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EXCLUSIVE: Unnur Birna Backman (Reykjavík Fusion, Black Sands) has landed the lead role in upcoming Icelandic crime thriller series Elma . She will play the title role in the Eva Björg Ægisdóttir book adaptation and be joined by Nikulás Hansen Daðason (Brjann, Skviz), who is also attached to producer Glassriver ’s original series Avalanche and Hot Stuff. He will play Saevar. Backman is known for the likes of Nordic noir Reykjavík Fusion and for voicing the character Raya in the Icelandic dub of the Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon in 2020. Glassriver is currently working on the first book in the Elma series, The Creak on the Stairs, which is being adapted by screenwriter and series showrunner Karen Björg Eyfjörð Þorsteinsdóttir. Sharing directing duties are Katrín Björgvinsdóttir (Entrapped, As Long As We Live) and Thora Hilmarsdóttir (The Rising, Katla). Mediawan Rights has international distribution rights (excluding Iceland and Finland) and will be shopping them at next week’s MIPCOM Cannes. Other co-producers include Lunanime in Belgium and MTV Finland. Andri Ómarsson, co-owner and producer at Glassriver, said: “Unnur Birna is one of Iceland’s most dynamic screen talents and she’s absolutely the right actress to play Elma and to capture the quiet intensity of Eva Björg Ægisdóttir’s writing. We’re incredibly proud to be working with her and Nikulás as part of this talented team to adapt one of Iceland’s most compelling crime stories for global audiences”. The series will be set in the small port town of Akrane, Iceland, where police detective Elma has unxpectedly returned after fleeing a romantic affair that left her in pieces. When a woman’s body is found lying at the foot of a lighthouse, terrible secrets from the past threaten to resurface. Amid the town’s oppressive atmosphere, Elma’s colleague Saevar could provide salvation. Ægisdóttir’s books have been translated into 23 languages, and is particularly popular in France. The Creak on the Stairs was published in French in 2021 and quickly became a bestseller there, while second book Girls Who Lie (Les Filles Qui Mentent) reached over 100,000 readers in France. Elma joins Glassriver’s scripted slate including comedy-drama Hot Stuff, a coproduction with Romania’s IDEA Film, and Avalanche, a co-production with Whatevergroup. Also recently optioned is the crime drama Reykjavik Noir from author Lilja Sigurdardottir, which is being adapted for screen. The Elma deal was negotiated with David Headley at D H H Literary Agency in association with The Artists Partnership.
Iceland’s production powerhouse Glassriver (“Black Sands,” “As Long as We Live”) has inked a major international distribution deal with Mediawan Rights for the anticipated crime thriller series “Elma,” based on Eva BjörgÆgisdóttir’s best-selling book series. Besides Mediawan Rights, which holds rights outside of Iceland and Finland, the round of partners takes in co-producer Lunanime in Belgium, MTV Finland, private equity investors and other parties to be announced at a later stage, Glassriver CEO and producer Andri Ómarsson told Variety. “‘Elma’ is an Icelandic crime story, that’s ready to take on the world!” said Ómarsson who confirmed that Glassriver has optioned the rights to the five books in the “Elma” series. “We are proud to partner with the Mediawan team; their deep understanding of European markets and proven success with high-end drama make them the ideal partner to help us champion this story beyond Iceland.” Mediawan Rights CEO Valérie Vleeschhouwer added: “We are delighted to support “Elma.” This partnership with Glassriver reflects our commitment to bringing captivating and top-tier European shows to a global audience.” The inaugural season, “The Creak on the Stairs,” based on the first book in the “Elma” serie,s is due to roll from Oct. 7 in Iceland, under the direction of concept director Katrín Björgvinsdóttir (“The Minister,” “As Long as We Live) and Thora Hilmarsdóttir (“The Rising,” “Stella Blómkvist”). When first published in Iceland in 2018, Eva BjörgÆgisdóttir was hailed as one of the most talented non ew crime authors, along the lines of Arnaldur Indriðason, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson or Lilja Sigurdardottir, thanks to her ability to blend Nordic Noir with psychological depth. “The Creak on the Stairs” hit the top of the book charts in Iceland and won the CWA (Crime Writers Association) Debut Dagger-Blackbird Award, before opening up new markets for Ægisdóttir in the 20-plus territories where it was translated including in France and the UK. In the serialized TV adaptation from head-writer Karen Björg Eyfjörð Þorsteinsdóttir (“Ordinary People”), Elísabet Hall and rising talent Urður Egilsdóttir (Glassriver’s upcoming “Manifesto”), the story follows police detective Elma who returns to the picturesque port town of Akrane to work at her local police station after a disastrous romance. “When a woman’s body is found lying at the foot of a lighthouse, terrible secrets could well resurface from the past. In this small Icelandic town with its oppressive atmosphere, could salvation come to Elma from her colleague, Saevar?,” reads the logline. One of Iceland’s most active purveyors of quality scripted content, Glassriver’s current series slate takes in the climate disaster “Avalanche” starring Elin Hall; the comedy drama “Hot Stuff” toplined by Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, and Saga Garðarsdóttir; the recently optioned “Konrad” book series from crime king Arnaldur Indriðason and “Masquerade” to be co-produced with “Severance”’s Nicholas Weinstock and The Art of Coproduction’s Marc Lorber.
