The drama Below the Surface (Gidseltagningen) based on an idea by Adam Price (Borgen) and Søren Sveistrup (The Killing) is sold by Studiocanal at MIPCOM.

The psycho-thriller series currently shooting, is created and directed by Kasper Barfoed (Summer of 92) It centres on an operation to rescue 15 hostages from a Copenhagen subway train. In the main roles are Paprika Steen, Johannes Lassen, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, as well as Dar Salim, Cecilie Stenspil, Henning Jensen, Alexandre Willaume and Allan Hyde. 

SAM Productions’ Adam Price, Creative Executive Producer alongside Sveistrup said: “There is something both eerie and fascinating about a hostage as criminal act. The close and complex relationship between the hostage and hostage-taker immediately opens up strong character-development possibilities and can also put a number of highly topical issues about our time to the forefront, such as fear of terrorism.“

The eight-part series produced by SAM’s Morten Kjems Hytten Juhl and executive produced by Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen, has received a record DKK 14 million in production support (including development support) from the DFI’s Public Service Fund.

For the Danish subscription channel Kanal5/Discovery Networks Danmark, Below the Surface is a new heavy bet on local TV drama. Maiken Wexø, Programme Director at Discovery Networks Denmark said: “We have a clear ambition for Kanal5 to be one of the four main flagpole stations in Denmark and the drama series Below the Surface is precisely what we need to achieve this goal. The channel is already strong on crime and action-packed entertainment. From 2017, TV drama at the highest international level will also be a top priority for us so that we become a channel of great relevance and high entertainment value for many Danes.” 

Below the Surface will premiere on Kanal5 in the spring 2017.