Cinenord, Beta board Atlantic Crossing

Crown Princess Märtha with President Roosevelt

Cinenord Drama in Norway is producing a World War Two political drama for pubcaster NRK called Atlantic Crossing.

The 8×60’ series is set in the US, UK and Norway and focuses on Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha, who fled from the Nazi occupation to become a key figure in world politics, living in the White House and trying to persuade President Roosevelt to enter the war.

It is one of the largest Scandinavian productions to date, with US$3.5m in subsidies through the Norwegian Film Institute’s incentive programme.

The show follows on from Cinenord’s other recent big-budget commission, Wisting, which the company is coproducing for Nordic streamer Viaplay.

Cinenord’s Silje Eik Hopland and Alexander Elik will serve as exec producer and showrunner-director respectively on Atlantic Crossing, with Linda Kallestein as co-scriptwriter. Germany’s Beta Film will distribute the series worldwide.

“The Crown Princess’s flight from Norway brought her to the epicentre of world power, while the rest of the world was on fire,” said Elik. “Here she realises that she has real political influence and becomes an informal but central figure in Washington’s political scene.

“Until now, the history of war has always been the history of men: the heroics, the sabotage, the battles. It is high time to show a different perspective, which is why we’ll see these world events through women’s eyes.”