Fremantle revealed Wednesday that it has secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. The deal includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release. RTL Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.
Fremantle will be showcasing “Hagen” as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday as part of London TV Screenings.
“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
The show centers on dutiful soldier Hagen and Siegfried, the legendary dragon slayer. Hagen, bound by loyalty to the kingdom, is Lord Commander, ready to serve and stand by his king. But he has a secret, he is deeply in love with Princess Kriemhild. It is a love that will never be permitted.
His world is turned upside down as the Huns threaten to invade and an unexpected guest, Siegfried, arrives. The king, determined to strengthen his kingdom, seeks a new wife, Brunhild — the famous Valkyrie queen, who has old magic powers.
To secure her hand, the king requires the help of both Siegfried and Hagen. A dramatic and ultimately catastrophic series of events unfold in this sweeping tale of love, power, family and war delivered with cinematic production values.
Jens Richter, CEO commercial and international at Fremantle, said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Constantin Film on this exciting new project. ‘Hagen’ is a contemporary reimagining of the mother of all fantasy sagas — the ‘Nibelungen.’ Prepare yourselves for premium entertainment with truly stunning production values, which promises to draw audiences into an immersive world filled with epic battles, love, power and betrayal; all delivered with striking visual integrity.”
Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz, executive chairman, and Oliver Berben, deputy chairman, said: “The epic saga of ‘Hagen’ and this hero’s journey is the basis of modern, cinematic pop culture narration. We are excited to bring this standout production together with Fremantle to audiences worldwide.”
Gijs Naber (“Blackbook,” “The Story of My Wife”) will star as protagonist Hagen von Tronje, alongside Jannis Niewöhner (“Amazon’s Beat,” “Munich”) as his antagonist Siegfried. Lilja van der Zwaag will play Princess Kriemhild, Rosalinde Mynster will appear as Valkyrie Brunhild, while Dominic Marcus Singer takes on the role of King Gunter. Jördis Triebel (“Dark”) and Jörg Hartmann (“The Weissensee Saga”) support as Queen Ute and King Dankrat respectively.
The directors are Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert, whose most recent series is Sky’s “series “Pagan Peak.” The script was written by Boss, Stennert and Doron Wisotzky.
“Hagen” is produced by Constantin Film. The producers are Jan Ehlert (“The Allegation”), Christoph Müller (“Look Who’s Back”) and Christian Rohde (“The Witnesses”), with Filip Hering (“Never Look Away”) co-producing on the Czech side. Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben of Constantin Film act as executive producers. Thomas Disch and Nico Grein have editorial responsibility on behalf of RTL under the direction of Hauke Bartel, head of fiction at RTL Germany.
The deal signals a strengthening relationship between Fremantle and Constantin Film following a partnership in 2021, which saw Fremantle handle global distribution for Constantin Television and Amazon Studios co-production “We Children From Bahnhof Zoo.” The series went on to launch in 92 territories worldwide.
The feature film is funded by Filmförderungsanstalt, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Production Incentives from the Czech Film Fund, German Federal Film Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the government of Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs.
The series is funded by Production Incentives from the Czech Film Fund, Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, German Motion Picture Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and government of Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs.
