The epic adventure series produced by Filmlance International for Nent Group’s Viaplay will combine top of the art special effects with a timely coming-of-age story and hymn to nature.
Ronja the Robber’s Daughter is one of Astrid Lindgren’s most celebrated books, earlier brought to the screens as a feature film in 1984 by Tage Danielsson and animated TV series in 2014 by Goro Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli.
The upcoming contemporary Swedish-language series reunites some of Scandinavia’s biggest names: writer Hans Rosenfeldt (The Bridge, Marcella), and UK/Swedish director Lisa James Larsson (Victoria, Britannia, Agatha Christie’s Hjerson).
The 12 episodes live action series across two seasons, is produced by Bonnie Skoog Feeney and Mattias Arehn (Beartown) of Banijay-owned Filmlance International, with Nent Group’s Sara Askelöf serving as executive producer.
“Astrid Lindgren is one of Sweden’s most iconic authors, creating globally recognised characters which audiences across the Nordics and the world love dearly” said Filmlance CEO Hanne Palmquist. “It’s a tremendous honour getting the opportunity to produce Ronja the Robber’s Daughter and a huge treat to work with Hans Rosenfeldt on this series, with his scripts capturing Ronja’s spirit and sense of adventure, and this, paired with cutting edge technology, will bring the fantasy characters to life for modern television audiences and NENT’s Viaplay.”
Johan Palmberg, Astrid Lindgren’s great grandson who joined the press conference, said teaming up with Filmlance, NENT Group, Rosenfeldt and Larsson made sense. “Our mission at the Astrid Lindgren Company is to bring Astrid’s stories to as many people as possible in the world; we need new ways to express those stories, where children and their families are, and this is the best way to do it,” he asserted.
For Filippa Wallestam, Nent Group’s Chief Content Officer, Ronja is an incredibly timely story about a confident and complex young girl, which makes it one of her all-time favourite characters. “This classic story of a strong and independent girl was always far ahead of its time, and its themes of friendship, closeness to nature and questioning one’s assumptions are so relevant today. “
The story follows the adventures of Ronja (11), born into a band of robbers in a medieval Scandinavian fortress. Growing up, she learns that the surrounding forest can be a magical and sometimes dangerous place filled with strange creatures. But when Ronja befriends the young boy Birk from a rival band, a vicious family feud ignites, at the same time as a notorious bailiff arrives to rid the area of robbers once and for all. Ronja and Birk flee into the forest and try to survive on their own.
Rosenfeldt said the storyline will be “very much what’s in the book”, but he will expand on the emotional parts and on Ronja’s inner conflicts, notably regarding her relationship with her parents (see separate interview CLICK HERE).
Visually, the series will stay close to the soul and DNA of the original material, according to Feeney, with a mix of outstanding outdoor locations in Sweden, studio work, and an authentic look for the Nordic nature and fantasy world to be recreated.
To have “a natural and organic look and feel”, Arehn said the production will rely as much as possible on camera solutions, combined with VFX work “from some of the best people, to create something spectacular.”
Nent Group’s CEO Anders Jensen described Ronja the Robber’s Daughter as a new milestone in the group’s ambition to take the most iconic Nordic stories and brands to the world. “We are becoming more and more international, and plan to be in at least 15 countries by the end of 2022. But we are remaining Nordic at our core, and “Ronja” is a dream project,” he said, underlining the contemporary story with messages not only for the youngsters but for a broader audience.
“Honestly, 4- 5 years ago, we wouldn’t have been ready for this in terms of competence and willingness to take things to a new level,” he continued. “But now is the time…we’ve seen ABBA making a comeback ... the Nordics have never been stronger in so many ways. Competition in the streaming landscape is fierce and it’s hard to find your edge or niche, but this story will give us exactly that."
Regarding the financing, Nent Group “is looking at the best way” to put the pieces together, alongside Filmlance and The Astrid Lindgren Company, according to Wallestam. “The most important thing for us is to secure our current and future territories, but then we want of course the series to have as big an international distribution as possible, and there are many interested parts, as you can imagine,” she told nordicfilmandtvnews.com.
The series is due to premiere on Viaplay in 2023. Casting is underway.
Ronja The Robber’s Daughter is the latest event Nordic project commissioned by Nent Group, which has committed to delivering every year, two major English-language films about Nordic figures and events, starting with Lasse Hallström’s Hilma about Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint.
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