Sky Studios, NBCU On Board New Icelandic Drama

Sagafilm is starting production on a new original drama series, Sisterhood, which counts as its partners Sky Studios, NBCUniversal, Viaplay and Síminn.

The drama is the first project to originate under Sagafilm’s deal with Sky Studios. Sisterhood was developed with the Icelandic streaming service Síminn as part of its strategy to invest in more high-end Icelandic drama and was co-commissioned with Viaplay.

Created by Icelandic scriptwriter and the head of development at Sagafilm, Jóhann Ævar Grímsson (Stella Blómkvist, Thin Ice, Cover Story, The Nightshift) and co-written by Björg Magnúsdóttir (The Minister), with director Silja Hauksdóttir (Agnes Joy) on board directing all six episodes, Sisterhood will premiere on Síminn and Viaplay simultaneously in early 2021, with NBCUniversal handling global distribution on the show.

Sisterhood begins when the skeletal remains of a young girl who disappeared 20 years ago are unearthed in a picturesque fjord town in Iceland. Vera, a newly promoted investigator is assigned to the case and, in her ambition, delves deeper into it than anyone expects.

Grímsson commented: “By making its chief subject adult women who committed a heinous crime in the past, Sisterhood becomes a subversion of the well-trodden crime genre. We eliminate the whodunit element and instead delve into guilt, shame and the complex web of emotions those two emotions weave. All while our protagonists are under the immense pressure that the truth of what they did is closing in on then.”

Kjartan Thor Thordarson, executive producer, added: “We are delighted to unveil Sisterhood here in Göteborg and tell you more about the amazing partners we have behind this series, the collaboration with Sky Studios and NBCUniversal brings new depth to Nordic drama and its world-wide potential and it’s delightful to collaborate again with Síminn and Viaplay as we did on Stella Blómkvist.”

Jason Simms, director of international scripted at Sky Studios, added: “Just a few months after agreeing our partnership with Sagafilm, we are thrilled to begin production on our first project. Sisterhood is a richly layered story of guilt, secrets, justice and grief, told from the unique perspective of its female protagonists. We’re certain this gripping and intriguing drama will resonate with viewers around the world and are excited to showcase it to buyers later this year.”

Síminn’s executive VP of programming, Pálmi Guðmundsson, said: “Very seldomly do we shake hands and agree on a scripted drama at pitch state during the first introduction but that was the case with Sisterhood as we have enormous faith for the story and the characters. Sagafilm has been our main partner for scripted drama and non-scripted programs in recent years and we have enjoyed success with them in the past and present. Sisterhood is a unique opportunity and we cannot wait to market the series in Iceland and see it travel around the globe for international success.”