Iceland’s Act4, co-led by “The Discontinuity” and “The Trap” star Ólafur Dari Ólafsson, is teaming up with “The Handmaid’s Tale” director Kari Skoglund to adapt Hildur Knutsdóttir’s latest novel “Dead Weight.”
Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for The Handmaid’s Tale, Skoglund’s internationally acclaimed directorial work includes all of the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, episodes of House of Cards and Vikings, and the pilots for Smoke and the upcoming 121212.
Knutdéttir ranks internationally as one of Iceland’s most talked-about young authors following the English language publication of The Night Guest, which was named one of the best thrillers of 2024 by The New York Times.
Act4 worked with Skoglund Films to secure the rights to “Dead Weight,” with Skoglund set to direct. The partners are developing the film as a feature film.
“We at Act4 are thrilled to bring Hildur Knutsdottir’s work to the screen,” said Ólafsson, producer and founder of ACT4. “She is one of Iceland’s most exciting up-and-coming literary figures, and her novels are both intimate in emotional depth and cinematic in scope.
“Kari and I first collaborated on ‘NOS4A2’ and most recently on ‘121212’ on Apple TV+,” he added. “We were looking for the right story to reunite and felt Hildur’s book was the perfect fit. There is no filmmaker better suited than Kari to translate this material for a global audience. With her vision, we are excited to share this incredible story with the world.”
“Dali is an incredibly talented performer and I’m thrilled to be in his orbit,” Skoglund said. “When he introduced Hildur’s book Dead Weight to me, I was immediately drawn to its unique feminine voice and flawed characters that linger long after I finished reading it. I’m looking forward to bringing that to the screen in Act 4.”
With a growing reputation for gruesome horror novels, and the word “chill” being used throughout her novels, Knutsdottir’s Dead Weight, described as an Act 4 dark psychological thriller, was published to critical acclaim as a “striking, sensitive, slow-burning psychological chiller,” according to Publishers Weekly.
“I originally wrote Dead Weight as a stage play, so I think it’s a very natural fit for film,” Knutsdottir said. “I’ve been following Act4 since the company’s inception and have great confidence in their ability to create something great from this book. I’m very excited to see the project develop.”
Act4 was launched in late 2022 by Ólafsson, leading Icelandic TV series producer Hórður Runarsson (As Long As We Live, Black Sands, Fractures, Ordinary People), and Act4 CEO and executive producer Jonas Márgeir Ingólfsson, creator and writer of The Minimister, Thin Ice, and Stella. Blomqvist 2. ”
Next month, Act4 will premiere its first title, the Cannes series hit Reykjavík Fusion, on Arte, starring Ólafsson and Hella Hilmar. The production, directed by Samuel & Gunnar, was broadcast by Simin and was a huge hit in Iceland. Also in post-production for RÚV and ZDF’s series “Death of a Horse”. It is scheduled to air in late 2026. International distribution will be handled by LA-based Erik Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content.
“Dead Weight”
