Channel 4 has embraced The Darkness. The UK pubcaster has acquired the Icelandic thriller series from Paramount Global Content Distribution in a deal announced in a Series Mania session today.
Based on the bestselling book series by Ragnar Jónasson, The Darkness follows Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, played by Lena Olin, as she investigates a shocking murder case while coming to terms with her own personal traumas.
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Faced with an impending early retirement and forced to take on a new partner, Hulda is determined to find the killer, even if it means putting her own life in danger, the synopsis reveals.
Shot in Iceland, it is directed and executive produced by two-time Oscar nominee Lasse Hallström, marking his first foray into television.
The series is a co-production between CBS Studios & Icelandic production company Truenorth for local Icelandic broadcaster Síminn. Stampede Ventures also executive produces.
The series will play on the SkyShowtime streaming service in the Nordics, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe, as well as SBS in Australia and Showcase in Canada.
The Series Mania session featured Lisa Kramer, President, International Content Licensing, Paramount Global Content Distribution and Lindsey Martin, SVP of Co-Productions for CBS Studios.
Kramer told the Series Mania room about The Darkness deal with the ink on the deal barely dry. “This is breaking news, it’s literally 12 minutes old and I want to say so wherever [Channel 4 Head of Acquisitions] Polly Scates is in the audience, thank you very much” she said. “We actually just closed a licensing agreement with Channel Four UK for The Darkness, which means the show has now been licensed in all English language markets and pretty much every country in Europe.”
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