Viaplay slates first Estonian original

NENT Group-owned Nordic streaming service Viaplay has greenlit an Estonian crime drama, its first original production from the country.

Filippa Wallestam

Helmed by director René Vilbre and written by Birk Rohelend, Who Shot Otto Mueller? will star Estonian actors Jaan Rekkor, Tambet Tuisk and Märt Avandi and will premiere exclusively on Viaplay in Estonia and across the Baltic region.

Vilbre’s recent credits include the Class Reunion trilogy, which are among the highest grossing films in Estonian cinema history. His next film, Estonian Funeral, will be released this summer.

Rohelend is a successful novelist and the creator of one of Estonia’s biggest TV series, The Pillowclub, currently in its 14th season, along with hit local dramas The Trap, Wicked Girls and Restart.

Who Shot Otto Mueller? centres on a famous businessman and former Soviet wrestling star who is found murdered in his manor on his 65th birthday. Detectives interrogate eight family members in turn, and dark truths about a successful and powerful man who once killed a wolf with his bare hands gradually come to light.

Filippa Wallestam, NENT Group chief content officer, said: “This groundbreaking show says everything about Viaplay’s storytelling ambitions for Estonia. By bringing together the best local talents to tell the most relevant local stories, we want to help take Estonian streamed content to the next level.”

The series is produced by Tallinn-based Cuba Films, a production company with 10 years’ experienece in series and TV commercials. Filming will begin in September near Tallinn.

Viaplay launched in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on March 9.