Aku Louhimies prepares for C More-MTV’s Conflict with Peter Franzén, Sara Soulié

Written several years ago by Louhimies, with actor Andrei Alén (Man in Room 301, The Unknown Soldier), writers Helena Immonen and Jari Olavi Rantala (Deadwind, Omerta 6/12), the six-part series Conflict (Konflikti) will resonate close to home to many viewers.

The story is set on Midsummer's Eve, as an unknown military unit takes control of a peaceful seaside town. All data and networks are disrupted and the region falls silent. The motives and the origin of the enemy remain shrouded in mystery, with the whole of Europe being taken by surprise and under shock. Local residents turn hostage, including Annika Berg (21), doing her military service. In seconds, her military exercise turns into a real crisis, requiring actual casualties. Is this an isolated incident, or the first step to push the world into a new global conflict?

“The subject matter is more current globally than ever before in our lifetime,” said Louhimies who got the idea for the show right after his earlier mammoth war drama and 2017 box office hit The Unknown Soldier, watched at home by over one million people.

As with The Unknown Soldier, Louhimies has obtained the support from the Finnish Defence Forces “to ensure that the military action in the series is realistic and in accordance with the training of the Finnish Defence Forces”, stated C More-MTV in its press statement.

Besides star actor Peter Franzén (Helsinki Syndrome, Vikings) and Sara Soulié (The Man Who Died, My Husband’s Wife), Pirkka-Pekka Petelius who was Jussi nominated for Louhimies’ 2013 feature 8-Ball has joined the cast, with further international names soon to be unveiled.

Also on board are Oscar-nominated production designer Heather Loeffler (American Hustle) and editor Ben Mercer (assistant editor on Nicolas Cage’s vehicle Pig and Hulu’s doc Leave no Trace).

According to Louhimies, the film will be shot organically mostly in Finnish and Swedish languages, as well as in English. Filming in Finland is due to start May 22, until late September.

So far the series produced by Andrei Alén and Louhimies for Backmann & Hoderoff and C More/MTV3 for Finland, has received the backing from Business Finland, the City of Hanko, US company XYZ Films, and private investors such as Avance Attorneys, Saab, and Leijona Catering.

"We are still negotiating and vetting sales representation for the series. C More has only Finland and all other territories are still being negotiated,” Louhimies told us.
C More-MTV's ’s Head of Drama Jani Hartikainen said he is thrilled about the solid plot of Conflict which “won’t leave anyone aloof”.

Conflict is the latest ambitious TV series ordered by C More, which has been upping its local drama slate in recent years.

Currently filming until June is the second season of ITV Studios’ glossy detective drama Helsinki Crimes (Harjunpää) written by Harri Virtanen (Deadwind) and directed by Matti Kinnunen (The Invincibles, Cargo). The first season was a major hit both on C More and internationally.