

Exclusive: We hear that Oscar nominee Tom Hardy and Atlanta Primetime Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz are set to star in the Apple TV+ drama series Lazarus, a project which is still nearing development and closing deals. The project is a co-production between A+E Studios and Range Studios and being sold to Apple.

Lazarus is based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (pseudonym for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), which has been lauded by such outlets as The New York Times, Washington Post and EW, selling more than 17M copies worldwide.

In the series, an emaciated young man is found wandering along a train track. Thirteen years earlier, he and his sister went missing, presumed victims of the notorious serial killer Jurek Walter. To find the sister, police detective Saga Bauer must go undercover in the maximum-security psychiatric hospital where Jurek Walter has been kept since his arrest years ago.

Happy Friday readers. Tom Grater here looking back on the week’s top international headlines.

Mip TV Comes To An End

We got there eventually: The first Cannes-based Mip TV for three years took place earlier this week and, after some initial travel chaos that had the entire UK contingent scrabbling to reach Nice airport by Sunday night, things settled into a familiar pattern. In a sense, Mip TV felt like an extension of the previous fortnight’s Series Mania in that streamers and European talent were top of everyone’s talking-point lists. Delivering a keynote, HBO Max Global Boss Johannes Larcher talked up his streamer’s position in Europe, declaring “it’s not always best to be first.” Meanwhile, Candle Media Co-Founder Kevin Mayer, one of the founding fathers of Disney+, gave attendees a window into his strategy and Sony International Production Boss Wayne Garvie detailed grand ambitions to...

Planete Plus Orders Munich Hostage Thriller Doc

French broadcaster Planete Plus has commissioned factual political thriller “Munich: Of Games and Blood” from Pernel Media to mark the 50th anniversary of the hostage crisis that rocked the Munich Olympic Games on September 5, 1972. Written by Philippe Saada, Yossi Melman and cinematographer Marc Dugain, the doc is narrated by three protagonists present at the original event where Israeli athletes were taken hostage by Palestinian Black September terrorists: an ex-terrorist, a member of the German police, and a Mossad agent. Doc combines this 360° point of view with archives of exclusive testimonies and revelations from declassified documents.

Executive producers for Pernel Media are Fabrice Frank and Samuel Kissous. Feature doc was commissioned by Planete Plus’s Christine Cauquelin, head of documentaries, Canal Plus Group.

Electric Entertainment’s Syfy Series “The Ark” Sold to NBCU

Los Angeles-based Electric Entertainment has signed a multi-territory deal with NBCUniversal...

Exclusive: Leonard Cohen’s relationship with muse Marianne Ihlen is going under the microscope in a 1960s-set drama co-production for Norwegian broadcaster Nrk.

The UK’s Buccaneer Media and Dag and Lilyhammer writer Øystein Karlsen’s Oslo-based Redpoint Productions are co-producing So Long, Marianne with Canada’s Connect3 Media.

The 8×45 minutes series is billed by producers as an “intimate” story of “two equally lonely people falling in love in a period of their life when they are still trying to figure out who they are”.

Buccanneer is heading to Mip TV in Cannes this week to attract distributors and broadcasters.

A majority of the series will be set on the Greek island of Hydra where the pair met before starting a chaotic relationship that inspired the late singer-songwriter to pen songs such as ‘So Long, Marianne’, ‘That’s No Way To Say Goodbye’ and ‘Bird On The Wire...

Exclusive: Acorn TV has commissioned a second series of UK crime drama Whitstable Pearl and the show has been sold by distributor Cineflix Rights to a wealth of international buyers.

Based on Julie Wassmer’s Whitstable Pearl Mysteries, Buccaneer Media’s show features After Life’s Kerry Godliman and Shadow and Bone’s Howard Charles as two locals solving crimes in the picturesque seaside town.

Season two will see celebrity chef Nolan prioritize her detective work and transition from being a chef who solves crimes to a full time investigator who just happens to own a restaurant.

Production will begin on the second six-part series in Whitstable, UK in February, with the show airing on Acorn in North America, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Distributor Cineflix has secured pre-sales for the second series in the Nordic region and sold the first to Sky Italia, Nhk Japan, BBC Worldwide (Benelux...

Made by “Marcella” producer Buccaneer Media as an original for AMC’s BritBox rival Acorn TV, “Whitstable Pearl” has all the ingredients of a travel-friendly crime series with a female lead in a picturesque English town.

And while the six part, 45-minute series slots in neatly with the streamer’s other small town crime canon, including Cotswold’s based “Agatha Raisin” and “Queens of Mystery,” Buccaneer execs Tony Wood and Anna Burns were keen to give the seaside town of Whitstable a Scandinavian edge.

Enter Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen, whose writing/directing credits include hit dark comedy dramas “Dag,” “Exit” and “Lilyhammer,” who was duly drafted in to adapt Julie Wassmer’s series of seaside mystery novels.

Karlsen’s vision for the show, based on Wassmer’s stories, he says, was “a whodunit served on a bed of warm interpersonal drama sprinkled with black humor.”

The series will premiere on...

Exclusive: Howard Charles, star of Amazon’s The Widow and CBS’s The Red Line, has been cast as the co-lead in Acorn TV’s British-made crime drama Whitstable Pearl.

Charles, who will next feature in Netflix’s Shadow And Bone, will star alongside After Life actress Kerry Godliman in the six-part Buccaneer Media adaptation of Julie Wassmer’s The Whitstable Pearl Mystery novels.

The series follows big-hearted restaurant owner Pearl Nolan (Godliman) who sets up a local detective agency in the English seaside town of Whitstable after undergoing police training in an earlier career.

Pearl forms an unlikely partnership with Dci Mike McGuire, a new local police chief who has transferred from London to escape his past. Charles plays McGuire.

Whitstable Pearl is adapted by Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen and production is underway in Whitstable. Executive producers are Tony Wood, Anna Burns, Richard Tulk-Hart and Nadia Jaynes for Buccaneer,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Channel 4 releases a first look trailer and still for Russell T Davies’ “It’s a Sin,” Acorn TV commissions a “Whitstable Pearl” series adaptation, “Two Buddies and a Badger 2 – The Great Big Beast” posts Norway’s best opening weekend box office, and Jackson Wild announces 2020 award winners.

First Look

Channel 4 in the U.K. has dropped a first-look teaser and still image for Russell T Davies’ highly anticipated upcoming series “It’s a Sin.”

A fictionalized look bat at the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, the series features a superstar cast led by Olly Alexander (“God Help the Girl”) and featuring Keeley Hawes, Stephen Fry, Neil Patrick Harris, Tracy Ann Oberman, Shaun Dooley, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis and Lydia West.

Starting at the beginning of the decade, “It’s a Sin” follows Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin, three new arrivals to London looking to start a new life.

Exclusive: Acorn TV’s push into originals is continuing at pace after the AMC Networks streamer commissioned Buccaneer Media, the producer behind ITV/Netflix’s Anna Friel hit Marcella, to adapt Julie Wassmer’s The Whitstable Pearl Mystery novels into a series.

Deadline hears that Buccaneer has been developing a six-part series for a number of months and has signed up Kerry Godliman, the star of Ricky Gervais’ Netflix comedy After Life, to headline the show.

Whitstable Pearl will be adapted by Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen, whose credits include Lilyhammer and Exit, and production will begin in the English seaside town of Whitstable on October 26.

The series follows big-hearted local restaurant owner Pearl Nolan who sets up a local detective agency after undergoing police training in an earlier career. She is soon embroiled in her first case when she discovers the body of close friend, Vinnie.

Pearl forms an unlikely partnership with Dci Mike McGuire,...

On this occasion, the country’s film agency has granted support to two features and five high-end TV series, for a total of about €3.2 million. The Norwegian Film Institute, the country’s audiovisual agency, announced the recipients of its latest round of funding last week. In detail, the body has set aside 36.5 million Norwegian crowns (approximately €3.2 million) and backed seven new productions. The big winners of this slate of funding are two domestic features – namely, Ole Giæver’s drama Let the River Flow, set during the Alta River conflict in the north of Norway in the late 1970s and produced by Mer Film As, and Kristoffer Borgli’s black comedy Sick of Myself, staged by Oslo Pictures. Finally, five high-end TV series were in receipt of support. They include the second season of Øystein Karlsen’s financial drama Exit...

(L-r) Jeffrey Walker, Sarah Lambert and Jason Stephens at Series Mania.

Lingo Pictures’ Lambs of God didn’t win any prizes at Series Mania but the comedic drama adapted from Marele Day’s novel was warmly received by audiences and French critics.

The first two hours of the Foxtel-commissioned miniseries created by Sarah Lambert and directed by Jeffrey Walker had their world premiere in the International Panorama section of the festival staged in Lille, northern France.

Starring Essie Davis, Ann Dowd, Jessica Barden and Sam Reid, Lambs of God follows three nuns, the last survivors of the order of St. Agnes, who live in a convent on a remote island. Reid plays Father Ignatius, an ambitious young priest who plans to turn the property into a money-making luxury resort and is kidnapped by the nuns.

The cast includes John Bell as a bishop, Damon Herriman as Father Bob, Daniel Henshall...