Cineflix Rights Unveils First Images of Finnish-Icelandic ‘Hildur’

One of Cineflix Rights’ tentpole shows headlining its Mipcom scripted slate, “Hildur,” stands out as a unique “Nordic Blue” crime. Based on the best-selling trilogy by Finnish-born Iceland-based author Satu Rämö, the show is lighter, more human than the traditional Nordic noir, with the main characters – Icelandic police officer Hildur – finding solace in surfing, as revealed in the first image, and her Finnish sidekick Jakob in knitting.

In the English/Scandinavian-language crime thriller, main character Hildur carries a trauma, the unsolved disappearance of her two sisters on their way from school 25 years earlier. Now back in her hometown in Iceland, the cop (played by Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir of “Vigdís,” “Reykjavík 112”) is drawn into the investigation of a series of crimes, flanked by unlikely allies: Finnish trainee officer Jakob (Lauri Tilkanen of “Deadwind”) and the German recruit Florian (Rick Okon of “Das Boot,” “Sisi 4”) mistakenly assigned to her team. 

“What grabbed us initially when we were looking to pick up the series was the compelling and original narrative of the show,” said Tom Misselbrook, Cineflix Rights’ SVP, scripted sales and development, about the six-part series, produced by Finland’s Take Two Studios and Iceland’s Sagafilm (“The Minister,” “Stella Blómkvist.” “It takes place in an incredibly atmospheric setting in the Westfjords of Iceland, and has a strong, but troubled detective, Hildur, at the heart of the story. “

“Hildur is a Nordic crime thriller with a point of difference that we haven’t seen before,” insisted the TV executive. “It embraces the concept of Nordic Blue, leaning into the genre of a gripping police thriller, but also has a levity to it. It doesn’t just promise crime and mystery but also explores bigger themes of friendship, familial bonds, love and humor and the emotional fallout of loss. So, this genre mix ensures it feels distinct and appeals beyond pure crime thriller fans.

Beyond the material itself, Misselbrook said “the IP also stood out to us in a big way, adapted from Satu Ramo’s bestselling Hildur trilogy which has sold over 1 million copies in 22 territories. So, we recognised that the IP had a large pre-existing fanbase and the show is pre-built to reach a wide audience.”

One of the first on board to tackle the TV adaptation, seasoned scribe and crime author himself Matti Laine (“The Paradise,” “Bordertown”) said he was among the 600,000+ Finns who had read Rämö’s novels when approached by Take Two. “It was obvious why people loved the book – the combination of the main character Hildur, her backstory, her passions, her life in the remote little Icelandic town of Ísafjörður, the Finnish police offer who is a great sidekick for her. Then the Nordic Blue crime is fresh; character-driven more than whodunnit, with the icy landscape making it blue, not noir.”

Icelandic co-writer Margret Örnolfsdóttir (“Trapped,” “The Flatey Enigma”), said her initial reaction was slightly different from Laine as the first book in the “Hildur” series wasn’t yet published in Iceland when she was asked to come on board.

“For me it was mind-blowing to hear about “Hildur”’s success in Finland. In a way, I was a bit sceptical at the beginning about Satu’s own story – a Finnish best-selling author living in Iceland, in the Westfjord region that I know very well. It felt unreal. But then, Satu has indeed been living here 20 years and when I did read the novel I was pleasantly surprised by its authenticity” said Örnolfsdottir.

Also introduced for the first time to the Nordic Blue crime concept, the seasoned Icelandic scribe said it “definitely captures today’s zeitgeist.” “Nordic Noir is déjà vu; people are a bit fed up with the darkness. This [sub-genre] brings us closer to real life and the blue colour is exactly what I’ve experienced in the Westfjords – there is so much light; it can be crazily blue!”

Director Tinna Hrafnsdóttir, (“Descendants,” “Vigdis”) concurs with her Icelandic colleague. “It’s a Nordic Blue because of the backstory of murders, combined with the beautiful relationship between Hildur and Jakob, which is perhaps what I love the most. As a filmmaker, I wanted to emphasize that human connection. But then the Westfjords scenery is a major character in itself,” she added. “It’s an area full of contrasts, with a mix of sadness and beauty as we’ve had quite a few tragic avalanches and people dying there,” she underscored.

All creatives agreed that reinterpreting the IP and using it mostly as inspiration was quintessential for the TV version. “With any book adaptation, it’s the same – you have to make it yours, especially with crime novels,” noted Örnolfsdottir. “You might love the suspense, but it’s often a slow burner as a read, therefore when adapting it for the screen, you have to rethink it completely. Invent new stuff, add new characters to keep the viewers’ attention going without changing the core elements. The most important is to stay true to the beating heart and universe of the original IP.”

“Considering the books’ success in Finland, we could only fail in adapting it, so we decided to distance ourselves from the source material, while staying true to our own vision,” Laine added. “With our show, one of the biggest changes we’ve made is bringing in the character of Florian, which adds flesh and humor.”

Hrafnsdóttir said she was extremely pleased with the casting of the three main actors Finnsdóttir, Tilkanen and Okon and the natural chemistry between them, visible on screen. She also made sure to physically transform Finnsdóttir “known in Iceland with her long blond hair” to better fit her character.

“With my very experienced hair and make-up artist team, we agreed to push Hildur’s traits as a tough cookie on the outside, but with a warm heart. We gave Ebba Katrín short and dark hair. As an actress myself, I know how changing your looks can impact your playing. That was a huge decision.”

“One thing I couldn’t control however was the weather,” added the director who said she “prayed” to get some snow. “We didn’t get it every day, but we made it work.”

Commenting on the Icelandic-Finnish collaboration, Take Two’s Sara Norberg, one of the executive producers, said it was “very fruitful and quite exceptional.” Underlining that “normally, Iceland and Finland are on the fringes of the core Nordic partnerships, as the smallest of the Nordic nations,” she said “Hildur” was lifted to the highest production standard, with a budget of €1 million ($1.1 million) per episode, thanks to Sagafilm’s extensive experience and the backing from Nelonen Media in Finland, Siminn in Iceland, private venture funder IPR.VC and Cineflix Rights that entered at an early stage.

The show is scheduled to air early 2026 on Nelonen’s streamer Ruutu in Finland. 

Misselbrook said so far Cineflix Rights has received strong interest from buyers and he hopes to announce first pre-sales shortly. “At Mipcom, we’ll be introducing our buyers to the series in a more detailed way at pitch meetings, including some behind the scenes footage and it will have a major marketing presence on our stand. We will then have the first two episodes to follow immediately after the market,” he said.

At a time when buyers are “increasingly risk averse”, having “recognisable genres with a point of difference, ideally adapted from exciting IP and with first-class talent in front of and behind the camera” is what Cineflix strives to source,” added the sales executive, citing two other strong shows on Cineflix’s Mipcom lineup: the RTÉ/BBC drama “The Walsh Sisters” based on Marian Keyes’ multi-million copy selling books, and the Australian crime comedy “Sunny Nights” starring Will Forte (“The Four Seasons,” “Last Man on Earth”) and D’Arcy Carden (“Nobody Wants This”).