MTG traps Nelonen’s Black Widows

European media giant Modern Times Group (MTG) is adapting a popular Finnish drama through its Scandinavian TV arm and pan-Nordic streaming service.

Black Widows (8×60′, working title) will be a coproduction between MTG’s TV3 channels in Sweden, Norway and Denmark and its OTT service Viaplay.

The drama follows three best friends who decide to rid themselves of their husbands and change their lives for the better.

Mustat Lesket, the 12-part Finnish series on which it is based, was a huge success for local broadcaster Nelonen, generating a 30% share, the channel’s highest ever rating for a drama series.

Shooting on the MTG version will begin this summer and the series will premiere in Sweden, Norway and Denmark in 2016, with Swedish actor Peter Stormare (Fargo) already onboard.

The series is also set to be remade in the US with CBS Studios after MTG-owned distributor DRG negotiated a deal with former HBO Entertainment president Sue Naegle.

“Cross-border dramas have increased in popularity quite a lot in recent years, and with Black Widows we have a winning drama concept for multiple platforms in multiple countries,” said Morten Mogensen, chief content officer, MTG Free-TV Scandinavia.

“We have been looking for the perfect project to coproduce between our TV channels and Viaplay and we believe Black Widows will capture audiences both on screen and online,” added Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, MTG executive VP programming and content development.

Mustat Lesket was originally produced by Finnish prodco Moskito, which is now under the MTG-owned Nice Entertainment Group banner, following MTG’s takeover of Nice in 2013.