EXCLUSIVE: Swedish super-indie B-Reel Films has taken film and TV rights to ‘Jävla Karlar’ (‘Bloody Men’ in English), the award-winning novel from Andrev Walden.
‘Jävla Karlar’ took Sweden by storm when it was released in 2023. It was the country’s best selling book of the year and scooped the August Prize, which is Sweden’s top literary honor. Translation rights have been sold across Europe and the English-language version of the book will hit shelves next year.
Starting in 1983, the story follows a young boy who has a series of father figures coming and going in his life. His mother relays a fantastical story about his true father, a mysterious, long-haired figure living far away. It sparks the boy’s imagination to believe his father is the king of a magical land.
B-Reel is behind the upcoming Netflix action thriller The Helicopter Heist, based on the Jonas Bonnier novel about a daring real-life bank raid. The Ronnie Sandahl-penned and Daniel Espinosa-helmed series will debut at the Stockholm Film Festival on November 15 and drop on Netflix a week later.
The Swedish prodco also produced The Pirate Bay, about the eponymous BitTorrent site and its founders, who became fugitives hunted all over the world. It premiered last week at the Geneva Film Festival.
The creative team from another of B-Reel’s shows, I Am Zlatan, is developing Jävla Karlar the series. Jens Sjogren will direct from Jakob Beckham’s script. Both worked on The Pirate Bay.
“Andrev Walden’s unique storytelling resonates with audiences through its combination of personal insight, humor, and a touch of magic,” said Fredrik Heinig, Producer and Managing Partner, B-Reel Films. “This story has a Swedish voice with universal appeal.”
Ulf Synnerholm, B-Reel’s other Managing Partner, added: “Sweden is rich with both ancient fables and modern stories that are ripe for adaptation. We believe ‘Jävla Karlar’ perfectly embodies the contemporary Scandinavian voice, and we’re excited to develop it into a series that resonates with viewers across the globe.”