Black Sands Sells into New Markets

All3Media International has signed a raft of deals for the Icelandic drama Black Sands, which has now been commissioned by Channel 2 for a second season.

Directed by the award-winning Baldvin Z (Trapped, Case), Black Sands is a character-driven crime thriller that centers on a young police detective who is forced to confront her past as she investigates a series of mysterious deaths in her hometown.

The Icelandic series has been licensed by Viaplay in a deal covering the U.S. and multiple European territories. Additionally in Europe, Black Sands will air in the U.K. on UKTV’s crime channel Alibi, as the channel’s first foreign-language drama. Disney+ acquired the thriller in the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and Canal+ picked up the series in Poland.

SBS in Australia acquired the eight-part drama, and in Asia, the series will air on Japan’s AXN Mystery, Chinese streaming app Pumpkin Film and Upstream Media in the Philippines.

The new agreements add to previously announced presales to VRT in Belgium and Yle in Finland. VRT is also a co-production partner on the drama.

Andri Ómarsson, CEO at Glassriver, commented, “Our vision for Black Sands was to create not only a gripping crime thriller but also a dark romantic drama where the characters’ relationships would be central to the story. All3Media International’s expertise in taking content to a global audience has been invaluable throughout the production process, enabling us to translate that vision into a distinctive drama that would hold strong appeal worldwide. We’re thrilled to be going back into production on a brand-new second season for Channel 2, and as Black Sands begins its international journey, we hope viewers worldwide are captivated by its rich storytelling, bold cinematic style and striking landscapes.

Lauren Jackson, scripted content executive at All3Media International, added, “We’re thrilled to see such an impressive response to Black Sands across the international stage. This isn’t a traditional whodunit; Glassriver has created a fresh and original crime drama that focuses in on the characters, their relationships and the realities of police work as they all become embroiled in a tense investigation. Baldvin Z’s and Glassriver’s honest, empathetic approach, combined with the almost other-worldly landscapes of Iceland, has resulted in a show that international audiences find deeply compelling. We saw huge potential for Black Sands from the outset and, particularly with a second season now on order, we look forward to seeing more sales as our international rollout continues.”