EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video has been quietly ramping up its Nordic originals slate, and it’s now found its first documentary.
We can reveal the streamer’s Nordic arm has ordered Take a Chance, which will launch globally on May 19. You can watch a trailer for the program below.
The doc has “unique, unfiltered” access to Gert van der Graaf, an infamous stalker who reveals how a childhood crush on ABBA superstar Agnetha Fältskog turned into an obsession that shaped the rest of his life. Experts, psychologists, friends and van der Graaf himself explore how compulsive fandom can become criminal obsession.
The 95-minute doc comes from Kreativ Inc., Sweden’s A Rabbit Hole and Banjiay Americas-owned U.S. producer Bunim-Murray Productions. Maria Thulin is the director and Banijay Rights has international distribution rights outside Europe.
The EPs are Swedish-born former Zodiak USA CEO Joel Karlsberg, who was an exec producer on Lifetime’s crime doc series ratings hit Surviving R. Kelly through his Kreativ Inc. imprint, and A Rabbit Hole CEO John Mork (Rörelsen, Balkongfallet).
Kreativ Inc. has a production deal with Bunim-Murray, the unscripted producer known for the likes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Real World and Born This Way. Bunim-Murray was also part of the Surviving R. Kelly squad.
“Obsessive fandom and stalkers can feel far removed from our daily lives, but they are a reality for some,” said director Thulin. “According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, hundreds of thousands of Swedish women have been harassed or persecuted by stalkers, and we believe it is important to shed light on this. The documentary gives the audience inside access into a hair-raising story about stalking.”
Take a Chance marks the first Prime Video Nordics original since Deadline revealed Martin Backlund had been promoted to Managing Director os Amazon’s streaming business in the region. Previously, he was Head of Content for the UK and the Nordics, with Tushar Jindal upped from a movie-focused role to replace him in the UK.
Last year, Prime Video Nordics ordered a slew of unscripted originals, including LOL: Last One Laughing, The Bridge, Pranked, and Good Luck Guys. It was also behind scripted comedy Topped.
“Our local content slate is growing, and with Take a Chance, we add a genre-bending documentary that spans crime, music, mystery, and fandom,” said Backlund. “We aim to offer our Nordic customers relevant content, with local storytelling and filmmaking behind it, and we believe this local story will be of interest to many.”