HBO Europe announces open season for Beartown
Details
Joseph O'Halloran
| 28 January 2019

HBO Europe has green-lit Swedish drama Beartown, an adaption of the bestselling novel by internationally-acclaimed Swedish author Fredrik Backman, produced by Filmlance International, part of Endemol Shine Group.

In this story of a Swedish forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. He knows that we are forever shaped by the places we call home, and in this emotionally powerful story explores what can happen when carrying the weight of other people’s dreams. The drama explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, the courage it takes for an individual to go against the group and the consequences of raising our boys.

Beartown is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees surrounding it, but with the junior ice-hockey team having a shot at winning the national semi-finals, all the dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. A heavy burden that becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatised and a town in turmoil.

Award-winning director Peter Grönlund will direct all episodes of the five-part one-hour series, written by Anders Weidemann, Antonia Pyk and Linn Gottfridsson. The main cast include Ulf Stenberg and Aliette Opheim.

“We fell in love with Beartown the first time we read it. It is a story you feel in both your stomach and your heart,” said Bonnie Skoog Feeney and Mattias Arehn, producers at Filmlance International in a joint statement.

“Backman has created a universe with characters who give everything – for their town, for their sport and for their children. We want to create a drama where everything is at stake, where we see and feel all of the different sides of humanity – not only in the characters we are depicting, but in ourselves as well. In order to do Beartown justice we have assembled a team with high artistic vision; talented screenwriters, a strong director with a unique voice and a brave and engaged partner in HBO Europe that shares our vision. Filmlance is incredibly proud of this fantastic team, and very happy for our new partnerships.”

Added HBO Europe EVP programming and production Antony Root: “Fredrik Backman’s novel combines an utterly compelling story, characters that jump off the page, a unique setting, and the exhilaration and drama of competitive sport, while exploring deeply resonant themes of community, masculinity, youth and hope. In short, it’s dream material for an HBO drama. We’re thrilled to be working with such an exceptional creative team to bring it to the screen.”

Beartown is produced for HBO Europe by Filmlance International, part of Endemol Shine Group, producers are Bonnie Skoog Feeney and Mattias Arehn. Fredrik Backman is executive producer and represented by Salomonsson Agency, Tor Jonasson and Sophie Smirnakos.

Executive Producers for HBO Europe are Hanne Palmquist, Steve Matthews and Antony Root. Beartown will be filmed on location in the north of Sweden early 2019. The series will premiere day-and-date on HBO Nordic and across HBO Europe territories.