Netflix prepares for Scandi Rain

Netflix has ordered its first original series in Scandinavia, an apocalyptic thriller from FremantleMedia-owned Miso Film.

Peter Bose

Set after a devastating biological catastrophe, The Rain is created by Jannik Tai Mosholt (Borgen, Rita, Follow the Money), Esben Toft Jacobsen (The Great Bear, Beyond Beyond) and Christian Potalivo (The Pig, The New Tenants, Long Story Short).

The series will be penned by Tai Mosholt, who will showrun alongside producer Potalivo.

The Rain is the first wholly owned and commissioned Netflix original to hail from Scandinavia and will premiere in all of the US SVoD service’s territories in 2018.

Netflix has previously acquired Scandi series such as Rita and Lilyhammer but had adopted a coproduction model on both series, with broadcasters TV2 in Denmark and NRK in Norway respectively.

“Miso Film is extremely proud to produce the first Netflix original series in Scandinavia. We have been focusing on high-end drama series since we established the company in 2004 and collaborating with Netflix on The Rain will be a new milestone for our company,” said Peter Bose, producer and CEO at Denmark-based Miso Film.

The thriller is set 10 years after a virus has wiped out most of the population in Scandinavia, as two young siblings embark on a search for safety guided by their father’s notebook about the hazards of the new world. Miso Film is behind shows including Those Who Kill, Acquitted and Modus.

The Rain is the latest in a string of local originals for Netflix. In the UK, it commissioned British monarchy drama The Crown, which has been previewing this week in London. The streamer’s US originals portfolio includes House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.