Netflix unveils Swedish film/TV slate for 2024-2025 and Per Fly Danish series

As the Swedish series A Nearly Normal Family and Norwegian film Trolls are respectively number 1 of Netflix’s weekly top 10 non-English series (for the second week in a row) and most popular non-English film, the US streamer’s Nordic content team, headed by Jenny Stjernströmer Björk, took the opportunity this week to reiterate its commitment to local content, notably from Sweden.

“We are happy and proud of our journey in the Nordics and the wonderful stories we have been able to tell through our films and series - with world class talents both in front and behind the camera,” said Stjernströmer Björk, who also announced that her team will move to new central Stockholm premises in the spring.

Since the launch of the first Swedish original series Quicksand in 2019, the US global streamer has increased significantly its investment in local content, said Netflix in a statement, citing hot Swedish titles such as Snabba Cash, Love & Anarchy, Tore, Clark, The Playlist, A Day and a Half, Black Crab and Barracuda Queens.

Next up from Sweden is Lisa Aschan’s drama comedy series Thank You, I’m Sorry from Meta Film Sweden, set to premiere December 26, and six new films and series are - so far- lined up for 2024:

• An Honest Life (Ett ärligt liv), film directed by Mikael Marcimain for FLX, based on Joakim Zander’s eponymous novel - see our story Netflix hires Mikael Marcimain to lead An Honest Life .

• A Part of You (En del av dig), film directed by Sigge Eklund for SF Studios, with Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ryding and Zara Larsson.
• Sámi film Stolen (Stöld) by Elle Márjá Eira, adapted by screenwriter Peter Birro from Ann-Helén Laestadius’ best-seller novel.
• Deliver Me (I dina händer), thriller series based on a novel by Malin Persson Giolito, directed by Anna Zackrisson from a script by head-writer Alex Haridi for Asp Varhos production house - see our story Ardalan Esmaili, Ane Dahl Torp, Yasir Hassan and Olle Strand join Netflix’s Deliver Me.

• The Breakthrough (Genombrottet), crime series adapted by Oscar Söderlund from a book by Anna Bodin and Peter Sjölund, directed by Lisa Siwe for FLX.
• Young Royals season 3, finale of the cult YA series led by Edvin Ryding as Prince Wilhelm, co-created by Lisa Ambjörn for Nexiko.

New Swedish Originals
Netflix also took the opportunity to unveil three new Swedish productions.

• The film Strul (no English title yet), currently in production for FLX, is a remake of the 1988 hit starring Björn Skifs. Jon Holmberg (Sune vs Sune) directs a stellar Scandi cast including Filip Berg, Amy Deasismont, Eva Melander and Joakim Sällquist.
  
  Speaking to us, producer Anna Carlsten said FLX decided to update the 1988 film, based on the strength of the concept. “It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy at a fast pace and with a lot of humour - speed, and action from start to finish!" she claimed. Describing the storyline, Carlsten said the main character Conny is an ordinary person, bi-weekly dad, who may have taken safety and everyday life a little too much for granted. Now he is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is forced by chance into a situation far outside his comfort zone. He must fight for his life. This creates many comic situations where he is bound to become someone he is not,” she explains.

• The film Love Forever (Love Fårever) set in picturesque Gotland, is written/directed by Staffan Lindberg (Welcome to Sweden, It’s all About Love) for Jarowskij. In some of the title roles are Matilda Källström, Charlie Gustafsson, Doreen Ndagire and Philip Oros.
  
  The warm romantic comedy centres on Stockholmers Hanna and Samuel, whose plans of an intimate countryside wedding in Gotland are shattered by family and friends.

• The series The Glass Dome (Glaskupan) from Creative Society Productions is based on an idea by crime writing queen Camilla Läckberg. Lisa Farzaneh (Snabba Cash) serves as concept director and Lisa Linnertorp (Threesome) as head-writer.
  
  Behaviourist/criminologist Lejla returns to a small community in Sweden, a place where she once was held captive by an unknown perpetrator, but which is also her retirement home, with her partner, the former police chief Valter. Soon the couple starts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of girl.

The US streaming giant also presented the full cast of two other anticipated Swedish productions:

• The series The Helicopter Heist (Helikopterrånet) produced by B-Reel Films, stars Erdalan Esmaili and Mahmut Suvakci, as well as Iskra Kostic, Einar Bredefeldt, Erik Svedberg, Johanna Hedberg and Victoria Carmen Sonne among others.
  
  The true crime series adapted by Ronnie Sandahl from a book by Jonas Bonnier is directed by Daniel Espinosa, with Jonas Alexander Arnby and Anna Zachrisson as episodic directors. See our story Netflix orders Swedish Helicopter Heist suspense series to B-Reel Films.

• The film Let Go (Allt blir bra/working title) produced by Warner Bros Television International Sweden is written/directed by Josephine Bornebusch who also stars next to Pål Sverre Hagen, Sigrid Johnson, Olle Tikkakoski Lundström in the main roles. Bornebusch plays Stella who is struggling to keep her family together, when she receives a message that changes everything. She decides to take a trip with her husband and kids, where she has to achieve the impossible-bring everybody together again.
  

New Danish crime series
In a separate announcement, Netflix unveiled the new Danish crime series - Reservatet (no English title yet) set to start filming in March for Uma Film’s Claudia Saginario (Cry Wolf).

The multi-acclaimed Per Fly is directing from a screenplay by Ingeborg Topsøe (Wildland, The Charmer). The six part series is a crime show with a contemporary upstairs/downstairs twist.

When Ruby, a young Filipino au-pair, disappears in one of Denmark's most affluent neighbourhoods, the neighbour Cecilie is convinced that something has happened to her. Cecilie's own au pair, Angel, tries to get to the bottom of the rumours that swirl among the area's many au pairs, while the suspicion of a crime grows.