Upgrade Productions Developing Eco-Political Thriller

Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier’s Upgrade Productions has partnered with Iceland’s Act 4 and Croatia’s Drugi Plan to develop the original eco-political thriller series Volcano.

The eight-parter sees a crushing volcanic eruption devastate Iceland, resulting in a United Nations directive that relocates the survivors to Croatia. As the different societies are forced to learn how to live together, cultural clashes abound and tensions rise.

Volcano is being produced by Act 4, led by True Detective actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and Black Sands producer Hörður Rúnarsson, and Drugi Plan, led by Nebojsa Taraba and Miodrag Sila (HBO’s Success, Netflix’s The Paper). Upgrade Productions is executive producing the series.

The story is based on an original idea from Taraba and Sila and written by Rúnarsson and Mateja Božičević (Prime Video’s Carnival Row). Production is scheduled to begin early next year, with shooting taking place in Iceland and Croatia.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Act 4 and Drugi Plan on Volcano, as we see this series not simply as story about disaster, but an exploration of how people behave and treat each other under extraordinary circumstances,” said Caroline Kusser, Upgrade Productions’ head of series. “Hörður Rúnarsson and Mateja Božičević have crafted an incredibly compelling project that we’re excited to develop further together.”