Cast Assembled for Nordic NoirArctic Circle

June 2024 · 4 minute read

'Casino Royale' star Clemens Schick joins Bavaria Fiction drama

The cast for Finnish-set crime mystery “Arctic Circle” has been unveiled as production gets underway on the series. Iina Kuustonen (“Nurses”), Maximilian Brückner (“War Horse”), Clemens Schick (“Casino Royale”) and Pihla Viitala (“Black Widows)” will star in the upcoming Finnish-German drama.

The series is set in the polar region and follows detective Nina Kautsalo (Kuustonen) who finds a nearly dead prostitute in a cabin in the wilderness. The case takes a surprise turn when a mystery virus is found in the victim’s blood, and German virologist Thomas Lorenz, played by Bruckner, joins the investigation. Former Bond villain Schick will play Marcus Eiben, the multimillionaire CEO of a pharmaceutical company, who has financed Lorenz’s previous work.

Yellow Film & TV and Bavaria Fiction are making the series for Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde, which will launch the series next year. Production has just gotten underway. Finnish pubcaster YLE has picked up the free-to-air rights.

The producers say that the series will eschew the typical dark and brooding Nordic noir tropes while remaining in the crime genre. “I want ‘Arctic Circle’ to be a physical experience,” said director Hannu Salonen (“Shades of Guilt”). “The audience will feel the desolation, the blistering wind, the taste of blood, and the cold, but also the love, warmth, and commitment created by our strong main characters.”

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Lagardère Studios Distribution has taken the international rights and will sell the series. “The show gathers some incredible international talents to tell a unique story that should entertain large audiences worldwide,” said Frédérik Rangé, director of acquisitions at Lagardère Studios Distribution.

Bavaria Fiction is making a push into international TV and is producing the “Das Boot” series, as well as Deutsche Telekom comedy “Germanized.”

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