One of Cineflix rights’ Tentpole shows the headlines for the MIPCOM scripted slate “Hildur.” Based on the bestselling trilogy by Finnish-born Iceland-based author Satu Remo, the show is lighter and more human than traditional Nordic noir, and the protagonist Hildur finds the comfort of surfing, as revealed in her first image and her Finnish sidekick Jacob.
In the English/Scandinavian crime thriller, the main character, Hildur, carries trauma, the unsolved disappearance of two sisters on the way from school 25 years ago. Back in his Icelandic homeland, police officers (played by Ebuba Katlin Finsdottir of “Vigdis,” “Reykjavik 112”) are drawn into an investigation into a series of crimes adjacent to “Daijn Florik’s Days Florik’s “Dyk the Lequatiltyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirtyrtirty and “Finnish trainee” Jakob (Lauri Tirkinnne) and his allies. Boot, “Sisi 4”) was misaligned to the team.
“It was the show’s compelling original story that grabbed us when we were initially about to pick up the series,” said Tom Misselbrook of Spripted Sales and Development, SVP of Cineflix Rights, who was the “Minister” of “The Mercis an,” and Tom Misselbrook of Spripted Sales and Development, who was the SVP of Cineflix Rights, who was the “Minister” of “The Mercis an,” and Tom Misselbrook of Spripted Sales and Development, who was the “Supporting the “Westfid” of Iceland, and Hildur, a strong but troubled detective at the heart of the story.
“Hildur is a Scandinavian crime thriller with a distinct point that we’ve never seen before,” a television executive claimed. “It embraces the notion of Nordic Blue and leaps against the fascinating police thriller genre, but it’s also frivolous. It not only promises crime and mystery, but also explores the larger themes of friendship, family ties, love and humor and emotional fallout of loss.
Beyond the material itself, Mistlebrook said, “IP also stood out to us by adapting from Saturra Lamo’s bestselling Hildur trilogy, which sold over 1 million copies across 22 territories. That’s why we realised that IP has a large existing fanbase and that the show was pre-built to reach a wide audience.”
One of the first onboarders to tackle television adaptation, veteran scribe and crime writer himself Mattie Lane (“Paradise”, “Bordertown”) said he was among the over 600,000 Finns who read Lemo’s novel as he approached in Take 2. “It was clear why people loved the book. The main character, Hildur, her backstory, her passion, her life in her life, is the offer of the Finnish police, a great blue crime for her.
Icelandic co-author MargretÖrnolfsdóttir (“Trapped”, “The Flatey Enigma”) said her initial reaction was a little different to Lane.
Hildur
Courtesy of Cineflix, Taketwo and Bjorgvin Hilmarsson
“For me, it was amazing to hear about the success of ‘Hildur’ in Finland. In a way, I was a bit skeptical of Satu’s own story. Finnish bestselling author, a Finnish bestselling author who lives in Iceland, is well known in the Westfjord region.
The Icelandic scribe, first introduced to the Nordic Blue crime concept, also said it “doesn’t doubt capture today’s era.” “Nordic noir is deja vu. People are a bit tired of the darkness.
Director Tina Hafnsdottir (“Descendants”, “Vigdis”) agrees with her Icelandic colleague. “It’s Nordic Blue for the backstory of the murder. Coupled with the beautiful relationship between Hildur and Jacob, it’s probably what I love most. As a filmmaker, I wanted to emphasize that human connection. “It’s a territory full of contrast, a mixture of sadness and beauty, and there were tragic avalanches and people dying there,” she emphasized.
All creatives agreed that reinterpreting IP and using it primarily as inspiration is typical for the TV version. “Any book, it’s the same, you have to make it yours, especially in crime novels,” says Örnolfsdottir. “You might like the suspense, but it’s a slow burner as a read. So when adapting to the screen, you need to completely rethink it. Invent something new and add new characters to keep the viewer’s attention on the core elements.
“Given the success of the book in Finland, we were able to fail to adapt it, so we decided to stay true to our vision while still distanced from the source material,” Lane added. “One of the biggest changes we made on our show is bringing the Florian character, which adds meat and humor.”
Hrafnsdóttir said he was very pleased with the casting of three main actors, Finnsdóttir, Tilkanen and Ocon, as well as the natural chemistry seen on screen. She also made Finsdottil physically transform to be “known for her long blonde hair known in Iceland.”
“With my very experienced team of hair and makeup artists, we agreed to push Hildur’s traits as an outer tough cookie, but we have a warm heart.
“But one thing I couldn’t control was the weather,” the director added, who said he “prayed” for snow to fall. “We didn’t get it every day, but we made it work.”
Commenting on the Icelandic finish collaboration, two Saranoberg, one of the executive producers, said it was “very fruitful and very exceptional.” “Usually, Iceland and Finland are the smallest Scandinavian countries, so they are located in the fringe at the heart of the Scandinavian partnership.” Cineflix rights entered in the early stages.
The show is scheduled to air on streamer Lutou in Neronen, Finland in early 2026.
Misselbrook said Cineflix rights have previously attracted strong interest from buyers and hopes to announce their first pre-sale soon. “In MIPCOM, we introduce buyers to the series in a more detailed way with pitch meetings that include behind the scenes footage. It has a big marketing presence in our stands. Then the first two episodes follow right after the market,” he said.
As buyers are “increasingly risk aversive,” Cineflix is striving towards the source, “Ideally adapting from a recognizable genre with a point of difference, an exciting IP, and having first-class talent before and after the camera,” he quoted two powerful shows selling copies of Cineflix’s Mipcom Lineup: The RTé/BBC Dramis ‘Marian Keyes’ Marian Keyes’ Marian Keyes. The book, as well as the Australian crime comedy Sunny Night, starring Will Forte (“The Four Season”, “The Last Man on Earth”) and d’Arcy Carden (“No one wants this”).
