NORDIC NOIR Antti Tuomainen’s The Man Who Died to star Jussi Vatanen

When we say Nordic Noir, we don’t mean your normal Nordic Noir. Finnish novelist Antti Tuomainen has often been compared to the Coen brothers because he mixes quirky humour and left-field storylines within the crime fiction genre.

Now his book – The Man Who Died – is being adapted for television by Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde

It tells the story of mushroom farmer Jaakko Kaunismaa is a man in his prime. At just 37 years of age, he is shocked when his doctor tells him that he’s dying. What’s more, the cause is discovered to be prolonged exposure to toxins; in other words, someone has slowly but surely been poisoning him.

Determined to find out who wants him dead, Jaakko embarks on a suspenseful rollercoaster journey full of unusual characters, bizarre situations and unexpected twists. It’s been compared to Fargo.

 
Jussi Vatanen, who we’ve recently seen in the UK in Man In Room 301, takes the leading role.

“I am excited to see how the series will be received not only in Finland but also in Germany or the UK, where the novel has received great reviews and a lot of readers. Even with careful estimates, it can be said that an all-time mushroom summer is coming,” Tuomainen says.

Advertisement

Channel 4 releases first-look image from Before We Die

Back in September 2020 we brought you news that Channel 4 was adapting an English-language version of Swedish series Before We Die.

Now we have our first images from the show.

The remake of the Swedish series it’s produced by from newly formed production company, Eagle Eye Drama, launched by the same team behind global drama brand, Walter Presents.

Set in Bristol, it Lesley Sharp leads the cast as detective Hannah Laing who becomes deeply conflicted when she discovers her son is playing a crucial role as an undercover informant in a brutal murder investigation. Gibson plays the role of her mixed-up son, Christian, while Croatian actor Toni Gojanović will take on the role of Davor Mimica the leader of the criminal gang. Regan stars as Billy Murdoch, a non-conformist investigator, who is seconded to Hannah’s unit to advise on Eastern European drug gangs.

We’ll keep you posted about a transmission date.

ITV announces cast for Val McDermid adaptation Karen Pirie

Some time ago we reported that Val McDermid’s DS Karen Pirie series would be getting the ITV treatment.

Now we know more details, including who will play the title role.

The three-part series is based on McDermid’s first Karen Pirie novel The Distant Echo, and in the first episode Karen is tasked with reopening an historic murder investigation that has been the subject of a provocative true crime podcast. 

Outlander actress, Lauren Lyle, will play Pirie.

When teenager Rosie Duff was found brutally murdered in the Scottish university town of St Andrews in 1996, suspicion fell on the three drunken students who were discovered at the scene of the crime, claiming to have found her body; Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz, Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie and Alex Gilbey. But with a lack of forensic evidence, no charges were brought and the police investigation floundered. 

Twenty-five years on, someone appears to be willing to risk everything to keep the secrets surrounding the case hidden. Do the three men know more than they previously revealed? How flawed was the original investigation? And can Karen uncover the truth of what happened to Rosie that fateful night?

No word on a transmission date yet, but this looks ready to begin production very soon.