HBO Nordic Boards Original Norwegian Series ‘Beforeigners’

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – HBO Nordic is ramping up its slate of premium Scandinavian drama with “Beforeigners,” a satirical science-fiction series from “Lilyhammer” creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin.

Set to be directed by popular Norwegian helmer Jens Lien, “Beforeigners” will be headlined by high-profile Nordic stars Nicolai Cleve Broch (“Acquitted”) and Krista Kosonen (“Blade Runner 2049”).

“Beforeigners” marks HBO’s second Scandinavian original production, following Lukas Moodysson’s comedy series “Gösta,” which recently wrapped shooting in Sweden.

Laced with black humor, the six-part crime series takes place in the near future. A new phenomenon starts happening all over the world with powerful flashes of light occurring in the ocean and people from the past mysteriously reappearing. Called “beforeigners,” these people come from three separate time periods: the Stone Age, the Viking era and late 19th century.

A couple of years later, Alfhildr (Kosonen) – who comes from the Viking Age – has to partner up with a burned-out police officer, Lars Haaland (Broch), to investigate the murder of a beforeigner. The pair begins to unravel a larger conspiracy behind the origin of the mysterious mass arrivals.

Bjørnstad and Skodvin said the idea for the series is to “explores the effects a surge of time-travel refugees from the past has on society.”

“It has been a joy to develop the ‘Beforeigners’ universe together with our creative collaborators at HBO, and we look greatly forward to bringing this story to life with the director Jens Lien,” said the creators.

The series is produced by Rubicon TV. HBO’s Hanne Palmquist, Steve Matthews and Antony Root are exec producing.

“‘Beforeigners’ is a highly original and entertaining near future satire, set in a recognizable and yet transformed society where coexistence is a whole new ball game,” said Palmquist.

Root said “Beforeigners” is “exactly the kind of series we want to commission: bold, smart, author-driven, and with a distinctiveness that makes it a perfect fit for HBO.”

Lien’s credits include “Jonny Vang,” which premiered at Berlin, and “The Bothersome Man,” which played at Cannes’s Critics’ Week.

“Beforeigners” will roll out exclusively on and across HBO Europe territories, as well on HBO GO and Now in the U.S.