It takes a while to warm up to Agneta Fagerström-Olsson and Kadir Balci’s new series, and not just because of its Nordic roots. Based on Pekka Hiltunen’s first novel in the so-called “Studio” series, the London-centred Cold Courage, directed by Agneta Fagerström-Olsson and Kadir Balci, could easily be mistaken for something produced a good ten years ago, looking and feeling akin to the likes of The Bridge or The Killing when they premiered some time around 2011, although with the acting chemistry not quite reaching those heights. Having premiered exclusively on the Viaplay video streaming service in Finland and Scandinavia at the beginning of May, despite the merry mix of accents, it still remains in the firm clutches of Nordic noir, with all its recognisable gloominess, troubling backstories and a tendency to sacrifice the odd sex worker in order to get the story rolling. It has an added treat in.
John Simm plays a rabble-rousing populist politician in “Cold Courage,” and Lionsgate has stepped up and taken international rights to the series.
Based on the series of novels by Pekka Hiltunen, the drama is billed as the biggest yet out of Finland and will bow on the Viaplay streaming service in Scandinavia. With a cast from all over Europe and a shoot spanning Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and the U.K., “Cold Courage” is international in scope and ambition.
That was part of the appeal for Simm, a familiar face on British TV, playing The Master in “Doctor Who” and starring in a host of other shows for British networks. “There was a point I was on BBC and ITV at the same time and that was a bit much,” he told Variety. “I thought it would be nice to step away from that for a little bit and do something I haven’t done,...
Based on the series of novels by Pekka Hiltunen, the drama is billed as the biggest yet out of Finland and will bow on the Viaplay streaming service in Scandinavia. With a cast from all over Europe and a shoot spanning Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and the U.K., “Cold Courage” is international in scope and ambition.
That was part of the appeal for Simm, a familiar face on British TV, playing The Master in “Doctor Who” and starring in a host of other shows for British networks. “There was a point I was on BBC and ITV at the same time and that was a bit much,” he told Variety. “I thought it would be nice to step away from that for a little bit and do something I haven’t done,...
- 3/22/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
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