Swedish crime queen Kamila Reckberg, whose novels have sold more than 40 million copies in 60 countries, has exclusively shared with Variety elements of her highly anticipated SVT series Shadow of Guilt, which is based on the characters and world of her popular work The Fjallbacka Murders.
The series, produced by Jenny Grudahl of Creative Society, which Reckberg co-owns, and who most recently worked on the Netflix hit “The Glass Dome,” is scheduled to begin filming on August 18 in Fjallbacka, a picturesque fishing village in western Sweden.
“It’s a new story, but it’s still a very classic Fjällbacka mystery,” Reckberg explains, revealing for the first time that her literary master, the author Erika Falk, appears as a teenager in the backstory. Also, the tone and atmosphere will be “amber sky”. It’s a term Reckberg and the Creative Society coined to describe a “familiar yet eerie world.”
Co-written by Jessica Junkert (Hamarvik, The Beach Hotel) and Jimmy Niblen Olson (The Hunters), the story begins when Erika’s search for the truth begins when the body of her childhood best friend, who disappeared over 20 years ago, is finally found.
Her husband Patrick reopens the unsolved case, but Erika is dissatisfied with the initial investigation conducted by Patrick’s mentor, Gosta, and begins her own investigation. “This is more than just a murder mystery; it’s a story about guilt, memory, and the impact silence can have on a lifetime,” the logline reads.
Shadow of Guilt director Riza Farzaneh (The Glass Dome, The Young Royals) says, “Like Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, our show leaves the audience a little confused, but always curious.” “I want it to lean into the love of all humans and the collective spirit of a small town, which is always present in the British series “Broadchurch”,” he said of his vision for “Shadow of Guilt. We visually explore not noir, but a bit of selected normalcy, a Scandinavian “just before sunset.” ”
The six-part series has just been selected by Reinvent Yellow, with support from Film i Väst, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Creative Europe, for worldwide distribution outside of the European regions of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, which are part of the New8 Pubcaster Alliance.
Helen Oro, Head of Sales, Marketing and Acquisitions at Reinvent Yellow, said: “We are extremely proud to be working with the Creative Society on behalf of Camilla Luckberg.” “Our focus is on crime from Scandinavia and this is one of our best new releases, with quality stamped all over. We can’t wait to start filming.”
Reckberg revealed her vision for shows and television projects for us.
Please tell us more about Creative Society Production Stockholm. I believe this is the second film and television production banner you’ve been involved with, after Bad Flamingo Studios, run by Alexander Karim and Baker Karim…
Camilla Läckberg: Yes, setting up the company next to Bad Flamingo was part of an organic process. I previously worked with Creative Society CEO Christopher Gulashi when he was at Nordisk Film TV and was producing the soap Hammarvik (Rykoviken). When he left Nordisk Film TV and wanted to start Creative Society, he asked me if I would be interested in joining him as co-founder and co-owner of the company. I checked with Alex and Baker and they were like, “Oh, go ahead!” We’re working on different projects and both companies don’t have much competition, so it worked out very well.
2021 marks the first few years that I have been working with the Creative Society. We’ve done several projects, including the Viaplay soap “The Beach Hotel,” most recently Netflix’s “The Glass Dome,” and now this project. I’m very excited.
There have been various adaptations of your “Fjällbacka” book in Sweden. Who came up with the idea for “Shadow of Guilt”?
Reckberg: Well, the show isn’t based on any particular book, it’s based on the world of Fjallbacka. Christopher (Graci) has been nurturing the idea of creating a new series for several years, so I have a lot of trust in him. We talked a lot about our vision and creative goals. One of the series we referenced in terms of quality level is “The Mare of Easttown.” Whether it’s a success remains to be seen, but working with SVT we’ve put a lot of effort into the script and brought it to a level of excellence that we’re happy with.
Why didn’t you participate in the script along with Jimmy Niblen and Jessica Jacquart?
Reckberg: I’m still writing a book and working on some TV and film projects at the same time, so time management is very important. That said, I sat in the writer’s room and read the draft and wrote notes. You learn a lot from working with great writers on any project. But I think I’ll try my hand at writing a screenplay someday!
What stage is this project at?
Reckberg: We have the final draft of the script. The production team has spent a lot of time scouting locations in Fjällbacka and we’re excited to be in the middle of casting. You need to identify the two main actors, Erica and Patrick, and make sure there is chemistry between them. Lisa (Farzaneh) calls me a lot to get my opinion and I love that.
What can you say about this story without giving too much away? Will it unlock any new twists that fans can look forward to?
Reckberg: Well, my goal is for readers to recognize Erica and Patrick and be very true to the world of the book. Although it’s a new story, the backstory goes back in time and is a very classic Failbacker mystery. What’s really beautiful is that this is the first time we get to see Erika as a teenager, around 15 years old, when her parents and her sister Anna were children. Therefore, it will be a little “nugget” for the reader.
The producer stated that its tone and feel would be “amber skies”. Could you please comment?
Läckberg: Yes, that’s a term we coined when we were trying to propose to SVT. I think these books have the same tone. You have absolute darkness, gruesome murders, and the real grief of your parents. You should feel it all. But there’s also a bit of comic relief. One of my favorite characters in my book, who also appears in the series, is Erika’s stepmother, Christina, who has a good heart but is overly involved. she’s very funny Yes, it will be a combination of darkness and light.
Given these stressful times, brightly colored noir, cozy crime, and more seem to be what viewers are looking for…
Reckberg: Yes, it’s a sign of the times. I mean, the world is a shitfest at the moment. I don’t want to open the news in the morning because I wonder what Trump just did. Which country was bombed? How many children died in Gaza? What on earth is going on? Not to mention the environment. So I think you need to relax and take some time off from the scary events. It’s a natural tendency.
“Shadow of Guilt” has secured distribution in eight territories through the New8 public broadcasting alliance, and now Reinvent Yellow will increase its international potential. We’re sure you’ll love it.
Reckberg: This is amazing. This may not sound very Swedish, but I’ll talk about it in a slightly American way. But I’m actually very proud of having built a brand over the years that has garnered such a level of support and attention.
The French-language series Erica, based on Fjällbacka’s books The Ice Princess, The Preacher and The Stonecutter, was a huge hit on TF1 and was launched by MHz Choice in the US in January. Are there other versions in the works?
Reckberg: Yes, we are working on some international adaptations, but I can’t say more than that.
Erik Barmack of Wild Sheep Content, the company behind “Erica,” is collaborating with Legendary Entertainment on the U.S. version of your book “The Golden Cage” in the “Faye’s Revenge” series. What’s the latest news?
Reckberg: I’m always pushing them for updates. I heard recently that they are working on a script to submit to streamers and broadcasters. I would be happy if it were made into a series, so I’m looking forward to it.
America and Hollywood have always been my holy grail and I would love to have a successful project there. When I published my book The Golden Cage in the US (in 2020), I wanted to rent a house in the Hollywood Hills and spend four months there with my family. Because in the US you have to be there to do PR, tour cities, go to radio stations, etc. But then the pandemic hit. I couldn’t go. yes. This is your second chance!
