The high-end Swedish suspense series in development is based on author Jonas Bonnier’s true crime eponymous novel.

Stockholm and L.A. based production powerhouse B-Reel Films (BR.F) has secured rights to the novel from Scandinavia’s literary group Salomonsson Agency, after a fierce bidding war.

The Helicopter Heist (Helikopterrånet) is based on the extraordinary true story of a gang of robbers who in 2009 used a stolen Bell 206 Jet Ranger to land on the roof of the G4S cash depot in Stockholm and got away with more than $4 million in cash. The heist attracted worldwide attention, and after an intense manhunt, seven perpetrators were eventually caught and sentenced.

Seasoned writer Ronnie Sandahl (Borg vs. McEnroe, Tigers, Underdog) will be serving as creator/writer on the eight-part series, produced by Johannes Åhlund.

According to BR.F, Sandahl has dug up “new material and details not previously known to the public that will put the heist in a new perspective.”

“For a long time I’ve been dreaming about writing the ultimate heist story. To me, this is the one: a feverish and playful Icarus tale about winning, or losing, it all,” said Sandahl.

Åhlund, who recently produced the C More/TV4 hit series The Congregation (Knutby), also based on a Bonnier novel, said he’s thrilled to be collaborating with Sandahl, having tried for years to find the right project for them to work together.

Ulf Synnerholm, Film & TV managing director at BR.F, and co-founder Fredrik Heinig will serve as executive producers. According to Synnerholm, the creators will draw inspiration from a wide range of TV and films, classic heist movies and relationship dramas. "We want to create a modern heist story, character-driven and feverish at the same time, with adrenaline and emotion,” he pointed out.

For BR.F, behind an impressive range of successful films and drama series such as Midsommar, I am Greta, Thunder in My Heart and Before We Die, The Helicopter Heist marks a new milestone. “It will be one of our biggest projects to date, and we will be looking to create a team of the best people around, whether they are Swedish, Scandinavian or from elsewhere in the world,” said Synnerholm who continues: “Considering the ‘Swedishness’ of the project in origin, language and location, we hope to attract a strong and devoted partner locally. That being said, any home sharing our ambition and intention would be welcome to discuss the possibilities of a partnership,” he told nordicfilmandtvnews.com.

BR.F is hoping to start production the second half of 2023.

The company’s current slate includes the SVT crime show The Detective from Beledweyne, set to start filming in May.