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.
The “Dark Iceland” series comprises six novels — “Snowblind,” “Blackout,” “Rupture,” “Whiteout,” “Nightblind” and “Winterkill” — published between 2010 and 2020. Set in a remote Icelandic fishing village, they follow protagonist Ari Thór Arason — a rookie detective on his first posting — troubled by a complex past that he is unable to leave behind.
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.”
Founded in 2020 by former Tele München Group MD Herbert Kloiber, Night Train Media develops and co-finances international series, documentaries and films and has 10 projects in production currently. The outfit has investment from private equity fund Serafin Group and recently took a majority stake in London-based non-scripted distributor BossaNova.
“Scandinavian crime series have been extremely popular for many years now and for good reason,” said Kloiber and Olivia Pahl, head of development and coproductions at Night Train Media said in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to be developing such an outstanding project in this genre with Warner Bros. and are especially looking forward to working with the WB-colleagues for the first time.”
Executive producers of the series at WBITVP will be Dagmar Konsalik and Tobias Rosen.
WBITVP Deutschland GmbH develops and produces programs across platforms in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. These include scripted formats like “Wilsberg,” “Marie Brand” and “Friesland” as well as non-fiction formats such as “Bares für Rares” (Cash Or Trash), “The Bachelor” and “First Dates.”