The film and television adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling trilogy Millennium has been sold to BIM distribution for Italy, in a major deal closed just prior to MIPCOM in Cannes where Zodiak International was introducing the project to world buyers.

"The deal with BIM is an important step for Zodiak International and puts us well on the way to establishing ourselves as an international distributor of drama," said Jörg Roth, MD of Zodiak International.

From his sales office at MIPCOM, Roth confirmed that buyers are all approaching him on the Millennium series, sold as a feature length version and 6 x 90' TV series. Negotiations are under way notably with France where the novels sold over 1.7m copies, and a deal is expected to be announced by the end of November, says Roth.

Produced by Yellow Bird in co-production with Nordisk Film (which holds Scandinavian rights), SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), TV2 (Norway) ZDF (Germany), the Millennium series has Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace play detective Mikael Blomkvist and IT hacker Lisbeth Salander. The feature film version of the first book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo directed by Niels Arden Oplev, is now in post-production and will open in Sweden, Denmark and Norway at the end of February-early March 2009 through Nordisk Film.

Two TV films based on the second book The Girl Who Played with Fire are currently filming in Sweden under the lens of Daniel Alfredson.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.