The list of American remakes of Euro TV series is growing, as the latest to be added to the list is Legbreakers, based on the hit Swedish crime dramedy Torpederna.
Ordinarily, I’d be rolling my eyes and uttering a mild expletive about yet another US remake, because like you, my Euro TV fan brethren, I enjoy watching foreign-language series. Especially when the originals have been light years better than the remakes. Cases in point: The Killing (even with Joel Kinnaman in the remake), The Bridge, and The Returned.
To be fair, sometimes the originals are as bad as the remakes (Those Who Kill), and sometimes the remakes are as good as the originals (the US/UK’s Humans / Sweden’s Real Humans and the US’ Homeland / Israel’s Prisoners of War). (I haven’t watched Containment yet, to see how it is compares to the original Belgian thriller series Cordon.)
That said, though, given who’s behind Legbreakers, I’m actually looking forward to it.
According to Deadline, Anonymous Content (True Detective, The Knick) and Paramount Television (Minority Report, The Alienist) are developing Legbreakers, an English-language version of production company FLX’s hit Swedish crime dramedy Torpederna, which launched on Sweden’s TV4 to huge viewing figures in November 2014.
Executive producing Legbreakers are Anonymous Content’s Chad Hamilton and Steve Golin (both of Mr. Robot), as well as FLX’s (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared) Felix Herngren (Torpederna‘s showrunner) and Pontus Edgren (FLX’s Managing Director).
Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh (who’s currently working on the Trainspotting sequel) is adapting Torpederna, written by creator Jakob Ström, Herngren, Per Gavatin (Boy Machine), Niclas Carlsson and Jesper Harrie (both of Welcome to Sweden). Herngren and Ström directed the original, and fellow Swedish director Fredrik Bond (Charlie Countryman) is set to helm and executive produce the English-language pilot and series.
Legbreakers will follow the main storyline of Torpederna (Torpedoes), which centers on 50-year-old Sonny (Torkel Petersson, 30 Degrees in February) following his release from a six-year stint in prison. During that time, he began a secret relationship with his social worker, Camilla (Liv Mjönes, Modus). Now that he’s out, all he wants is to live an ordinary life with her, except finding a regular job is difficult, since he previously worked as a torpedo, a money collector for the mob. So, to get a bit of quick cash to start his new life, Sonny contacts gangster Göran (Dragomir Mrsic, Easy Money), his old boss, who pairs him with Nima (Leo Razzak), a newbie torpedo in his 30s.
(By the way, other Euro TV series focusing on a torpedo include Umbre and Torpedo.)
Stay tuned for updates about Legbreakers, as well as whether Torpederna will screen in the US and/or UK.
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