SF Studios and leading Nordic streamer Viaplay have teamed up on a drama series adapted from “The Åre Murders,” the Swedish crime novels penned by bestselling author Viveca Sten (“The Sandhamn Murders”).
Joakim Eliasson (“Honour,” “Gåsmamman”) is set to direct the six-part series which is penned by Karin Gidfors (“Snabba Cash”) and Jimmy Lindgren (“Honour”), based on Sten’s first two books. Global sales are being handled by Viaplay Content Distribution.
The first two books were published in 2020 by Bokförlaget Forum, while the third installment recently came out. Sten, who is also executive producing the series, is best-known for having penned “The Sandhamn Murders,” another collection of hit crime novels. “The Sandhamn Murders” was adapted into a TV show and reached nearly 100 million viewers worldwide, according to SF Studios. Sten’s book have have been published in more than 40 countries and sold over 7.5 million copies to date.
“The Åre Murders” will start filming in the spring and will premiere on Viaplay in the fall of 2024. Set in a scenic yet bleak mountainous village in Sweden, the series follows a local police unit which
struggles to solve serious crimes with scarce resources.
The story revolves around Hanna Ahlander, a Stockholm police officer trying to get over her personal and professional woes during her stay at a Swedish resort. But when a young woman mysteriously disappears, Hanna is quickly drawn into the investigation and has to partner up with a local police officer, Daniel Lindskog, who reluctantly accepts her help.
“When I started writing the books in Åre during the COVID-19 pandemic, I never imagined they would come to the screen so soon,” Sten said in a statement. “I hope and believe that ‘The Åre Murders’ will be just as successful as ‘The Sandhamn Murders’ and I’m particularly looking forward to participating as an executive producer.”
Brita Lundqvist, producer at SF Studios, said Sten “has a unique ability to create characters that are loved by a big audience, her worlds are both appealing and dangerous.”
“‘The Åre Murders’ have in a short time reached many readers both in the Nordics and internationally,” the producer pointed out, adding that SF Studios strives to deliver “quality crime” that “allows viewers to empathize with victims, relatives and our police in the search for the truth.”
Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group’s CCO, said: “‘The Åre Murders’ will deliver idyllic winter locations and ice-cold crime, all through the eyes of engaging characters familiar to Viveca’s millions of readers.”
“The Åre Murders” is produced by SF Studios with producer Brita Lundqvist and executive producer Susann Billberg, in co-production with Viaplay. Executive producers are also Helena Larand at Viaplay and Sten.
