Written by new-contact on Oct 9, 2014. Posted in On Location

BBC and Kenneth Branagh to film Wallander in Scandinavia and South Africa

Actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh will film a fourth and final series of English-language Wallander stories for the BBC on location in Sweden, Denmark and South Africa. The BBC’s series is based on the original Swedish novels and TV series.

Left Bank Pictures will produce three feature-length episodes. Scandinavian location filming is scheduled for the Skane region of southern Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark. The area encompassing both countries is known as Oresund and Wallander has previously filmed in the city of Ystad on the south coast of Skane.

The first episode of the new series will be called The White Lioness and will be filmed on location in Cape Town.

“Wallander was the very first commission for Left Bank Pictures and we are delighted to be able to bring the complete cycle of Henning Mankell’s novels to their natural conclusion,” said Andy Harries, Executive Producer for Left Bank Pictures: “Sir Kenneth Branagh has created one of the iconic detectives of our time and to collaborate with him on this incredible journey has been a privilege.”

Branagh explained: “I always approach each series of Wallander with anticipation and excitement, but this last series of films contain some of the greatest challenges the character has ever faced. It’s a privilege to try to meet them, and I look forward to a great Swedish autumn working on Henning Mankell’s masterly creation.”

Oresund has developed a global reputation for generating edgy crime dramas, sometimes dubbed ‘Nordic Noir’. The Killing and Borgen came from the Danish side of the region and The Bridge focussed on the Oresund Bridge, which links Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmo. Both The Killing and The Bridge have spawned English-language remakes in the UK and the US, and an American remake of Borgen is also reportedly in development.