HBO Europe Greenlights First Danish Original

Kamikaze, a new drama from writer Johanne Algren and director Annette K. Olesen, is set to become the first Danish original series for HBO Europe.

Based on Erlend Loe’s Norwegian novel Muleum, the eight-part series centers on 18-year-old Julie, who is going through an existential struggle after her parents and big brother are killed in a plane crash in Uganda. Left alone in her family’s giant mansion, she is forced to find a reason to keep going and embarks on a dangerous journey of rediscovery.

Kamikaze is produced by Ditte Milsted from production company Profile Pictures. Production on the series will start at the beginning of January.

Hanne Palmquist, commissioning editor and VP of original programming for HBO Nordic, said: “Where most Nordic series for young adults are focused on friendships, life at school and the local environment, Kamikaze definitely turns its back on the home turf and takes you on a tour de force out in the world—from Seoul to Mexico, London to the Sahara Desert.”

Milsted added: “Kamikaze is a wild, edgy and surprising story about a young woman who—because of some horrific circumstances—takes a giant quantum leap into life. It feels like the right thing to produce Kamikaze in collaboration with HBO Nordic, and we believe that this series will both challenge and entertain its audience.”

Olesen commented: “When I read Erlend Loe’s novel on a plane home from Italy in 2009, I instantly felt it was a fantastic visual story with a mad, wild, angry and funny energy. What is special about Kamikaze is the combination of a universal feel of profound meaninglessness, a classic coming-of-age-story and a dry, sharp and life-affirming wit.”

Algren said: “I can’t think of a better story to tell an audience—the young human being who has everything and nothing at the same time. All she sees is meaninglessness, so she embarks on a journey through it all and ends up experiencing life, not from the outside, but from the inside. I think it is rare to feel so connected and deeply touched by material that is not originally your own. I am therefore very grateful that the project Kamikaze landed on my desk.”