EXCLUSIVE: Up and coming French producer Sydney Gallonde (Make it Happen Studio) has boarded the dystopian TV drama based on UK writer Alex Scarrow’s eponymous novel. 

The eight-part TV drama will explore the implosion of modern society when oil supplies suddenly drop to crisis point. The story unfolds around a family whose lives are changed forever by the societal breakdown that ensues. Gallonde had his breakthrough this year with the crime series No Second Chance based on US writer Harlan Coben’s best-selling novel that became a smash hit on French commercial channel TF1 in 2015 with over 8.7m viewers. The series won Best TV Drama and Best Actress (Alexandra Lamy) at La Rochelle TV Fiction Festival 2016. 

Swedish producer Helena Danielsson, co-partner in Brain Academy told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “Sydney and I will produce together with TrustNordisk (who will handle world sales) and we will build a creative team comprising top writers and a high-end director with international experience. Shooting will take place mostly between Paris and London, with some scenes set in Africa and Middle East. “

Danielsson anticipates that Last Light will have a high budget in the €20m range. “It will be a character-driven action drama. We will need the financial muscle to create the right production value,” she stated. Last Light will be MTG-owned Brain Academy’s next major TV drama after the Swedish/US comedy Swedish Dicks that premiered on Viaplay in September.

Meanwhile Danielsson’s latest feature production and first English-language film as majority producer The Childhood of a Leader received two nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards 2017. The film was produced together with Chris Coen, Ron Curtis, Antoine De Clermont-Tonnerre, Istvan Major, and Mona Fastvold. 

Brady Corbet’s directorial debut is running for Best First Feature and Best Cinematography. This will be the first time a Scandi producer is nominated at the US film award with an English language film.

Co-written by Corbet and Norwegian-born Fastvold (The Sleepwalker), the film had its world premiere at Venice Orizzonti 2015 where it won Best Debut film and Best Director. The Childhood of a Leader was released by TriArt in Sweden and sold worldwide by Protagonist Pictures.