Lagardere Boards Ambitious Nordic Thriller Series ‘The Machinery’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lagardere Studios Distribution has boarded “The Machinery,” an action-packed thriller series headlined by Kristoffer Joner (“The Revenant”), which was teased by Viaplay during a presentation at Goteborg’s TV Drama Vision conference on Thursday.

Set at the border between Sweden and Norway, the show follows Olle Hultén, an ordinary dad who wakes up on a ferry at the border of Strömstad and Sandefjord after a late night in possession of a bag full of cash, a gun and a robbery mask. Hunted by the police, he sets off on a journey to prove his innocence.

The show will premiere on , the streaming service operated by NENT Group. Headed by industry veteran Emmanuelle Bouilhaguet, Lagardere Studios Distribution is set to represent “The Machinery” in international markets.

Joner stars in the show opposite Julia Schacht (“Melk”), Emilia Roosmann (“Fartblinda”), Hanna Alström (“Kingsman”), Anastasios Soulis (“Gåsmamman”), Emil Almén (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Rune Temte (“Captain Marvel”) and Bjørn Sundquist (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”).

“The Machinery” was directed by Richard Holm (“Honor”). The lead writers for the series are Niclas Ekström (“30 Degrees in February”) and Kjersti Ugelstad (“Wisting”). “The Machinery” produced by Martin Persson and Karolina Heimburg at Anagram Sweden, in cooperation with Film i Väst and Helsinki Filmi.

When announcing the ambitious project, Viaplay’s CCO Jakob Mejlhede Andersen said, “The ‘man on the run’ genre has an enduring power to get viewers’ pulses racing, and ‘The Machinery’ brings together some of the two countries’ biggest talents to tell one of our most breathless and compelling stories yet.”

Headquartered in Paris, Lagardere Studios Distribution has been active in the Nordics, notably in Finland, with shows such as “Arctic,” a gritty crime thriller set in Finland’s Lapland and directed by Hannu Salonen, which was made for the Finnish streaming service Elisa.

Lagardere Studios Distribution is also finalizing a deal to acquire the sales rights to “Bad Apple,” a daring psychological drama series ordered by Elisa and set in a fictional mental asylum in the Helsinki archipelago in the 1970’s.

Lagardere Studios Distribution’s slate of premium foreign-language drama also includes “Commandos,” a Dutch war drama series directed by Ivan Lopez Nunez and Hanro Smitsman, as well as the Flemish series “Blackout.”