Arte has boarded “Reykjavik Fusion,” the first series produced by ACT4, an Icelandic banner launched by award-winning industry veterans, including Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“True Detective”), Hörður Rúnarsson (“Black Sands”), Jónas Margeir Ingólfsson (“The Minister”) and Birkir Blær Ingólfsson (“Thin Ice”).
The high-concept show will be distributed internationally by Wild Sheep Content, led by Erik Barmack, a former Netflix head of international.
Arte has secured the rights to the series for France and German-speaking territories, while Iceland’s Stöð 2 (Channel 2/SÝN) has commissioned it in Iceland.
“Reykjavík Fusion” tells the story of a talented chef who attempts to clear his name and win back his family after wrongful imprisonment. As society turns its back on the ex-convict, his last resort is to accept dirty money to set up a fine-dining restaurant and run a money-laundering operation to pay it back — not only putting his parole in jeopardy but also his own life and the ones he loves.
Rúnarsson created the series and co-wrote it with Ingólfsson. Principal photography will begin in late summer.
Virginie Padilla, Arte’s commissioning editor, praised the series’ “universe and the talent associated with it,” and described it as a “bright Icelandic series in the setting of a summer in Reykjavik.”
The show was presented by Padilla during the Arte showcase at Series Mania Festival in Lille on Thursday. Other series presented at the event include “A Life’s Worth,” set against the backdrop of the Bosnian war in the 1990’s which Yellow Bird, a Banijay Nordic company, is producing; and the next international series of Thomas Vincent (“Bodyguard”).
