A Man Called Otto’s Fredrik Wikström Nicastro moves from SF Studios to Hope Studios

The new London and Stockholm-based company Hope Studios is the brainchild of Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, SF Studios’ former SVP International.

During his 18 year-tenure at the Scandinavian major - of which eight were with Tre Vänner, subsequently absorbed by SF Studios - the seasoned film and TV executive has worked on more than 20 productions, such as the Swedish hit A Man Called Ove, and its US remake, Tom Hanks’ vehicle A Man Called Otto, which grossed over $115 million globally.

Thanks to the financial clout from private equity partners and legacy banking institutions, Hope Studios will be able to develop, produce and fully finance features and series of up to $50 million.

Global sales and distribution will be handled - on a case by case - by Black Bear International (Ferrari, Dumb Money, Musk) part of the L.A. and London-based high-profile indie studio Black Bear (The Imitation Game, Mudbound, All is Lost) with close ties with A-list Hollywood talent.

Editorially, the focus for Hope Studios will be on original content, and primarily on-screen adaptations of fiction and non-fiction books, or projects inspired by true stories.

According to Nicastro, the slate will be predominantly in English-language. “We might do a few Nordic productions here and there, but these will be exceptions, although we will tap into Nordic talent and storytelling,” he underlined.

“Hope Studios is on a mission to bring hope and inspiration to people everywhere. Our aim is to grow into a vessel for creatives, authors and thinkers who have something important to say while sharing our passion for mainstream appeal to reach as many people as possible,” Nicastro explained.

Asked whether it was the US and Swedish screen versions of Fredrik Backman’s book ‘A Man Called Ove’, and its uplifting tale of solidarity and humanity that inspired him for Hope Studios’ DNA, the Swedish seasoned executive said:

“No this is an idea I had been thinking about for a long time over my years at SF Studios. Of course, A Man Called Ove and its US version represent what we want to do going forward, although we won’t produce only feel-good dramas. We will do other genres, but within movies that can combine broad reach, global appeal with an uplifting story with something meaningful to say about society. “

Nicastro goes on: “Within SF Studios, there was naturally the structure to make those type of movies, but I wanted to set up a company that from the bottom up was driven by that vision. Our ambition is to create an output, a culture and company brand that is truly purpose-driven.”

Nicastro said he is still extremely grateful for the long-term relationship with SF Studios and will continue to collaborate with them, notably on two feature projects that he developed during his time at SF.

One project is the long-gestated film I am Victor based on a story by Jo Nesbø to be directed by Baltasar Kormákur, and the second one is Life 3.0, adapted from the eponymous best-selling novel by AI expert Max Tegmark.

“SF Studios will be our co-producer and Hope Studios will be driving the projects forward,” Nicastro explains.

Other Hope original projects will be announced shortly, next to the names of the executives set to join the company in the coming months. “For now, we are a small team, but in 2024 we will be around 8-10 people,” said the producer.

Discussing the overall state of the global market, Nicastro said: “Right now it is a tough market everywhere. All studios, streamers and broadcasters are cutting costs and competition is tight, therefore it’s much harder to raise financing for content than it has been for years. But I’m very optimistic,” he states.

“At the end of the day, if you can make films and TV shows of high quality with a great cast -which is what we want to do - there is always a market for that,” he noted, before adding: “It is exciting to launch a company at a time when everyone else is scaling down. We seem to be going against the stream, and hopefully in a couple of years we’ll be able to say that it was the right move.”