Margit Sandemo’s bestselling 47-book fantasy epic The Saga of the Ice People is heading to television in a modern adaptation produced by the creators behind the hit series Lilyhammer. Production on the new series, titled The Ice People, is scheduled to begin early next year with a broadcast planned on TV 2, according to an official network announcement.
The Creative Team Behind the Adaptation
Writers Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin are spearheading the project. The duo previously created acclaimed series including Lilyhammer, Beforeigners, and Billionaire Island, with Bjørnstad also directing the new project. According to Bjørnstad and Skodvin, the creative team has wanted to adapt Sandemo’s work for several years.
“The saga of the Ice People is one of the most beloved book series in the Nordic countries, and we are incredibly excited to be telling this story again for TV 2’s viewers,” said Trygve Rønningen, program editor at TV 2, in a press statement.
Describing the tone of the upcoming drama, Bjørnstad and Skodvin noted that the narrative deals with forbidden love, marginalization, and magic. The creators aim to reinvent the property as a modern Scandinavian “romantasy,” designed to capture a new generation of audiences, much like the original books did following their initial publication in the 1980s.
Production Details and Background on the Source Material
The dramatic series is being produced by Rubicon Produksjon in collaboration with Iceland’s New Media Arc. Ivar Køhn serves as the executive producer for Rubicon Produksjon, and the project has received financial backing from the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI).
Written by Margit Sandemo between 1982 and 1989, The Saga of the Ice People spans 47 volumes and follows multiple generations of a cursed family across a 400-year timeline, stretching from the 16th century into modern times. Sandemo, who passed away in 2018, remains one of the Nordic region’s top-selling authors, with tens of millions of books sold worldwide. In 2014, she was honored with the Kongens fortjenstmedalje.
The literary property has recently seen a resurgence in cultural visibility. Last year, the narrative was adapted for the stage at Nationaltheatret in Oslo, and three new prequel books were also released.
>Keep reading