Netflix to Adapt Novel from The Killing’s Søren Sveistrup

Netflix is working on its second Danish original series, The Chestnut Man, based on the debut novel by award-winning writer Søren Sveistrup (The Killing).

The Chestnut Man is set in a quiet suburb of Copenhagen, where one blustery October morning a young woman is found brutally murdered in a playground and one of her hands is missing—above her hangs a small man made of chestnuts. Young detective Naia Thulin and her new partner, Mark Hess, are assigned to the case.

The series will debut exclusively on Netflix worldwide. Production is slated to begin in Denmark in 2020 with the executive production team SAM Productions, which is also behind the coming Norwegian Netflix original series Ragnarok.

Sveistrup said: “Netflix has shown a strong, genuine interest in my book and I’m excited about the deal and confident that Netflix will be the perfect place for The Chestnut Man.”

Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen, executive producer at SAM Productions, added: “We are looking very much forward to bringing Søren’s amazing international bestseller to the screen, and we are very excited and proud to announce the continuation of our good collaboration with Netflix. The novel has been translated into 28 languages and it’s being published in more than 50 countries. We are therefore thrilled to be able to release this original Danish story, in the Danish language, worldwide with Netflix as our partner.”

Tesha Crawford, director of Netflix international originals for Northern Europe, said: “After the success of The Rain, we are excited to announce our next Danish original, which will be building on the great tradition of Nordic Noir. We were instantly compelled by the strong story and Søren’s voice. We are happy to continue the collaboration with SAM Productions and are looking forward to bringing The Chestnut Man to our global audience.”