Following up on the success of the Beck, Wallander and Varg Veum crime series, the Danish production house Miso Film is going to produce Den som dræber (Those Who Kill), in collaboration with TV2 Denmark, TV 4 Sweden and SF Film, for a total budget of around DKK 90 million.
The 6 x 90 minute films - including two for theatrical - will be based on an original concept developed by best-selling Danish novelist Elsebeth Egholm, (photo) with Stefan Jaworski. Den som dræber will follow the inquiries of a special unit at Copenhagen's police forces, specialised with serial killers that do not fit within traditional behavioural patterns. "We will meet up with psychopaths, murderers and hard-boiled criminals in a new reality where motives are far more complex and threats far more dangerous, because the murders usually are not the means, but the goal in itself," stressed Jonas Allen, producer and co-founder of Miso Film.
The first feature film will be directed by Mikkel Nørgaard who previously worked on some episodes of Anna Pihl and several seasons of the popular comedy series Klovn. Filming on Den som dræber will start early next year for a total duration of 170 days.
Just like with Varg Veum, the first film will be released theatrically, the second and third films will go straight to DVD, the fourth one will be made for theatrical and the last two episodes for DVD. All of them will be distributed by SF. "After several years of success with quality Swedish crime movies made for theatrical, DVD and TV, we are happy that we now have a Danish response to please our constantly increasing crime audience," commented Michael Fleischer, managing director for SF Film Denmark.
For TV2 Denmark, Den som dræber is part of its newly announced ambitious plan to increase its input in local TV fiction. According to programme director Palle Strøm, (photo) crime series, but also modern folk comedy and family fiction will be the cornerstone of the channel's reinforced input in local TV series, thanks to a budget set to triple within the upcoming year. To help the channel reach its goals, two highly experience development executives have been hired: Lars Sund Duus and Niels Forseca, who both collaborated on the Swedish TV series Beck and Wallander.