Prime Video has set the global launch date for its premium Swedish show “Paradis City,” a fast-paced dystopian actioner, based on “Snabba Cash” scribe Jens Lapidus’ eponymous stand-alone novel.
The six-part series, due to launch March 7 exclusively on Prime Video, is being showcased as a works in progress today Jan. 29 at Göteborg’s TV Drama Vision.
Produced by Lapidus’ shingle Strive Studios, the show is to-lined by Alexander Abdallah (“Snabba Cash”), Julia Ragnasson (“Midsommar,” “Blinded”) and Sverrir Gudnason (“Falling,” “Face to Face”). Fenar Ahmad (“Darkland”) and Alain Darborg (“Red Dot”) serve as directors.
Adapted for the small screen by head writer Björn Paqualin (“Occupied,” “Thicker than Water”) with Michaela Hamilton (“A Class Apart”) and Oliver Dixon (“The Lawyer”), “Paradis City” is set in the near future.
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The polarization of Swedish society has reached unprecedented levels and prison-like walls are separating privileged citizens from vulnerable and supposedly dangerous zones, governed by special laws. When the Home Secretary is abducted by masked men at a rally in one of the largest ‘no-go’ zones, Paradis City, special agents Fredrika (Ragnarsson) enlists Emir (Abdallah), an ex-MMA fighter facing life in prison to find the politician, otherwise he might risk losing a chance to see his daughter again.
“It’s more Hell City than Paradise City,” says Lapidus about his dystopian universe where only viewers can decide who are the good or bad guys on each side of the walls. “The titles of my novels have different interpretations, but this is obviously ironic,” continues the high-profile Swedish novelist and former criminal defence lawyer, whose “Snabba Cash” Stockholm noir trilogy turned into global hits in libraries and on small and silver screens. The Netflix reboot, co-created by Lapidus, also put Abdallah’s name on the list of talent to watch.
Paradis City
Courtesy of Prime Video
But what made the best-selling crime writer break away from his distinctively realistic vision of Stockholm’s underworld to tap into sci-fi?
“Well I had moved to Mallorca, Spain in 2017, and quit my job as a lawyer to fully focus on writing,” Lapidus tells Variety. “Listening to and reading the news about Sweden from afar, I started to see a country wrecked by gang violence. That’s when I got the idea to draw a Sweden seen from a distance, not geographical but in time. I started thinking-what would happen if this violence and criminality were getting out of control? What would be the nightmare scenario? Well that nightmare scenario would be a society unable to protect itself and suddenly forced to build gigantic walls to fence off the ‘dangerous’ people.”
For Lapidus, his dystopian vision of Sweden is not that far from reality. “Stockholm is among the most segregated cities in Europe, therefore the walls in ‘Paradis City’ are an extrapolation, a metaphorical depiction of what already exists,” he observes.
Turning to the TV show that he executive produced, Lapidus says the key questions it asks and he hopes the audience will reflect upon, are “how do western democracies deal with polarization in society? Does the end justify the means?”
Producer Niklas Wikström Nicasto, a partner in Strive Studios, says the show “is structured almost like a feature, with a fast pace. It literally follows the novel, although of course, story-wise we’ve made changes.”
With the 1981 John Carpenter movie “Escape from New York” starring Kurt Russell as one of the points of reference, the creatives made sure the tone, style and characterisation would be broadened. Comparing the characters in the series to Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings” who comes across the Dwarves and Elves in Middle-earth, the author says his protagonists also go on a journey. “In the show, you cross different groups, different worlds. This gives you a broader understanding of society,” Lapidus notes.
Casting-wise, enrolling Alexander Abdallah to play the charismatic and fierceful Emir was an obvious choice, but finding the right actress to play special agent Fredrika was a long and winding process. “Julia got the part only three weeks before shooting. It was crazy. But we’re so happy with our choice. Both Alexander and Julia are among the most talented of their generation,” says Nicastro.
Originally ordered by Viaplay, the series ended up with Prime Video when the Nordic streamer hit financial trouble and decided to sell off rights to bring in extra cash . “Amazon Prime came in during production. They’ve been super enthusiastic from day one, and our collaboration went very smoothly,” said the producer who is hoping for the brand to carry on. “The novel is a closed story, but our show has strong returnable potential,” he claims.
Commenting on “Paradis City,” Karin Lindström, head of originals at Nordic Amazon MGM Studios/Prime Video, said: “We are always on the lookout for established, impactful IP with strong local relevance for our scripted titles. Jens Lapidus’ book immediately stood out to us, not only because of its compelling narrative but also due to his close collaboration with the production team and alignment with the producers’ vision for engaging the audience with this story.”
“Paradis City” was part of a package of nine scripted originals acquired from Viaplay in February 2024 by the U.S. global streamer, as part of its commitment to the Nordic region, which remains as strong as ever as Lindström told Variety: “We aim to offer a diverse mix of local scripted and unscripted titles that not only drive new Prime subscriptions but also encourage members to return regularly, creating a true one stop entertainment destination.
Our strategy has proven successful in blending international and local content to achieve this goal,” she said. “While the exact number of titles varies depending on their potential impact, for 2025 we plan to launch six scripted and 14 unscripted titles across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Looking ahead, we have no intention of scaling back and remain committed to delivering a strong and engaging lineup.”
Jens Lapidus
Courtesy of Strive Studios