Filming has begun in Norway on Sogn Murders (working title Mord i Sogn), an international crime-drama series in four parts, adapted from the best-selling novels by Norwegian author Jørgen Jæger. The project, a co-production between Nordisk Film and ARD Degeto, brings together an experienced international team for what TV2 Norway describes as “a major European crime-drama series”.

Set against the dramatic landscapes of the Sognefjord on Norway’s west coast, the series centres on Ole Vik, a 43-year-old police investigator heading the local station in the fictional fruit-growing village of Fjellberghavn. Vik’s quiet rural life is disrupted both by the looming closure of his station, threatened by merging police districts, and by the arrival of 25-year-old Cecilie Hopen, a young officer from Kripos, Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service. Officially a police academy trainee, Hopen is actually working undercover to investigate a criminal network casting a shadow over the seemingly idyllic community. When a suspicious death shatters the village’s peace, Vik and Hopen, representing two very different worlds, must negotiate professional and personal tensions to solve the case.

Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju, known for Game of Thrones and In Order of Disappearance [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], stars as Vik. “It is a great honour to play the iconic Ole Vik. Jørgen Jæger has written fantastic books, and we look forward to bringing his universe to the television screen,” he stated. Eili Harboe, known for Joachim Trier’s Thelma [+lire aussi :
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interview : Joachim Trier
fiche film], plays Cecilie Hopen: “It’s incredibly exciting to play a character that so many have such a strong relationship with. I hope we can help convey a story that sparks curiosity, and that viewers become invested in the characters.” Petra Schmidt-Schaller joins the cast as Flora, a German-born eco-farmer with a mysterious past.

The series is created and directed by Kristoffer Metcalfe (Twin), who co-wrote the scripts with Kathrine Valen Zeiner (Made in Oslo). “Our starting point is Jørgen Jæger’s literary universe, and we have been granted great freedom from Jæger himself to adapt it from book to series. It’s inspiring to build on his strong, human crime stories, which we then weave into our own universe and our own characters,” said Metcalfe. Jørgen Jæger is Norway’s third best-selling crime writer, with over 1.7 million books sold. His 15 novels featuring Ole Vik and Cecilie Hopen in Fjellberghavn have established him as one of the country’s most popular authors.

TV2’s programme director, Trygve Rønningen, said: “Sogn Murders is a series we have high expectations for. With quality actors, a fantastic location that showcases Norwegian nature and – not least – content based on Jørgen Jæger’s books, we have all the ingredients for success. The series is a character-driven crime-drama with a strong emotional core and an engaging cast of characters that will captivate the audience.”

Sogn Murders is being produced by Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen, of Nordisk Film Production, for TV2 Norway. The series is being co-produced with ARD Degeto Film, with Christoph Pellander as commissioning editor and Sebastian Lückel as executive producer for ARD, and with TV4 in Sweden. The production is receiving support from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Zefyr. Shooting will continue in Sogn until mid-October. The series has already been sold to MTV in Finland and DR in Denmark, with further international distribution expected.