The ground-breaking deal was announced by MTG on Wednesday, ahead of MIPCOM. 

Produced by MTG-owned Brain Academy in collaboration with LA-based Viking Brothers Entertainment (run by Peter Stormare), Swedish Dicks was the first original TV drama commissioned by Viaplay. Stormare and stand-up comedian Johan Glans play two Swedes in downtown LA trying to survive as un-licensed private investigators. Special guest Keanu Reeves appears in a number of episodes.

The show premiered on Viaplay on September 2 and set a viewing record in the Nordic region during its first weekend. It is expected to premiere in the US early 2017.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, MTG CEO said: “This is a milestone for MTG. As a leading provider of entertainment experiences, we are now placing more focus on original programming that captivates our viewers. We are super excited to team up with Lionsgate and tap their worldwide marketing and distribution capacity for global sales of our first original production for Viaplay.”

Kevin Beggs, Chairman of Lionsgate Television added: “The Nordic region is a leader in developing amazing series, and MTG has created something special with Swedish Dicks. Combining world-class talent Peter Stormare and Johan Glans together with Keanu Reeves as a special guest star, together with edgy, compelling writing creates the kind of noisy, quality programming that is a Lionsgate trademark.”

Other landmark TV shows handled by Lionsgate include Orange is the New Black, Nurse Jackie, Weeds and Mad Men.