Yahoo News REinvent Studios Enlists ZDF/Arte for Faroese Drama ‘Trom’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Click here to read the full article.
REinvent Studios, the Copenhagen-based company launched last year by former TrustNordisk CEO Rikke Ennis, has pre-sold the Faroese crime drama “Trom” to ZDF/Arte for Germany and France. ZDF/Arte will be co-producing the anticipated series which was pitched last year during the Co-Pro Series at the Berlinale Series forum.
“Trom,” based on Jagvan Isaksen’s crime novels and penned Torfinnur Jákupsson, follows journalist Hannis Martinsson as he investigates the murder of an animal rights activist whose body was found in the bloody waters of a whale killing in the Faroe Islands. Martinsson’s investigation sends shockwaves through the isolated island community.
More from Variety
The series is being produced by the Jón Hammer’s Faroese banner KYK Pictures and has already been ordered by KVF, Viaplay and VRT. Danish broadcaster DR is in negotiations. Reinvent Studios is also negotiating U.K. and U.S. rights. The series is expected to start shooting in August.
Olaf Grunert, the commissioning editor of ZDF/Arte, said he believed the show will lure audiences because of its colourful backdrop and multi-layered plot.
“Iceland is a popular destination but Faroe Islands is lesser known and yet very pittoresque, so the show will allow people to explore it,” said Grunert. He said the plot was also highly compelling because it boasts “many conflicts” and a “ecological crime aspect.”
REinvent Studios, which is co-headed by Nordic industry veteran Helene Aurø, recently struck an exclusive partnership with SF Studios to handle films from the Scandinavian production and distribution banner in international markets. Reinvent was already working with SF Studios on its TV series. Among the SF Studios’ titles on REinvent’s slate are Erik Poppe’s “The Emigrants,” Bille August’s “The Pact;” Charlotte Sieling’s “Margrete – Queen of the North;” as well as Antti Jokinen’s “Omerta 6/12” and “Omerta 7/12” which is also being pre-sold as a TV series.
REinvent Studios’ roster also includes the Danish youth short-form series “Sex” starring Asta August (“The New Nurses”), which is world premiering at the Berlinale; the Swedish medical drama “First Responders” and the Finnish high-end drama “The Peacemaker” which will be presented as part of the showcase “Coming Next from the Nordics.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
