ICS Nordic Taps Brendan Foley to Adapt Operation: Arctic Fox

ICS Nordic has tapped writer and executive producer Brendan Foley (Sherlock & Daughter, Cold Courage) to adapt Helena Immonen’s Operation: Arctic Fox into a high-end geopolitical thriller.

“I’m delighted to be working on the TV adaptation of Helena’s great novel just as the world’s attention is glued to the crucial region at the roof of the world,” said Foley. “Audiences come for the Big Idea, but they stay for the characters—people they want to get to know over episodes and seasons. And I’m delighted to be working with ’the two Ilkkas’ of ICS, who both know their stuff and who appreciate what it takes to make a story work internationally.”

Operation: Arctic Fox is the third novel in the series by Immonen, a military affairs journalist and officer in the Finnish Army Reserve. Set against escalating Arctic ambitions by Russia and China, the story follows a Finnish family of operatives navigating military conflict, biological warfare and global espionage as geopolitical tensions reach a breaking point.

Foley’s recent credits include serving as creator and executive producer of the 2025 series Sherlock & Daughter, which reached the top slot on CW and top five all shows on HBO Max in America, also performing well across the Nordic public broadcasters, and in Australia on SBS.

“With Brendan Foley joining Operation: Arctic Fox, the project immediately steps onto the international stage with a badge of excellence,” said Ilkka Hynninen, creative director at ICS Nordic. “His track record positions this not as a one-off thriller, but as a strategic, character-driven universe with real longevity. As Finland stands at the heart of NATO’s northern defense, Operation: Arctic Fox captures a moment in history where telling the story feels more urgent with each passing day. Finland is no longer watching history unfold—it is helping to shape it.”

“It’s fantastic news that Brendan Foley is beginning the adaptation of Helena’s powerful novel,” said Timo Julkunen, CEO of WSOY and Immonen’s original publisher. “The story remains profoundly relevant in the turbulent world we live in today. We are thrilled about this significant development for Operation: Arctic Fox. Every page of the novel resonates with global significance, powerfully capturing the essence of our current era from the critical vantage point of Finland, on the eastern border of NATO.”