22/03/2012 - Opening a Norwegian production arm, the Swedish outfit will stage a feature and television franchise from Norwegian author Karin Fossum’s thrillers

Police chief inspector Konrad Sejer and his young sidekick Jacob Skarre have been signed to investigate ten cases by Swedish production house Tre Vänner, which has purchased the film rights for Norwegian author Karin Fossum (pictured)’s thriller series about the Oslo coppers.

Tre Vänner is already in production with a €31.7 million package of two features and 10 TV movies from Swedish writer Camilla Läckberg’s The Fjällbacka Murders: the Fossum detective novels are likely to be adapted in the same way, according to Tre Vänner Publicity Manager Gilda Romero: "The whole cycle will be filmed in Norway, to catch the milieu from the books and make extensive use of the Norwegian landscape and nature.”

Neither directors nor cast have yet been named, but the main part of the financing is in place and the first film is scheduled for an autumn 2013 launch.

In connection with the production Tre Vänner, which has also backed the Swedish Easy Money 1-3 franchise, will establish offices in Oslo to stage other Norwegian projects - the Stockholm-based company is already represented in Bergen by Sara Waldeck, the producer of several Varg Veum films.

Awarded both the Riverton Prize and the Glass Key for Best Nordic Detective Novel, Fossum’s Sejer series has been translated into 25 languages. Some of the books have been adapted for television films or series – three have already reached the cinemas directed by Eva Isaksen (House of Fools - 2008), Andrea Moliaoli (The Girl by the Lake - 2007) and Erich Hörtnagl (He Who Fears the Wolf - 2004).